Chapter 51: The Aftermath

Tom and Matt, with their guns drawn, instantly covered Nathan and Millicent, unable to see into the black night.

In what seemed like forever, but was actually only seconds, Bill and Gabe rode by at a furious pace, with Bill only pausing long enough to shout his orders.

"Nathan, stay here! We've got this covered!"

"I have to go," but when Nathan raised his head, he felt dizzy, and had to lay back down, not realizing his weight was still on Millicent.

Then came the second shot.

And a third, followed by a barrage of bullets from the forest beyond the pond.

Millicent instinctively knew something was very wrong with Nathan, and she was doing her best to raise up, hoping with all of her being she was mistaken, but desperately needing to make sure he was okay.

"Stay down, Miss!" hissed Tom, not realizing Nathan needed help.

But when Millicent tried to position herself, from under him, to better hold Nathan, her hand was covered in his blood.

"Oh, Dear God! He's been shot! Help him, Tom!"

Tom knelt to look more closely and immediately started barking orders to Matt.

"Get the car stat! We've got to get him to the infirmary. Have Kyle call the doctor. Tell her the Chief's been shot!"

Just as Bill had taken to calling Nathan the Chief, so had the entire Security Team, and even though it was started in jest, and much to Nathan's chagrin, there was an awful lot of respect included in it, too!

Instantly, Matt took off running as fast as he could go, through the slippery snow.

Then Tom knelt back down by Nathan, who by this time was losing quite a bit of blood.

Tom yanked his own tie off and secured it a few inches above the wound on Nathan's left arm, as a make-shift tourniquet, something he had had to do many times in the war with various other objects, some too bizarre to be believed.

"I've got to get him on his back, Miss. You have to stay down."

"I have to help him," and Millicent was already trying to do just that, even though she was still pinned under Nathan.

After rolling Nathan over, Tom clearly saw that it was otherwise useless to insist on anything protective at all for Millicent, as she was instantly up, placing her own body in a sitting position, so she could hold Nathan's head and shoulders up and make him as comfortable as possible.

Tom really could do nothing but acquiesce and allow her to hold the man she loved.

Instead, he simply maneuvered himself so he could cover them both with his gun, knowing he would be fighting a futile battle if he tried to separate them.

Millicent elevated Nathan's upper body as much as she could, holding him in her lap, caressing his face, reassuring him with everything she had…

"Darling, it's alright. We're getting help! Talk to me, Nathan! Don't close your eyes!"

Her voice was begging him, as her heart was breaking into a million pieces, but she realized only that she had to help him, keep him awake, make him as comfortable as she could, and pray.

So, she did all three.

At once.

She took off her fur and wrapped it around Nathan, doing her best to keep him warm, not caring that his blood was everywhere.

And with that, there was nothing else she could do!

Tom blanched when he saw the look on her face, even in the dark.

The look of devastation and utter heartbreak, that clearly said her entire world was laying here on the cold ground, bleeding, helpless.

Tom took off his coat and wrapped it around Millicent to do his best to keep her warm, but she didn't even notice.

Her mind, her focus was solely on Nathan.

"Can you talk to me, Nate?"

"Yes," he answered weakly. "I'm…fine."

"You're not fine, but you're going to be, Love!"

And she buried her face into his, kissing his cold lips, willing it to be so.

"The things a man…has to do…to get his woman to…kiss him!"

"Now I know you're going to be fine! So funny too!"

But she was crying, and he reached up with his right hand to wipe her tears away.

"I love you…Millicent…Bradford."

"I love you, Nathan Grant. And don't you dare even think about dying on me."

"I won't die. I can't…I can't leave you."

Bill and Gabe galloped furiously on out into the blanket of trees, chasing the perpetrators, till the two men had ceased fire and taken off, running their horses through the forest much more recklessly than they should have.

But the two strangers made a tactical error because no one knew this area like Bill Avery, and he knew exactly where they were going!

"This way!" directed Bill.

