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.”***Gavin shook his head, helplessly.“I don’t know, sir.I’m not sure where she lives.”Iris clutched his hand as though it was a lifeline, just as she had for the past ten minutes.She didn’t trust anyone else, but wouldn’t tell Gavin where she came from—angry that he didn’t already know.“He never comes to visit,” she told the police officer with a grimace.“I don’t want to go back to that place.The food is awful.”It sounded like she lived in a group home.Hopefully the officer could track down where.Then again, they obviously didn’t keep a very close eye on her there.Luckily, Iris was the biggest bit of excitement as far as the emergency crews on this side of the street were concerned.Everyone only had minor injuries from the concussion off the blast.Gavin’s cut on his face and a gash across Jenessa’s forehead appeared to be the most significant wounds.The EMS workers finally stopped trying to get either one of them to head to the hospital for stitches, realizing it was useless until someone found Shelley.There was a commotion by the doorway to the precinct, and the medics scrambled for the entryway.Although rumbles of conversation went on around him, Gavin tuned everything out and dropped Iris’ hand.He took a step toward the building, straining against arms that grabbed him from behind.“You can’t go over there unless the bomb squad okays it.Sit tight,” Jenessa murmured in his ear.“They know we’re waiting.They’ll tell us soon.”Gavin clenched his fists and squinted against the morning sunlight.Weird that hardly any time had passed since they first walked into the station.It felt like forever.The people in green suits came from the building, carrying someone strapped to a backboard.Shelley’s long brown hair tumbling over the side was nearly gray from the concrete dust coating it, but Gavin would know her anywhere.She wasn’t moving.They put her on the waiting stretcher, and the EMS crew sprung into action, rushing her across the space to the waiting ambulance.Gavin shrugged Jenessa’s hands off him.“They aren’t taking her without me.I’m her only family here.” He turned to Iris.“Grandma, do you remember my wife?”Iris smiled and nodded.“Nice girl.Did she find my teeth?”At least she remembered that much.“Not yet, but she’s hurt.I need to be with her now.My friend, Jenessa, is going to take care of you.I’ll check on you as soon as I know Shelley’s okay.”“That’s good, Tommy.” Iris lifted her face, puckering her lips.Gavin bent down, allowing her to kiss his cheek and gave her a quick hug.His heart urged him to hurry to Shelley, though his brain knew reassuring Iris first was the right thing to do.Nodding to Jenessa and giving Iris one last squeeze, Gavin then took off at a sprint for the ambulance.He reached it just as they were closing the doors.“Wait!” he yelled.“I’m coming with.”The woman glanced inside the ambulance before looking down to him.“Only family is allowed, sir.Get back.”“She’s my wife,” Gavin lied without hesitation.“Is she awake? She’ll tell you.”The woman hesitated and then opened the door wider.“Are you Gavin?”He nodded.“She asked for you before passing out again.Hurry inside.We need to leave.”Gavin hopped up, looking around the cramped space.The first thing to catch his attention was the gurney and Shelley off to the left.A man sat above her head, operating a blood pressure cuff.“I’m Tabitha,” the woman said, catching his eye.“Try to stay calm.We’ll take good care of her.You can sit there.” She pointed to a bench along the side and then brushed past him to sit close to Shelley’s head, grabbing her wrist.“Pulse is thready.They said she was conscious when they found her.Maybe it’s pain related or she has a concussion.”The man took off the cuff.“Pressure’s slightly elevated.She’s stable for the ride.”Gavin sank onto the bench as the ambulance leapt into motion, siren blaring.Grime covered Shelley’s face and her breathing seemed erratic.At least she had been conscious after the blast.That had to count for something.The man pulled things out of a cupboard above Shelley’s head while Tabitha checked her right leg, which had scratches along it showing through her ripped slacks.Tabitha flashed him a sympathetic smile.“Try not to worry.It’s a good sign she was talking when they found her.Her pulse and blood pressure are stable, just slightly off, and the only notable injury is her leg.Does she have any allergies or is she on medications? What can you tell me about her history?”Gavin shook his head.“No medicines.I’m not sure about allergies.She’s claustrophobic.” Did that count as a medical condition? He wasn’t sure.“I don’t know anything else.”Both workers returned their attention to Shelley, cleaning her arm and starting an IV.Tabitha kept a running commentary, telling Gavin what was happening every step.Staring at Shelley, he thought she looked good besides the dust.However, he heard some officers talking about how shock from a bomb rattled people’s brains.It could cause a concussion even if the person didn’t hit their head.He wondered if that was why Shelley passed out.She was really dizzy after the car bomb.In fact, that might have a bearing on her recovery now.“Ummm, excuse me,” he said.Both medics looked at him.“We don’t make a habit of getting bombed, but we actually were fairly close to a car bombing a little over a week ago.Shelley passed out for a few minutes and was dizzy afterward the rest of the day.” He paused as both medics looked at him with slack jaws and Tabitha shook her head.“I, uh, thought that might make a difference here,” he finished, feeling foolish.The medics exchange a glance with raised eyebrows, but the man nodded his direction.“Thanks.That does make a difference.” He scribbled something down on a notepad.“Anything else happen lately that could contribute to her loss of consciousness.”The giant explosion and a building falling on her aren’t enough?Gavin bit back the angry words, knowing they were doing everything they could to help her.It worried him that Shelley had passed out again.He shouldn’t have let her go back to check the bathrooms.He should have stopped her.somehow.“No.Nothing else has happened lately.” On thinking further, Gavin shook his head.The emergency workers would think they were crazy, but it could be important.“She was shot in the chest three months ago, but she’s been fully recovered from that.”Tabitha pressed her lips together and her eyes widened [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]