Framing Felipe (40 page)

“You’re
with
me,
huh?”

She
knew
he
was
asking
more
than
what
those
simple
words
were
saying.
She
nodded.

“I’m
with
you.”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
157
–
Holley Trent

“Good.”
His
thumbs
grazed
her
cheeks
as
he
studied
her.
“I
didn’t
say
it
before
because

I
was
stupid.
Wasn’t
thinking.
I’m
not
so
good
with
words
sometimes.”

She
sucked
in
and
held
a
breath,
and
regretted
it
because
it
pulled
at
the
edges
of

wound.
Say
it.

“Sarah,
I
love
you.
That
doesn’t
make
all
this
better,
but—”

She
stilled
his
lips
by
pressing
a
kiss
onto
them.
He
deepened
it,
twining
his
fingers

through
her
hair
and
leaning
his
torso
onto
the
bed
until
she
croaked.

“Easy
now,”
Doc
said.

“I
hate
the
thought
of
leaving
you
again,”
he
said,
patting
down
the
hair
he’d
molested.

“Even
for
a
day,
but
I
have
so
many
cold
trails
to
pick
up
to
find
Fabian
and…my
father.”

“She’s
the
best
at
picking
up
cold
trails,”
Dana
said
matter-‐of-‐factly.
“Ever
better
than

me,
and
I
was
a
cop.
If
something
is
trackable,
she’ll
find
it.
She
found
you,
right?”

“Yes,
she
did.”
He
smiled
down
at
her
like
all
of
a
sudden
he’d
become
a
very
wealthy

man—as
if
she
were
some
sort
of
treasure.

Her
cheeks
burned
with
his
scrutiny,
and
she
felt
like
a
teenaged
fool
for
it.
This
man—

this
was
her
man,
and
here
she
was
being
bashful?
Who
the
hell
was
the
woman
in
the

hospital
bed
if
not
Sarah?
Bashful
had
never
been
one
of
her
temperatures.

“Of
course
I’ll
help
you.
Even
if
it
means
I
have
to
detach
myself
from
the
action
for
a

while.”
She
tried
to
smirk,
but
the
best
she
could
manage
was
a
twitching
of
her
lips.

“You
go
where
I
go,”
he
said,
and
it
came
out
sounding
more
like
a
question
than
a

statement.

Still,
she
nodded,
and
pressed
her
hands
on
the
backsides
of
his
for
a
moment
before

letting
her
palms
slip
up
to
his
wrists.
She
cinched
them
and
drew
his
hands
onto
her
lap

and
cleared
her
throat.
“The
other
doctor
said—”

She
couldn’t
get
out
because
Dana,
who’d
stepped
out
momentarily,
returned
with
a

duffel
bag
Sarah
recognized
as
one
of
the
Shrew
emergency
kits.
They’d
been
Sarah’s
idea.

Each
Shrew
kept
one
at
all
the
places
they
regularly
frequented—the
office,
Patrick’s
cabin,

the
Shrew
vehicles,
and
so
on.
They
usually
contained
some
paper
currency,
a
few
changes

of
clothes,
some
toiletries,
and
a
few
other
items
a
private
detective
would
need
if
she
were

going
to
be
away
from
home
for
an
undetermined
period
of
time.

Sarah
let
go
of
Felipe’s
wrists
and
pushed
herself
more
upright.
“What’s
that
for?”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
158
–
Holley Trent

Dana
unzipped
the
bag
and
held
it
up
so
Sarah
could
see
her
holster
and
primary

weapons
on
top.
Dana
re-‐zipped
it
and
tossed
the
bag
toward
the
lounger
in
the
corner.

“You’re
not
going
to
be
able
to
fly
commercially
with
those
weapons,
so
I
arranged
for
you

to
take
a
seven
a.m.
chartered
flight
to
Madrid
out
of
Hartford.
Going
to
be
flying
with
a

bunch
of
stuffy
businessmen.
Be
nice.
They’re
clients.
Are
you
feeling
well
enough
to
take

your
plane
up
there?”

Sarah’s
jaw
flapped
open.

Felipe
nudged
it
shut.

“Tonight?
The
doctor
said
they
wanted
to
keep
me
for
forty-‐eight
hours.”

Doc
scoffed.
“Doctors
don’t
know
what
you
are.
I
want
to
get
you
out
of
here
before

they
draw
any
substantial
amount
of
blood
and
order
any
tests
beyond
the
usual.
That
I.V.

isn’t
doing
you
a
damned
bit
of
good,
anyway.
You’re
metabolizing
the
painkillers
too

quickly,
and
they’re
pretty
weak
ones
to
start
with.
Wonder
why
they
gave
you
those.”

Sarah
didn’t.

“I’ll
give
you
something
stronger
that’ll
take
the
edge
off
until
your
regenerative
cells

amp
up.”
She
held
out
her
hand
and
Sarah
placed
hers
into
it,
backside
up,
and
Doc
slid
the

I.V.
catheter
out.

“Let
me
check
that
wound.
If
it’s
clean,
you’ll
be
okay,
but
a
bit
sore.”

Sarah
pushed
the
top
of
the
sheets
down
and
shimmied
the
bottom
of
her
hospital

gown
up.
Anyone
else
probably
would
have
felt
embarrassed
with
all
the
sets
of
eyes
on

her,
but
Felipe
had
already
seen
everything
she
had.
Doc
was
immune
to
it.
Dana
didn’t

swing
that
way,
and
Patrick
had
turned
his
back.

Doc
poked
and
palpitated
the
edges
of
her
wound,
making
Sarah’s
toes
curl
and
her

teeth
grind.
The
pressure
got
worse
and
worse.
Sarah
thought
perhaps
Doc
had
forgotten

her
vow
to
“Do
no
harm”
when
finally
she
stopped
and
rolled
down
her
hem.

