"When I saw him rip into her, I felt something come over me," he recalled. "This was my partner, yeah, but at that moment, she was an angel and to me, that just was too much. He crossed so many lines that all I wanted to do was tear him apart. The arrogant bastard didn't even see me coming. I held that dagger in my hand and just stared at it. I could hear Father Donovan telling me to keep it inside him, to kill him. Before I knew what I was doing, I had it buried to the hilt in that thing. It felt like it was pushing me back. So much pressure was building up, but I held it there. It took everything I had. Then it stopped. Faith fell, then Camerlon."
"You did what you had to do," Lisa's words were startlingly clear. Nothing in her eyes showed doubt of his story or suspicion of his sanity. She sat up in bed. "Get your robe on and we will have some coffee. You don't plan on going anywhere, do you?"
"No, ma'am."
"Good. Get dressed."
He watched her slip on her robe and she headed out to the kitchen. He wasn't far behind her. Quietly, she sat a fresh cup down in front of him at the table and sat with hers across from him.
"Is she going to be alright?" She asked as she stared into the black liquid in her blue cup.
"Yeah," he answered as he watched her face. "That's another thing I needed to tell you."
She clutched her fingers around her mug tightly as she waited for him to reveal more. "I'm listening."
Sam took a deep breath with shaky hands. Not as bad as before, but some. "I healed her."
"Healed her how?" Lisa's eyes were wide.
"I wish I knew. I suppose it is part of who I am now, but I had my hands inside her and healed her from the inside, out. Everything inside her was shredded, Lisa. My God, I have seen shrapnel wounds like that and we always knew that the guy was a goner. Somehow, I knew that Faith wasn't. I was scared but I acted, knowing I could save her and I did."
Sam waited patiently for a response. Lisa silently sipped her coffee, letting his words sink deeper into her psyche. He did not trust lifting his cup for fear of splashing hot coffee everywhere, so he let it sit while he waited. It could not have been more than a few minutes but it felt like hours to him. His heart was being squeezed inside his chest with a vice as big as Boston. Her face did not change. Finally, she spoke, crashing the silence that encased him like glass.
"Will our future together have more incidences like this?" she asked bluntly. Her meaning had almost escaped him. He wanted to jump up and take her in his arms again but he refrained. For now.
"Probably," he answered with a sheepish grin. "Hopefully not too often, eh?"
I want to take a moment to thank all of the wonderful people in my life that helped push me along on this journey. My fiance and children, siblings and cousins, parents and friends, fellow writing warriors (you know who you are), and a special thank you to Sam Dobbins and Patsy Dunn, the inspirations behind our Sam and Lisa. I could not have done this or come this far without any of you. I love you all dearly and thank God every day that you are all in my life.
About the Author
Lottie Mae Hancock was born in Temple, TX, and was raised in a Czech community in Central Texas. She now lives with her son, daughter, and fiancé on the very land she was raised. She was married for 25 years and widowed at the age of 41. Her fiancé shares the same love for imagination and he helped encourage her to put the stories in print for others to enjoy. When asked what was next, since the book was finished, she smiled and simply said, "Another book, of course."
Thanks goes out again to my dear friend, Carrie Wilson, for this wonderful About the Author piece. I could never have portrayed myself as accurately as she did. She is a treasure.
Into the Breach: Choices can be deadly... Page 18
