Monday's Child (30 page)

Phil scowled. “Then you shut her up.”

“There’s an easy way to do that.”

All hope of rescue faded. She had nothing to lose. They were going to kill her. She would go down fighting. Taking a deep breath, Sara screamed, praying someone would hear her.

Jamie moved over to her. “Shut up.”

Glaring at him, Sara screamed again.

Phil spoke over her scream. “RJ, shut her up now. There’s a car outside.” He paused. “It’s the cops.”

Jamie shoved a hand over Sara’s mouth. “Shut up.” With the other he pulled a gun from the small of his back and released the safety. When he removed his hand she screamed again, but stopped as he shoved the gun into her side.

“Don’t try it, Sara. I want you to see him die before I kill you.”

****

Luke ran down the path, not wanting to waste another second.

Dave caught his arm. “Luke, we should wait for backup.”

Luke pulled his coat to one side revealing his holstered handgun. “We have all the backup we need.”

“Ye took a gun tae church?”

“It goes everywhere with me.”

“Does that include the shower?”

Luke shook his head. Even now, his cop instincts found humor where there should be none. “I sleep with it, too, if you must know.”

“Remind me not to annoy ye. I wish the UK police armed themselves the way the US ones do.”

Two screams shattered the silence. “Sara.”

Luke threw his shoulder against the door of the cottage. It gave to some extent, but not enough. He kicked three times, and it flew open. He drew his gun, flicked off the safety, and burst through the open door, not waiting for the others. “Sara!”

“Lu—!” The answering cry was cut short.

Luke ran up the stairs. He headed to the front of the house to the one closed door and shoved it hard. The door flew open, and he burst in, gun ready. “Police. Freeze.”

Phil took aim at Luke.

“Put the gun down.” When Phil didn’t Luke fired, hitting his left arm. Phil cried out and spun around, firing as he did so.

Sara screamed as the bullet missed Luke by a fraction of an inch, slamming into Dave who was right behind him. Dave slumped to the floor.

Luke leapt into the air and pushed Phil to the floor, knocking the gun from his hand. It flew under the bed. Before Phil could reach it, Luke launched a volley of punches. Phil lashed out with his uninjured arm, pushing Luke away.

Luke grunted as Phil shoved him against the wall. He pushed up, going after Phil again. He glanced over at Dave, then focused again on Phil, but too late, as despite blood running down his arm from the bullet wound, Phil had the upper hand, landing blow upon blow on Luke.

Luke twisted free and pushed Phil to the floor, using all his weight to secure him there.

Phil grunted and tried to get up. Holstering his gun, Luke hit him squarely on the side of the head three times, rendering him unconscious.

He slapped the cuffs on him. “That’s for kidnapping, shooting a police officer and resisting arrest.”

“Luke.….” Sara looked as if she were struggling to focus on him. Her eyes shifted between him and the floor.

“I’m here. Everything’s OK.” He stood. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“Jamie…” Sara gasped as Jamie silently pushed upright and put the gun against her head. Luke drew his gun and aimed.

“Put it down, cop, or she dies.”

30

Sara froze.

Luke’s aim didn’t waver as his gun lined up on Jamie. “Jamie Barnes, I presume. Or is that Robert Foster?”

“Sara’s husband is all you need to know. Something you should have remembered before you got involved with her. Put the gun down or stop me leaving with her and she dies.”

Luke didn’t flinch. “She’s going with you, which is why you’re threatening to kill her. Uh huh, makes perfect sense. Put the gun down.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “What? You think I’m kidding?” He pulled Sara tightly to him, pressing the gun hard against the side of her head. Sara whimpered in pain.

“If I can’t have my wife, then no one can, especially not a filthy pig like you.” Jamie pulled back on the trigger. “Now put the gun down, and kick it away.”

Luke put the gun on the floor, kicking it to one side. “All right.”

“Hands up where I can see them, and move against the wall.”

Luke raised his hands, backing off.

Jamie unfastened the handcuffs. He pulled Sara upright, pressing the gun against her, his finger still on the trigger. “See, babe, he’s a coward. All talk and no action. If he had any guts, he’d have disarmed me. I can’t believe you want him and not me. Now you and I are going to walk out of here. While your cop stands there like a good boy and lets us go.”

