Read Once More (Mercy Heart #1) Online
Authors: Madeline Rooks
The hospital in Eureka Springs was just a short distance away. Stuart called ahead, filling in the staff on what was coming in, and a small army of nurses and doctors in the ambulance bay met them.
The staff quickly placed Marc and Katelyn on two gurneys and wheeled them into a large trauma room. Two teams began working with almost simultaneous precision, cutting off their clothes, attaching monitors, and starting IV’s.
Clem started to follow them right into the trauma room. A nurse stopped him. “I’m sorry, sir, but you are not allowed in here.” She stopped a young man walking by. “Take these men to the waiting room.”
Clem stood there for a moment, trying to decide whether to put up a fight. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her. Stuart turned to him, compassion on his face. “Let them do their job, Clem.” Both men followed the tech to the waiting room where he paced the room, fraught with worry.
What felt like hours but was only just a short time later, a physician in green scrubs came into the room. “Mr. Bryant?”
Clem, who had had his face buried in his hands, jumped up and ran to the doctor. “Is she awake? Can I see her?”
“Miss Williams has just been wheeled up to surgery. The bullet entered through the front of her shoulder and ricocheted off the humeral head, shattering it before exiting her body. Our orthopedic surgeon is doing a partial shoulder replacement, replacing her bone with titanium parts. She didn’t wake up, which was probably for the best, because I’m sure she’d have been in tremendous pain. A CT of her head showed a slight injury. Because she was tied to a column, I assume the force of the bullet made her head jerk backwards against the column. She’s under anesthesia at the moment, but when she is out of recovery, you can see her then.”
“She wasn’t drugged, then?”
“No, her toxicity screen came back clean, except for trace amounts of chloroform.”
Relief and elation filled Clem from the inside out. He’d get her all of the help and rehabilitation she needed to bounce back from this injury. He turned to look at Stuart, who finally spoke. “What about Marc?”
The doctor hesitated. “He isn’t out of the woods. He has been given a very large dose of Ketamine, enough to anesthetize a very large animal. If he wakes up, he may have impaired motor function and mental capacity. We are monitoring him closely. His respirations haven’t improved since he arrived. He is being transferred to the intensive care unit.”
Clem and Stuart grimly thanked the doctor and then made their way to the surgery waiting room where they remained until Katelyn was finally out of surgery and moved to a room. Stuart went to grab some food while Clem waited by Katelyn’s bedside. He held her hand, speaking in a low voice to her, talking about everything and nothing, wanting her to hear him, even if she wasn’t aware of it just yet.
* * * *
From behind her eyelids, Katelyn could sense that she was not alone. Afraid of what she’d find if she opened her eyes, she laid still, listening to the sounds around her, sounds that she realized were comforting in their familiarity. She could hear the beep of monitors, and the faint chatter of nurses. She heard and then felt a blood pressure cuff tighten on her arm and knew she was in a hospital. Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking at the lights in the room. Looking down, she saw the top of Clem’s head as he slept hunched over the side of her bed in what must have been a very uncomfortable position. He held her right hand in his own. She started to reach her left hand to run her fingers through his hair, but she was unable to complete the motion. Looking to her left side, she realized her arm was strapped to her chest under her bust line. Her shoulder was incased in a large bandage. Whatever drug they were pumping through her IV must be a strong pain killer, because at the moment she wasn’t feeling anything at all.
As she moved her right hand out from under Clem’s, he woke abruptly. “Katelyn? Baby, you’re awake! Oh, thank God, you’re awake.” He took her hand back and kissed it, holding it to his cheek. “How do you feel?”
Her throat scratchy, she swallowed a few times before she finally got the words out. “At the moment, I feel okay. How long have I been out? What happened?”
Pouring her a glass of water, Clem began to fill her in on what had gone down. “You were shot, in the shoulder. They had to do an implant to replace the shattered bone. You’ve been out of surgery for about six hours.”
“How did you find me?”
“We found your car at Marc’s house, and my team discovered what was going on. At first we thought it was Marc, but then we realized John Sheridan owned Marc’s house and the house next to him. It was easy to trace the money to John. He had deposited some in an account in Marc’s name to throw off the trail, but my staff figured out the actual amount that was stolen and the remaining balance was traced to John.”
