White Night

Chapter 37

Where the hell were the doctors?

Michael's breathing was shallow as she shouted his name again.

She was watching him die ten feet from the hospital. Think fast, Connors, medical training, paramedic ex-boyfriend...

If patient is unresponsive to verbal or physical stimuli, then test response to painful stimuli using a sternal rub.

Digging the knuckles of her free hand hard into his sternum, she dragged them up and down his chest.

Michael's eyes sprang open. "What the...?" he whispered as he writhed and weakly grabbed at her arm.

Patient is able to respond to painful stimuli.

She remembered when her ex had practiced on her; it hurt like hell.

"Glad you're back." She took a breath and wiped her hand across her face as he gasped for breath. She wasn't losing him now.

Ross, doctors, and a swarm of nurses streamed out of Emergency and eased Michael onto a gurney.

A nurse took over, keeping the pressure on his shoulder. Connors stepped down out of the truck, but the drop was bigger than she thought and she stumbled a step. Thankfully, no one was watching her now.

The medics rushed Michael into a triage room and the nurses moved like clockwork to save his life, jamming needles into him and cutting off his clothes as they hooked him up to a bank of machines. She stepped back to let them do their job, her stomach swirling as words from the past swam through her head.

BP?

160/88.

Respiration?

45 shallow.

What happened?

Initial report is female officer struck by car.

Almost a year ago, but it flooded over her again. The world started to spin as she stepped outside the room, ripping the blood-covered glove from her hand. Barely able to breathe, she collapsed against the wall. She'd been fine for months, with only occasional nightmares, but now she was back there, her body weak, her skin freezing.

Suck it up, Connors, Ross can see you...

Only he couldn't. He wasn't there. Partners for barely three days and she'd spent half her time wondering where the hell he was.

Detective Banner bounded through the doors to ER. "Hey, heard the call on the radio. You okay?"

"Yes. How did you know to come here?"

"I was responding to the request for backup. There was nothing at the warehouse but bullet holes and blood in the alley out back, so I started checking area hospitals and this is the closest. The department's going nuts looking for you two."

"Sorry." She rubbed her forehead. "Can you update Central, but don't give out the name of the hospital?"

"What? Why?"

"Because I asked you not to," she said wearily.

"Sure, sure." Banner smiled back at her uncertainly.

She was weirding him out and looking like a paranoid nutcase in the process, but she had to take Michael's fears about a dirty cop seriously and she had to locate Ross, find out what the hell he did during these disappearances.