Clinging to Joe’s hand during the ambulance ride made Elly feel safe and secure. She knew Ashton James was still out there, but she was confident that the tactical team members would find him.
Her ribs hurt with every breath. She knew the injury was nothing compared to what so many others had suffered. Images from the Christmas shooting flashed in her mind. The dead skaters, Kyle, Lisa, and so many others.
“Take a deep breath,” Colin said, after he’d placed an IV catheter in her arm.
“Can’t, that hurts.” She frowned.
“Try,” her brother encouraged.
She breathed in, pain shooting through her ribs. “That’s all you get,” she managed.
“Okay.” When Colin finished assessing her, he sat back. “Your vitals are stable, El. We’ll know more once they run you through the CT scanner, but I don’t see any sign of internal bleeding.”
“That’s good.” She turned to gaze at Joe, telling herself it was time to let the horror from the Christmas parade go. God had watched over them. They were alive and relatively unharmed. She couldn’t ask for anything more.
“Are you okay?” Joe’s blue eyes were full of concern.
“Yes.” She couldn’t help but smile, even as Colin eyed Joe with suspicion.
“We’re coming up on Trinity Medical Center,” the driver said.
“Understood,” Colin replied. He patted her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll let Rhy and the rest of the sibs know.”
“Oh, please don’t.” She winced as the rig went over a bump. “I’m fine. There’s no need to get the family all riled up.”
The stubborn expression on Colin’s face made her realize protesting was useless. She should be used to her older brothers’ overprotectiveness by now.
When they arrived at the hospital, Colin and Joe wheeled her inside. She felt like a fraud because she wasn’t hurt badly enough to need an ambulance.
When she was wheeled into a room, Alanna came rushing over. “Elly! I heard you were hurt! How are you?”
Elly inwardly groaned. This was what happened when you had eight older siblings working as first responders. “Fine, it’s not bad.”
“They won’t let me be your nurse, but I’ll be checking in frequently.” Alanna moved back to allow a pretty dark-haired nurse to come in. “This is Dana Callahan, Mitch’s wife. Dana, this is Elly Finnegan.”
“I’ve heard so much about you,” Dana said with a smile. “And we’re all looking forward to the Christmas family reunion. Let’s get you hooked up to our monitor.” Dana arched a brow at Colin and Joe. “A little privacy please?”
“Of course.” The tips of Joe’s ears turned red as he hastened to get out of the room with Colin on his heels.
Once the bullet-resistant vest and her clothes were removed, Dana put her in a hospital gown. Shortly thereafter, a doctor came in. Not Colin’s wife, Faye, probably for the same reason Alanna couldn’t be her nurse, but an older guy by the name of Dr. Willis who had kind eyes.
Things happened quickly after that. She was whisked down the hall to the radiology department for the promised CT scan. Moving from the bed to the table hurt far more than she’d expected.
“This shouldn’t take too long,” the tech assured her.
“I’m fine.” She was tempted to write the words in indelible ink on her forehead so she wouldn’t need to keep repeating herself.
Twenty minutes later, Elly was transferred back to the gurney and wheeled into her room. The tech assured her someone would be in shortly. Being alone, even briefly, was nice. She couldn’t take a deep breath without wanting to cry, but the nightmare was over.
Her body and her mind would heal. Her heart? She couldn’t hide the wave of sadness. Joe had protected her for her brother’s sake. And because she’d been like a sister to him.
Loving Joe was incredibly easy. Letting him go would be one of the most difficult things she’d ever done.
“Elly?” She turned to see Joe hovering in the doorway.
“Hey.” She lifted her hand. “Please don’t ask how I’m doing. I feel like I’ve answered that a hundred times already.”
“Okay, I won’t ask.” His intense gaze held hers. “I just heard from Raelyn. They found the trailer Ashton was living in, along with a detailed sketch of the parade route and his assault weapon, but there’s no sign of him. They’re canvassing the neighbors now. And, of course, we’ve issued a BOLO for him with his Detroit driver’s license photo. He’ll be caught soon enough.”
“I’m sure he will.” She honestly wasn’t worried. Having the evil man’s name was a game changer. He’d no longer be able to hide in anonymity.
The sound of loud beeping came from another room. Hospital staff, including Alanna, scurried past her doorway to attend to the patient’s needs.
