by Chrys Fey
“Whoever doesn’t die will get the prize.” The tip of Red’s finger skimmed her jaw. She would’ve jerked her head away if the gun wasn’t digging into her temple. “But she’s not going to be watching. Oh, no. She’s going to be in the middle of it.” He shoved Dani forward, causing her to stumble. Trying to stay upright, she felt the gun at the back of her head. “Walk!”
She stepped forward. Her knees wanted to buckle, her legs were gelatin, but she was able to walk until Red ordered her to stop.
“Our only visual is over your pretty shoulders, Doc,” Red told her. “So don’t move. Don’t even flinch.”
Dani locked her gaze with Blake, willing him her strength and gathering his around her. His face was as hard as stone. She knew the odds. She knew both of them were going to get shot, and she knew the chances of a lethal wound were great, far greater than survival. With every fiber of her being, every cell in her body, she prayed for Blake to live. He was her high school sweetheart, the man of her dreams. She loved him with all her heart. She mouthed the endearment, wishing she could say it aloud and hoping she’d have a chance to again. She knew Blake understood it, because when he raised his gun, his eyes were fierce.
Horror pumped through her, leaving her ice cold. She couldn’t breathe. What if Blake dies?
“Don’t worry, Doc,” Red said from behind her. “This will be over in thirty seconds.”
She swallowed hard. Her ears burned red hot. She could feel the two guns, the two sets of eyes trained over her shoulders. Anger sizzled with anticipation. She closed her eyes, held her spine stiff, even when it felt like it would crack. She held her breath, even when she thought her lungs would explode.
She heard a gun go off, followed instantly by another bang. The twin booms echoed in her ears and two bullets sailed past her head as her mind screamed. She opened her eyes to see Blake fall.
“Blake!” She ran to him and fell to her knees. A dark shadow was spreading across his chest. She tore open his uniform. Her hands stilled at the sight of the red stain soaking his white T-shirt.
“How bad is it?”
She looked into Blake’s green eyes. “It’s not. It’s not.” She used the hole from the bullet to tear his shirt apart and examined the wound. The bullet was in the middle of his chest. She searched for a puddle of blood at his sides and found none; the bullet was still inside him. She watched blood bubble out of the wound and pressed his shirt to it, while praying his artery hadn’t been clipped.
“Red?” Blake asked.
She peered over her shoulder. Red was flat on his back in a thick pool of blood. “He’s down, doesn’t appear to be breathing. I don’t want to leave you to go check, though.”
She turned back to find Blake’s eyes shut. “Blake?” She put a cold hand to his cheek. To her relief, his eyelids opened. “I need you to keep your eyes open, okay?”
“Sure. You sound scared.”
“Of course I am, you idiot. I told you not to get shot. If you weren’t already injured, I’d kick your ass.”
He wore a lopsided grin on his pale face. “You could always kick my ass later.”
“I plan on it.”
His lips spread into a smile. “I look forward to it.”
Dread sliced through her heart.
“Dani, I want to…” His face contorted and a strangled sound stumbled out of his throat.
“Blake, what is it?” He grabbed her as his body convulsed. A sea of blood rushed over her hands. “No. Oh God, no, don’t do this.”
His eyes glazed over, all color drained from his face. His chest rose and fell quickly beneath her palms.
“Dani…I love you.”
She shook her head. “Don’t you dare.” But his eyes were already closing. “Blake?” He didn’t respond. She grabbed the radio from his hip. “Officer down! Blake is hit. I need an ambulance now!”
Chief Witten’s voice came through the radio. “The paramedics are coming.”
She laid her hand against Blake’s neck and felt his pulse fade.
Chapter Eleven
Blake was hooked up to a heart monitor, an oxygen cannula, an IV bag, and practically everything else in the hospital. Dani sat at his bedside with her hand over his. She had been with him for three long days and even longer nights in the Intensive Care Unit, waiting for him to regain consciousness.
“Blake.” Her voice cracked. She tried to swallow her tears, but they clogged her throat. “Please wake up. I refuse to live without you.”
This time, they had opposite roles. This time, it was him in the hospital bed, not her. “I love you, Blake.” Fresh tears slipped from her eyes. “Please wake up, I love you.”
She watched him. As minutes slowly passed on the wall clock and his eyes remained closed, more tears filled her own. Her eyelids lowered, squeezing hot tears between her lashes. They flowed down her cheeks.
She dropped her head onto the edge of his bed and cried.
