The Strong Silent Type Read Online Free PDF Page A

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    Seeing journey’s end, Hawk almost sighed with relief. Not long now.
    The doors of the stark-white vehicle with its red letters popped open. One of the two paramedics assigned to it jumped out.
    Hawk deposited her inside the rear of the ambulance.
    “She’s all yours,” he announced, backing away with his arms slightly raised, like a rodeo star who had just tied up a calf. “Best of luck to you.”
    A ray of panic flashed between the shafts of pain vying for possession of her. He was leaving.
    “You’re not coming?”
    If he didn’t know any better, he would have said she looked scared. But if he’d learned nothing else these very long nine months, he’d learned that Theresa Cavanaugh did not get scared. Or, and this was probably more likely, if she did, she never showed it.
    “Someone has to fill in the reports.”
    Hawk began to walk away when he saw her wince as the paramedic slid off her coat. There was blood everywhere, spearing on his guilt. If it hadn’t been for her pushing him out of the way, he would have been the one with the wound. And, more than likely, his would have been more serious. He was taller than she was. It didn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination to realize that the bullet would have probably found its way into his gut.
    The encroaching panic continued spinning out its web, swirling around her. She saw the way Hawk looked at her wound and guessed at what he was thinking, if not saying. She shamelessly used it to her advantage. “We caught the bad guys, Hawk. The paperwork can wait for a couple of hours.”
    The paramedic was administering to her wound, bandaging it up as quickly as possible. Hawk averted his eyes from the exposed area, giving her her privacy. “Why do you want me to come with you?”
    She could lie. She could make a joke about it. But right now, she needed to have him come with her. Tochase the specters away. So she went with the truth and hoped it would work.
    “I need someone to hold my hand,” she told him honestly. “I never liked hospitals. People die in hospitals.”
    He wasn’t sure if she was putting him on again or not. But there was a look in her eyes that didn’t allow him to retreat the way he wanted to. He couldn’t just abandon her.
    Hawk looked around the area. The so-called suspects had been placed in the back of a squad car that was about to pull out. There was protocol to follow, he reminded himself.
    The paramedic was urging her onto the gurney. “Only the good die young,” Hawk informed her. “I’ll catch up with you.”
    To his surprise, she said nothing. She only continued looking at him. Continued looking even as the paramedic closed the doors, severing eye contact.
    “Ah, hell,” Hawk bit off, shaking his head. Spinning around on his heel, he looked around until he saw a face he recognized. Quickly, he crossed to the heavyset detective. “Hey, Mulrooney, tell Mr. and Mrs. Wong that I’ll be back to take their statements after they’ve had a chance to pull themselves together.”
    Mulrooney looked surprised that Hawk wasn’t on his way back upstairs. “Where are you going?”
    Hawk clenched his teeth together. He didn’t likehaving to explain himself, especially when he was having trouble understanding is own motivation.
    “My partner’s been shot. I’m heading out to the hospital to make sure she’s all right.”
    Again Mulrooney nodded, this time looking at the ambulance that had just peeled away, its siren going full blast. He grinned broadly. Everyone liked Teri Cavanaugh. The same couldn’t be said about her partner. “Trade assignments with you, Hawkins.”
    Hawk made no answer. Given his choice, he would have liked to take Mulrooney up on that. The latter had the better end of the deal.
    Muttering a few choice things under his breath, Hawk hurried to his car.
     
    Her side throbbed wildly to the beat of the 1812 Overture by the time the ambulance pulled into the parking lot behind Aurora Memorial