Page 95 of Fatal Vision
Ingram—the asshole—touched her shoulder as the cops wrestled Colton upright. “Shelby, you’re confused. The doctor told me you may have another concussion from the blast.”
“I’m not confused, you are! He was there, Theo. Colton fought with him!”
“Colton told you he fought with the man. You believe it, but it’s not true.”
Shelby grabbed Ingram’s shirt. “You listen to me. You’ve got the wrong guy.”
The first cop shoved Colton through the throng of people. “You have the right to remain silent. You have the right…”
Colton’s feet tangled in each other, two heavy weights he couldn’t seem to make obey. Shelby shoved the cop aside and threw her arms around his neck, nearly taking both of them over. “I’ll get this straightened out. I’ll… I’ll…”
He pressed his lips to her ear. His vision swam. “Don’t trust anyone but Connor, Zeb, and Nickelback. No one. You got it?”
“Ma’am,” the officer said, “I have to ask you to step away from the prisoner.”
She gave him another squeeze before Jaya pulled her back.
Colton gave Zeb a look as he passed by him, trying to convey his deepest fear to the old man. He didn’t know how long Beatrice planned to keep him and Shelby separated, but his gut was going absolutely bonkers, like a mouse in a maze with a hawk watching, waiting to make his move. The dragon roared in his chest and if Colton had had the strength, he would have taken out both cops.
Zeb eyed him back and winked.
This better work, he mentally told Beatrice.This better fucking work.
And then, before he could take another step, the floor came up to meet him and everything went dark.
“COLTON!”SHELBY SHOVEDpast Theo and Jaya and fell to her knees beside Colton. “Someone get that doctor back in here!”
Commotion ensued, Jaya going for the doctor, Zeb shoving the cops out of the way, and Theo trying to pull her off Colton’s body.
Shelby elbowed Theo and he let go of her, the man called Nickleback placing himself between them.
The next few minutes went by in a blur. Two nurses arrived first, then a different doctor. Colton’s vitals were checked; a call made to the admitting doctor downstairs who’d stitched up Colton’s cuts. Had the explosion done more damage than they’d realized?
He was wheeled to an exam room, everyone following. Shelby was told she couldn’t go in. She pushed her way in regardless. “I’m his wife.”
While the nurses hooked Colton up to various machines and started an IV, the doctor examined Colton from head to toe, revealing a large, dark purple bruise on his lower right side.
Internal bleeding, she heard the doctor say. More words tumbled from his lips:x-ray, CT scan, surgery.
Jesus.Not this. Not again.
Flashbacks of the night she’d sat in their home, unable to do a damn thing while Colton underwent surgery in a foreign country, six bullets imbedded in his chest and abdomen. The helplessness had been too much to bear, especially since he’d been on a mission and she didn’t even know where he was or what had happened. The Navy had simply told her that her ex-husband was fighting for his life and they were doing everything in their power to make sure he received the best care.
It had been the longest night of her life.
As the nurses wheeled Colton out of the room to prep him for surgery, one handed Shelby Colton’s clothes, cell phone, and the wedding band she’d removed from his finger. “We’re going to take good care of him,” she said, patting Shelby’s hands. “Don’t you worry.”
Shelby took the items, slipping the band onto her index finger. It was too big and she had to slip it onto her thumb instead. Her vision fuzzed around the edges as she watched Colton, pale as the sheets he was under, go out the door.
Please God, don’t take him from me. Not now. Not yet.
It was the same prayer she’d said that night.
Her leg didn’t want to move to follow the gurney. Anger at her disability, at the injustices going on around her, roared through her, propelling her forward.
She crashed into the chair next to the wall, righted herself and pushed away from it. Her balance went sideways and she hit the wall on the opposite side. Using that to steady her, she made it to the door, but Colton and the medical team were already disappearing round the corner at the end of the hall.
“What did the doctor say?” Jaya asked, Salisbury in her arms. Nickelback, as well as the others, stared at Shelby, wanting to know as well. “Where are they taking him?”
