Page 115 of Rescued Dreams

They backed up as the staffer wheeled him into the bay. “He should be awake in a few minutes.”

Maddie grabbed Ella’s hand and held it, going into the bay to be close to Ridge. Amelia glanced at Meg, who looked at her with an odd expression.

“What?”

Meg flushed. “Nothing. Just…something I was praying for.”

“For me?”

Meg nodded.

“We should talk more about that.” Amelia hesitated. “Maybe also…go to church.”

Meg beamed. “Deal.”

THIRTY-EIGHT

Ridge blinked and stirred awake, very much aware of the tightness in his chest. Three broken ribs, thanks to the bullet that had hit his vest and the tumble down the stairs. That was going to take some time to heal.

He tried not to move too much. Before he opened his eyes, he registered the bustle of the ER. He hadn’t been admitted, but he had been given meds that were apparently his Kryptonite. He’d passed out under their influence and slept…he didn’t know how long.

He blinked and the bay came into focus. Curtains on three sides. Only one person in the room with its low light. The usual brightness had been turned down to simulate night for the patients still here, and the staff were quieter than normal.

Amelia sat in the chair by his hospital bed, her head back against the seat and her eyes closed.

She was here.

He shifted so he was lying facing her, so he could take her in. Hopefully not in a way that she thought was creepy. Fact was, Amelia Patterson was the most amazing woman he’d ever known. She’d survived what would have destroyed a lot of people. She had left a horrible situation and saved herself so that she could fight another day.

Had all the conditioning she’d done over the years she’d been back in Last Chance County been not just about the job of a fire lieutenant but also about the belief that one day Nicholas would come back into her life? She’d withstood his plans when he took her from the fire truck. He hadn’t won. Now he was in jail, and he wasn’t getting out.

Right now, it was Ridge who needed to be reassured that the situation really was over.

He turned the other way and found his cell phone on the nightstand. Multiple texts from the twins, updating him on everything since they’d been released, because they might’ve been scared, but they hadn’t suffered injury.

More texts from Kane, updating him that they were all at the town house, safe.

He sent a quick reply, able to move long enough to do that before he collapsed back to the bed.

“I’m not sure you’re supposed to move.”

Ridge’s phone clattered onto the nightstand, and he found Amelia watching him, probably the same way he’d been watching her.

Her cheeks pinked.

“They gave you a clean bill of health?”

She nodded, very slightly, and touched the side of her head. “I’ll be out of work at least a week. But that’s time I can use to study for the lieutenant’s exam.”

“Think I’ll be out longer.”

Amelia shrugged.

“I’m glad you stayed.”

“I didn’t really want to go back to the cabin after everything.” She shivered. “And your house is a bit crowded right now.”

He smiled. Probably not the entire reason she’d hung around. He lifted his fingers and motioned her over, even though it made the needle in the inside of his elbow pull.