Page 112 of Rescued Dreams

She shifted off his lap but sat facing him, close enough their hips were touching. “I’ve got you. Passing out might be a good idea. It’ll stop hurting. The girls are good, right?” She moved her arm out of sight. “Everything is okay now. Because you were here.”

She leaned over and touched her lips to his. “God brought us through it.”

His eyes flared.

Before he could say anything, Maddie and Ella sat around them. “Ridgey?” Maddie bit her lip. Ella leaned against her sister.

“I’m good.” He gritted his teeth and got the words out.

“You don’t look okay,” Ella pointed out.

“I’ve got the three of you,” he said, holding her gaze with a steady stare. “I’m good.”

THIRTY-SEVEN

“Well, it seems odd to say this, given how you look, but you’re actually doing all right, Ms. Patterson.” The nurse peeled off the blood pressure cuff.

Amelia glanced over at her from the bed in this tiny ER bay surrounded by curtains. The bay was barely big enough for the nurse to walk around the bed. They’d segregated all of them to check them out, but Amelia was going to jump off this bed in a second and go find the twins, Maria and Kane, and Ridge. She needed to know they were all okay.

Ridge had passed out right as they got to the hospital, and she hadn’t seen him since they’d wheeled him away as soon as the helicopter touched down.

The twins must be scared out of their minds still.

“Your headache will go away when it’s good and ready. Until then, you need to get as much rest as possible. So no rushing into buildings to save people. Leave putting out the fires to these guys for now.” The nurse pulled back the curtain to reveal a huddle of turnout coats.

Bryce, Eddie and Zack, Zoe and Della. Izan, and even Chief James.

“Amelia!” Zoe rushed in, giving her a quick hug. “Are you okay?” She checked Amelia more thoroughly than the nurse had, turning her hands over so she could see the marks on Amelia’s wrists where she’d been tied up. The old and new bruises on her neck. The knot on her head from being smacked by the butt of Elam’s gun.

So many things had happened since the bank robbery. She had bruises from the truck exploding and flipping over, and even more from being taken by Nicholas.

“I’m gonna live.” She tried to say it flippantly to lighten the situation, but the words caught in her throat, and to her horror, tears filled her eyes. “Is Ridge okay?”

Zoe’s expression softened. “His family is going to tell us when they get an update. He went for X-rays, and they said he was sleeping, since the doctors gave him something.”

“What about Warren?”

Zoe looked at Chief Macon, who said, “It’s bad, but the doctor is hopeful.”

The tears rolled down Amelia’s face.

She half expected all the guys to rear back in shock, but they didn’t. Izan came over to the other side of the bed, got in her space, and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re okay, Amelia.”

Her nose filled with his uniquely spicy scent.

Amelia wrapped her arms around her friend, returning the hug. When she drew back, she said, “Thanks, Izan. How is Olivia?”

He said, “Broken wrist. She’s getting it bandaged, and she’ll need a cast when the swelling goes down. But she’s good. She’s tough.”

Amelia wondered if anyone else caught the possession in his tone, thatmy girlhe didn’t add but it was there. She saw it in his expression too. He’d been worried about Tazwell, but she was all right now.

“I need to apologize.” His dark eyes tracked hers, those handsome Hispanic features warm and earnest now. He was a joker and sometimes didn’t realize he should be serious, but that was gone now. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more on it when you were in the training house. Even if that Nicholas guy messed with our system so the surveillance feed was off, I should’ve been paying more attention.” He lifted his chin. “It won’t happen again.”

“Collins, I’m not your superior anymore. You don’t report to me.”

“I’m still sorry.”

She touched his hand. “I forgive you.”