God, don’t do this to us again, she pleaded. I love him so much. Please wake him. Please.
She listened to the heart monitor. Each beep broke her heart even more. He’s alive, but I need him awake. God, I need him! She took a shuddering breath as oxygen flowed from the tank beside her, through the thin tubes around his ears and into his nostrils.
Please bring him back to me. I want to see his beautiful green eyes again. Let me see them. Wake him up. Please wake him. Please God…
“Dani?”
She shot to her feet, a hand to her chest. She stared down at him, but his eyes were sealed. “Blake?” She pressed a hand to her mouth to quiet her gasp when his eyelids drifted open. A sob hit her palm.
“Are you really awake?” she asked, afraid her eyes were deceiving her, that she was dreaming this, imagining this, but the corner of his mouth titled up.
“I love you. I love you so much!” She kissed his forehead and cheeks as her tears spilled onto his face. She pulled back to look into his evergreen eyes. “Please tell me you remember who I am.”
He lifted his hand, with the intravenous line in it, and touched the side of her face. “I could never forget you, Dani.”
She kissed him. “You scared me. You really scared me.”
He wiped away her tears. “I’m sorry, but you know I had to do it. There was nothing else I could’ve done to save you. To save us.”
“I know. You’re my hero.”
He lifted her hand to his lips. “Thanks. Now can you get my pants for me?”
She put a hand on her hip. “You’re not leaving the hospital today.”
“I figured that. Can you get them anyway? There’s something in my right pocket.”
She opened the cabinet and pulled out the bag where his pants and other items were being stored. She moved back to the bed as she dug her hand into the pocket. When she felt what was there, her gaze flew to his.
“Take it out,” he coaxed.
Her heart hammered in her chest. She pulled her hand out and looked down at the small velvet box.
“Marry me, Dani.”
She swallowed. “Should you be asking me this now? You’re on some serious drugs.”
He smiled at the IV hanging above him. “They’re working, too, but I bought the ring the morning your memory came back.”
She stared at him in shock. “Why didn’t you ask me then?”
“Because I wanted to ask you after I got Red.”
“But I would’ve said yes if you had.”
He lifted a brow. “Will you say yes now?”
“I don’t know.” She took the ring out of its case and gave it to him. “Ask me.”
He took the ring and her hand. “You were the first girl I ever loved, Elle. And you’re going to be the last. I want to make up for what we’ve lost. I want to love you for the rest of our lives. I’m thinking another eighty years or more.”
She smiled. “I’ll hold you to it.”
He smiled, too. “Danielle Hart, will you marry me?”
She pressed her lip
s to his. “Yes.” He slipped the diamond on her finger and she examined it. “Dr. Hart-Herro. Has a nice ring to it.”
Blake frowned. “Hyphenate? I thought you said my wife would be proud to have my name?”
“I am proud,” she said, “which is why I want it right next to my maiden name. Right next to Hart, because you have my heart.”
Blake kissed her finger right above the ring he gave her. “So when do you want to get married?”
Epilogue
Blake stood at a candle-lit altar watching Dani walk toward him. She wore a sleek red dress. It flowed down her hips into a long, sweeping train. Her red hair was in an elegant bun with a sparkling diamond tiara on top. In a matter of minutes, she would become his wife.
She took her place beside him and reached for his hands. He said his vows, vows with his favorite lyrics to rock songs twined with his promises. When it was time for them to kiss, he snatched her, looped her around, and gave her an elaborate kiss. The church filled with whistles and laughter.
At the reception, he danced with her to “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith and when the song ended she whispered in his ear, “Now that we are husband and wife, what do you think about being a daddy?”
****
Seven months later, Dani gave birth to a baby boy they named Jarred. Blake cuddled his son in his arms and gazed down at him with a big, proud smile.
“It only took me thirty seconds after your mom said she was pregnant for me to fall in love with you,” he said and looked at his wife. “You’re my hero, Dani.”
She smiled groggily at him. “And you’re my heart.”
A word about the author...
Chrys Fey is a lover of rock music just like Dani Hart in 30 Seconds. Whenever she’s writing at her desk, headphones are always emitting the sounds of her musical muses -especially that of her favorite band, 30 Seconds to Mars, the inspiration behind the title.
30 Seconds is her second eBook with The Wild Rose Press. Her debut, Hurricane Crimes, is also available on Amazon.
Discover her writing tips at:
www.writewithfey.blogspot.com
And connect with her on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ChrysFey
She loves to get to know her readers!
Thank you for purchasing
this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
