Total pages in book: 189
Estimated words: 181808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 909(@200wpm)___ 727(@250wpm)___ 606(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 909(@200wpm)___ 727(@250wpm)___ 606(@300wpm)
As she talked, Larissa took Eryn’s pajama bottoms off to examine how far dilated she was.
“I know you do.”
“How many children are in the house?” Shade asked, bringing the truck to a stop in front of the emergency entrance.
“Three.”
Shade put the truck in Park and slid out of the truck with his cell phone to his ear as he hurried inside the emergency room.
Larissa opened the truck door and was sliding herself out when the sliding door opened and Lana and two orderlies came rushing outside with a gurney.
Lana’s eyes flew to hers. “I’ve been worried sick,” she snapped as the orderlies maneuvered Eryn out of the truck.
“I’m fine,” Larissa assured her. “We’ll talk about it later.”
Lana’s anxious gaze switched to Eryn.
“She’s eight centimeters dilated. Her pulse is slow and thready,” Larissa started rattling off Eryn’s stats as they went through the sliding door. “She fell down a flight of stairs yesterday. We need to get an ultrasound—”
“I’ve got this,” Lana stopped her from entering the triage room. “You have to let me handle it from here.”
“I’m her midwife. I can be in there,” she argued with her sister.
“Not after holding you hostage. Anything goes wrong, you could lose everything you’ve worked for. Dr. Price is on his way down from the second floor. Once he’s here, he’ll take over for me. Go wait in the waiting room. Priscilla is on her way.”
Larissa stepped and had to watch as the door closed behind Lana.
She went to the restroom, where she washed off, her mind still on Eryn. Leaving her was hard to do, but knowing Lana wouldn’t handle over Eryn’s care until Dr. Price got there was assuring.
The waiting room was empty except for Shade, who was standing by the front door, talking on his cell phone. Taking a seat, she leaned the crutches against the wall.
When Shade finished the call, he sat in the seat in front of her.
“I thought you had left,” she said uncomfortably. There was something about Shade that always made the hair on the back of her neck rise.
Shade shrugged. “I thought I’d stick around until the others arrive.”
“What others?”
From what she had witnessed, everyone shot at Eryn’s needed a coroner, not a hospital.
“My friends are bringing Eryn’s children to be checked out.”
She had been so focused on Eryn that she had forgotten about the children. “I should have called Knox.” Angry at herself, she asked Shade, “How are they?”
“Knox thought they seemed okay, despite the conditions they were living in.”
Larissa frowned. “Their living conditions?”
Shade’s expression made her stomach plummet.
“How did I let her fool me so badly? I should have—”
“How could you have known? Knox is the sheriff, and he didn’t. Unless a report is made, no one would investigate. Usually, they pick out-of-the-way places to remain unnoticed, get regular jobs, and mingle with people in town so no one will grow suspicious of where their money is coming from. Treepoint’s been clean the last few years. They were good; they sailed under Knox’s radar.”
“Eryn told me they just moved to town about eight months ago.”
“Makes sense, then.” Shade’s eyes dropped to her shoulder. “You should get that wound taken care of.”
“I will after Lana comes out.”
Her sister was going to be furious she had been grazed by a bullet.
Looking down at her shoulder, she saw the black color of her sweater had hidden the bloodstain. How had Shade seen it when her sister hadn’t?
The door slid open, and a group of men walked inside. Moon was carrying a baby wrapped in his jacket. Viper was holding one who was chewing on her fist.
Their young age made her emotions swirl. She liked Eryn, had felt them growing closer with each of the appointments.
A door opened, and two nursers came out to take the children back to the emergency room.
As the emergency room door opened again, Knox walked in with a girl who appeared to be fifteen or sixteen. The girl’s appearance had Larissa’s hand going to her mouth. Long brown hair was in total disarray, she was more dirty than clean, and the clothes she wore hung off her tiny frame. It took her several minutes as Knox talked to a nurse and the girl sullenly listened, refusing to give her name each time Knox or the nurse asked, for Larissa to realize what was off about the girl. She was barefoot.
When the nurse tried to take the girl’s arm, she jerked away and tried to run out of the door.
“Leave me alone!” she screamed frantically.
Seeing Knox was about to stop her, Larissa spoke up.
“Come sit by me.”
The girl spun in her direction.
Larissa patted the hard plastic chair next to her.
Looking caged, the girl glanced at the door, which the men had moved to stand in front of, then looked back at her. Slowly, she started toward her, giving her a suspicious look as she sat down two chairs over from her.