EIGHT
Sirens could be heard in the distance, coming fast. Colton sat against the back tire of what was left of his truck, cradling Alexia in his arms. Blood dripped down the side of her face from a cut above her eye. Besides the cut on Alexia's head and some sore ribs on both their parts there weren't any other visible injuries. Which was more then could be said for his truck.
Alexia opened her dark eyes and groaned softly as she touched her fingertips to the sore part on her head. Colton gently caught her hand and brought it back down against her chest before holding his bandana against the cut to stem the bleeding.
"Help's coming. How are you feeling?"
"Just a headache," Alexia answered softly, testing each of her limbs to make sure. "What happened?"
Colton blew out a frustrated breath. "Some idiot in a dark blue suburban ran us off the road. I couldn't get a license number though."
Alexia chuckled softly, but winced. "A cop's never off duty," she whispered.
He smiled and carefully shifted the bandana on her head. "Guess you would know that well." Alexia grimaced and closed her eyes against the jackhammer behind her eyes. "Hold on, Lex. Help's here."
An ambulance stopped on the road, lights still flashing and siren blaring. Alexia tensed as the siren cut through her. She slowly started to relax once the paramedics shut off the siren, but left the lights on. Colton watched as a man and woman in blue stepped out of the ambulance and moved to the back to get a stretcher and their bags.
Colton continued to talk softly to Alexia. He hoped that she would end up being okay. She looked pale and ready to pass out again. He would never forgive himself if she ended up being badly injured. He reluctantly moved back to allow the paramedics to get to Alexia.
He winced when Alexia whimpered softly as the medics got her stabilized and onto the stretcher. They carried her back to the back of the ambulance and got her settled. The female paramedic returned to Colton's side.
"We're going to take her into Kalispell. I think you should come as well and get yourself checked out while you're there."
Colton nodded. "Will she be alright?" he asked worriedly.
"We think so. We'll know more once we get to the hospital."
Colton understood that perfectly. He had visited enough friends in the hospital over the years to know what to expect. The cowboy quietly followed the female medic to the back. He climbed in and quickly moved to the front to be out of the way. His heart sank when he saw that Alexia had either passed out or fallen asleep.
Colton winced as a pretty nurse stuck a needle into his arm. He wasn't about to make a sound though. It was just a tiny needle after all. The nurse set the empty needle on a metal tray before turning back to Colton.
"So, what's the verdict?" he asked, rolling his sleeve back down. "And give it to me straight."
The nurse chuckled. "All right, cowboy," she smiled, tugging his hat brim down. "You'll survive. A couple bruised ribs and you'll probably have a nice shiner in the morning. Should be able to impress a couple girls."
A slight flush colored his cheeks, but then he smiled. "Well, that's good to hear. And Alexia Ryan? The girl that was with me?"
“She’s resting right now. The doctor will know more,” she said kindly. “Now cowboy, feel up to tackling some company?” Colton’s amber eyes lit up. “Go on. They’re in the waiting room. I’ll find the doctor and see if you can see Miss Ryan.”
“Thank you,” he said, getting to his feet.
He felt a bit lightheaded when he first stood, but the feeling thankfully passed quickly. He flashed the nurse a grateful smile before slipping out of the cold, white walled room. He really had no idea who could possibly be waiting for him, as he didn’t think anyone knew they were there. He hadn’t had a chance to call his family since he had been whisked away to an ER room as soon as they had reached the hospital.
Blake was pacing nervously back and forth in the waiting room, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She didn’t even notice Justin and Shayna who were trying to calm her down. All she could thin about was the last time she had been in a hospital and how she’d never forgive herself if Colton were badly injured.
She looked up when she heard the click of one of the doors getting ready to open. Her eyes widened as a familiar, tall figure stepped through the doors. Tears slid down her cheeks as she took off at a run without a second thought. Blake threw herself into Colton’s arms and sobbed against his neck.
Colton wrapped his arms around Blake’s waist and gave his siblings a questioning look. Justin just shook his head as Blake’s warm tears soaked through Colton’s flannel. She had started to shake in his arms.
“Blake?” he asked gently. “Sweetie? What’s wrong?”
Blake hiccupped a bit as she unburied her now tear streaked face. “H-he called,” she whispered. “Said he…was going…after you.”
“Shh,” he soothed, rubbing her back. “No one is going to take you away from me.”
Blake closed her eyes tightly and stayed in the comfort of his arms. When they had been partners she had always known that Colton would have her back. She had always been able to count on him. But when she had truly needed his support and friendship she had run. She had been ashamed of her weakness and fear and hadn’t been able to face her best friend or family. Now she realized how much she had been hurting them.
Colton touched her chin and gently coaxed her to look up. She managed a watery smile. He smiled and brushed a thumb over her cheek before leading her over to one of the chairs in the waiting room. Blake sank into the chair and rested her head against his shoulder.
“How did you guys know I was here?” Colton asked, putting his arm around Blake’s shoulders and rubbing her arm.
Shayna flashed her brother an impish smile. “Do you really think a Pierce can end up in a hospital anywhere in Montana without the family knowing?” Colton narrowed his eyes and Shayna raised her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. My friend Aimee is a nurse here. She heard you were here and called us. Which is a good thing cause when Justin lost contact with you he was about to send out a search party.”
Colton looked over at Justin in surprise. The blue-eyed cowboy just smiled, seeming quite calm now. “Couldn’t let anything happen to my little brother,” he teased.
Blake smiled as she listened to the siblings picking on each other. She really needed to call her sister and father. She missed them terribly. She slipped out from under Colton’s arm and got to her feet. The waiting room was surprisingly quiet which was a good thing. Although the room actually held a bit of a homey feeling to it. The walls were painted a pretty, pale blue and had wood trim along the top and bottom. There were four fluffy chairs along with a couch and a couple other chairs sat up along the wall. A couple vending machines set in a corner, which was where Blake was headed. She didn’t know about anyone else, but she could use a drink.
She studied the vending machine choices, but nothing really looked good. Her stomach started growling and she quickly covered it, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Sounds like someone is hungry.” Blake jumped and spun around quickly. “Easy,” Colton said, holding his hands up. “Just, Shay, and I were going to head down to the cafeteria for a quick bite. Wanna join us? There’s something I need to tell you anyhow.”
“Me too,” she admitted, seeing the surprise in his soft, caring eyes. Eyes that she had missed. “Let’s get first.”
He stepped into Alexia’s room, clipboard in hand. Alexia was still sleeping from the sedative that doctors had given her. Her dusty hair lay around her delicate elfin face and her long lashes lay against her high cheekbones. Her face was still pale though and the cut above her eye was an ugly red color.
He stepped up to the bed, glancing at the monitors. All showed good signs and her breathing was light and easy. He reached up and gently brushed the back of his fingers along her cheek. She sighed softly, not able to wake up despite the unfamiliar touch.
“So beautiful,” he whispered, watching her sleep. “You better hope your sister cooperates. I would have to see anything happen to someone of such beauty.”
He glanced around the bright room, knowing he only had a few more minutes if he wanted to play it safe. He reached up to unhook one of the IVs, setting the alarms off before kissing her forehead.
“We’ll meet again, lovely,” he laughed, slipping out of the room as doctors rushing toward the room to check on Alexia.