Alan Bloomgate watched in horror as Jake Donfort started bleeding profusely and then collapsed on the ground. He belatedly realized that the bullet had come from behind. "Sniper!" he yelled, and without a second thought, he darted toward Jake's prone body. His men tried to call him back, but he ignored them, so they laid down cover fire. He heard a thud as the sniper's body rolled off the roof and landed on the ground, but he needed to concentrate on Jake.
Alan pulled out a field compression dressing, tore open the package, and stuck it under Jake's shirt on his back. Then as carefully as possible, he rolled the unconscious man onto his back and placed another dressing on his chest wound. He checked for a pulse, cursed, and used his radio. "Adam-1 to dispatch, send an aid car immediately to my location. Officer down, I repeat, officer down!"
Technically, Jake was no longer in law enforcement, but Alan didn't care. He was starting CPR as SWAT rushed the building. He barely noticed what transpired until he heard a scream and Hope was running toward him. An agent tried to pull her back. "Let her go!" Alan ordered, and she was released.
She dropped to the ground on her knees. "Do you need me to take over? Or I can do the breaths? Alan?!"
He glanced up at her, seeing the utter devastation on her face. Out of breath, he nodded and stopped chest compressions. Hope tilted Jake's head back, made a seal with her lips, and exhaled strongly into his mouth a few times, then went to compressions. She refused to tag Alan in and only moved aside when the paramedics arrived.
She watched them intently as they continued to work. They got a pulse back but continued to support his breathing with an Ambu Bag and mask. "He might have a collapsed lung on this side. Let's go!" They hustled him onto the gurney and into the ambulance, with Hope climbing in before the doors shut.
She leaned over to kiss Jake on the forehead. "You never should have come after me," she whispered. "But I won't let them get you. I love you." She pulled a slim flip phone from a hidden pocket in her boot and powered it up. She entered a number and started texting.
01040: Medevac request
48.049153422411905, 8.194235828479398
01040
1 Urgent Surgical
1 D
1 A
E
E
B
M - gunshot
I - through and through to chest; hemorrhage
S- Unconscious; breathing support
T- CPR, compression bandages
27224: Request confirmed, pending 7E data
When they arrived at the hospital, she took the phone she'd stolen from the medic and snuck into the hospital system. Hope found out which operating room Jake was assigned to and backed out swiftly.
01040: 7E OR 4. DOA extraction protocol.
She yanked the SIM from the snatched phone and smashed it, the pieces getting tossed in a hazardous waste bin that was parked in the hallway. Hope wiped her prints off the phone and dumped it at Lost & Found, knowing it would get snatched by an employee before it ever got back into the medic's hands.
27224: Confirmed. ETA 5.
"Hope!" Richy ran up to her and skidded to a stop. "You're OK! Is Jake OK? Where is he?"
YOU ARE READING
Key to His Heart (Sequel)
Hayran KurguJake sacrificed himself to save Hope and his sisters. Months after his funeral, Hope finally has her second chance at happiness. THIS IS A SEQUEL. Please read Coincidentally But Eternally Connected first, or you may not be able to follow the plot. ...