Doc
walked
briskly
to
the
sink,
scrubbed
her
hands,
then
set
about,
opening
cabinets

and
drawers,
plucking
out
this
and
that.

Dana
obviously
understood
the
agenda,
as
she
began
stuffing
Doc’s
pilfered
items
into

the
duffle.
Gauze,
bandages,
antibacterial
spray.

“Get
dressed,”
Dana
said,
reaching
for
the
covers.

FRAMING FELIPE
–
159
–
Holley Trent

Sarah
held
them
tight,
not
wanting
to
let
go.
She
wasn’t
sure
she
wanted
to
leave
the

hospital,
no
matter
what
Doc
said
or
what
Dana
ordered.
“Why?
I
thought
you
wanted
me

to
get
rest.
This
is
as
good
a
place
as
any.
What’s
the
hurry?”

Felipe
piped
in.
“Yes,
what
is
the
rush?
Two
days
won’t
make
a
difference
chasing

Fabian.
Trail’s
cold,
and
Mr.
Tolvaj
is
in
no
condition
to
assist
us.”

Doc
walked
over
with
some
bandages
and
set
them
on
the
bedside.
She
put
her
hands

on
her
hips,
scowling
up
at
Felipe,
and
narrowed
her
eyes.
“Lift
your
shirt.
Let
me
see
your

wound.”

He
blew
out
a
breath
and
turned,
lifting
his
shirt
back.
“It’s
fine.
It’ll
heal
just
like
my

jaw.
Not
as
fast
as
Sarah,
probably,
but
fast.”

“That’s
disgusting.
What’d
you
do,
roll
around
in
the
dirt?”
Doc
said,
picking
up
a
gauze

pad
and
wiping
some
of
the
blood
off
the
skin
around
the
exit
wound.
Because
that’s
all
it

was.
By
the
time
he’d
rematerialized
in
front
of
Dana,
the
bullet
was
already
too
close
to

her.
He
got
it
in
his
side
muscle
near
his
back,
not
nearly
enough
of
a
barrier
to
slow
the

projectile’s
passage.

“Would
you
have
had
me
have
them
look
at
it?
How
would
I
explain
having
an
exit

wound,
but
no
entry
wound?”

“Yeah,
it
was
difficult
enough
to
explain
all
the
blood
on
the
ground
from
the
Visas

who’d
run,”
Dana
said.

“You
girls
sure
keep
me
on
my
toes,”
Doc
said,
shaking
her
head
so
her
red
hair
fell
into

her
eyes.
“Fair
enough.
Lie
down
next
to
Sarah
and
I’ll
patch
you
up.”

“Someone’s
coming,”
Patrick
announced.
“I
think
it’s
the
nurse.
I
hear
a
cart
rolling

down
the
hall.”

As
Sarah
scooted
over
on
the
bed
to
make
room
for
Felipe,
Dana
said,
“I’ll
divert

whoever
it
is.
Y’all
hurry.”

Felipe
sank
onto
the
bed
next
to
Sarah,
and
breathed
out
a
shuddering
exhale.
He

looked
pale
from
blood
loss,
and
probably
other
things.
Sarah
rested
a
hand
on
his
right

shoulder
and
gave
it
a
squeeze.

When
the
door
clicked
closed
and
Dana
was
out
in
the
hallway,
Sarah
leaned
over

Felipe
and
whispered
into
Doc’s
ear,
“I’m
worried.”

Doc
stopped
swabbing
Felipe’s
back
and
returned,
“Why?”

FRAMING FELIPE
–
160
–
Holley Trent

“I
found
out
earlier
I
was
pregnant.
Or…am.
I
don’t
know.
Well,
pretty
sure.
I
went
to

urgent
care
this
morning.
Thought
I
was
on
the
front-‐end
of
Maria’s
flu.
The
very
invasive

ultrasound
I
had
said
otherwise.”

Felipe
tried
to
sit
up.

Doc
pushed
him
back
down.
“Saw
that
in
the
file
and
didn’t
want
to
scare
you.
Thought

it
was
a
blood
test
flub
because
of
your
Shrew-‐ness.”

“Not
scared.”

Doc
beamed.
“Well,
congrats,
honey.”

Sarah
twisted
the
hem
of
her
hospital
gown
between
her
hands
and
pointedly
avoided

Felipe’s
stare.
“Thanks.
I
just
worry
with
where
I
was
shot—”

“¿
Por
qué
no
me
lo
dijiste
?”
He
mumbled
into
her
side
as
Doc
patted
his
wound.

Sarah
ignored
his
question.

“It
was
pretty
far
from
your
center,
but
are
you
spotting?”
Doc
asked.

“No.”

“Cramping?”

“Can’t
tell
with
the
throbbing
from
the
gunshot
wound.”

“Sarah,
querida
—”

“Shut
it,”
Doc
told
Felipe.
She
held
a
gauze
pad
against
his
back
and
poised
sterile
tape

over
it.
“I
can
only
manage
one
of
you
at
once,
and
honestly,
I’m
overwhelmed.”

“You
and
me
both,”
Sarah
mumbled.
“Do
you
think
it’s
all
right?”

“I’m
a
doctor.
I
don’t
make
hypotheses.
I
make
diagnoses.
All
I
can
advise
right
now
is

to
wait
and
see
and
as
soon
as
you
get
stable,
have
another
ultrasound.
You’re
the
first

Shrew
to
get
knocked
up,
so
I
don’t
know
how
your
body
is
going
to
treat
it.
Hopefully
it

won’t
behave
as
if
it’s
a
foreign
object
that
needs
expelling
like
it
did
with
that
bullet.
Chart