Read Online Edge of the Heat 2 (Westwood Harbor Corruption) by Lisa Ladew - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lisa Ladew
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there. There were many more small wounds in the back of his head. Examination of his helmet found a bullet had shattered the back of it, but not penetrated all the way through. The part of the helmet facing his skull was battered and bulging, causing these small plastic shrapnel wounds.
Three bullets. He ’d been shot once in the back and twice in the back of the head. Emma felt sick. If he hadn’t been wearing that bulletproof vest he’d be dead.
She relayed all of this to Agent Kinkaid. He nodded. He knew this part.
“ Agent Kinkaid, do you know why he was wearing a bulletproof vest?” Emma asked slowly, emotion still clogging her throat, one tear winding its way down her cheek.
He reached out and took her hand and nodded. “I do, and I’ll tell you why when you are done reading the chart,” he said softly. “And call me Hawk.”
Emma looked in his eyes and knew something had changed in the last 28 hours while she ’d been asleep. He trusted her now, or wanted to treat her like a friend. Something. “Hawk.” She tried it out, then nodded.
He let go of her hand and she turned the page. Craig had been rushed straight to surgery. The bullet in his cheek had been removed, the smashed molar had been pulled, and his nec k had been opened up to see what else was damaged in that sensitive area. His skull was grooved, but fully intact. The bullet had entered incredibly close to his spine, and the swelling in the back of his neck was extreme. His jugular vein had been nicked, but his jugular artery, not touched. Emma’s eyes flew over the surgery notes. She couldn’t believe how lucky he’d been. Everything had been fixed. A full recovery was expected.
So why was he still unconscious?
Emma turned the page. The surgeon had recommended a medically induced coma for 48 hours to let the swelling go down in his neck before he started moving around. There had been a bit of swelling on the brain too because of the groove in his skull, and the surgeon was afraid the pressure in his head would cause him to thrash and permanently injure his neck if they had let him wake before that.
Emma skimmed through the last 24 hours of notes. Great vital signs. All positive indications of healing. Signs of the swelling going down. His medication would be reduced starting at 6 o’clock this morning and he could wake as early as 10! Relief flooded her. She was going to get him back. He was going to be ok.
“ Hawk, they’re going to wake him up today!” She stood up and grabbed her stuff, intending to run all the way back to the ICU.
“ Wait, wait, Emma. What time?”
She stopped and looked at the clock on the wall. “ Well, they are going to start reducing his meds in about an hour.”
“ OK, so we have time. Sit, tell me what else the chart said.”
“ It says he’s going to be fine. The bullet hit a big vein and touched his skull but didn’t shatter it. His spine was bruised too, but should be fine. That’s why he’s been unconscious. They’ve kept him under with drugs so the swelling in his spine could go down.”
“ He’s going to recover then?” Hawk’s face was tight and guarded.
“ A full recovery is expected. Everything was fixed in surgery.”
Hawk ’s face was unreadable for a moment. His eyes looked dead and dull. Emma couldn’t tell if he was upset, or struggling with something. Her eyebrows creased together. “Hawk?”
He crumpled. His hand covered his eyes and he took a deep, shaky breath like he was trying not to cry. Emma knew right then why Craig had been wearing a bullet proof vest and how the FBI knew about Craig being hurt so quickly. She gave Hawk a few minutes to recover his control before continuing. “Hawk, I know you are running this show, but I think it’s time you tell me what’s really going on here.”
Hawk wiped his eyes and gave her that faint smile again. “ I’m going to Emma. But you have to promise me one thing. That you won’t think any differently of Craig when
Three bullets. He ’d been shot once in the back and twice in the back of the head. Emma felt sick. If he hadn’t been wearing that bulletproof vest he’d be dead.
She relayed all of this to Agent Kinkaid. He nodded. He knew this part.
“ Agent Kinkaid, do you know why he was wearing a bulletproof vest?” Emma asked slowly, emotion still clogging her throat, one tear winding its way down her cheek.
He reached out and took her hand and nodded. “I do, and I’ll tell you why when you are done reading the chart,” he said softly. “And call me Hawk.”
Emma looked in his eyes and knew something had changed in the last 28 hours while she ’d been asleep. He trusted her now, or wanted to treat her like a friend. Something. “Hawk.” She tried it out, then nodded.
He let go of her hand and she turned the page. Craig had been rushed straight to surgery. The bullet in his cheek had been removed, the smashed molar had been pulled, and his nec k had been opened up to see what else was damaged in that sensitive area. His skull was grooved, but fully intact. The bullet had entered incredibly close to his spine, and the swelling in the back of his neck was extreme. His jugular vein had been nicked, but his jugular artery, not touched. Emma’s eyes flew over the surgery notes. She couldn’t believe how lucky he’d been. Everything had been fixed. A full recovery was expected.
So why was he still unconscious?
Emma turned the page. The surgeon had recommended a medically induced coma for 48 hours to let the swelling go down in his neck before he started moving around. There had been a bit of swelling on the brain too because of the groove in his skull, and the surgeon was afraid the pressure in his head would cause him to thrash and permanently injure his neck if they had let him wake before that.
Emma skimmed through the last 24 hours of notes. Great vital signs. All positive indications of healing. Signs of the swelling going down. His medication would be reduced starting at 6 o’clock this morning and he could wake as early as 10! Relief flooded her. She was going to get him back. He was going to be ok.
“ Hawk, they’re going to wake him up today!” She stood up and grabbed her stuff, intending to run all the way back to the ICU.
“ Wait, wait, Emma. What time?”
She stopped and looked at the clock on the wall. “ Well, they are going to start reducing his meds in about an hour.”
“ OK, so we have time. Sit, tell me what else the chart said.”
“ It says he’s going to be fine. The bullet hit a big vein and touched his skull but didn’t shatter it. His spine was bruised too, but should be fine. That’s why he’s been unconscious. They’ve kept him under with drugs so the swelling in his spine could go down.”
“ He’s going to recover then?” Hawk’s face was tight and guarded.
“ A full recovery is expected. Everything was fixed in surgery.”
Hawk ’s face was unreadable for a moment. His eyes looked dead and dull. Emma couldn’t tell if he was upset, or struggling with something. Her eyebrows creased together. “Hawk?”
He crumpled. His hand covered his eyes and he took a deep, shaky breath like he was trying not to cry. Emma knew right then why Craig had been wearing a bullet proof vest and how the FBI knew about Craig being hurt so quickly. She gave Hawk a few minutes to recover his control before continuing. “Hawk, I know you are running this show, but I think it’s time you tell me what’s really going on here.”
Hawk wiped his eyes and gave her that faint smile again. “ I’m going to Emma. But you have to promise me one thing. That you won’t think any differently of Craig when
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