Joe stepped out to glance toward the commotion. A tall man wearing hospital scrubs, a paper hat over his head, and a face mask loomed behind him. The guy turned and looked directly at her.
The shooter! “Ashton’s behind you!”
The guy froze momentarily just as Joe spun toward him. Ashton had a good two inches on Joe, but that didn’t seem to matter. Joe’s fist shot out, catching the shooter beneath his chin. Ashton’s head snapped back, but he didn’t go down.
Elly watched in horror as Ashton pulled his hand from his scrub pocket, revealing a small gun. “Look out!”
Before the warning left her mouth, Joe threw himself at Ashton, knocking him off his feet. The two men tumbled down, and she thought she heard the clatter of a gun hitting the floor. Elly swung herself upright, ignoring the pain as she stood and moved toward the door.
Colin jumped into the fray, helping Joe get control of the guy. Elly saw the gun on the floor and used her bare foot to kick it out of reach. Then she stood helplessly watching as Ashton and Joe exchanged fierce blows as Colin did his best to grab Ashton’s arms.
Suddenly Brady, Rhy, and Tarin were there too. She sagged against the doorframe in relief as her brothers grabbed Ashton and hauled him upward. Rhy wrenched Ashton’s arms behind his back as Tarin pulled the face mask and cap off, revealing his features. Blood ran from his nose, and his lip was bleeding too.
Ashton muttered a curse, then clamped his mouth shut. Hatred burned from his eyes. She glared right back, satisfied that he’d never hurt anyone, ever again.
She forced herself to turn away. Noticing Joe’s battered face, she moved toward him. “Oh, Joe, that looks painful.”
“I’m okay.” Joe swiped his hand over his face to get rid of the blood. Then he looked at her. “How did you recognize him?”
“His eyes.” She managed a wan smile as Tarin and Brady hauled Ashton away. “I told you before that I’d know him when I saw him. Even with the mask and hat covering his features, I recognized his eyes.”
“You’re good, sis,” Rhy said with admiration.
“Thanks.” She reached out to grasp Joe’s arm. “Your poor face needs medical attention.”
“Nah, I’ve had worse.” Joe slipped his arm around her waist. “You, on the other hand, need to get back into bed.”
She reluctantly allowed him to help her onto the gurney. Mostly because she still didn’t know the results of the CT scan. It didn’t feel as if she was bleeding internally, but since she’d never been struck by a bullet while wearing a vest, she had no way of knowing for sure.
“Kingsley,” Rhy said, coming into the room.
Joe turned and faced her brother. “I know what you’re going to say. It’s my fault. I take full responsibility for Elly getting hurt.”
Rhy arched a brow and clapped him on the back. “That wasn’t what I was going to say. You did good work here. I heard from Brady, Quinn, and Tarin how determined you were to keep Elly safe. I appreciate everything you’ve done for her.”
Joe scowled. “It’s still my fault she was hurt.”
“We have security searching the area to figure out how the shooter got his weapon past the metal detector. We believe he assaulted a staff member and stole his ID.” Rhy looked grim. “Sounds like they haven’t implemented scanning employees the way I’d hoped.”
She remembered when Alanna had almost been shot by an employee with a gun. Maybe this latest incident would change the policy.
“Excuse me.” Dr. Willis tapped on the door. “I need to speak with Ms. Finnegan about the results of her CT scan.” He frowned, and added, “Privately.”
“Go ahead.” Elly waved a hand. “Joe and Rhy can hear this.”
Willis eyed the two men warily, then shrugged. “Okay. The good news is that you don’t have any internal bleeding. However, you do have two cracked ribs and severe bruising. You’re going to be sore for the next six to eight weeks, I’m afraid. You’ll need to avoid heavy lifting during that time frame.”
“What about my job?” Elly asked. “I’m an EMT.”
“Sorry.” Dr. Willis shook his head. “You’ll have to take a medical leave of absence. I’ll give you a note with your lifting restriction to take to your employer.”
“Does she need to stay overnight?” Joe asked.
“No, she can go home. Ribs heal on their own over time. I’ll put through the discharge order now.” Willis ducked out of the room.
“How exactly did Elly get shot?” Rhy asked.
Joe rubbed the back of his neck. “She caught a glimpse of the shooter and threw herself on top of Grayson to protect him.”