Katelyn’s eyes got bigger and bigger as she listened to everything Clem had to say. At the mention of Marc’s name, she began to cry, mourning the loss of her friend. “Oh, Marc…he didn’t deserve any of this. He was such a good friend. I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Confusion spread across Clem’s face. “Gone? Marc’s not gone. He is in ICU, just down the hall.”
Astonished, Katelyn sobbed in disbelief. “John told me he was dead. How is he?”
“He still hasn’t woken up. We just have to wait and see. The doctor said whatever they drugged him with could cause permanent damage.”
“I would like to see him, but first, I have to say this to you. When I was in that cabin, tied to the post…”. She paused and closed her eyes, only to shake her head and open them just as quickly because she didn’t want to picture in her mind what she was describing.
His gut wrenching for every painful memory she’d have from this awful experience, Clem stayed silent, caressing her hand in both of his, patiently waiting for her to continue.
Her voice broke, but she continued. “John was pointing his weapon at me, and all I could think about was how I regretted not having you in my life. I don’t want to miss out on one more second. Clem, I love you, and I will follow you wherever you go.”
“Katelyn, I would never ask you to leave your home. I know you love your job and your friends here…”
“Yes, but I love you more!” Her chest felt like a weight was crushing it, squeezing the life out of her heart. She couldn’t let him leave without her again. “I don’t want to be some mid-country stop you make –“
He looked at her incredulously. “I don’t want that either, babe.”
“So wherever you’re going next, I want to go too.” Realizing his interruption, she looked at him quizzically. “Wait, what do you mean you don’t want that either?” Fear swept through her. Quietly, she continued, just above a whisper. “Were you not coming back?”
The confusion on her face was his undoing. He never wanted her to have a single doubt of the way he felt about her. He kicked himself for every letting her think for one second that he wasn’t sticking around, but he was going to take care of that right now. Softly, he caressed her cheek. “Angel, you haven’t been paying attention. I never had any intention of leaving. Ever. Living without you was absolute hell. My company is wherever I am. And the headquarters for McKinley Technologies is now based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas.” Smirking as though he were letting her in on a secret, he continued. “Currently we are working out of an apartment like a small start-up, but I’m hoping to buy some real estate that’s a little more permanent, like some nice property on the edge of town with enough room to raise 2.5 kids and have a slobbery mutt running around. I hired salespeople and implementation specialists. I never have to leave you again. Where you go, I go.” Leaning towards her, he laced his fingers together behind her head at the nape of her neck. His forehead against hers, he looked directly into her emerald green eyes so there would be no confusion about how deeply he felt for her. “You are completely stuck with me. I am head over heels in love with you.”
Bliss warmed her from head to toe. “2.5 kids, huh?”
Smiling brightly, he shrugged. “I’m a business man. Everything is up for negotiation.”
Their lips met again, the kiss they shared making up for lost time and uniting them for a lifetime, all in one. Being back in Clem’s arms, feeling his warmth and his love, Katelyn felt exhilarated. It would be a challenge to get used to being taken care of, but she knew Clem wouldn’t be argued with ever again when it came to making sure she was safe and happy. With everything they’d been through, he had more than earned her trust. When he smiled down at her, lightly kissing her forehead, she knew she’d do whatever she could to show him day in and day out that he was all she needed. Life had dealt her some tough blows, but this time, she had a second chance at happiness, and she wasn’t going to waste it. She felt so lucky that love had found its way back to her, once more.
About the Author
Madeline Rooks is completely outnumbered as a wife to her handsome and charming husband and mom of three wise-cracking teen and pre-teen sons. She resides in northeastern Oklahoma. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading everything she can get her hands on and enjoying every single moment she can with her boys as they grow up.
The completion of this book is something I’ve always dreamed about. Many people were a great deal of inspiration to me, and I can’t thank you enough. To the most important people in my life, my husband and sons, you are my encouragement and motivation every day. You support me as I follow my dreams and I hope you know how thankful I am for you. If I have nothing else, your love will always be enough.
Coming soon: the next book in the Mercy Heart series,
Once in a Lifetime
, due out fall 2016.
Callie Dexter surprised everyone when she ditched her midwestern upbringing to become an FBI agent. She’s made it her life’s mission to prove all her detractors wrong. Years of training and perseverance have made her strong and seemingly unstoppable, but there is one man who can still bring her to her knees.
Stuart Michaels has dedicated his life to the protection of others. But for the woman who has captured his heart, protection is the last thing she’d ever want from him.