Read Online This Would Be Paradise (Book 2) by N.D. Iverson - Free Book Online Page A

Chloe?”
    “I heard her scream as I was heading up the stairs,” Roy told me, his face pinched. “I saw you unconscious on the ground and found the guy trying to subdue Chloe. He pulled his gun on me, but I shot first.”
    I closed my eyes as I groaned. I’d failed to protect her—again—and she’d witnessed a man get shot.
    “She’s doing very well, considering,” Elaine added. “She’s been here every five minutes, banging at the door, demanding to see you.”
    I smiled at that and opened my eyes. “What about the other guy?”
    “Dead. His lung collapsed and he couldn’t breathe,” Elaine said matter-of-factly.
    She was basically saying the man had drowned in his own blood. A sick feeling washed over me again and it had nothing to do with the concussion. Two people had died at my hands. A few more and I’d be considered a serial killer. I let out a harsh laugh.
    Elaine and Roy exchanged a look. I recognized that look; Zoe used to give it to me. They were concerned about my mental well-being.
    “You did what you had to, just like I did,” Roy reasoned.
    “Mmm.” He didn’t understand. Neither of them could.
    “I have a feeling you were always in the nurse’s office at school,” Elaine said, changing the subject. “Oh, and thanks to you, I won’t be getting any sleep tonight. I have to wake you up every three hours.”
    I could tell she was joking, but either she wasn’t very good at it, or I was beyond that right now. I touched my head; a bandage was wrapped around it and a chunk of gauze stuck out in the back. That explained the throbbing pain.
    “The laceration has stopped bleeding, and I sutured you up while you were out,” Elaine continued. “Only took three stitches since the cut wasn’t deep. The impact was more the problem.”
    Great, another injury to add to my growing list. Someone banged on the door.
    “Is she awake?” a little voice demanded from the other side of the door.
    Roy walked over and opened it. As soon as he did, Chloe burst through and ran to the stretcher I was on.
    “Bailey! Thank God you’re okay!” Her face was right beside mine. Her eyes were red and dried tear streaks ran down her cheeks.
    “Hey, kid. Yep, I’ll be okay as per the good nurse Elaine.” I said.
    Chloe looked at Elaine as if for conformation, and the nurse nodded. Chloe turned back to me, her smile wavering.
    Tears welled in her eyes. “I was so scared.”
    My vision blurred in response, but I blinked the tears away. I was beyond happy that she was okay, but I was also rotten with guilt that she’d gone through that.
    “Want to know something? I was scared too, but we got through it,” I said.
    “Yeah, we sure did.”
    “She’s alive!” Mac boomed from the entrance and then came over to gawk at me with the rest of the onlookers.
    “It would seem,” I replied. “Can I try to sit up now?”
    Elaine grabbed my forearm. “All right, but slowly.”
    My body creaked as I rose into a sitting position, the edges of my vision swimming but steadying with each breath. Elaine was watching me closely, making sure I didn’t pale and pass out again. I blinked to clear my eyes, but otherwise, I felt stable. She let my arm go when she saw I was okay.
    Mac moved closer to pass something to me. “Here’s a juice box. You’ll need sugar and calories to get your strength back.”
    With a trembling hand, I accepted the drink and took a tentative sip. It was grape. Not my favorite flavor, but I was grateful.
    “If you can keep that down, we’ll give you some solid food in a bit,” Elaine said, returning to her desk.
    “How long was I out for?”
    “Forever!” Chloe threw her hands in the air.
    Elaine gave us a rare grin. “More like an hour and a half.”
    “Did anything else happen?” I needed to tell them about Tim, but I also had to tread carefully.
    He was involved in this, but I didn’t know the extent. Tim had taken that bag in exchange for telling them where my room was. He’d seen