Victoria had almost been killed.
* * *
Victoria heard Eric’s voice. She could hear him talking to her. He sounded worried. But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t answer him.
* * *
Eric walkedthe length of the ER waiting room. They’d taken Victoria back for a CT scan more than an hour ago. What the hell was taking so long?
She’d started to come around on the ambulance ride to Boulder, opening her eyes and squeezing his hand when he asked her to. Her pupils had remained normal, and fluids had helped stabilize her blood pressure. But she’d been unconscious for so long. Things like “skull fracture” and “brain bleed” had started running through his mind.
She’s going to be okay.
“Hey, Hawke,” Taylor called. “You’re pacing again. Come and sit down.”
Lexi and Austin sat near the window together, talking quietly, their flight to Hawaii canceled, their honeymoon on hold for the moment. They were still dressed as bride and groom and drew a lot of stares from the people walking in and out.
Eric walked over to them, sat beside Taylor. “What is taking so long?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she’s waiting in line for the CT machine or something. Or maybe the radiologist—”
An ambulance pulled into the bay—a Boulder EMS company’s rig—and EMTs pulled out a stretcher. The man with the bleached white hair lay on it.
“That son of a bitch.” Eric was on his feet.
Taylor stopped him with a hand to the chest, leaning in close. “The chief of Scarlet FD cannot beat the shit out of a patient in the ER, not even one who deserves it. Besides, it looks like he’s in bad shape.”
“Fuck. Yeah. Right. Sorry.”
They had a C-collar on the bastard and had intubated him. His face was pretty banged up, large-bore IVs in his arms, fluids wide open.
A Forest County sheriff’s car pulled in behind the ambulance, and Julia Marcs climbed out.
“You stay here with Lexi. I’ll find out what the hell happened.” Taylor turned and walked out the sliding doors.
He and Julia talked for a moment, then walked inside together.
“Hey, chief. Hey, Lexi.” Julia glanced at her watch. “You look awfully pretty in that gown, Lexi. Sorry this happened today.”
“Thanks. We’re sorry, too.”
“As I was telling Taylor, a description of the SUV the assailants were driving went out over the county channel. About an hour later, I saw them pulling out of the parking lot at the Mine Shaft and turned on my lights. They didn’t stop. The driver drove down the canyon like a maniac and lost control at the intersection of Ninth and Canyon. Rollover MVA. The other three had their seatbelts on and are on their way to the Boulder Hilton, but this guy didn’t and was ejected.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.” Eric knew cops hated car chases that ended with injuries. “It looks like he’s in bad shape.”
“Yeah. Now I need to hang around past the end of my watch so I can finish my report. How’s your friend?”
Eric shrugged. “That’s what we’d like to know. She was only semi-conscious when we got here, but she—”
A man in green scrubs walked over to him. “Eric Hawke?”
Eric’s pulse jumped. “That’s me. How is she?”
The doctor gestured to one of the private rooms. “Why don’t we talk over here where we can have a little more privacy.”
Shit. Damn it.
That’s what doctors said when they had bad news.