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He rolled the man over on his back, and to our surprise, there was a corkscrew sticking out the side of his neck.

“Shit,” he said. “Is it safe to move her?” he asked me.

I couldn’t find any neck or back injuries, and I wanted to be cautious, but I also knew it was more important to check for any stab wounds given the knife on the floor. I gently laid her on the floor and searching for any entry wounds, but found none. Alex brought the blanket Jen kept over the back of her couch and covered her with it.

Alex repeated my action with the stranger, nodding at me to indicate he’d found a pulse in the man’s neck. “It’s weak, Ty. I think he’s bleeding out.”

“Good. Let the bastard die.” I didn’t know who he was, but I knew the only place good enough for him was a room in Hell.

Alex grabbed a towel and placed it at the man’s neck, attempting to staunch the blood flow. “Tyler, think of Jen. I agree he deserves whatever fate comes to him, but you took an oath. If you don’t follow it, she’ll know. And she’ll know you chose to break that oath for her and knowingly allowed someone to die. She’ll blame herself knowing you made that choice for her, and I think that will tear her up. If he dies, he dies. I think that’s letting him off too easy. But do what you need to do, Tyler. I’ll support you either way and won’t say another word.”

Alex’s uncanny ability to remain calm and supportive hit me hard. His words strike me, though. I had sworn an oath to save lives no matter whose they were. He was right. If I didn’t make any attempt to help the bastard, I would be violating a large piece of who I am. But holding the love of my life in my arms, battered and beaten, I could almost ignore that part of me. Almost.

I hesitated, not wanting to lay Jen on the cold tile. Alex quickly moved behind me. “I’ve got her.” He cradled her against him, whispering words of comfort in her ear.

I could hear sirens outside. I hadn’t even realized Alex had called them. I quickly assessed the bastard’s injuries. Jen’s aim had been nearly true. She had nicked the jugular which explained a lot of the blood. But somehow he was still alive.

The elevator dinged, and I heard voices and noises enter the apartment. “In the kitchen,” Alex hollered.

The medics hesitated only a second as they took in the scene, before they moved in. “Her first,” I ordered. I rattled off all the injuries I had noted. I gratefully allowed an EMT to take over my position. “He has a penetrating neck trauma, thready pulse, and sustained blood loss. Airway sounds good as best as I can judge. But she’s the priority,” I eyed the EMT’s with a glare.

“We’ll take care of her,” one of them promised. I was relieved to see them place a brace around her neck. A police officer tried to remove me from the kitchen. “I’ll need to take a statement, sir. Please come with me.”

I turned my glare on him. “And you can have it once I know she’s okay. I’m not leaving her.”

“Sir, please step out into the other room. Give them some more room to help her, okay?”

“No, she needs me.” I jerked out of his grasp. “I’m a doctor. She needs me.” Tears started dripping down my face. “She needs me,” I whispered repeatedly.

Alex stepped up. “Officer, I can answer any questions for now. I’m sure Dr. Cranston will be available for questioning once he knows his fiancé is recovering in the hospital.” I looked at Alex in surprise. God, he was good.

I allowed him to guide me out of the kitchen which was too small for the workers, the police, the victims and a gurney. Flashes kept going off as a police photographer snapped pictures of the scene. I prayed Jen would never see them. It felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes or so when they rolled out a stretcher with Jen’s pale figure. One attendant held an IV over her head as they carefully wheeled her to the door. I was next to her in a flash. “I’m going with you.” I used my sternest voice, and the EMT nodded. More policemen made sure a path of curious onlookers stayed out of the way as we moved through the building and to the street where we were quickly loaded into the waiting ambulance.