The two criminals glanced back and saw the two lawmen leaving in the opposite direction.

"Looks like they've given up, Brother! Headed back to town. We're safe. At least for tonight! Let's head on back to the Cabin!"

And so, they did.

But that was an even graver mistake on their part.

Bill Avery was as sure of their destination as there was a moon in the sky.

"This is tougher because of the darkness, but that gives us the advantage, too. They're headed straight to the old Henderson Cabin!" explained Bill to Gabe, both having paused just long enough to strategize. "And I know a quicker way! Follow me!"

Bill and Gabe took off at rapid speed, and rode like the wind, around the trees instead of going through them, and in what seemed like no time at all, they could see the Henderson Cabin, sitting upon the knoll in the distance, with a curl of smoke coming from its chimney.

"Let's hide the horses in this grove of trees and go wait behind that shed," instructed Bill.

Bill and Gabe did just that, but they were waiting much longer than Bill thought they should be.

"Hmph! Must have gotten lost!" muttered Bill.

Suddenly, the door of the cabin opened, and apparently, the person waiting there was also thinking the two men should already be back.

The male figure came out of the doorway, acting quite nervously, walking to the edge of the cabin's porch, carrying a rifle, which dwarfed him in comparison!

"Wow! He's a little guy," whispered Gabe.

"With a rifle," noted Bill, pragmatically. "Doesn't matter how small he is as long as he can shoot the thing!"

"Sorry, having serious doubts about that one, Bill."

"Hush, I feel hoofbeats…"

And yes, Bill could feel the hoofbeats before they could be heard, a sixth sense so to speak that he had acquired over the years.

Gabe lowered his voice even more.

"Do we take them outside?" he whispered.

"Only if all three are outside together! If not, we wait."

The small figure gave one last look around, and went back inside, shutting the door behind him, obviously very worried over the two men soon arriving!

That was when Bill rethought his and Gabe's strategy.

Well, mostly his strategy, thinking this little guy couldn't possibly give them that much trouble!

"Change of plans! We take the two outside – but keep em quiet! The little one'll be a piece of cake."

As the hoofbeats got closer and closer, the gunmen were suddenly in sight.

The two men slowed their pace.

As they neared the Cabin, they dismounted, then moved to tie their horses, at the far side of the shed.

They were close enough to Bill and Gabe, that the two could have literally reached out and touched them without much effort at all!

And after waiting just long enough for them to be occupied with tying up their horses, that's exactly what Bill and Gabe did!

But instead of a touch of the hand, they stealthily reached out to touch the men of crime, with a gun, pointed firmly in each of their backs!

"Make a sound and you're dead. We don't sissy shoot either," barked Bill in a very low but clear voice, as he and Gabe cuffed their degenerates.

But even Bill couldn't help but notice these were very nicely dressed degenerates!

Perhaps 'elegant lawbreakers' would have been a more accurate description!

"Act normal if your friend comes to the door," but the 'friend' was nowhere to be seen.

That is until Gabe noticed a shadow by the far right-hand window.

When Bill said that, the two men clearly became more nervous, as they had been hoping the third member of their party hadn't yet been discovered.

"You got these two, Bill?"

"Yep," and Gabe was off like lightning, standing, with his back against the cabin wall, inching along it, with his gun aimed at whoever was coming out of the window.

The short guy, or so Gabe thought.

And sure enough, it wasn't long till the little guy came tumbling out onto the ground, not realizing Gabe was only two feet away against the Cabin wall, and most certainly not seeing Gabe's gun, pointed directly at him.

"I'd suggest you freeze just where you are, hands up in the air!"

The little guy put his hands up as instructed, but as soon as Gabe tried to handcuff him, he kicked.

And he kicked vociferously.

"Oww!" as Gabe reached low to his left kneecap.

That's when Gabe fired a shot within inches of the little guy's feet, which brought said little guy to the complete frozen state Gabe had previously requested.

