Page 7 of Code Trauma

“I’m just helping Mr. Carson. I’ll be there as soon as I hang his bag and turn him over to Dr. Mann.” He might not be her favorite person, but even she’d admit—grudgingly—he was a good doctor and always gave his patients excellent care.

“Okay.”

Raina gave her a quick hug. “See you later.”

Her friend darted down the hallway toward Life Flight’s base. The medical flight team was close, and she loved them like family.

Sometimes more. And her family was amazing. With a mother and father still together and a younger sister in her last year of law school, Holly was blessed, and she knew it.

She held her badge over the security pad and waited for the green indicator to flash, then opened the door. The light came on at her entrance, and in the laptop to her right, she logged in and tapped the appropriate key sequence to indicate what she would be removing from the room.

The IV equipment was in the back, so she followed the shelving unit to the area and grabbed one of the plastic bags.

And the lights went out.

Holly stood still. “Hello? Hey, there’s someone in here. Can you turn the light back on?”

But the light shouldn’t have gone off. It was motion activated. If it went off, someone had turned it off.

Silence thickened the darkness.

Nothing.

Just the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

And the footsteps walking toward her.

Holly’s breath caught.

She backed up, trying to stay as quiet as possible. In her mind, she pictured the layout of the supply room. Sharps to her right. IV bags behind her. Bandages and tape to her left.

Why would someoneturn offthe light to enter the room?

The threats jumped to the forefront of her mind.God, help me, please.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and hesitated, her thumb hovering above the home button. Did she want to take a chance on making the light come on? But she couldn’t just stand there.

A noise sounded behind her. She spun, listening. Holly heard the person breathing, and a cold chill shivered up her spine. Who was doing this to her?

She moved away from the breathing but was confused. Which way was the door?

She shoved a fist against her mouth to keep from crying out.

She had to get out, get away.

Holly pressed her thumb against the home button. Her screen lit up and provided an eerie glow in the dark room. She swiped a finger across the bottom and saw the missed calls and texts from Andy.

Guided by the light of her phone, Holly moved toward the door.

The hard crash against the back of her head sent her to her knees. She cried out. Her phone tumbled from her hand and her ears rang from the pain. Nausea swirled through her, and she eased backward until her shoulders rested against a supply cabinet.

“Stay out of this hospital,” the voice whispered. “Or die. This is your last warning.”

* * *

Andy steppedinside the hospital and made his way to the base where Holly usually was. When he found it empty, he hurried to Dr. Fitzgerald’s office, only to find the man out. His administrative assistant directed him to the ER. With each step, the knot in his gut grew. Ever since his partner’s death, he’d developed a distinct distaste for stepping foot inside any medical facility. But for Holly, he’d do it. He closed his mind to the memories and focused on finding Holly. He made his way through the triage area by flashing his badge, turned a corner, and found several people clogging the hallway.

“Make way, coming through.” A nurse shoved past him. “Here Holly, put this on your head.”

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