Izzie struggled to stay focused, to breathe, as Henedy continued to rant around her. He was saying something, something about his wife. About Nikkie Jean’s mother. About Izzie looking just like his wife had thirty-five years ago. He’d loved her. He kept saying that he’d loved his wife and never meant to hurt her. Kept saying he hadn’t meant to hurt Izzie, either. He hadn’t meant to hurt anyone.
He had called Izzie Elizabeth.
Twice.
“I don’t think it hit the artery.” Nikkie Jean said, kneeling next to Izzie.
Good. That was good. If it had, she was as good as dead, unless they got real help…really fast.
Izzie tried to focus on the other woman’s face, on her words.
Fire. All she could feel was the fire.
She wanted to close her eyes. To fight the fire by closing her eyes.
Henedy grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. Izzie fought to somehow gain her balance as he dragged her across the room. She couldn’t resist, couldn’t fight at all.
All she felt was fire.
He dragged her to the door. Separating her from Nikkie Jean. Why would he do that?
Izzie couldn’t think because of the fire.
She stumbled. Dr. Henedy yanked her closer. It hurt. Never had anything hurt so badly in her entire life. She pulled in a breath. Fire shot through her lungs. She couldn’t breathe, but it didn’t feel like asthma. Not…yet. It was worse. So much worse.
She cried out.
There was another man there. Shock was on his face.
Tall, strong. Light eyes. He had intense, light storm-gray eyes.
She didn’t recognize him at first. Tears in her own eyes kept her from seeing him fully for a moment.
Henedy shoved her at the man. So hard.
Strong, sure hands caught her. Izzie looked up. Into shocked gray eyes.
Beautiful gray eyes, really. He had beautiful gray eyes.
Eyes she’d seen before. She’d always thought he had beautiful gray eyes.
She recognized him then.
Some relief filled her. Dr. Jacobson. He wouldn’t let Henedy hurt Nikkie Jean. He cared a great deal for her friend. Izzie knew that. She knew that.
Dr. Jacobson would get Nikkie Jean away. She said that. Begged him to get Nikkie Jean to safety.
Dr. Jacobson turned her, yanked her to one side. His strong, hard body curled around hers. Like he’d done during the storm. She could smell him, feel the heat of him against her. Just like she had then.
She was so cold now. The fire was waning. Cold was coming in its place.
Izzie’s fingers wrapped around his shirt, and she clung.
If she was going to die, she wanted it to be in his arms and not on the cold tile floor. Then she wouldn’t feel so alone.
Fire struck her again. The sound of another shot caught up with the bullet.
Izzie cried out one more time.
Izzie’s eyes met Dr. Jacobson’s. He had beautiful gray eyes. They were focused on her. She felt her lungs struggling to work right. It was a feeling she’d felt so many times before. Worse. So much worse now.
Her chest was on fire. Her arm. Her abdomen. Her back. She couldn’t breathe.
She really only had the one thought now.
She was going to die today.
She barely remembered what had happened now. All she could focus on was Dr. Jacobson’s gray eyes.
Then she couldn’t see anything at all.