A frozen solid-state, except for his whimpering, that is!

But as he was startled at the shot, his head and whole body shook, causing his hat to fall off.

"You don't say…" and that was all Gabe could think to say, as very long dark brown hair spilled out over the 'guy's' shoulders and down 'his' back!

The little guy was actually a girl, very young in years, and obviously not very adept at her young life of crime.

"Let's start over. Shall we?" and Gabe did just that as the girl stayed still while she was cuffed.

But when Gabe took her arm, to lead her around to the front and over to the shed, she turned and spit in his face.

"That's assault of an Officer, Miss, and that will just get you more time behind bars," responded Gabe, as he wiped her spit from his face.

"You try that one more time and you'll be gagged. And since you probably don't know what that feels like – it's bad, especially the way I do it," Gabe was losing patience.

But he was also getting more and more concerned.

This girl couldn't possibly be older than thirteen or fourteen. If that much. Why she wasn't much older than Allie!

"Don't you say a word, Tabbie! Not a word!"

The girl glowered at the well-dressed man speaking to her, the tallest of her two companions, and neither Bill nor Gabe overlooked his authoritative tone.

It was clear he was in charge.

And he meant business!

It was also clear the girl was very obedient to him, and immediately shut her opened mouth, which had been ready to speak!

The second guy hadn't said a single word.

"Well, you two men are under arrest for shooting with wanton endangerment," as Bill still didn't know exactly what had happened. "And you, well, we're taking you into protective custody, Young Lady! We'll see what gets added to that list when we get back to town for all three of you!"

"I'm just here to find my daddy. There's nothing wrong with that! Can't you help me?"

For once the girl was docile, earnestly asking for help.

"She spits and speaks!" noted Gabe drily.

"Who's your daddy?" asked Bill, as kindly as he could.

"Shut up, now, Tabbie. And I mean now!"

"If that's the way you want to play it. But seems to me you could speak a little more kindly to the Young Lady! In fact, at least while you're keepin company with us, that's exactly the way it's gonna be!" instructed Bill, with a firmness in his words, that could not be missed.

'Tabbie' looked at Bill with gratitude in her eyes, and Bill perused her visible skin, which wasn't much, for bruises, then glanced at Gabe, who had already done the same thing!

At least they hadn't openly beaten her.

In fact, in Bill's estimation, from the looks in their eyes, her partners in crime loved this spunky girl and didn't like putting her into this situation at all.

They just didn't want her to blow their cover.

Whatever that was…

Matt came as fast as he could in Nathan's car, and upon reaching the dock, jumped out to help Tom get Nathan to the car as quickly as possible.

"I'm fine…" insisted Nathan, but as he rose, his lightheadedness overcame him, and he had no choice but to lean on both Matt and Tom for support.

Tom helped Nathan into the back seat and Millicent got in behind him, doing her best to hold him and keep him warm.

She wrapped her blood-stained fur back around him.

"Let's get out of here, fast, Matt! Is everything alright at the rowhouse?" asked Tom as he jumped in the front passenger seat, and Matt took off.

"Yes, Boss! Little Boss is secure," meaning Allie was safe.

"Good!" all four of the Security Team were already as protective of Allie as they could be.

Her spunk and knowledge had won them over, in spite of her avid interrogation of them.

And she was now family.

"Nathan, talk to me. Are you okay?" asked Millicent worriedly, as she noticed his hand was cold.

"Okay…" he tried to smile to reassure her, but he was feeling entirely too weak, and the movement of the car was making his head spin.

"How does your arm feel. Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Mostly numb, Babe," he managed.

She swallowed hard, thankful he wasn't experiencing real pain, but she couldn't help wondering if that meant the pain would hit soon.

Matt drove just about as fast as the car would go, as the rowhouse occupants appeared to be fast asleep and the town was virtually empty…

As Matt pulled up in front of the Infirmary, Dr. Faith Carter and her assistant, Molly Sullivan, ran out to meet them and quickly triage the patient.

