Chapter 47

Someone landed solidly, heavily on top of Tara, pressing her against the cold concrete floor. Suddenly, there seemed to be people everywhere, shouting, running, grappling.

Tara opened her eyes. She couldn't even remember when she'd closed them. Her eyes widened when she saw who lay across her, his eyes closed, his skin deathly pale.

"Wayne?" She pushed at him, frantically trying to get him to respond. "Wayne!"

Large, strong hands helped her free herself and lifting her to her feet. "Tara. Oh God, Tara," Bobby's voice sounded strange, hoarse as it penetrated the slight fog around her. "Are you okay? Have you been hit?" he questioned, his hands running over her as he searched for injuries.

"No," Tara shook her head, her blonde hair bouncing. She ignored the various aches and pains throughout her body as she tried to move him out of the way. "Where are the others?" she asked, searching for the other men who'd been holding them.

"Jack's got them, luv," Bobby insisted, his hands tightening around her as she sagged against him in relief. As Myles knelt over the still form of Colton Rand, Jack and Carlton led the other men off. Trying to block out the image, Tara closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she rested her forehead against Bobby's broad chest.

Suddenly, her eyes popped open as she spun out of his arms. Her attention now was all for Wayne, who lay crumpled on the floor beside them, his left shoulder covered with blood.

Dropping down beside him, Tara pressed her hands to the wound. She stared at the spreading stain in horror, not knowing if he'd been shot trying to save her.

"Bobby, do something!" she pleaded, her thoughts in a jumble as she tried to comprehend everything that had just happened.

"An ambulance is on its way, shelia," Bobby told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Some distant part of Tara's mind noted the slight sense of detachment in his voice, but it was too much for her to deal with at this point.

"It's going to be all right, Wayne," Tara whispered, her hand on his clammy, pale cheek. "Everything is going to be fine, now," she promised, missing the pain shadowing Bobby's face as she watched her stroke the other man's cheek.

Chapter 48

The paramedics arrived with commendable speed. Tara was pulled out of the way as they bent over Wayne, who was partially awake and groaning now. The front of her shirt was stained with his blood, and there was a trickle of something warm and sticky from the lump forming on the side of her head.

But they were alive, Tara reminded herself. She, Shanna, and Wayne would be all right, and Colton, Cameron, and the other man had been taken away.

Shanna had only been knocked out, so other than a bump on her head and a headache for a few days, she didn't appear any worse for her ordeal. Tara said a short prayer of thanks, adding a plea that Wayne would recover as quickly. She wouldn't even allow herself to consider the possibility that he wouldn't.

Turning from watching the paramedics load Wayne onto the stretcher, Tara found Bobby slumped against the office wall like a battered, weary warrior, his shoulders slumped and his eyes closed. A gun hung loosely in his hand, apparently forgotten.

Hannah stood next to him, concern evident in her eyes as she spoke quietly to him. They look so comfortable together, Tara thought with a pang of jealousy, her teeth digging into her lower lip. So close.

Then Bobby's eyes slowly opened, locking with hers. He pushed away from the wall, whatever Hannah was saying to him lost as he crossed the distance between him and the petite blonde.

"You're bleeding," he murmured, touching gentle fingers to the oozing lump on the side of her head.

"It's okay," Tara shrugged, her eyes never leaving his as she realized the last time she saw him was unconscious in a hospital bed. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?" she questioned, searching his tired face, not sure if he would collapse before her eyes if she touched him.

"He wouldn't stay at the hospital," Hannah supplied as she came up beside them. Looking between the two, she wasn't even sure if they realized she was talking, or even standing there next to them, as they only had eyes for each other. "He's been beside himself since he found out you were missing, and insistent that he was coming 'with or without permission' to help find you when Jack got that call," she continued as she watched them with worry.

"I couldn't let anything happen to you," Bobby admitted, sounding a bit breathless as he spoke. "Though we may need to rethink the time we let you spend with Sue. Running off, half-cocked without backup is normally her M O."

"Are you okay?" Tara asked, placing her hand on his arm caringly. Bobby smiled, but to Tara it looked forced, as if he was in pain. "You shouldn't have come after me. Not after all you've gone through. We almost lost you," Tara blinked as she felt the tears threaten.

The events of the last couple of days, starting with realizing she'd loved Bobby to his accident to this all, began to build on Tara. She took a wobbly breath, trying to steady her frayed emotions as she looked up at the tall Aussie.

"We almost lost you too," Bobby whispered, raising his hand to gently stroke her hair back from her face. Tara's breath caught in her chest as she turned her cheek into his caress.

"I…" she started when Wayne called her name from the gurney as he was pushed towards the door.

"Tara," he groaned.

"I'm here, Wayne," Tara called as she rushed to his side taking his hand.

"You're all right?" His voice was weak, his lips stiff and rather blue, but his eyes looked clear, coherent, giving her hope that his injuries weren't immediately life-threatening.

"I'm fine," she reassured him. "And you will be, too. Let them take care of you now, Wayne."

"Tell that husband of yours…" his eyelids drooped.

"What?" Tara bent closer, straining to hear.

"Tell him…better take care of you after this."

"I can take care of myself, Franklin," Tara smirked, leaning over to kiss his cold cheek. "You do the same, you hear?"

"We have to go, ma'am," one of the paramedics insisted, and Tara stepped out of the way. Feeling Bobby move up behind her, she subconsciously relaxed against him, his arms wrapping loosely around her waist, pulling her to him. She raised her hand to touch run her fingers through her hair forgetting about the lump on the side of her face and winced as she brushed across it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bobby asked, turning her in his arms to take a better look at the purpling bruise.

"I'm fine. It's just a bump where Colton hit me."

"I should have killed him," Bobby growled, the dramatic words spoken in an oddly calm, matter-of-fact tone.

"You almost did," Hannah reminded him, not wanting to intrude, but still not sure if she should leave them alone after all they'd been through. "Jack had to unwrap his fingers from Colton's throat and send him to make sure you were all right."

"Please tell me someone read the bloke his rights," Bobby groaned as though the thought had just occurred to him.

"Except for your performance, everything when strictly by the book," Hannah assured him with a note of suppressed amusement. "He won't get off on any technicalities."

Bobby appeared relieved as he pulled Tara too him.

"I've never seen someone that emotional making an arrest, but I guess it isn't every day that something like this involves the person you love." Hannah looked from Bobby's haggard face to Tara's swelling lump. "You two look terrible. Come on, Tara, we'll find someone to check you out and Bobby, you need to get back to the hospital where you belong."

"Yes, mother," Tara mocked.