I knew I was the only one in the building—except for the women at W4HAV. I figured there was trouble and that I most likely knew who was involved as I work with many of them. I headed down to them. When I looked through the door, I saw Wallace Henedy holding the gun. Izzie was bleeding on the floor. Nikkie Jean was also there. Wallace yanked Izzie up, opened the door, and shoved Izzie at me before shooting one more time. That bullet struck her, passed through before going through my shoulder as well. I carried her here after passing Dr. Alvaro and another man in the parking lot. I can’t really help much more than that. I’m going into surgery with Izzie now. Any more questions will have to wait.”
He’d dealt with McKellen before. After Jess’s death. The man had interviewed him twice. Back when Allen had been a major suspect in Jess’s death that first day. Only when Dr. Campbell and Nikkie Jean had insisted he had been in surgery with them at the time Jess had been killed had McKellen’s men left him alone. The same thing had happened when Lacy had been shot by Logan.
He’d been interrogated numerous times about Logan’s actions leading up to that day. He’d been Logan’s closest friend. They’d thought he should have known what was going on with him.
With what had happened to Shelby because of the TSP years ago, it had left him a bit hostile, and he knew it. That hostility hadn’t gone away. It probably never would.
Allen had been numb then, too. He didn’t have a problem with McKellen specifically, but he wasn’t certain the man, or his cop buddies, didn’t have a problem with him.
Allen couldn’t find it in himself to give a flying rat’s ass right now. “You have more questions—I’ll answer once she’s out of surgery. I’m going to be there with her now.”
No matter what happened.
He wasn’t going to let Izzie be in there alone.
And…he was going to be in there for the people who held her life in their hands now.
18
Allen wasn’t allowed to treat her himself. Not considering how close he was to the situation. He watched every move Virat and Cage—two men he’d trust with his own life in a heartbeat—made.
Izzie held on, though it got so close that he was holding his own breath. Allen kept his eyes trained on the O2 monitor as Virat worked to extract the last fragment of the final bullet. It had lodged in her liver. She was bleeding just too damned much.
He’d never forget the sight of her blood.
“Got it,” Virat said finally. “That’s the last fragment.”
“Let’s get our girl stitched back up,” Cage added. “I need her snapping at my ass in the ER every chance she gets. She…helps keep me motivated.”
The usually joking Cage was stone-cold serious now.
Allen stepped back and let the two men and the three nurses, including Wanda, work.
“Stats are stable,” Wanda said. “O2 is better. Our girl is hanging on. Thank God, she’s my little fighter.”
Allen knew better than to hope. Not yet. Things could still go so horribly wrong.
“Prognosis is good,” Virat said. “Better than I thought it would be.”
“She’ll still have a long road to go,” Cage added. “But we’ll get her through. She’ll pull through.”
Cage’s tone was tight. Worried. They were friends, Allen thought. Cage was attracted to her. Strongly. He’d seen them eating lunch together in the cafeteria and laughing two days ago. He knew Cage well enough to know when a woman appealed to the younger man.
He remembered exactly how he’d felt when Lacy had been injured. It had been the first time a real friend of his had been on their table. It had terrified them all.
He hadn’t learned about Logan’s involvement until right after.
This…this kind of thing shouldn’t be happening here at FCGH again. It didn’t make sense. Something seemed broken at FCGH, in ways Allen didn’t understand. Something darker than even before.
He couldn’t put his finger on why, but it was there. Strange as it sounded, it was almost as if it hung over the entire city at times.
Or maybe it was all in his head; maybe it was him.
Hell, maybe it had been broken since Dr. Daniels was the chief of medicine. It was now bubbling up to the surface because Rafe refused to let the darkness stay hidden.
Allen didn’t understand anything anymore. Nothing about the world made sense to him tonight.
Izzie had made it through surgery. He