"Do we need a stretcher?" asked the Doctor, not sure of what exactly she was dealing with.

"No…" Nathan murmured, as Tom and Matt helped him out of the car.

Millicent jumped out behind him, and followed them in, with a profound thought hitting her, like a ton of bricks.

'How could we have possibly ended up here, in the infirmary, of all places, after such a perfectly beautiful night?'

From happiness to heaven and romance to chaos and despair.

But as quickly as the thought came, it was instantly gone, as the only important thing in the entire world right now, was Nathan!

She was purposefully blocking out everything else that had happened, concentrating only on making Nathan better, and ultimately well again.

She just felt so helpless…

Inside, Millicent gently helped Nathan out of her coat, which was wrapped loosely over his shoulders, then she very carefully helped him out of his own coat.

"I'll need his shirt off, too," instructed Faith.

Nathan looked at Millicent, who blushed, but did as she was told, first loosening his tie and removing it, then hesitantly unbuttoning his dress shirt, with shaking fingers.

"It's okay, Mil," assured Nathan, softly.

She nodded.

"And his Henley, too," called Faith.

Their eyes caught, and Nathan nodded slightly, in encouragement.

Then he sat down on the side of the bed, so Millicent could lift his blood-soaked Henley over his head.

"Do you have scissors I can use? I'm afraid it's going to hurt him too much to lift over his head."

"Of course, I should have thought of that," and Faith turned and opened a drawer to find the scissors.

She then returned to her patient, and cut the side of his Henley, enabling Millicent to slip it off of Nathan without hurting him in any way.

Millicent was still blushing slightly, in spite of herself, but quickly helped Nathan, with Tom's assistance, to lie down on the bed Faith had designated for him.

But when she saw his actual wound, she felt sick for him and realized the full gravity of the situation.

This was quite serious, as a large portion of his upper arm was open.

She sat on the opposite side from Faith, being careful to allow the doctor easier access to reach her patient's wound.

"When was the tourniquet placed?" asked the Doctor.

"Almost immediately, within a minute or two at the most," answered Tom.

"Thank you, Tom. With a bleed like this, that's saved his life for sure!"

Then she turned to Nathan.

"Nathan, this is going to hurt a bit, but I've got to clean this away, so I can see what is going on."

Mollie brought her a basin of warm water and sterile cloths.

As she cleared the blood and saw the open wound, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God! The damage appears to be mostly superficial, except for the fragments that I can clearly see in the open portion of the wound. They're positioned in such a way to have definitely caused some of the significant blood loss that's occurred."

Without saying, of course, she was concerned that there might be additional hidden fragments in addition to those she could see.

She released the tourniquet while at the same time applying pressure to the main source of the bleeding.

"Nathan, I have to raise your arm above your heart, to help stop the bleeding. This may hurt a bit, but I'll be as gentle as I can."

Her patient winced slightly, but one would have had to be looking very closely, as both his Doctor and his Fiancee were, or it wouldn't have been noticed at all.

Millicent rubbed his good arm to distract him.

"Bring me extra pillows, please, Mollie."

"Here you go, Doctor," she answered, with a stack already in her arms.

"And please prep an IV Dextrose, Mollie. Millicent, I'm going to have to switch sides with you for a moment, while I get an IV started. This will keep him from getting dehydrated and help him heal faster."

The two changed places, with Faith watching Millicent closely to make sure she could withstand seeing the open wound.

Faith needn't have worried, as Millicent had already seen it.

Also, this was Nathan, and Millicent could only think of helping him.

She would be by his side whether or not it was difficult!

She couldn't even fathom being separated from him, in this condition.

Not for a second.

And seeing his open wound was just a necessary evil to getting her Nathan back!

"I'm giving you a low dose of Morphine, Nathan, so I can really clean your wound out properly without much pain. What are you feeling now?"

"My arm's mostly numb; some tingling."

