didn’t stop running until his shoes hit the lane. There, gasping for breath, he dropped onto his knees. Paramedics lifted Amy onto a stretcher, put an oxygen mask over her mouth, and hoisted the stretcher into the back of the truck.
“Get a move on.” Dallas told them. They pulled out and Dallas limped back through the neighbor’s yard, onto the street. Fire Chief Sam Eden was furious. “You crazy bastard! All the years I’ve known you, this has got to be the gull-darnedest, stupidest thing you’ve ever done. Lucky you didn’t get fried in there.”
Dallas slapped the fire chief’s back. “Had to get that woman out of there, Sam. Your job’s to put out fires. My job’s to do everything else.”
The Chief grunted. “You barely made it out of there, Dallas. Only thing that saved your ass was your old football days. You always broke the speed records, but this one tops ‘em all.”
Dallas stripped off his gear and dropped it into the fire chief’s hands. “Call me on my cell if you find Hadden.”
Dallas waited impatiently in the Emergency waiting room. As usual, the place was in turmoil—white coats and uniforms going every direction, would-be patients waiting for treatment, and a young girl sobbing. How people actually got medical treatment in these conditions was beyond him.
“Sheriff?”
Dallas turned to see Sandra Wilson, the head nurse waving him over, pen and clipboard in hand. “You can go in now, Sheriff. Amy will be fine—minor burns, cuts to her upper arm and shoulder, a few scrapes, and surprisingly, her lungs aren’t too bad. She’s pretty upset about her grandfather though. She says she’s got to go back to the house. We’ve sedated her to calm her down and to help with the pain.” Sandra stuck the pen behind her ear. “We’ve been trying to locate Dr. Johnson, but it seems he’s out of town and didn’t leave an emergency number.”
Dallas grunted. “If you find him, let me know.” The nurse caught his tone of voice and raised an eyebrow.
Dallas followed her to a curtained cubicle. She parted the curtain so he could step through and closed it behind him. He stood beside the stretcher. Amy was still, her eyes closed; an intravenous solution dripped into a vein in her hand, an oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose. Her arms and hands were lathered with a jelly-like substance. A reddish-purple lump grew from her forehead and one eye was swollen and purple. She must have heard him because her eyes opened immediately.
Dallas shook his head. “You look terrible.”
Amy pulled the oxygen mask away and tried to speak. “My grandfather?” Her voice was raw.
“We don’t know yet, and we probably won’t for a while.”
She closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she asked, “Pull back one curtain, please. I don’t like being closed in.”
Surprised, Dallas reached around and opened the curtain. He looked back to find her staring at him. He shifted uncomfortably.
Amy tried again to speak. “The paramedics told me you went into the burning house and got me out just as the roof caved in.” She swallowed. “Can’t believe you did that.”
Dallas raised his brows meaningfully. “You going in there was a little crazy, you know that, right?”
She cringed. “Somebody had to.”
That Dallas understood.
Her eyes never left his face. “But you didn’t have to .”
He stepped away from the stretcher. “Get some rest. I’ll let you know the minute I hear anything.”
“Sheriff?”
He turned around to see her trying to get up. “Don’t get up—”
“I can’t stay here. Please, I have to get back there.”
He pushed her gently back onto the stretcher. “Come on now, you keep that up and they’ll hog-tie you to the damned thing. You know how they get in here when you don’t do what you’re told.”
“I can’t stay here. Please.”
“You’re in no shape to be released. Now, lie back. I’ll stop by tomorrow and see how you’re doing.” He dropped
“Get a move on.” Dallas told them. They pulled out and Dallas limped back through the neighbor’s yard, onto the street. Fire Chief Sam Eden was furious. “You crazy bastard! All the years I’ve known you, this has got to be the gull-darnedest, stupidest thing you’ve ever done. Lucky you didn’t get fried in there.”
Dallas slapped the fire chief’s back. “Had to get that woman out of there, Sam. Your job’s to put out fires. My job’s to do everything else.”
The Chief grunted. “You barely made it out of there, Dallas. Only thing that saved your ass was your old football days. You always broke the speed records, but this one tops ‘em all.”
Dallas stripped off his gear and dropped it into the fire chief’s hands. “Call me on my cell if you find Hadden.”
Dallas waited impatiently in the Emergency waiting room. As usual, the place was in turmoil—white coats and uniforms going every direction, would-be patients waiting for treatment, and a young girl sobbing. How people actually got medical treatment in these conditions was beyond him.
“Sheriff?”
Dallas turned to see Sandra Wilson, the head nurse waving him over, pen and clipboard in hand. “You can go in now, Sheriff. Amy will be fine—minor burns, cuts to her upper arm and shoulder, a few scrapes, and surprisingly, her lungs aren’t too bad. She’s pretty upset about her grandfather though. She says she’s got to go back to the house. We’ve sedated her to calm her down and to help with the pain.” Sandra stuck the pen behind her ear. “We’ve been trying to locate Dr. Johnson, but it seems he’s out of town and didn’t leave an emergency number.”
Dallas grunted. “If you find him, let me know.” The nurse caught his tone of voice and raised an eyebrow.
Dallas followed her to a curtained cubicle. She parted the curtain so he could step through and closed it behind him. He stood beside the stretcher. Amy was still, her eyes closed; an intravenous solution dripped into a vein in her hand, an oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose. Her arms and hands were lathered with a jelly-like substance. A reddish-purple lump grew from her forehead and one eye was swollen and purple. She must have heard him because her eyes opened immediately.
Dallas shook his head. “You look terrible.”
Amy pulled the oxygen mask away and tried to speak. “My grandfather?” Her voice was raw.
“We don’t know yet, and we probably won’t for a while.”
She closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she asked, “Pull back one curtain, please. I don’t like being closed in.”
Surprised, Dallas reached around and opened the curtain. He looked back to find her staring at him. He shifted uncomfortably.
Amy tried again to speak. “The paramedics told me you went into the burning house and got me out just as the roof caved in.” She swallowed. “Can’t believe you did that.”
Dallas raised his brows meaningfully. “You going in there was a little crazy, you know that, right?”
She cringed. “Somebody had to.”
That Dallas understood.
Her eyes never left his face. “But you didn’t have to .”
He stepped away from the stretcher. “Get some rest. I’ll let you know the minute I hear anything.”
“Sheriff?”
He turned around to see her trying to get up. “Don’t get up—”
“I can’t stay here. Please, I have to get back there.”
He pushed her gently back onto the stretcher. “Come on now, you keep that up and they’ll hog-tie you to the damned thing. You know how they get in here when you don’t do what you’re told.”
“I can’t stay here. Please.”
“You’re in no shape to be released. Now, lie back. I’ll stop by tomorrow and see how you’re doing.” He dropped
Similar Books
