Page 14 of Code Trauma

“You’re not an idiot.” She paused. “Well, not in this case anyway.”

He barked a short laugh. “I’m working on it.”

“Good.”

Within minutes, he had her checked into the motel and inside her room. With a gentle finger, he stroked her cheek, looking like he wanted to kiss her, then backed off with a sigh. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk when this is all over.”

“You mean really talk?”

“Yeah. Really talk.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

He handed her the overnight bag, which she set on the floor beside her while she watched him leave. Once he was out of sight, Holly shut and bolted the door, went to the nearest bed, and sat on it with a groan. Her head ached, and she grabbed the Motrin from her purse and took another pill.

But finally, she was safe.

She would stay here tonight and make arrangements for the townhome to be painted and cleaned up as soon as possible. With that in mind, she called the pastor at her church and asked for a recommendation for someone to take care of the chores. Once she explained what happened, he told her he’d take care of it.

“But I don’t expect?—”

“I know you don’t, Holly, but you’ve been a blessing and a help to more than one person in this church, myself included. Let us help you now.”

So, she’d agreed with a grateful heart, checked in with her family—without telling them what happened, and turned on the television.

With the news playing in the background, she pulled her iPad from her bag. She planned to read while she waited to hear back from Andy, but soon, her lids grew heavy. She set the iPad aside and stretched out on the bed. Okay, so she’d sleep a little.

She’d just drifted off when her phone buzzed.

She grabbed it from the end table. Dr. Kirkpatrick. “Hello?”

“Holly, I just wanted to call and check on you.”

“I’m doing okay. Headache has eased and, to be honest, I could have probably finished my shift.”

“I’m so glad to hear you say that. Do you think you could come back in?”

She sat up. “Probably. Why?”

“We’re short a nurse practitioner. Janine just got a call that her son has the flu, so she has to leave, and Hank is still on vacation.”

“Um ... yeah. Give me about thirty minutes to get there.”

“Of course. Hopefully, we won’t have a call before then.”

“I’ll shoot for twenty minutes.”

“You’re the best, Holly.”

She hung up and texted Andy.

Going in to work. I’ll just have to avoid the ER and anywhere I might run into Garrett.

I should have texted you. Mann is in custody. You should be safe for now.

Relief kept her rooted to the bed for a few seconds before she stood and headed for the shower. She probably still had blood in her hair and needed to freshen up. She glanced at the clock. She could do this—she just had to walk across the street to base. And she’d make sure she was walking with someone in the same direction, just to be safe.

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