Burning Rage

by Anne Welch

  Slowly, the ambulance began moving, with Jay in the driver's seat. The monitors on Blake started beeping and his heart rate dropped.

  "I'm losing him!" Rach grabbed the ambu bag and handed it to the injured police officer. She started chest compressions and had the officer bag him.

  "Come on, partner, don't do this to me," she whispered in his ear. "I need you; please don't leave me."

  "We're almost there, Rach!" Jay try to reassure her.

  No matter how many calls she went on, when it was someone you were close to, it was just different. She took a calming breath and let her training take over. She injected a round of epi, got the defibrillator ready and placed the pads on Blake's broad chest.

  "Clear!" she yelled and shocked him. His body jumped and she checked for a heartbeat. Nothing. She began CPR again, when the ambulance came to a stop. The hospital staff came running out and unloaded the gurney. Rachel was straddling Blake, continuing chest compressions, when they rolled him through the emergency room doors. When they got him in the treatment area, a nurse took over for her and she got off the gurney. She stood back and let them work. They gave him more epi and shocked him two more times. For just a moment, she thought he was gone, but that little monitor started beeping again.

  He was back. He had a strong pulse and a heartbeat. Dr. Collins, one of the best ER doctors Rachel had ever known, came over to talk to her.

  "We are taking him straight to surgery. You did good; you got him here. I will let you know as soon as he is out," the older man said as he gently put his hand on her shoulder.

  She looked down at her hands, covered in her partner's blood, and broke down. Rachel began shaking uncontrollably and her teeth began to chatter. Her knees were shaking so badly, she thought she would collapse right there on the floor. A warm body pressed against her back and long arms enveloped her. Jay. She leaned into him and he just held her and let her cry.

  "It's okay. I have you. Let it all out, baby."

  He kept his arms around her and guided her to the women's bathroom. He picked her up and sat her on the counter and gently washed her face and hands. When he was done, he helped her off the counter and pulled her back in his arms.

  "He's a tough son of a bitch, baby; he's gonna pull through, believe that."

  He kept his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the elevator and up to the surgical waiting room, where they would stay until they knew Blake would be all right.

  Chapter Seven

  Jay's back was stiff, being in the hard waiting room chairs. He'd been sitting there for hours, holding Rachel, waiting on word about Blake. She'd fought so hard to keep him alive until they got him to the ER. But that didn't surprise him because she'd done the same thing for his sister and her best friend, Grace. That's what she did for the people she loved. He felt like such an ass for not letting her say it. The fact was he did love her and he couldn't live without her. When Rachel nearly got herself killed, his heart stopped beating. He made a plea with God to be the man she needed, if he would let her be alive. Now wasn't the time to have this conversation with her, but he would soon.

  Mike called him earlier with an update on the case. The shooter was still at large, but they were getting closer. The DNA results from the cigarette butt he found at the first shooting would be back in less than twenty-four hours, now. The lab found pieces of the same type of detonator at each explosion and they had a lead on where it was purchased. The captain had pulled in additional resources, including the TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Instigation, for help. Jay was confident they would catch the bastard soon. But until then, Rachel was not going to be out of sight. The officer and firefighter who were shot were going to be fine, and he was grateful.

  "Jay."

  "Yeah, baby?"

  "He has to be okay."

  The look in her eyes was killing him. "I know, baby." He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

  "Besides you and Gracie, he's all I have. I should call his parents and his sister."

  "The chief called them already, babe. They're getting a flight out, but it will be tomorrow."

  She sounded so lost and all he wanted to do was make it better. Rachel didn't have any family, to speak of. Her mom died of cancer when she was ten-years-old and she never knew her father. She was raised by her grandmother, who died when she was twenty-one. She loved her grandmother and was good to her. When Grace was in the hospital, he and Rachel would sit and talk for hours. She told him about going to medical school and dropping out to be a paramedic. She felt like it was her calling, just like being a cop was Jay's.