"That's to be expected. That should go away in a day or so. But that tingling is going to turn into throbbing pain pretty soon, so we'll get ahead of that, and make sure you are medicated enough to counteract it. With Millicent leaving, I need someone to be sure you are following my instructions and taking your pain medicine regularly and on time! I can't stress how important it is!"

"Oh, I'm not leaving! Not till Nathan's his normal self," interjected Millicent in a way that left no doubt or room for discussion. "I'll personally see that he does every single thing you say!"

Nathan's face bore a look of relief, that his Millicent was not only here now, but would also be here with him till he was healed.

Faith couldn't help but smile; Millicent's reaction didn't surprise her in the least, in fact, it was exactly as she had expected.

The entire town knew Millicent adored Nathan, and the entire town also knew Nathan adored Millicent!

And it only took seeing the two of them together to know that what they had was something very special.

Their romance was such a beautiful thing to see!

As a couple, the two of them were a living and most romantic love story!

One that others wished they could emulate in their own lives.

Dr. Carter washed her hands once more, just as she had when they had first entered the infirmary, and she drew the dose of Morphine up into the syringe, adding it to the IV bag.

Then she used alcohol to swab Nathan's right arm, and palpated a vein on the inside of his arm, re-swabbing the area with the antiseptic.

It was there she swiftly inserted the IV needle into Nathan's right arm, at his elbow.

She then started the IV fluid, allowing it to drip slowly and evenly into his vein.

Nathan, his usual stalwart self, never flinched.

And although Millicent had never seen an IV started before, she didn't flinch either, not once changing her countenance, which was simply full

of concern for Nathan.

The Doctor suspected Millicent's being here was going to do just as much as her medicine in helping the new Chief Inspector heal.

Perhaps even more…

Millicent was worried about hurting Nathan's injured arm, but Nathan reached his left hand for her anyway, so she took it most carefully.

"Thank you," he whispered.

It was her calm that let him know everything was okay, and everything was going to be alright again.

Miraculously, even after this heinous night, and by the grace of God, they were going to have their future as planned.

The next part was the difficult part for Dr. Carter, as she knew her limitations if surgery was indeed going to be required.

But so far that didn't look to be the case, for which she was very thankful.

She changed places with Millicent once more, using a headlight so that she could see more clearly, first wiping the area carefully with antiseptic.

It burned, but Nathan just held onto Millicent's hand more tightly, now with his right hand.

The good Doctor removed the first three fragments easily, but as she prodded, she could feel the main culprit of all the bleeding.

A fourth, rather large, hidden fragment.

It was so large, she was going to have to place an internal stitch in its place, suturing the gash tightly in hopes it would heal more properly.

She did a calculation in her head to see how long she should wait, then realized her patient had gotten enough Morphine by now that he should be comfortable for her to continue.

"Nathan, can you feel this?"

"Yes, a little."

"Is it tolerable?"

"Yes, go on…"

So, she did, and with long surgical tweezers was able to finally remove the embedded piece causing most of the bleeding.

Then she quickly placed the single suture.

"I think that's it. Four fragments from a graze wound. Thank goodness, only the one was embedded. We've got the bleeding stopped now, and with this culprit out, we shouldn't have to worry about a rebleed. The bullet must have fragmented as soon as it hit soft tissue."

Privately Faith was greatly relieved. She had always relied on Carson as a backup for all surgical procedures.

But now, he was gone. To Boston and his Surgical Fellowship. And she was completely on her own.

Although, for a moment Faith could sense Carson's presence.

Truthfully, his was a presence she missed, although she barely allowed herself to admit that, even inwardly.

"How is he, Faith? Will he be alright," asked a very concerned Millicent.

"Yes. He is doing as well as a man can do who has just been grazed by a bullet. And in my book, a graze is a gunshot. Sometimes they're even harder to treat. But thankfully, this one is well under control. We've removed all the fragments, so there will be less chance of infection, as long as we keep the area sterile, and change the dressings at least four times a day."

"Will you show me how?"

