Chapter 16
Without hesitation AJ took out the man who had just shot Webb. He also kicked Douglas' gun out of his reach as he bent over to check on Clay. As he carefully rolled him over to assess the damage Clay gasped out, "Get Tarasov!" before passing out.
Not wanting to leave the injured man's side, AJ threw a glace over his shoulder to check on Tarasov's position. The man had grabbed the money case and was reaching for the envelope Douglas had dropped when Clay shot him.
AJ took a diving lung at his back and forced him to the ground. He intended to roll Tarasov over and knock him out, but when he was on his back AJ saw he was already out could. Flipping open his cell phone, he was already calling the Italian version of 911, which was 118, as he moved back to Webb.
His white shirt was turning red as the blood flowed from his wound. AJ didn't like Clay's color, he could tell the spy was going into shock.
Ripping open Clay's shirt AJ cursed under his breath. Even though Webb was unconscious, he didn't want to take the chance of letting the other man know how badly he was hurt. He'd learned long ago that people fought harder to live if they believed that they had a chance. Doing what he could until the ambulance arrived, AJ could only pray Clay was a fighter.
Chaffing at the bit while he fulfilled his responsibility to inform the police of what had taken place, he still tried to get it over with as quickly as possible so he could get to the hospital and check on Webb.
AJ arrived to find that Clay had been whisked into surgery as soon as he'd been brought in. Knowing only that Francesca had said Webb was using the name 'Tony' when the nurse presented him with paperwork to fill out AJ figured his cover as a shop clerk wouldn't matter to a gunshot victim in an old warehouse. So, he filled in Webb's real name and contact info. Then, after being told that Clay would be in surgery for quite some time, he stepped outside to start making calls.
The first was to Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, he wanted to know if she felt comfortable telling Webb's mother what had happened. After asking several questions as to his condition, which AJ really couldn't give much information on, Mac explained that Porter Webb had never really approved of their relationship. She suggested that Harm might be the best one to tell her.
AJ quickly placed the call to Harm, who said that he would go right over to the Webb home. Next he called Francesca to tell her what had happened and explain that he was going to stay at the hospital until Webb was out of surgery. She thanked him for calling and said she would pray for Mr. Webb.
All that was left to do was wait. He found the coffee machine and then took up a place in the waiting room.
After an hour with no word he went to the nurses' station to inquire about Webb's condition. The nurse at the desk called back to see if she could get an update. She started to nod as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line. After hanging up she reported to AJ, "They are having problems because of a shortage of blood. There was a large train wreck earlier today, it left us with a sadly depleted supply."
His military ID was in his hand before she was done speaking and he showed her the card that indicated he was a universal donor type. The nurse quickly showed him back to a room and as she left he had to smile at her words. She told him that it was probably the second time that night he had saved Mr. Webb's life. AJ knew that Clay would have expected him to render what aid he could at the scene, but it would certainly irk him to find out they had transfused him with AJ's blood!
To be continued…