Yes, Luke is my cop, and I’m going to fight for him if it’s the last thing I do.
“Let me go, Jamie.”

Jamie shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

Sara struggled. Adrenaline pumped through her. She grabbed his hand, and tried to get the gun away from him.

Jamie tugged back. “What are you doing?”

Sara gripped his hand and tugged. “You set me up…you’re Oscar.”

“Let go of the gun, Sara.”

Sara put her fingers over his and tugged. “You let go.”

There was a single gunshot. Sara screamed. Jamie’s eyes widened as he staggered backwards, blood spreading across his white shirt, in an ever increasing circle. His hand rose to his chest, surprise on his face as he dropped to his knees, then face down on the floor.

Luke scooped up his gun and his ring, which was lying near it, and moved over to Jamie. He checked for a pulse then holstered his gun. “He’s dead.”

“I killed him.” Sara’s hands trembled. “I killed him.”

“No, hon. His finger is on the trigger. It was him, not you.”

Sara began to cry and shake.

Luke wrapped his arms around her, rocking her and stroking her hair to calm her. “It’s all right. It’s over. You’re safe now.”

She clung to him. Was she dreaming? Would he vanish if she let go of him?

“You lost this.” Luke slid the ring onto her finger.

“Jamie took it away. He didn’t want me wearing it.”

“I want you wearing it, hon.”

“Good.” The corner of her eye caught movement at the door, and she stiffened.

Austin grinned at her and raised a pistol, aiming it at Luke.

“Luke, g-gun.”

Luke let go of her. She knew he also noticed the figure in the doorway. Drawing his gun, he aimed and fired in the same movement. Austin’s eyes widened with shock as the bullet caught him in the shoulder, and then he fell to the ground.

Footsteps ran up the stairs. Luke aimed again, ready to fire, dropping his hand only when Scott appeared. “Doc?”

“Backup’s just arrived.”

“Dave’s been shot.” Luke turned back to Sara. “Sara? You OK?”

Everything started to spin. The pounding in her head reached a crescendo. Four Lukes stood over her, their voices overlapping. The tightness in her chest prevented her from being able to breathe.

“Sara?” Several hands reached for her.

Struggling to stay awake, she looked up hazily. “Luke…I don’t feel so…”

****

Sara slumped against him. “Sara?” Luke pulled her upright. She was floppy, and her head hung forwards. He laid her back on the bed. “Doc.”

Scott ran across and felt for a pulse. He checked her eyes, wrists and ankles. He rolled Sara into the recovery position as she began to convulse. “We need tae get her tae hospital. I need my bag.”

Worry flooded Luke as Scott worked. Was he going to lose her after all? He watched as Scott prepared an injection and gave it to Sara. “What’s wrong with her? And what’s that?”

“It’s something tae help control the convulsions. Her condition has deteriorated.”

A uniformed officer appeared. “Paramedics are here.”

“Tell them I need a four mg lorazepam IV.”

Luke squeezed Sara’s hand. “Don’t you die on me, Sara. Not now I’ve found you.”

The paramedics came in and Scott took the IV and started setting it up. “This is Sara Nemec. She’s twenty-eight, and this is her husband Luke. She’s twenty-eight weeks pregnant with twins. Severe eclampsia. GCS is three; it was fourteen when I arrived. She’s had one seizure which I treated with magnesium.”

Luke’s whole body numbed, as Scott and the paramedics worked to stabilize Sara and transfer her onto a stretcher.
Please, God, don’t let her die, not now
.

Another crew came in and started working on Dave.

After what felt like hours, Scott stood. “She’s stable enough tae move. Go with her, Luke. I’ll go with Dave and see ye there. Ye’ll go blues and twos with escort.”

“What?”

“Lights and sirens all the way.”

“OK.” Luke stood and followed the paramedics down the stairs and into the ambulance. He took Sara’s hand. The sirens echoed dully, as the ambulance set off.

****

Luke paced and prayed constantly in the maternity waiting area, as Sara was rushed into surgery, her life hanging on a thin thread. Her records gave her name as Sara Nemec, and he didn’t see the need to tell them otherwise. Consent forms for surgery needed signing and there hadn’t been time to wait for Mary to arrive.

“Luke…”

“Mary.” He turned and hugged her tightly as her arms folded around her. “Sara’s still in the OR. She’s been in there a while. She’s still down on file as my wife. They wanted me to sign the papers.”

