Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,84

me to do. I held her hand for a moment, the beads of her rosary rubbing against my palm. Her nails were painted a dainty pink, shiny and fresh. For some reason, that nearly broke me, but I managed to keep it together.

In all the times I’d given Mary a ride to the hospital, I never considered what the last time would be like. If I’d known a few weeks ago would be our final ride together, I would have taken more time with her. I would have stopped to note the exact shade of blue her eyes were and listened to the prayers she liked to recite in between stories.

I kept it together for the rest of my shift, pushing thoughts of Mary’s numerous ambulance rides aside, stopping myself from wondering if I had done something wrong. If I should have done more. If I’d missed a sign or symptom that would have saved her.

By the time I pulled into my driveway, the weak stitches that had been holding in my sorrow ripped apart at the seams. I was so flooded with it, it was all I could do to let Leroy out of the truck. My limbs were too heavy to move, and my brain was too foggy to even attempt to direct them anyway.

That was how Devon found me. Sitting in my truck, staring at the stars through the windshield.

He sighed and cupped my jaw, turning my face toward him. I closed my eyes so he couldn’t see how badly I’d needed him to find me.

“Lady.”

He lifted me like I was a feather, and with Leroy by his side, took me into my house.

Twenty-Six

Devon

Kat was exhausted. Every ounce of fight had left her. She let me carry her inside and offered no resistance when I pulled her boots off her feet and undressed her. She hardly reacted when I climbed into the shower with her.

I had no idea what was going on, but when Leroy brought me to Kat, seeing her sitting in her truck with vacant eyes had me springing into action.

I sat on the shower bench, Kat sideways in my lap. She shook in my arms even under the warm water, and it took me a second to realize she was crying.

“Lady, Lady, Lady, no.” I touched my lips to her forehead and cheeks. “Tell me how to make it better.”

“I’m okay,” she rasped.

“No, you’re not.” I stroked her back, slow and firm, keeping her grounded and letting her know I was there. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you, Kat.”

She settled into my arms, still crying, but less violent. This was foreign to me, comforting another person like this. But every instinct in my body told me to be here, to hold her and not let her go until she wanted me to. And even then, I might not.

Finally, she released a shuddering breath and tipped her face back to meet my eyes. Her golden hair was darker in the water and stuck to her cheeks in clumps. Her lips were pink and puffy, and when she pressed them to mine, they were softened from tears.

“Thank you, Devon.”

“Nah, no need to thank me.” I pushed her hair off her face, knowing without a doubt I’d never seen anyone more beautiful. “You want to tell me?”

Her expression crumpled slightly, and she buried her face in my neck, her arms clinging to my middle.

“I lost a patient today. That’s nothing new, but she was special. We get people who call 911 for every little ache and pain; we call them frequent flyers. Mary was a frequent flyer, and she was the sweetest woman alive. I couldn’t even get annoyed with her for calling for non-emergencies.”

“She died?” I pulled her closer, even though she was already pressed against my chest.

Kat nodded into my neck. “She died, all alone. Normally, I’d tell myself I gave her the best care possible, I can’t control the outcome, and her death doesn’t fall on me. In my mind, I know this, but my heart...it aches. I wonder if I blew off her symptoms. Should I have taken her more seriously? I just don’t know, Devon. I don’t know, and it’s killing me.”

It was killing me to see her like this. My self-assured Kat unsure of herself. I didn’t know what to say, how to relieve her of her ache, so I held her, telling her she was a badass hero and I’d put my life into her hands a thousand times over.