"Yes, we'll do that as soon as his IV finishes. I'd like the wound to remain as open as possible right now. I'll stop by each morning and evening and take care of those dressings. If you can take care of the noon dressing and the night dressing, that would be perfect!"

"Of course."

"I also want him to get plenty of rest and lots of fluids. It's very important that he takes the Morphine as directed. Do not let him skip a dose, especially in the first three days. Then we'll gradually taper him off."

"How long will his recovery be?"

"Fully? Ten days! You know, the more I think about it, to have the best healing, I need to splint that arm to immobilize it. It's too easy to forget and reach for something. Then the healing we will have accomplished is at risk for tearing loose again."

"Yes, please do splint. Nathan is not exactly an immobile person!"

"Hey, you two, I'm right here!" noted Nathan, slurring his words.

"And my Morphine is working," laughed his Doctor. "You might not like this, but I'm afraid you're here at the Infirmary till the IV bottle runs dry."

"He's fine with that," asserted Millicent. "We're here as long as you say."

"Don't I even get a say?" teased Nathan.

"Where your health's concerned? No, Darling, That's now my domain!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" and Nathan felt more loved than he ever had in his entire life.

"Faith, will he have a full recovery?" asked Millicent anxiously.

"Yes, if he obeys all my instructions, he will!"

"Then the answer is yes! I'll see that he follows each and every single one of them!"

Faith smiled.

"We're going to clear out for a bit and give you two a moment of privacy, while I chart…"

Once Dr. Carter had led Tom to come with her, she stepped into her outer office, which also served as a reception room, where Matt was waiting.

She hadn't noticed him when the two men brought her patient in, but the young man was quite good looking, with a certain charm about him.

Matt watched her as the Doctor sat down at her desk to complete her charting notations, and as Tom sat down beside him.

That was the exact moment Bill came barrelling into the Infirmary!

He had just gotten back to the jail, and on the way had noticed Nathan's car was gone from the rowhouse.

"What happened?" he barked.

"Well, our patient is inside. He's stable, Bill, and is going to be fine! But he did take several bullet fragments."

Bill breathed a huge sigh of relief mixed with furor all at the same time.

But none of that stopped him from barging right on into the room where Nathan was lying, with Millicent sitting beside him...

"What's happened?"

"Skimmed my left arm, Bill. Four fragments, one embedded," explained a drowsy Chief Inspector.

"He's lost a lot of blood, Bill. Dr. Carter has given him Morphine, and is getting ready to set a splint," explained Millicent.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yes, Bill, she says ten days as good as new! But you know me…"

Millicent cleared her throat, knowing her Fiance was about to pronounce a much shorter period of time for his recovery.

So, Nathan continued in a much different vein.

"That's exactly what it's going to take! Did you get our guys?"

"Yes, we did, but there's a problem. Well, never mind. I'll figure it out."

"Bill, I'm not brain-impaired. Drowsy, and medicated, yes. But, in fact, it will help me get my mind off all this," pleaded Nathan.

"It's the oddest thing. Our men are dressed to the hilt, and at first, we thought there was a third man at the Henderson Cabin. A mighty small man. But as it turns out, he was a young she, not much older than Allie."

"What's a young girl doing with a couple of gunmen? And are the men connected to our case?"

"There's a connection, but until we dig deeper, don't know how much of one. And as for the young girl? Well, she's lookin' for her Daddy!"

"Who?" asked Nathan.

"The lead man wouldn't let her say…"

"Does she need help, Bill?" asked Millicent.

"At some point, I'd say yes. But first, I guess we have to figure out who this Daddy is. But enough about that. What can I do to help you two?"

"Bill, could you go to Allie, reassure her that everything is okay, but bring her here? We need her with us, Bill. She's part of us, and she's old enough, she needs to be included. And I don't want her blindsided later. Do you agree, Darling?"

"Yes, of course, you're right. I think it's always worse for her not to know. And I certainly don't want her hearing about this from somebody else! Thanks, for thinking of that, Mil."

