Page 7 of The Two Last Moments

“And youdon’tknow her, Danny? You’re sure?”

“I’ve never seen her in my life.”

“Sounds like Lark has some sort of amnesia,” Matteo says. “That’s common. A lot of people who’ve suffered trauma don’t remember the event until later.”

“But she doesn’t remember anything else, either. Not her last name, where she’s from or how she got here. I’ve heard of things like this, but I’ve never seen it before.”

“What are they doing for her?” Nina asks. “The doctors?”

“I’m not sure. She just woke up again a little while ago.”

When we first brought her in, Lark was unconscious. The main focus was on her physical injuries. I’d been able to tag along in the ambulance because I knew the paramedics who responded. I just needed to be there, needed to make absolutely certain that she was getting what she needed.

Please. That word kept repeating in my head. The way she clung to me.Please.

Of course, she went straight to the emergency department and out of my hands. While she was being treated, I called West Oaks PD. They’d already sent units to the accident scene after the 911 call.

My friend and roommate Cliff Easton was on patrol duty, and he came to the hospital to interview me about the incident. I gave him a description of the car, though I didn’t see any plates. I couldn’t make out the driver either. It wasn’t much to go on, but Cliff got started on putting out a bulletin on the vehicle’s description.Wanted for questioning. Hit and run.

But I’m convinced it wasn’t just an accident. The guy was going for a second round. Aiming at her.

It was attempted murder.

And then there was the backpack. She’d been holding it when I first spotted her. But when I went back to look just before the ambulance left, the bag was gone. Probably where her ID went. I think the guy who attacked her took it from the street.

Why?

I was halfway through Cliff’s questions when there was a commotion in the ED. Shouting. Someone came out and grabbed me because they knew I’d come in with Lark. Apparently she was awake and freaking the fuck out. Screaming, trying to fight her way free. She was so difficult they were afraid they’d hurt her more in the process of subduing her.

Yet somehow, the moment she saw me walk into the room, she calmed down enough for them to sedate her. She reached out for me and clung to my hand until she passed out from the drugs. I think she’s scared and feels connected to me because I helped her.

When I was a line medic, my guys trusted me. But I’m not so sure I warrant the kind of faith she’s instinctually placing in me.

“What about the man who hit her?” Nina asks. “Have they found him yet?”

“Not that I know of. Cliff was here taking my statement. He said West Oaks PD would send more officers today to canvas our neighborhood for witnesses.”

“Yeah, patrol was here,” Matteo says.

“Was the case assigned to Angela?” I ask. She’s Matteo’s girlfriend and a West Oaks PD detective.

“No, it’s someone else. But she was going to stop by and see Nina anyway. She’ll keep us updated on the search for the suspect.”

Nina adds, “I hope the cops track down that fucker and paste his ugly mug all over the news!” She takes a shaky breath, and I worry she’s getting too worked up. An attempted murder on our quiet street is too much excitement.

Once, my grandmother was the toughest person I knew, more ornery than some drill sergeants. But that’s not her reality anymore. My head goes to places I don’t like when I think too much about it. But it’s true.

“Why don’t you take that rest,” I say. “I’ll get out of here as soon as I can.”

“Don’t you baby me.” She points a finger at the screen. “That poor girl in the hospital is the one who needs a knight in shining armor, not me.”

I huff. I’m a first responder, and I’m proud of that. But a knight in shining armor? Hardly. More of a hired gun, just with a med kit instead of a weapon.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I say.

“I agree with Nina,” Matteo chimes in. “You can’t take off if the girl needs you.”

My friend’s tone irks me. “Didn’t say I was going to.”

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