Page 41 of Two Weddings and a Shoot Out

“Locks, can you hear me?” War said, pulling Locks off of her. Hope’s eyes caught the red all over Locks’ shirt. It looked as if it was dipped in red paint, but she knew it wasn’t red paint.

“Hope, hold this here,” War said, grabbing her hand and placing it against the towel he had against Locks’ chest.

“Get the EMTs over here first. He’s critical!” War screamed.

Critical. How could he be critical? They’d just been standing there presenting the money raised for the weekend. This morning they’d talked about going furniture shopping, and now there was so much blood.

“Hope, honey, let’s get you moved so they can work on Locks,” Regina said, pulling Hope away from Locks and the towel.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Willajumpedoffthebike as soon as Cruise brought it to a stop. The EMTs had said that there had been a large pile-up due to a storm on the interstate. Medevacs were all in use. Willa pulled open the building’s doors. Cruise ran past her, hopped on the tractor, and pulled her helicopter out to what they used for a helipad.

She grabbed her flight book and ran toward the helicopter, quickly doing her pre-checks. Cruise hopped into the passenger seat.

“War said they’ve cleared an area at the intersection on the northwest corner of the park. He said there aren’t any power lines,” Cruise said.

Willa nodded, checked her gauges, then started her baby. She was so glad the MC and bail bonds had paid to have her helicopter fitted so if she had to fly someone to a hospital, she could. She flew to where War had said and saw they’d given her plenty of space and were keeping people back.

She came in and landed. When it was safe, Cruise jumped out. They’d already discussed that he would stay so she’d have room for the EMTs, Stella, and Hope if she wanted to come.

In what seemed like forever but hadn’t taken long at all, she was back in the air.

“Head to Wichita. They know we’re coming,” Stella said. Although one of the EMTs had come with them, he and Stella seemed to be conferring on everything.

Willa hadn’t waited around to see what was wrong with Locks, and she didn’t want to ask now where Hope could hear. Locks looked gray, with blood soaking his shirt and staining his jeans. Hope seemed in shock. She hadn’t said anything and was sitting in the front passenger seat with her arms wrapped around herself. Her shirt was soaked with Locks’ blood too.

Willa only hoped they could keep him alive until they reached the hospital. Willa concentrated on flying and listening to Stella and the EMT. She wasn’t even sure what procedures they were following. They weren’t a Medevac flight, which had certain protocols to follow, but Stella wasn’t a doctor, and Willa didn’t know what she could and couldn’t do.

Willa considered what had happened something outside the normal procedures. Locks would have died if they waited around for an available flight in an hour.

Hope started moving, and Willa glanced to see what she was doing. She was rubbing her hands on her jeans, trying to wipe off the blood. Willa grabbed the bottle of water she had and handed it to Hope one-handed, then pointed to her bag with clean rags. Hope sniffed, nodded, then pulled one cloth out and poured a little water on it. She wiped her hands as best she could, then breathed deeply a couple times and turned to look behind them.

Willa could hear Stella giving Locks’ stats and the EMT responding.

“Willa, how close are we?” Stella asked.

“About ten minutes away.”

“They said they’re ready and you’re good to land,” the EMT said.

Willa really needed to find out that guy’s name. She felt bad that he worked with Flick and she’d never introduced herself. Willa just hoped and prayed that Locks would still be alive when they landed. She did not want to lose him in flight. She wasn’t sure how she’d handle it. She’d spent a little time around him because he dropped by the gym to see Winnie and the grandkids if they were there.

She saw the roof of the hospital and the helipad on it. Time to land and get him the help he needed. She really wanted to get him in the hospital and then check in with Cruise to find out how everyone else was.

Hope followed the gurney carrying Locks. Once they’d landed, Locks had immediately been loaded onto one, with two doctors and a nurse asking questions of Stella and the EMT who’d flown with them.

She glanced down at her hands. She’d tried to clean them in the helicopter, but they were still stained red with Locks’ blood. The blood he’d shed by protecting her from her son’s machinations. She’d tried to do right by him, but he’d taken a turn and become someone she didn’t know and couldn’t allow around a child. She could have never dreamed he’d want to have her killed. What had she done to make him that way? Was it herfault? Was she a horrible mother who had created the immoral man he was?

She sniffed, wondering if she’d ever see Locks alive again.

“Hope, Hope, can you hear me?”

Hope looked up at Stella’s words and felt her touch on her arm. She nodded.

“I’ve talked to a nurse, and they’ve given us some scrubs so we can get you out of those clothes until someone from Bluff Creek gets here. How about I help you get cleaned up? Willa and Max are heading back.”

Hope nodded. She needed to thank them. She turned toward Willa and Max. “Thank you for all you did.”

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