“I can’t jump.”
“Yes, you can. Loosen your arms and lower yourself until your arms and legs are both fully extended. Then it’s only a few feet. I promise, you’ve got this.”
“But you’re shot and you don’t have use of your hands—”
“I’ll be right behind you, don’t doubt that for a second.”
She stared at him and in spite of the urgency, he nodded patiently, no frustration or irritation showing in his face or body.
“Keep your body loose, not tight,” he said. “Don’t lock your knees. You’ve got this,” he repeated, his gaze calm on hers. Calm and patient, even with one pupil clearly blown and blood dripping down his jaw and onto his bare chest.
Behind him, she heard the lock rattle, and her fear for him overcame her fear of dropping out another window. “Promise me you’re right behind me!”
“I promise you.”
So she took a deep breath, relaxed her body and let go.
Chapter 25
#GoElfYourself
Lucas came to lying flat on his back on a stretcher with people hovering over him using medical speak and poking him with what felt like a very large needle. He hated needles. He tried to sit up, but he also had an oxygen mask on his face, which he shoved aside. “Molly.”
A hand settled on his chest. Not Molly’s. Joe’s, and not to comfort, but to restrain him.
“We’ve got Mrs. Claus and Tommy Thumbs in cuffs,” Joe said immediately, knowing that intel was the only way to calm any of them down. “Santa’s in a body bag. The elves made it safely to Reno.” His voice was tight, his eyes were hot. He was pissed that he’d been left out of the loop, and Lucas knew he had every reason to be.
“Molly,” Lucas said again, shoving one of the EMS’s hands aside as he tried to replace the oxygen mask. “Where is she—”
“Also being treated. She’s got a few cuts and bruises, but no bullet holes, which I can assume is thanks to you,” Joe said. His voice softened. “Thanks, man, for having her back here tonight and saving her ass.”
Lucas shook his head. “You’ve got that backwards. She saved my ass. I was out from the moment I got shot. She . . .” He started to shake his head in marvel and pride, but that hurt too much so he closed his eyes. “She fought like pro, and even when she was overpowered, she still got herself out of the cuffs. And then she managed to drag my dead weight over to the window, up onto a table, and get us out. You should’ve seen her.” He opened his eyes again and met Joe’s. “It wasn’t easy for her, but she handled it. She’s handled everything on this case from start to finish like one of us would have. Maybe even better than one of us.”
Looking troubled, Joe nodded. “They’re transporting you to General—”
“No, I don’t need a hospital.”
“Yeah,” Archer said, coming up behind Joe. “You do. You’ve got a bullet lodged in your thigh and a gash on your head that’s going to need like twenty-five staples and maybe a lobotomy while you’re at it since you didn’t call your team. We’re going to circle back to that later when your brains aren’t in danger of leaking out, believe me.”
Great. He could hardly wait. “Since I didn’t call, why are you all here?”
“Molly called. Apparently she’s smarter than you. Also, nice look.”
Lucas looked down at himself. He was still in the elf costume. Correction: half an elf costume, meaning just the short shorts.
Archer slid Joe a look. “Might want to get a pic of that for future leverage.”
Joe patted his pocket. “Already did.”
“I’m going to release you,” the ER doctor told Molly.
She started to get up, but he held out a hand to stop her. “But only,” he continued, “if you promise me to take it easy for a few days and let those cuts and bruises heal before going back to work.”
“It’s okay, my work isn’t—” She broke off. She’d been about to say her work wasn’t dangerous, that it was desk work, but given the past twenty-four hours, she’d be lying. “I’ll rest,” she promised. Not a lie since, thanks to a nice, big fat pink pill, she was feeling pleasantly numb. “Where’s Lucas?”
“Coming out of surgery.”
“I want to see him,” she said and this time managed to sit up, hiding her wince of pain that the movement caused.
“You need to move slowly,” the doctor said. “As for Lucas, someone will let you know when that’s possible.”
When he was gone, Molly looked at Joe sitting moodily in the chair in the corner. He hadn’t left her side, but nor had he uttered a word.
“I’m going to see him,” she said stubbornly.
He ran a hand down his face. “Do you have any idea what went on tonight?”
“Yeah, Joe.” She waved her bandaged, stitched-up hand. “I’ve got a pretty good idea considering I had a front row seat.”
He sat back with a heavy sigh. “You took ten years off my life.”
“Welcome to the club,” she said. “Remember last year when you got hurt on the job and were in the hospital for two days before we knew you were going to be okay? I was sitting right where you were, so I get it. I know. And for the record, what happened tonight doesn’t come anywhere close to all the times I’ve been in your shoes.”
Joe grimaced, looking pained. “Look . . . I know, okay? And I’m sorry.”
She stared at him, waiting for the rest of that sentence. When Joe held his silence, she shook her head. “Wow. A sorry without a but on the end of it. Did it hurt?”
“Okay,” he said. “I deserve that. I’ve . . . been hard on you.”
“Not hard,” she said. “Impossible.”
“I’m working on that.” He paused when she gave him a disbelieving look. “I am,” he said. “I swear. But that’s going to lead to an argument I don’t want to have with you until you’re up to it. Let’s try a different conversation. Lucas.”
Well, hell. “As it turns out,” she said, lifting a shoulder. “I’m not really in a talking mood.”
“Too bad. I don’t know exactly what’s going on with the two of you, but—”
“—What’s going on is that he took a bullet meant for me,” she said. “And he was hit in the head with a steel pipe—also for me—and I’m not leaving here until I see for myself that he’s okay.” She slid off the bed, holding onto the railing for support while she got her sea legs.
Joe was there in an instant, having risen out of his chair and putting his hands on her arms. He had brought her cane, which she absolutely did not intend to use.
“I want to know what’s going on,” Joe said.
“I just told you.”
“I don’t mean on the case—the one you weren’t supposed to take, by the way. I mean between you and my partner and best friend.”
The question gave her a flashback to how she’d felt the night before, sleeping in his arms. Contented. Happy.
Fulfilled.
And though he hadn’t said as much, she’d seen the look in his eyes that morning. She’d felt the way he touched her. How he said her name.
Things had changed.
She wasn’t exactly sure when or how, but she knew they had. He’d fallen for her.
And unbelievably, and against all odds, she’d fallen for him too.
“Molly.”
Shaking her head, she yanked the curtain from around her bed and eyed the large ER, decorated with garland and some twinkling lights. She took in all the other curtained beds. Fine. Eeny, meeny, miny, mo it was. “Lucas!” she called out, making a scene and not caring.
“Damn, Molly.” Joe grimaced and shoved her cane at her. “At least use this while you’re yelling your fool head off.”
She snatched the hated cane and leaned on it. “Lucas!”