The next thing she knew, Erin was waking up in the back of an ambulance, David holding on to her hand as a paramedic worked on her. "Welcome back, Erin. You most likely passed out from the shock of being shot. I know this will sound weird to you, but you were really lucky, the bullet didn't hit any arteries and it missed the bone, too. In terms of gunshot wounds, this is the best one to get, if you have to be shot."
She frowned a little, tightening her grip on David's hand. "Where are you taking me?" she asked, trying to sit up a little, only to find herself strapped to a backboard.
"When your hospital heard that you were injured, they demanded that we take you there," the woman replied, a wide smile on her face.
Erin found that she couldn't smile back, and she looked over at David. "How could they possibly hear about me already, David?" she hissed out, her grip on his hand becoming painfully tight.
"The media are like vultures, bella. The moment the gunshots were heard, the neighbors were on the phone with the police, and the local channels came running. Of course they know who I am, and from there, extrapolated your identity. From there, it was just a matter of figuring out where to take you."
She nodded absently and then clutched at his hand tightly. "Don't leave me, David."
"Only if the doctors in the ER tell me to, Erin." She smiled up at him tremulously, sighing as he lowered his lips and kissed her. These were the kisses that she had come to crave from him, the ones that told her she was still alive, still in love.
Pulling away a little, she bit her lower lip as she looked up at him. "My answer is yes."
A warm smile spread across his features as he picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the palm tenderly. "Then it's just perfect that I happen to be carrying this in my pocket, isn't it?" He used his free hand to fish around in his jacket pocket, pulling out the velvet ring box and holding it up so that she could see it. "If I put this on her now, they won't have to take it off in the ER, will they?"
The paramedic smiled at them as she shook her head. "No, it will be fine, since it looks like Erin won't have to have surgery on her hand."
"Well, that's perfect then. Erin Strauss, will you marry me?"
"Yes." She smiled as he opened the ring box, showing her a large opal ring. The sunlight streamed in the back of the ambulance, highlighting color bursts in the gem, making her smile. "Oh, this is so beautiful. Put it on me!"
"I'm glad you like it. It was my mother's ring." The revelation brought happy tears to her eyes, and he sighed before sliding it home on her finger. "I didn't mean to make you cry, Erin."
"I'm just so happy that I get the honor of wearing her ring. This is so perfect, why didn't you give it to Carolyn?"
He shrugged and stared at her hand. "She wanted something flashy and new. And I loved her enough to give that to her. I guess, I was just waiting for you." She nodded and closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to her heart and patting it lightly, trying to control her emotions. David tightened his grip on her right hand, and they lapsed into silence as the rig drove on.
Finally, they pulled into the emergency room bay, and Erin flinched a little as the doors to the ambulance slammed open, her hand clutching for David's, even though he had never let her go. "Is this Erin?" a familiar voice asked, and she raised her head a little to look at Luke Carter, her favorite attending. "How are you doing?"
"I've been better, Luke. But I'm still here. That's all that really matters, right?"
"Right." He helped the paramedics take her from the rig and they rolled into the hospital. It was odd, she thought, being able to remember coming into an ER. The last time, she had been unconscious, in a deep coma, and when she woke up, she'd been hooked to so many machines that she wasn't sure what was really happening to her for several long weeks. Seeing a familiar space from an entirely different viewpoint was unnerving, and she clung to David's hand, hoping that Luke would understand as they rolled her into an exam room.
"Could, could you just cut the sleeve of my blouse off? I have to deal with you lot every so often, and I'd rather keep some shred of modesty."
Luke smiled down on her as he nodded. "That would be fine. Are there any other places that we have to check out on you, though? It looks like you have a nasty laceration on your cheek."
"My thighs have some pretty nasty bruises, but those will fade with time. My back is also bruised, and I might have a cracked rib. Can you check that out without taking off my blouse?"
Luke stroked her hair softly as he nodded. "I can do that for you, Erin. I promise." She smiled a little, blinking back tears. And then, she stiffened in fear as a most unwelcome voice came floating over the air to meet her ears. "What is it?"
She shook her head a little, looking around until her eyes found David. He knelt down and caressed her good cheek softly before whispering in her ear. "What has you spooked, bella?"
It was then that Mary chose to walk into the room, and Erin could hear the beeping of the monitors pick up, even as her heart began to race. She had no idea if she should play cool and just go with things or if she should tell David. But how could she tell David without alerting Mary? Her eyes darted frantically over to the woman's and she could read the sorrow and fear in her eyes. David must have followed her gaze, as she could feel his hand tighten around hers. "What do you need, Doctor Carter?" Mary asked, her eyes never leaving Erin's.
"Grab a pair of scissors out of the drawer and cut the sleeve of her blouse off."
Erin unconsciously shook her head, and David nodded, somehow managing to figure out what she couldn't say. "Excuse me, are you Mary Breslin?" he asked, his voice gruff.
She watched the woman stiffen before she nodded and then David was pulling out his handcuffs, standing and advancing towards her slowly. "What's going on?" Luke asked, looking between the three of them in confusion.
"Mary was in collusion with Cathy to hold me for ransom, Luke. David is going to place her under arrest."
Her fiancé nodded before looking at Mary. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Mary."
The woman's shoulders slumped as she held out her wrists. "The easy way. There's really nothing to live for, after all. You killed Cathy."
"And she tried to kill Erin. Mary Breslin, you are under arrest. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. Should you not be able to afford one, the court will provide one for you. At any moment, you can choose to exercise these rights and refuse to answer my questions. Do you understand these rights?"
Mary nodded and he closed the handcuffs around her wrists. "I'm sorry, Erin. I really did try to take care of you," Mary said lowly.
"I asked you to let me go. I told you that we could think of something different. And you still kept me locked up in that basement. I'm sorry that Cathy died, but I'm not sorry that my loved ones rescued me. David, get her out of my sight."
He nodded and led her from the room, and she gave into her tears, burying her face in her hands as Luke rubbed her shoulders and held her close, letting her sob out everything she had just been through in his arms. Her only thought was that she hoped David returned to her soon.