Page 33 of Countdown

“Good. How is he?”

“Fine. Bet he won’t make that mistake again.”

“I’m just glad he had the EpiPen in plain sight.”

Charlie shook his head. “How did thatlife-threateningallergy slip through the cracks in his profile? We’re always supposed to know that stuff.”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure it will be a topic at the next training meeting.”

So much for going to see Raina. He shut down his disappointment and focused on doing his job. At least until his phone buzzed ten minutes later. “Hello?”

“Yeah, hey, this is Amanda. I think I have an ID on that guy for you.”

“That was fast. Who is he?”

“His name is Freddy Harper. He’s a private investigator out of California.”

CHAPTER

NINE

Tuesday morning, before her shift, Raina found herself at the hospital gym, hoping that by going through all her self-defense moves, she’d emerge in a better frame of mind with her confidence restored. Someone had managed to get into her house and most likely would have killed her if Vince hadn’t been there. The thought still sent shudders rippling through her. After a shower and a power bar, she checked her phone and headed to base.

Raina pushed through the door to find Penny on the floor, rag in hand.

“Hey,” Penny said, looking up.

“Hey. What in the world are you doing down there?”

“I spilled syrup. We’re going to be cleaning that up for the next two weeks.”

“Ugh.”

Penny sighed and stood. “No kidding. How are you this morning?”

“I’m ... okay. I think.”

Penny’s expression immediately morphed into concern. “What is it?”

She filled her friend in on the events of the previous evening,and Penny’s eyes widened with each word. “Raina! Why are you here at work? You should be at home, taking it easy.”

“You know as well as I do that staying home isn’t an option. All I’d do is pace and think. And create scenarios in my head that would have me more wigged out than I already am.”

Penny shook her head. “I guess.”

“So ... I’m going to go over the checklist and—”

“Already did that. Dr. K just called and said the ER needs all hands on deck. An eighteen-wheeler went head-to-head with a passenger bus about ten minutes ago, and while there are no reported fatalities, the ER is getting ready to be overrun. You’re on the trauma unit.”

“Got it.” Raina stashed her stuff in her locker and headed for the ER.

For the next hour, she worked nonstop, but in spite of her busyness, she noticed that the workout hadn’t done much for her concentration level. She kept revisiting the intruder last night, trying to remember every last detail. Which was not a good thing when patients were counting on her to focus.

Hours later, when some of the urgency died down, she had a moment to grab a much-needed break. Her protein bar had long since worn off and she was starving. She headed for base and the refrigerator, craving something healthy and filling. Chopped chicken salad, a side of fruit, crackers, and a small bowl of strawberry ice cream were on the menu.

Holly followed her into the kitchen. “Hey.”

Raina shut the refrigerator, balancing the items she’d just pulled out. “Hey.” Holly grabbed the bowl of chicken salad from the top of the stack and set it on the counter. Once Raina emptied her hands, she turned to the woman. “Slow day today. Well, not the ER obviously, but here.”

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