  He heard the door to the waiting room open, and the surgeon walked in. Rachel stood and held his hand as the doctor approached them both.

  "Is he okay?"

  "The bullet did extensive damage to his neck and both his external and internal carotid artery. We were able to repair them both and he is in recovery. However, he did lose a lot of blood and the oxygen was cut off from his brain for a period of time. The next twenty-four hours are critical."

  "Can I see him, Doc?" Rachel asked as she squeezed Jay's hand.

  "He needs his rest, right now, but I can let you see him for just a minute."

  "I'll be right here when you get back," Jay assured her.

  ***

  Jay parked in front of his apartment and went to the passenger side and opened the door. Rachel hadn't said a word since leaving the hospital. It had taken him almost an hour to convince her she needed rest. He promised her he would have her back at the hospital, first thing in the morning. He reached across her lap and unbuckled her seatbelt. He brought her to his place so she could rest and, besides, he lived closer to the hospital. He took her hand and guided her through his front door. She paused, looking at him, so lost. He ushered her to the leather couch in his living room and had her sit.

  He covered her shoulders with a blanket and kissed the top of her head. He went to the bathroom, ran a warm bath, and put his gun in the safe. He walked back in the living room and removed her shoes and picked her up. She immediately put her arms around him and nuzzled her chin under his neck. He could have stood there and held her like that forever. He took her to the bathroom and stood her by the tub.

  "Hey baby, get in the tub and have a soak, and I'll fix you something to eat."

  As much as he wanted to stay with her, he knew all she needed now was comfort. He turned to leave and give her some privacy to undress, when she grabbed his arm.

  "Don't go," she whispered to him.

  He put her on the bathroom counter and, one by one, removed her boots and socks. Then came her pants, shirt and vest, leaving her in only her panties and bra. He reached behind her and undid the snap on her bra and slid her panties down her legs. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. He helped her into the tub and got a sponge. The only shampoo he had was his, but that would do. He washed her black locks first, carefully leaning her head back to rinse it. He found some vanilla body wash his sister left and squeezed it on the sponge.

  Jay began washing her back then moved to her legs. He ran the sponge over each of her perfect breasts. They were not too big and she had the prettiest brown nipples he'd ever seen. They were raised into perfect pointed peaks. He meant to only offer her comfort but he was hard as a rock. He stayed that way around her, though. He moved lower to her stomach, but paused just shy of the juncture of her thighs. Rachel placed her hand over his and moved it between her now open legs. He glided his fingers over her sweet spot and into her wet heat.

  She pulled his mouth to hers and kissed him deeply. He thrust his tongue in her mouth to mimic the rhythm of his fingers. She was already on edge so it didn't take him long to work her into an orgasm. She reached for him, but he pulled back.

  "Baby, that was for you. I wanted you to feel better," he whispered as he kissed her again.

  The water was cooling off so he helped her out of the tub and took care drying her off. He stood behind her and combed her hair and then
gave her one of his t-shirts to wear. He led her to his bed and turned to go so she could rest, when she grabbed his hand again.

  "Stay with me, Jay. I need you."

  He stood there as she stood up before him. She pulled his shirt over his head and made short work of hers. Rachel began placing small kisses on his chest. She ran her fingers over each of his abs and undid the snap of his jeans. She came up on tiptoes and licked his lower lip. He opened his mouth and she thrust her tongue inside. He knew he should stop; she had been through too much, tonight. But he was far too gone to stop now. She felt so right here with him. Her bare breasts pressed into his chest. He was so hard, he was nearly bursting out of his jeans. He slid his fingers over hers and unzipped his pants.

  She wrapped her hands around his hard length and he thought he would explode. He gently pushed her on the bed and stood between her thighs. He guided himself to her entrance and made sure she was ready for him. He hesitated, wanting to make sure this was what she wanted.

  "You sure, baby?"

  "Don't make me wait any longer, Jay."