“That’s fine. It needed doing. I’m so glad you found her, Luke. Is Dave all right? They said he’d been shot. Carole’s beside herself.”

“He’s alive, complaining about having to eat the food in here for a couple of days. He’ll be fine.”

Footsteps came down the corridor, slowing to a halt next to them. “Mr. Nemec?” A young doctor in scrubs stood there. She sat down next to Luke. “I’m Dr. Kinsey, one of the pediatricians.”

Pediatrician? Why not the surgeon who’d operated on her? “How’s Sara?”

“Yer wife is still critical. She’ll be in surgery for some time yet. We had tae do an emergency caesarean section. The babies are very tiny and very poorly.”

Luke swallowed hard. “I see.”

“One of each. Ye can both come and see them if ye wish.”

He hesitated.

“They can ring up tae SCBU as soon as there is any news.”

“Scboo?” Luke looked at her. “What’s that?”

“It’s the special care baby unit. Intensive care for newborns.”

“All right, we’ll come.”

****

Standing by the incubators, Luke found himself hit by an overwhelming rush of love and responsibility for the two tiny babies inside them. He pushed it aside. They weren’t his and never would be. “They’re so tiny. What do they weigh?”

“Yer son is one pound three ounces, and yer daughter one pound two ounces. Have ye decided on names?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s not my decision. You should ask their mom.”

“Mr. Nemec, ye really should think about having them christened.”

Luke caught his breath. “Christened?”

“They are both very poorly. You need tae name them.”

“Their mom…Sara, wouldn’t want them christened. She, uh, that is, we’re Baptist.” He shot Mary an agonized glance. “What do I do?”

“We wait for her to wake up. And pray.”

****

Luke perched on the edge of chair, unable to get comfortable, his cold coffee by his feet. He stared at the stark white walls, catching the tinsel across the desk and the tree with festive lights in the corner. An angel hung from one of the windows, twisting in the breeze from the air conditioning. It had never seemed less like Christmas.

Footsteps echoed, and Luke glanced up, expecting to see nursing staff again. He straightened, stunned by the two men approaching. One definitely a cop and the other, appeared lost and tired after his long flight—Dad. So much had happened in the past few hours Luke had totally forgotten about him coming to visit.

“Dad.” Luke stood and they hugged tightly. After a moment, he broke off. “Dad, this is Sara’s aunt, Mary Daniels. Mary, this is my father, Jacob Nemec.”

Mary held out a hand and smiled. “Pleased to meet you.”

Jacob shook her hand. “Likewise.”

Luke turned his attention to the officer standing there. “Hello.”

The officer held out a hand. “I’m DS Justin Mackenzie. I’ve been assigned tae protect ye until things calm down.”

Luke shook his hand. “Let’s hope you do a better job at protecting people than I did.”

****

Half an hour later, Luke sat on the orange plastic chair half asleep. He jerked wide awake as the footsteps came across and stopped next to him. “Mr. Nemec?”

“Yes?”

The man in green scrubs sat next to him. “I’m Mr. McKenna. I’m the surgeon who operated on yer wife.”

“How is she?”

“She survived the surgery. She had a massive hemorrhage, which took a while tae stop. She’s currently in ITU. It took a while tae get her settled.”

“She’s going to be all right?”

“She’s seriously ill. It’s tae early tae be sure. The next few hours will tell.”

Luke sagged in his chair, his skin growing cold and numb. “Can I see her?”

“Of course. I’ll take ye up now.”

“Thank you.” Luke rose and followed the doctor, his dad and Mary close beside him.

31

Luke took one look at the motionless figure on the bed. Sara was as white as the sheet she lay on. Wires and tubes ran everywhere, pouring liquid in and taking it away. Machines surrounded her, even breathing for her.

He turned ran from the room, hurtling down the corridor towards the exit, ignoring the running footsteps behind him.

Pushing open the doors, he ran through, gasping, his chest heaving. His breath frosted in the freezing air. Church bells rang across the snow covered town. Tears burned in his eyes, turning to ice on his cheeks.

His dad pulled the collar of his coat up against the cold. “Luke?”

Luke watched the birds fly and swoop overhead across the early morning sky. “I can’t sit there and watch her die, Dad.”