by CJ Lyons
Nora jolted awake with a start. Bright sunlight streamed in through the window. She sat up and saw that Seth was already awake, staring at her.
“Morning,” he said, his voice raspy but strong.
“Are you—” She faltered, remembering how they’d argued before he was attacked. The last words she’d spoken to him. “You’re all right?”
“A little sore.” He patted the cervical collar that supported his neck.
Nora gently slid from the bed, taking care not to jostle him. She raised the head up for him. He’d kicked the sheets aside in his sleep, and she couldn’t help her smile at the sight of Seth’s hairy, muscular legs barely covered by the patient gown and the thigh-high surgical stockings. Pulling the sheets up to cover him, she busied herself by tucking them in around him.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered, wondering why he wasn’t furious at her, why he was treating her like everything was, well, normal. She’d almost gotten him killed.
“Is he—” His face clouded.
“Dead.” She paused, not sure how much to tell him. He’d hear it sooner or later. “So is Tommy Z.”
“Are you okay?” Seth grabbed her hand, stilling her movements, scrutinizing her.
“I’m fine.” For the first time in three years, she really, truly meant it.
He didn’t let go of her hand as he stretched his other one toward the bedside stand and a tray full of materials for dressing changes.
She grabbed the tray with its tape, bandages, scissors, and set it onto his lap. “What do you need?”
He just smiled. Not his usual wide-eyed grin. This smile was tentative, as if he were trying something he’d never dared to try before. “A second chance. Close your eyes.”
She frowned at him. “Seth—”
“Just do it.”
She closed her eyes. A strange flutter took control of her heart. Not fear, not panic . . . anticipation.
He raised her left hand and she felt something slide down her ring finger. He kissed her hand.
Nora’s eyes popped open. He kept hold of her hand—a ring made of surgical tape sat on her finger.
The muscles around his mouth and jaw tightened as he worked to draw in a deep breath. "Nora, I love you. I want to marry you, have babies with you, share my life with you. I'm a selfish, inconsiderate, sometimes downright stupid bastard. I'll work long hours, forget birthdays and anniversaries, leave the toilet seat up, but if you'll have me, I'm all yours."
His voice broke at the end of the speech—and it had nothing to do with his injuries. He watched her, waiting.
She admired her makeshift ring. Better than any diamond. “What girl could resist a proposal like that?”
He started to smile, a real smile this time, then it faded. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Just in case he still didn’t get it, she cradled his face in her hands and kissed him.
Not a perfect, Hollywood, fairy-tale kiss—far from it. A sloppy, nose-bumping, hard-to-avoid-his-left-side, clumsy, eager, excited, real-world kiss. An honest kiss that acknowledged past pain, future clashes, and present complications.
A kiss that said she knew him, he knew her.
A kiss that promised that they belonged together.
NOTE TO READERS:
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Thank you for joining me for Nora's story. I understand that her experiences may not be the usual subject matter for entertainment, but I needed to share her story in the most honest way possible. I've cared for too many assault victims to do otherwise while still honoring the trauma they survived.
Although URGENT CARE is fiction, most of the facts surrounding Nora's story are true: according to the US Department of Justice, more than 60% of sexual assaults go unreported. Every two minutes someone in the US becomes the victim of a sexual assault.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual assault there are people who can help. Call 1.800.656.HOPE or go to www.RAINN.org for more information.
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On a lighter note, if you'd like to learn more about how Gina and Jerry met, I've written a short story titled TOXICITY, which you can download for free at https://CJLyons.flexpub.com
Grab the final chapter of the Angels of Mercy series, ISOLATION to learn what happens next!
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Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers
Everything a great thriller should be—action packed, authentic, and intense.” ~Lee Child
SNAKE SKIN, a USA Today Bestseller
BLOOD STAINED, a USA Today Bestseller
KILL ZONE, a Suspense Magazine Book of the Year
AFTER SHOCK, a novella
HARD FALL, Winner of the 2015 Thriller Award
BAD BREAK, a novella
Beacon Falls Mysteries, Featuring Lucy Guardino
If you enjoy captivating suspense and intelligent storytelling, with strong and vulnerable characters and a freight-train pace, then you'll love the rush of this heart-pounding thriller.” ~Fantastic Fiction
LAST LIGHT
DEVIL SMOKE
OPEN GRAVE
GONE DARK
BITTER TRUTH
Renegade Justice Thrillers, featuring Morgan Ames: Meet Everyone’s Favorite Teenage Psychopath…
FIGHT DIRTY, Renegade Justice #1
RAW EDGES, Renegade Justice #2
ANGELS WEEP, Renegade Justice #3
LOOK AWAY, Renegade Justice #4
TRIP WIRE, Renegade Justice #5
Compelling…I love how the characters come alive on every page.” ~Jeffery Deaver
Angels of Mercy Medical Suspense
Fall in love with the women of Pittsburgh’s Angels of Mercy’s ER as they save lives, break hearts, and prove that four strong women have the power to change the world!
