Looking at the clock, Sher was shocked to realize two hours had already gone by—and still no sign of Lynn. After another series of gunshots, Sher and Hannah were about to go crazy with worry, not knowing what was going on.
Sher breathed a loud sigh of relief when Rick and Glen came through the front door. She rose from the couch. “Finally,” she said the she saw the blood dripping down Rick’s arm. “Rick! You’re hurt. Have you been shot?” She wanted to scream, her panic level reaching a peak now.
Hannah stood too, her face pale and her breathing ragged. Glen said, “It’s just a graze, Sher. Could one of you get the first-aid kit from under the kitchen sink, please?”
While Sher ran to retrieve the kit, Glen and Hannah examined Rick’s wound. Hannah used what was available in the first-aid kit to stabilize the wound.
“Okay, let’s wrap this up. I need to get back out there,” Rick said impatiently.
Glen shook his head. “No can do, partner. You need to sit the rest of this out. We will find Lynn, but you’ve lost a lot of blood. We can’t have you blacked out in the woods. Then someone would have to hunt for you too.”
“I know you mean well, but I will go back out and no one is going to stop me,” Rick said, standing abruptly and heading toward the door.
Glen sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He knew it was pointless to argue further—they’d only be wasting time. “Okay, I understand, but I will be right by your side.”
The front door suddenly opened, and one of the officers ran in. “We’ve found her! A couple of fishermen spotted her in the creek. They pulled her onto the bank and called for an ambulance.”
“Let’s go. Take me to her now,” Rick demanded.
He jumped into a patrol car with the officer, and they sped down the road toward the creek. Glen stayed behind as another officer came inside to finish relaying the latest information.
Lynn had been shot, but the wound did not appear to be life threatening.
Sher practically fell down on her knees. If Glen hadn’t grabbed her, she would’ve fallen.
“We caught all the gang members, and they are either being taken to the clinic or the morgue. I can give you all a ride to the clinic,” the officer said.
Brad burst through the door and asked, “Is it true? Have they found Lynn?”
Hannah ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. In between the tears and her smiles, she answered, “Yes, they found her. Let’s get to the clinic. I know none of us will relax until we see Lynn for ourselves.”
Sher clutched Glen’s hand the whole trip to the clinic. She thought they’d never get there. As soon as they entered, they all saw Rick sitting in a chair outside of the examining room. Sher’s heart started to race again when she saw he had been crying.
Rick stood and tried to swallow his emotions before he said, “She’ll be okay. She’s really going to be okay.”
Sher said, “Is it over? Is it all over?”
Glen pulled Sher close to his side and said somberly, “We don’t know yet. But we’re all here and alive. Let’s be thankful for that for now.”
The doctor came out of the examining room and told Rick that he wanted Lynn to stay overnight for observation. He said the bullet went through her upper arm, and the wound was cleaned and bandaged, but they worried about infection since she was in the creek for almost three hours.
“You can go in, but only two at a time, and then we’ll move her to one of the three rooms at the back of the clinic,” the doctor said then turned to Rick specifically. “I also need to look at your wound, but I’ll wait until you see your fiancée.”
“Rick, you go ahead first. We’ll wait here for our turn,” Sher said, and the others nodded.
While the rest of the group waited outside the examining room, one of the officers approached them and asked, “How is she doing?”
“She’ll be fine. Are we sure we got all the gang members?” Glen asked.
The officer smiled and said, “Yes, we got them all, and the young guy is singing like a bird. We should have the full story soon. I’ll keep you informed.” Before he walked away, he added, “We’ll need to get a statement from Miss Rayne, of course, but that can wait a little while. I’m sure you’re all waiting to see her first.”
Glen nodded his head just as the door opened and Rick came out. Everyone saw the raw emotion on Rick’s face and the tears that still filled his eyes. He pointed at Sher and Glen. “Your turn.”
Sher approached the bed, and her heart dropped. Lynn lay there with her eyes closed and her face so pale that it was almost white. She reached over and touched Lynn’s good arm. Lynn’s eyes slowly opened.
“God, we’re so glad you’re alive. We were so scared,” Sher whispered through tears.
Lynn smiled weakly. In a tired voice, she said, “I can imagine what you’ve been going through…remember we’ve been through this before. I’m not even sure how I survived, but I’m thanking God every moment that I did and that all of you did also.”
Lynn winced trying to sit up. She knew she’d have to deal with some pain, but hoped the pain meds would do their job soon. Lynn focused on Glen and asked the same question Sher had asked. “Is it over? Will everyone be safe now?”
Glen would give Lynn a slightly different answer than he’d given Sher. He squeezed her hand before he answered, “Yes, it’s over. The police are filling in all the blanks as we speak. They’ll have to get your statement, but I think they’ll wait until you get settled into a room for the night.”
Lynn closed her eyes as she leaned back on her pillow. She opened them again when she said, “No more buying trips for me. I told Rick that was it for me. I will work only inside the store, in the office. We’re not doing this ever again.”
“That sounds wonderful. I think we all have had quite enough excitement. Enough to last a lifetime,” Sher told her friend.
“I guess we need to let the other two come in now. Lynn, we’ll see you again when you get settled for the night,” Glen said as he squeezed her hand.
Sher kissed her cheek softly, then said another silent prayer as she left the room. She realized she had no more pains in her stomach. Maybe they were really through with all the bad guys.