  He didn't. He thrust into her so deep, he nearly lost his mind. He withdrew and thrust again. She wrapped her legs around him and held on. Her sex began to squeeze around him and he knew her orgasm was coming. He laced his hands with hers on the bed as he came over her.

  "Open your eyes and look at me, Rachel."

  She did, and she screamed as her orgasm rushed through her. Jay followed right behind her. He collapsed on top of her as they both shuddered. With their hands still intertwined, Jay kissed her lips gently.

  "Rachel, will you say it now?" he asked her, as vulnerable as he'd ever been in his life.

  "I love you, Jay," she said as tears began falling from her eyes.

  "I love you, too, Rachel."

  He pulled the covers over them and held her as she slept.

  Jay eased out of bed and wrapped the covers around Rachel. He hated to leave the heat of her warm body, but work called. He pulled on his boxers and treaded lightly to the kitchen. He put on a pot of coffee and fired up his laptop. He began going through the files Mike sent to him. Out of the twenty-seven possible suspects, they had narrowed it down to eight. Jay was able to rule out two more, but he still had six. Two females and four males. According to the TBI profiler, the suspect was most likely a male in his late thirties-early forties who served in the military. If he factored that in, he could narrow it down to two people.

  Raymond Carson was a thirty-nine-year-old male who had lost his wife in the accident and his son was left in a coma. Randy Pope was a forty-three-year-old male who'd lost his brother and nephew. Both of these men had served in the army. He put in a request to have their military records sent over. He called Mike and filled him in on what he'd discovered. They agreed to talk in the morning, which was in a couple of hours, and fill in the rest of the team. The one thing that kept nagging at Jay was, why now? It had been over a year since the accident in the park happened. One thing he did know is that they had to find this guy and get him behind bars, now.

  Chapter Eight

  Rachel stretched her arm across the bed, searching for the warmth of Jay's body, but all she felt was a cold sheet. She groggily opened her eyes and immediately shut them from the light pouring through the bedroom window. She was sore in all the right places. Jay said he loved her. She tried not to read too much into it, but those three words were the best thing she'd ever heard. Suddenly, the events from yesterday began flashing back and she jumped out of bed. Blake. She found Jay's t-shirt and hurriedly threw it on while searching for her cell phone. It must be in the kitchen with her purse. She felt so guilty for allowing those happy thoughts with Jay to enter her mind, when her partner was fighting for his life.

  She opened the bedroom door and padded down the hall. She paused when she got to the kitchen at the sight in front of her. Jay was standing in front of the stove cooking in nothing but his tight grey boxer shorts with little hearts on them. She'd given them to him for his birthday two years ago as a joke. She couldn't believe he kept them, much less wore them. His dark hair was disheveled and his beard growth was just enough to make him appear dangerous.

  "Morning," she said, clearing her throat.

  He removed the eggs from the heat and turned to face her. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked so tired. Sexy as hell but exhausted.

  "First, I called the hospital and Blake is still stable and improving. We can go see him in two hours."

  She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him tight. She pulled back from him and put her hand on his cheek and gave him a light kiss.

  "I know you must be starving, babe. Sit down and I'll bring you a plate."

  "It does smell good. Wait, you said first, so is there more?" she asked him.

  "I meant what I said last night, Rachel. I love you," he told her as he pulled her in for a deep kiss.

  He lifted her up on the kitchen counter and pressed his hard length against her. The only thing separating them was the thin layer of cotton of his boxers. She slipped her hands in the band of his boxers and slid them down until his erection sprang free.

  "Rach, we can't. I don't have another condom. I used the only one I had, last night."

  "It's okay; I'm on the pill, and I'm safe."

  "Me, too, but are you sure?"

  She lifted her arms as he removed her t-shirt, the only thing separating them, giving him his answer. She expected him to go hard and fast but he entered her slowly. He set a steady rhythm as he suckled her breasts, bringing them to hard peaks. He placed his forehead against hers and looked deeply into her eyes while he brought them both to an orgasm. With him still inside her, he brought his mouth down on hers for a fierce kiss. He didn't ask permission. He just possessed her mouth like he owned it.