“Really?” Rhy turned to face her. “Sounds like you would have made a good cop after all.”
“No thanks.” She didn’t want to be a cop, but for the first time in years, she felt as if she truly belonged to the Finnegan family. That maybe she wasn’t just the youngest, oops baby. Going through all of this gave her a new appreciation for her siblings’ respective careers.
“Well, now that you can’t be an EMT, you can take your time off to think about what you really want to do,” Rhy said. “We know you don’t like your current job.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned. Had she really been that transparent? She’d thought she’d done a good job of hiding her aversion to blood.
“Come on, sis,” Rhy said gently. “It was obvious you didn’t like your career.”
“Maybe she was tentative before mostly because she hated the sight of blood,” Joe said. “But you need to know she handled the scene of the shooting like a real pro. She darted into the line of fire to get a young boy to the rig, then she took her first aid from one victim to the other providing care along the way. She did a great job triaging too. And she saved my life.”
Joe’s compliment warmed her heart. Although she’d wished he hadn’t let her secret out.
“Who goes into the EMT program if they can’t stand the sight of blood?” Rhy threw up his hands. “You should have told me.”
“I’m over it.” She waved a hand. “That was one benefit to being at the Christmas parade.”
“Ah, Elly.” Rhy sighed. “You don’t have to prove yourself to us. We only want you to be happy.”
“I know.” Her eyes misted with tears. “Thanks, Rhy. That means a lot.”
Joe cleared his throat. “I should go.”
“No, wait.” Elly didn’t want him to leave. Thankfully, Rhy turned to join the rest of the siblings who were still congregated in the hallway outside her room. Hiding a wince, she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the gurney.
“What are you doing?” Joe looked alarmed.
“Standing. The doctor only mentioned a lifting restriction. I can stand and walk, Joe.” She tamped back a surge of frustration. Moving closer, she slipped her arm around his waist. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” Joe gave her a hug. “I’m glad I was able to catch Ashton off guard long enough to take him down.”
“That was great, but I was referring to having you here. Supporting me.” She longed to kiss him. “Will you come to the homestead on Christmas Day?” She looked up at him. “We’re having a Callahan and Finnegan family reunion.”
“Sounds like a day best spent with family,” Joe murmured. He hugged her, then took a step back. “I have to go. Your family will take you home.”
“But . . .” It was no use. Joe slipped out the door, leaving her alone.
Forcing himself to leave Elly wasn’t easy. But most of the Finnegan clan was there and were more than capable of looking after her.
Joe had been surprised at how easily Rhy had let him off the hook over Elly’s injuries. He’d fully expected to get hammered by his boss, but the eldest Finnegan had taken the events in stride. No doubt, finding Elly awake, alert, and able to communicate had helped.
He’d barely stepped outside when his phone rang. Expecting to hear from someone on the team, he was surprised to recognize Rhy’s number. “What’s up? Did you need something?”
“Stay put, I’m coming.” Rhy ended the call but jogged out of the emergency department less than a minute later.
Was this the moment Rhy would rake him over the coals? He straightened his shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m still worried about Elly,” Rhy said. “You’ve been with her the most over these past few days. Do you think she’s suffering from PTSD?”
He hesitated, then decided lying to his boss wasn’t smart. “Yes, she’s had some nightmares. The way anyone would. I really think this is something you should discuss with Elly.”
Rhy’s brown eyes narrowed. “I’m asking you.”
“Look, I get she’s the youngest and that you’ve spent the past eleven years protecting her,” Joe said. “But Elly is a beautiful, smart, strong, and capable woman. She’s not a kid.”
“Sounds like you admire her.”
“I love her.” He hadn’t meant to blurt out the truth like that.
“Joe! Wait.” Elly was dressed in her regular clothes, pressing a hand against her left side as she hobbled toward them. “Don’t go. I need to talk to you.”
Rhy took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. Joe noticed he didn’t look happy, but he hadn’t gotten punched in the nose yet either.
He found that slightly reassuring.
“Take a hike, Rhy.” Elly came over to stand beside him.
Rhy laughed. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
“Yes, it is.” Elly took a step toward him, holding his gaze. “I’m sick and tired of you trying to intimidate guys I might be interested in. Enough is enough. I’m almost twenty-five years old. I don’t need your protection anymore. I can handle my personal life all on my own.”