LIFELINES, Angels of Mercy Book #1
CATALYST, Angels of Mercy Book #2
TRAUMA, Angels of Mercy Book #3
ISOLATION, Angels of Mercy Book #4
“A pulse-pounding adrenaline rush.” ~Lisa Gardner
HART and DRAKE Medical Suspense
NERVES OF STEEL, Hart & Drake Book #1
SLEIGHT OF HAND, Hart & Drake Book #2
FACE TO FACE, Hart and Drake Book #3
EYE OF THE STORM, Hart and Drake Book #4
Fatal Insomnia Medical Thrillers: What Keeps You Awake at Night?
FAREWELL TO DREAMS, Fatal Insomnia Book #1
A RAGING DAWN, Fatal Insomnia Book #2
THE SLEEPLESS STARS, Fatal Insomnia Book #3
CJ Lyons scores a major triumph. Totally absorbing and impossible to put down.” ~Douglas Preston
>
Shadow Ops, Romantic Thrillers
CHASING SHADOWS, Shadow Ops Book #1
LOST IN SHADOWS, Shadow Ops Book #2
EDGE OF SHADOWS, Shadow Ops Book #3
A high-stakes adventure with dire consequences.” ~Steve Berry
About CJ:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels, former pediatric ER doctor CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart.
CJ has been called a “master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as “breathtakingly fast-paced” and “riveting” (Publishers Weekly) with “characters with beating hearts and three dimensions” (Newsday).
Her novels have twice won the International Thriller Writers’ prestigious Thriller Award, the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Readers’ Choice Award, the RT Seal of Excellence, and the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense.
Learn more about CJ’s Thrillers with Heart at www.CJLyons.net
Want more of CJ Lyons’ Thrillers with Heart? Download the complete booklist at CJLyons.net
LUCY GUARDINO THRILLERS:
SNAKE SKIN
BLOOD STAINED
KILL ZONE
AFTER SHOCK
HARD FALL
BAD BREAK
LAST LIGHT
DEVIL SMOKE
OPEN GRAVE
GONE DARK
BITTER TRUTH
RENEGADE JUSTICE THRILLERS, featuring Morgan Ames:
FIGHT DIRTY
RAW EDGES
ANGELS WEEP
LOOK AWAY
TRIP WIRE
ANGELS OF MERCY MEDICAL SUSPENSE:
LIFELINES, Angels of Mercy Book #1
CATALYST, Angels of Mercy Book #2
TRAUMA, Angels of Mercy Book #3
ISOLATION, Angels of Mercy Book #4
FATAL INSOMNIA MEDICAL THRILLERS:
FAREWELL TO DREAMS
A RAGING DAWN
THE SLEEPLESS STARS
HART AND DRAKE MEDICAL SUSPENSE:
NERVES OF STEEL
SLEIGHT OF HAND
FACE TO FACE
EYE OF THE STORM
SHADOW OPS, ROMANTIC THRILLERS:
CHASING SHADOWS
LOST IN SHADOWS
EDGE OF SHADOWS
CAITLYN TIERNEY FBI THRILLERS:
BLIND FAITH
BLACK SHEEP
HOLLOW BONES
YOUNG ADULT THRILLERS:
BROKEN
WATCHED
CO-WRITTEN WITH ERIN BROCKOVICH:
ROCK BOTTOM
HOT WATER
SINGLE TITLE STANDALONES:
LUCIDITY, a Ghost of a Love Story
BORROWED TIME
Copyright CJ Lyons, LLC, “CJ Lyons” and “Thrillers with Heart” Trademarked by CJ Lyons, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems-except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews-without permission in writing from its publisher.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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About the Author
Pediatric ER doctor turned New York Times bestselling thriller writer CJ Lyons has been a storyteller all her life—something that landed her in many time-outs as a kid. She writes her Thrillers with Heart for the same reason that she became a doctor: because she believes we all have the power to change our world.
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In the ER she witnessed many acts of courage by her patients and their families, learning that heroes truly are born every day. When not writing, she can be found walking the beaches near her Lowcountry home, listening to the voices in her head and plotting new and devious ways to create mayhem for her characters.
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To learn more about her Thrillers with Heart go to www.CJLyons.net
For More Information:
www.CJLyons.net
[email protected]
