Page 17 of Red Hunt

Then Niki suddenly looked nervous again, and I started to sweat. What now?

“You know, he’s still out there…waiting.”

I frowned. Did Alan follow the ambulance, after all? “Who?”

“Max. The guy who found you.”

So, Max was his name? I somehow thought it was PJ. But why was he here? Why was he in the hospital? He didn’t ride in the ambulance with me. I was pretty sure of that. But then again, I wasn’t fully present.

“Why?”

“Why is he here? Well, I guess because he cares. He’s a good guy, brand new to the team but good.”

“What team?”

“He’s a paramedic. Works as an EMT now, but as far as I’ve heard, he’s been a hotshot PJ.”

“A PJ?” So, PJ wasn’t his name. But what on earth was a PJ?

“Yeah, in the military, you know. I think they’re called something like para-rescue jumpers. But that’s about all I know about it. They’re highly trained medics, that’s for sure.”

I nodded. I didn’t really know a lot about any of the military branches. Before Peter and Blake and now Lucas had moved back to Moon Lake, I’d had no contact with soldiers at all.

“Regarding your injuries. There is no need to keep you overnight. You’ll get crutches and braces for your ankle and your knee. Make sure you keep the weight off the leg and ice it until the swelling goes down, and we’ll see each other tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.” Tomorrow. I didn’t even know how to make it home. So how would I make it back tomorrow?

11

MAX

I intended to sit in the waiting room until someone got word to me about her status. They probably would keep Milli overnight. But as soon as I entered the hospital, before the smell of antiseptic even hit me, Jake and Ryan intercepted me like a welcoming committee and took me to the rec room. They handed me a cup of freshly poured coffee, and we settled around the table there.

“Helluva first day you got there,” Ryan said.

I nodded. Seemed like I was doing an awful lot of nodding this night.

“Everything went fine on the ride here. She got x-rays and is still waiting to get checked up on,” Jake said and took a sip of his coffee, and I did the same. It was black, hot, and strong enough to get me through the night without a chance of sleep. I looked up when a doctor in a white lab coat entered the room.

“I got orders to keep you guys informed.” Her pinched expression and folded arms spoke volumes when she looked at us one after the other.

Jake and Ryan both pointed at me. “He’s the one, Niki.”

She faced me more squarely. “So, you’re the hero of the day, I hear.”

I felt the heat rise up my neck and swallowed. God knew I was no hero. Heroes died in battle.

“I just did what needed to be done.” She looked at me in silence for what felt like a very long time. Then she nodded once and loosened her stance slightly. “Well, you did good. Thanks for saving Milli.”

Wow, this really was the backcountry. How could everybody know everybody around here?

“I’m still waiting for her x-rays to be finished, but would you mind coming with me to tell me your part of the story until she comes back? How and where did you find her? Did she lose consciousness at any time?”

I drew a deep breath through my nose, got up, put my cup on the counter, and followed the doctor. Finally, I could be useful.

“I’m Niki Michaels. Please, call me Niki.”

“Max.” We nodded at each other. Apparently, around here, it was all happening on a first-name basis.

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