Page 26 of Code Trauma

“Well, someone knew they were there, because someone left me a note under my windshield wiper telling me to go take a look.”

Holly’s gaze bounced between the husband and wife while everyone else stood staring in shock.

“What’s going on here?” Dr. Nick Israel appeared and walked toward the dueling couple. “Garrett?”

“A personal issue, Nick. I’m sorry. We were just getting ready to leave and take this to a more private area.”

“Good idea. Why don’t you do that?” He clapped his hands, then waved them in a shooing motion. “All right, children, the show is over. Back to work.”

“No need to take this somewhere more private,” Victoria said, her voice icy enough to send a cold front through the Mojave Desert in the dead of summer. “We’re done.” She tugged at the collar of her coat. “And I do meandonein every way imaginable.”

Rachel stepped up beside Holly. “What in the world?”

Holly shook her head, her heart aching for the shattered wife and the apparent end to a marriage. “So sad,” she whispered. She placed a hand on Rachel’s bicep. “Stay away from Dr. Mann. He’s nothing but heartbreak waiting to happen.”

Rachel shot her a dark look but nodded her head. “Unbelievable,” she muttered.

Victoria Mann swept out of the ER area with a toss of her head and a glare at them all. Garrett Mann looked up, saw everyone watching, and scowled. His gaze landed on Holly and his expression morphed into a smirk. “Well, my marriage is over. Guess you could go out with me now?”

Rachel gasped. “Seriously?”

Holly could see the deep pain in his eyes in spite of his poor attempt at a joke. “I’m sorry, Garrett,” she said, “very, very sorry for you and Victoria.”

“Yeah.” The man sighed, lifted his iPad and headed for the nearest patient room.

Rachel followed him, and Holly checked the time. Andy and the sheriff would be there soon. Andy, to take her to the motel, and the sheriff to take Garrett back into custody.

The doctor didn’t know it, but his day was getting ready to go from bad to worse.

* * *

Andy pulledto a stop in one of the reserved law enforcement spaces in front of the ER entrance. The sheriff parked behind him and climbed out to join him on the sidewalk. “I’ll go after Mann. You get Holly to the motel.”

“You really think he’s our guy?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to press a little harder this time to find out. I think he’s connected in some way, for sure, since it was his car that was supposedly stolen.”

“Right.”

Andy rushed inside to find Holly in a huddle with Raina and Penny just outside the double doors of the emergency room entrance. She looked up, and his gaze collided with hers while his heart thudded with regret at the choices he made and prayers that she would offer him another chance.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“It’s been an exciting couple of hours,” Holly said. “I’ll explain on the way to the motel.”

He frowned and nodded.

“Holly?”

Holly turned, and Andy thought he recognized the woman approaching. Rachel?

“Are you leaving?” Rachel asked.

“I am.”

“But ... why? Aren’t you still on shift?”

“I’ve been suspended,” Holly said, her eyes flashing. “But I’ll be back once the investigation is over.”

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