Read Online Just Enough Light by AJ Quinn - Free Book Online Page A

helicopter—Gabe—to check Kellen and make sure she was all right. Then, after glancing around the room and making sure her team had support, she excused herself and left the room.

    *

    The helicopter shuddered briefly as it lifted off, carrying team one and its sad cargo. Huddled under several blankets, Kellen barely noticed as silence filled her with the numbness of loss.
    She couldn’t stop shivering. Her headache had become full-blown, tensing the muscles in her neck. Her chest hurt, making it difficult to breathe. And her mind seemed incapable of concentrating on anything.
    Alone for the moment with her muddled thoughts, she stared out the window, not really seeing the beauty of the snow-covered landscape passing below. Just doing her best not to think about the black bag carefully strapped in the rear cargo area.
    She hated it when a mission failed to bring someone home alive. And thirteen— damn . That was way too young to wind up in a body bag as a result of misadventure.
    By now Annie would have been in contact with the sheriff’s department and the boy’s parents. The parents, and someone from the county coroner’s office, would be there to meet them once they landed, and the boy’s body would be transferred into their care.
    Kellen closed her eyes and continued to shiver.
    “You might start feeling warmer in a week or so,” Tim teased, placing a warm mug in her hands.
    “What is this?” she asked moodily, staring at the mug.
    “It’s a hot toddy,” he said. “Hot tea with a shot of Jack.”
    Kellen grimaced as she took a sip and felt the whiskey burn the back of her throat. “I hate Jack Daniel’s.”
    Tim grinned. “Yeah, I know. But we were all out of cognac and you’re going to drink it anyway. If nothing else, it’ll help get you through the next little while—talking to the boy’s parents and all.”
    Kellen took another sip and stared back out the window.
    When?
    More than anything, that was what she wanted to know. When had the boy died? Had they not acted quickly enough in getting him out of the water? Or had he been dead the whole time she held him in her arms, fighting to keep his head above water?
    When?
    “We all did everything we could,” Gabe said, replacing Tim as he came and sat by her side. “We got here as quickly as we could, and even if we’d managed to get here sooner, it would have made no difference. It was over the moment he fell into the river. You know that.”
    As he spoke, he casually reached out and tried to check her pulse.
    Kellen jerked her hand back. “Tell Annie I’m fine.”
    Gabe flashed a smile. “You may know that and I might even agree with you, but I figure if I can at least tell them I checked, that your pulse rate is fine all things considered, and that you’re not hurting anywhere more so than usual, they’ll listen to me. And maybe they’ll give you enough room to do what you need to do when we land.”
    Kellen sighed and held out her arm. Felt Gabe’s fingers, warm against her wrist, while his eyes assessed her. Looking for signs of new damage, no doubt.
    “Your pulse is elevated, but that doesn’t concern me as much as the fact you’re a bit warm.”
    “Actually, I’m frozen all the way to my soul,” she murmured.
    “I hear you.” Like the others on the team, Gabe understood, having been there a time or two. “But you’re running a temp. Are you hurting anywhere more than usual?”
    Kellen swallowed the last mouthful of tea as she looked at the body bag. “It’s a low-grade fever. I drank some river water and my body’s natural defenses are kicking in. So I’m good. Nothing hurts out of the ordinary. Just a headache. And certainly nothing compared to what his parents are going to be feeling.”
    “You’re right,” Gabe said thoughtfully. “I’ve never lost anyone close to me, but I would think it would be worse to lose a child.”
    “Not necessarily. Not all parents give a damn,” she responded harshly before she