“I don’t try to intimidate your boyfriends,” he protested.
“Yes, you do. Cleaning your service weapon in the living room on prom night for both me and Alanna. Running every guy I ever dated through the simple case search to find out if he has a criminal record.” She huffed, then winced and grabbed her ribs. “Back off, Rhy. I mean it.”
Joe wanted to smile at the way Elly stood up to her brother.
“I taught you and Alanna to do a simple case search on potential boyfriends to help you out,” Rhy said mildly. “Not as an intimidation tactic.”
Elly looked up to the dark sky, then said, “Rhy, if you really care about me, you’ll give me and Joe some privacy.” She didn’t back down.
“It’s okay, Rhy,” he said. “You know Elly is safe with me.”
“Do I?” Rhy’s gaze bored into his. “Okay, fine. You get five minutes.”
“I’ll take as much time as I want,” Elly shot back.
Rhy didn’t answer, but he did go back inside the emergency department. Elly turned back to him, looking adorably frustrated.
“What did you want to talk about?” he asked.
“You. Me. Us.” She frowned. “Joe, I care about you. A lot.”
His heart swelled with hope. “I care about you too, Elly.”
“Then why are you leaving like this?” She stepped closer, resting the palm of her hand on the center of his chest. He couldn’t help reaching up to cover it with his own. “Why won’t you come to our Christmas party?”
“Family reunion,” he corrected. “Elly, I’m not family.”
“You are to me.” The words were spoken so softly he thought he hadn’t heard them clearly. “I love you, Joe.”
Her declaration knocked him off balance. “Elly, we’ve been through a difficult and dangerous time. Your feelings will likely change . . .”
“No, they won’t,” she interrupted. “Because I’ve cared about you for months now. Long before the Christmas parade shooting. I was trying to get up enough nerve to ask you out.”
Really? She’d wanted to ask him out? He searched her gaze. “I don’t know what to say.”
The light in her eyes dimmed. “It’s okay, Joe. I can understand if you don’t feel the same way.”
“I do,” he quickly interjected. Then he laughed and carefully drew her into his arms. “Elly, I already told Rhy I’ve fallen in love with you. And the good news is that he didn’t take a swing at me like I half expected.”
“Is that why he wouldn’t leave us alone?” Elly rolled her eyes. “Older brothers are a pain.”
“I heard that,” a male voice called from the darkness.
Over Elly’s shoulder, he watched Rhy emerge from the shadows. Joe wondered if his boss had changed his mind about raking him over the coals.
“Go away, Rhy,” Elly said without looking at him. “We’re busy.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Rhy stepped closer. “Sounds like the two of you are perfect for each other.”
Joe eyed him warily. “Does that mean you’re giving us your blessing?”
“Yeah, it does. Elly deserves a guy like you, Kingsley.” Rhy lightly punched him in the arm. “Like I said before, though, don’t hurt her.”
“Never,” he promised.
Rhy nodded and turned away, heading into the building for real this time.
“Ignore him,” Elly said, then grinned. “Except for the part where we’re perfect for each other.”
That made him laugh. “I can appreciate how Rhy and your other siblings care about you, Elly.” He gazed into her eyes. “But I love you for the woman you are. Strong, brave, smart, and courageous.” He paused, then added, “Let’s not forget stubborn. Very, very stubborn.”
“I love you too, Joe.” She hugged him. “It takes a strong man to take on the Finnegan family.”
“The Finnegans don’t scare me,” he murmured, then lowered his mouth to capture hers in a deep kiss.
For long moments, he cradled her close, basking in the glow of Elly’s love. He broke off the kiss when she shivered in the chilly breeze.
“Let’s get you back inside,” he said. “It’s cold out here.”
“Okay, but you haven’t answered my question.” She kept her arm around his waist as they headed inside.
“What question?” Kissing her had robbed him of all thought. Especially when all he wanted was to kiss her again.
“Will you please come to our Christmas family reunion this upcoming Saturday?” She tightened her arm around his waist. “I love you, Joe. And I want you to be there as we celebrate the birth of Jesus with the entire extended family.”
“Yes, Elly, I’d be honored.” He’d do anything for her, even facing the entire Finnegan and Callahan family in one fell swoop.
Anything, for love.