"Consider it done. I'll go now, and bring her right back," smiled Bill, happy to do something to help.

"Bill, take Matt with you so he can drive Nathan's car. Tom will stay with us."

Bill nodded, but then a shadow fell over his face.

"Nathan, Gabe and I had no idea when we rode by, that you had been hit. We would never have gone on. We would have stopped right then!"

"No, you did the right thing, Bill. There was no way you could have known. I barely knew myself! Plus, it was more important that you caught the shooters. Thanks for doing that!"

"It's what we do. You just rest and I'll go get Allie!"

As Bill left, he turned and smiled.

"Millicent, I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me too, Bill!"

"Me three, Bill!" chimed in Nathan, with a broad smile, although a rather weak one.

As Bill left, Nathan pulled Millicent closer to him, with his good arm.

"I have never loved you more, Kalie! We are a real family. All because of you, Mil!"

"Yes, we are a real family, Love! But because of all of us. And you, as head of this family, are going to do everything the doctor says for you to do. You, my dear Sir, have a Wedding to attend in the not-so-distant future, with a starring role, it just so happens, as my handsome Groom!"

"Kiss me…" he begged.

She scooted over to the edge of the bed, and bent to place her soft lips on his, being careful to put no weight on him whatsoever!

"My beautiful Angel…" and he kissed her again.

Oh, how he loved her!

And oh, how she loved him!

But his kiss made her more concerned than ever, for his usually warm lips were not warm at all.

They weren't quite cold, but they most certainly weren't warm.

And before when they were cold, they had been outside in the bitter cold night.

Now, they were in a warm room.

And his lips were still chilled.

As she lifted her face from his, the flashback that came, contorted her face into a look of despair and utter devastation.

She had almost lost him.

"Darling! What's wrong?" asked Nathan.

And then he knew.

"If you hadn't turned when you did, Nate, I wouldn't have you here," she realized, running her hand along his jawline.

She said it calmly. Stating a fact. But it was a fact that left her in internal turmoil.

A turmoil she was trying to do her best to hide.

He reached for her hand, now tenderly laying against his cheek

"But God protected us, Mil. I'm sure He gave me the feeling, the premonition, that I had to act."

"I will be so grateful to my dying day that He warned you and that you acted on that warning!"

"Hey, I'm here. You and I are a team. You are my Fiancee, and you are going to be my Wife. Everything's okay, Darling."

There was a moment of panic in her eyes, and he knew what she was thinking.

How could he not?

He had been through this before.

She had not.

But tonight, the nightmare had happened to him, and she had had to watch it all in slow motion, right before her very eyes!

Somehow, he recognized that it had been a bigger nightmare, an even bigger horror, for her emotionally than it was for him physically.

Because all he had been concerned about tonight was her and her well-being.

She was all that had mattered to him.

And because of that, he knew more than ever, that likewise, her only concern was for him and his well-being.

He was all that had mattered to her.

And she had had to watch as he was injured.

She had been the one to discover his blood.

Try as she might to drown the thought out, she was experiencing it all again.

Reliving it.

Right here in the Infirmary, before his very eyes.

So vividly.

And with every searing detail.

"Mil, I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry."

"This is just so real. So very…very…real."

Her words were weak, and her breathing was shallow.

The look on her face mangled in pain.

She refused to say the words 'what if.'

It was as though saying the words would somehow be giving in, and she wouldn't ever do that.

Couldn't ever do that.

She never gave in.

She was a Bradford, and she was of tougher stock than that.

She would focus on the here and now, and be so very grateful to God for sparing Nathan's life.

She would get through this…with him.

He tilted her chin up to his face.

"I'm here. We go through this part together, Love!"

She nodded her head and tried her best to smile.

But she couldn't.

Not yet.

For now, she could only be grateful.

And he saw in his Angel's most beautiful, but pain-etched face, the very essence of what real love truly is…