  Rachel didn't know how long they stay liked that but, eventually, he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. He took his time and washed them both. While she dried her hair, he laid some clothes on the bed for her. She recognized them as Grace's. Grace was taller than she was, but they wore the same size clothes. She put her long black locks in a ponytail and didn't bother with any makeup. She kept some in her purse but rarely wore it. She laced up her standard issue EMT boots and went in search of Jay. He was sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by files and looking intently at his laptop.

  "We still have an hour before we can see Blake at the hospital. You should take a nap, Jay. Have you been up all night?" she questioned as she sat next to him.

  "I caught a few hours of sleep, but I've been working the case. After the hospital, I have a task force meeting. I believe we have some good leads on this bastard," he said as he placed a cup of coffee and a protein bar in front of her. "The eggs were ruined, sorry. This was all I had."

  "This is fine." She looked at him, smiling.

  She wanted to bring up him saying the L word, but she was too worried about Blake.

  "Rach, I know we need to talk about us, and we will, when things calm down," Jay said, as if reading her mind. "I meant what I said, though, and I want to make us work."

  "I do, too, more than anything," Rachel replied as she squeezed his hand.

  A short time later, they were in Jay's SUV, heading to the hospital. Rachel sat in the passenger's seat bouncing her right knee up and down. She was anxious to get to the hospital and lay her eyes on Blake. Jay eased onto the interstate and placed his hand on her knee.

  "He's strong, baby, a fighter. He will be okay."

  "Grace and Zach get home, tomorrow, don't they?" she asked as they drove by the airport exit.

  "Yes. I missed my sister so much, but I'd feel better if she stayed out of town until I put this psycho behind bars. Zach tried to get her to, but she refused."

  "She's stubborn, like her older brother."

  "I guess she is."

  Jay parked the SUV at the emergency room entrance and they took the elevator to the ICU waiting room. Rachel stopped by the nurse's station for an update on Bla
ke. A nurse told her that she would come get her when visiting hours started. She and Jay went to the waiting room and found Blake's parents sitting on the couch. His mom was a petite woman with striking blue eyes, much like Blake's. His dad, who was handsome for his age, looked like an older version of Blake, except with brown eyes. Rachel went to them and she was pulled into a warm hug from his mom, first, and then his dad. She watched as they both introduced themselves to Jay.

  "Have you seen him yet?" Rachel asked.

  "They let us see him for a few minutes, when our plane got in, but we couldn't stay long," his dad began. "He hasn't woken up yet but the doctor said that was not unusual. They told us they are optimistic that he will be all right—"

  "I understand we owe that to you, Rachel. They told us you saved our boy," Blake's mom interrupted her husband.

  "You don't owe me anything. He is like a brother to me, and he would have done the same for me or anyone else. Besides, I had a lot of help, and your son is an amazingly strong man," she said, glancing over at Jay.

  The ICU nurse came over to let them know Blake could have visitors, two at the time. Rachel insisted his parents go first and she would go after them. When they left to follow the nurse, Jay pulled her into his arms and just held her. He tucked her head underneath his chin and ran his hands up and down her back.

  "You want me to stay and go with you to see him?"

  "You have your meeting you need to be at; I'll be fine."

  "Promise me you will not leave this hospital until I get back."

  "I promise. You be careful out there, Jay. I couldn't take it if something happened to you."

  "Always, baby."

  She walked him to the elevator and kissed him goodbye. She stopped by the vending machines on the way back to the waiting room and got drinks and snacks for Blake's parents. His sister would be driving in later today, so she knew they would be at the hospital all day. She paced back in forth, waiting for her time to see her partner. Her nerves were already on edge over him, and now Jay was out there chasing this mad man down. She felt lightheaded and nauseous, most likely from all the stress. She stopped pacing when the doors opened and she saw Blake's parents. Their eyes were red and full of tears.