20 Questions

Chapter 136

I fall to my knees in front of Hunter, put my head in his lap and I cry. I cry for so many reasons. I cry because I'm relieved this is over. I cry for the pain in my hand. I cry for the trauma we have endured for so long. But mostly, I cry tears of happiness that I don't have to walk this Earth without my soul mate.

The tears fall faster and more violently. My body shakes as each wave of emotion crashes over me. I sit here on my knees, inconsolable and hurting, until a hand runs over my hair, sliding around my jaw and lifting my chin. I stare back at the battered face of the man I love, my eyes red and swollen and wide. He gives me that sweet, crooked smile I fell in love with on a plane ride to Aspen.

I blow out a deep breath and scramble to my feet, grabbing his face gently and pressing my lips to his. They taste of copper, but they are beautiful. Beautiful and warm and mine. I run my hands through his hair and thank my God for allowing me to keep this man.

"Jenna?"

I cry out, relieved beyond measure to hear his voice again.

"I love you, baby," I reciprocate, kissing his lips again. "I love you so much."

"Jenna?" I hear behind me.

I jump up, grab my gun and turn around. But when I see Elijah, Griffin and the rest of the team, I fall apart. Large crocodile tears fall down my face. The relief is overwhelming. My army is back and by our side. I turn back around to Hunter, but his head has fallen. I shake his shoulders and call out his name, my voice raising an octave and my stomach flipping inside out. He's unconscious and as I drop down to assess his injuries closer, I note the significant blood loss.

For ten seconds, I allow myself to panic. There is so much blood. His injuries are severe. He needs medical attention that can only be provided in a hospital. I take off my terrified wife hat and replace it with my critical-thinking nurse hat. I immediately start barking out orders.

"We need an ambulance right now!" I yell.

"We've already called them," Elijah says as I rush around the room, looking for anything I can use to stop the bleeding. "They are on their way."

"Good," I say, grabbing a roll of paper towels. "Somebody get me some clean water and something to clean these wounds with. I need a washcloth, some type of a board to splint his hand with and tape. If there's no tape, I need strips of fabric. Also, if you have a knife, please cut off the restraints. "

The men are running around the room, rummaging through drawers and cabinets, following my orders and collecting supplies. I hold as much pressure to Hunter's legs as I can manage, ignoring the pain in my hand. The lacerations aren't that deep, but they are deep enough to cause dangerous blood loss. Hunter hasn't regained consciousness yet but I keep talking to him and telling him how much I love him in case he can hear me. I don't know how far out the ambulance is, but it seems like it's taking forever.

"Jenna," Griffin yells. "There's a bottle of some type of painkillers. Do you want to give Hunter one?"

"No. He's unconscious, but even if he was awake, his blood pressure is probably too low to tolerate narcotics. He's lost too much blood. He's going to need a transfusion when he gets to the hospital. They will give him IV fluids in the ambulance, but he needs blood."

"If he wakes up, do you want me to get him some water to drink?" Griffin yells back.

Bless his heart, he's trying. Even in the state I'm in, I can still appreciate Griffin's efforts. I smile back at him and shake my head.

"Thank you, but he shouldn't take anything by mouth because he's probably going to need surgery."

Griffin frowns and nods his head, walking over to me with an armload of supplies. I direct him to hold pressure to the laceration on Hunter's left leg while I get to work on his right. The bleeding has slowed down but not stopped. I pour the water over the wound and dry it quickly before folding up the paper towels and creating a makeshift dressing. Elijah walks over with a couple towels so I ask him to cut them into strips, of which he does. I wrap several up and down the leg, tying them firmly against the paper towels and creating a pressure dressing. I switch Griffin places and do the same with the other leg.