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around to face her and looked directly into her eyes.  There is not
one person here who blames you for what happened. If you don t
believe me, take a look for yourself.
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Tobi glanced over Grace s shoulder and encountered
sympathetic smiles and nods of agreement. Grace pulled Tobi
against her and hugged her before saying,  I love you like you
were my own daughter, Tobi. Please quit beating yourself up
about this, honey.
 I ll try, Tobi said as fresh tears fell from her eyes.
Reaching up to wipe them away, Grace said,  No more tears
now. It s time for us to be strong because Ryan is going to need
both of us when she gets out of surgery.
 Okay.
Grace took her hand and pulled her over to the rest of the
group. Just as she was about to sit down, Tobi heard someone say
Grace s name. Walking toward them was a tall and very beautiful
blonde woman.
 I m sorry I couldn t get here any sooner, Grace. Do you
know anything yet? she asked while hugging Ryan s mother.
 Not yet, sweetie, Grace said, pulling out of the embrace.
Grace took the woman s hand and turned toward Tobi.  Have you
met 
 Tobi? the blonde woman interrupted.
Tobi looked nervously between the two women before
nodding her head.  Yes, I m Tobi.
The woman took Tobi s hand with one of her own. .  It is so
nice to finally meet you. I m Lauren Bassett; we spoke on the
phone.
Tobi smiled and relaxed visibly.  Lauren, it s great to meet
you. I just wish it were for a different reason.
 It s the nature of her job, Tobi, whether it was you or
someone else. I hope you understand that.
 I m learning, Tobi said, looking at Grace.
The OR doors opened, and the crowd all turned to watch as a
man in scrubs walked toward them.  Hello, I m Dr. Stafford. Are
you all with Ryan Thomas?
Grace, flanked by Patrick and Morgan, stepped forward and
shook his hand.  Yes, Doctor, we re her family.
 Let me tell you what I found and what we ve done. As
expected, we encountered a bleed within her skull, which caused
some swelling. We placed a tube inside to help it drain and take
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away some of that pressure. It s just a matter of time at this point.
We ll keep her monitored, and over the next twenty-four hours,
we should know a little more about how this will affect her, if at
all.
 You re saying that she may not have any complications from
this, Dr. Stafford? Grace asked.
 I won t know for sure until she wakes up and we can
evaluate her, but she appears to be very healthy, and my hope is
that she will recover with no side effects.
 Thank you, Doctor, Grace replied. I hope so, too, for Tobi s
sake as much as Ryan s.
 I m going to go back and get her transferred from surgery to
the recovery room, but Dr. Asher should be out to talk with you
shortly.
As he left, Grace turned to Tobi with a smile and pulled her
into an embrace.  See? She s going to be all right, Tobi.
Tobi sighed in relief, but said nothing. Grace s support meant
more to her than she d ever be able to express in words. Actions
definitely speak louder than words.
A short time later, Tom came out to talk to them, as well.
 Well, I ve got good news. It seems the bullet did minimal
damage. We had to remove her spleen because we couldn t stop
the bleeding. Other than that, she has a couple of broken ribs. My
guess is that the bullet ricocheted off the ribs and into her spleen.
She ll be sore from the incision for a few days, but from my
standpoint, things look really good.
 Thank you, Tom, Tobi said, taking her first full breath since
she saw her lover shot.
 I ll be around. If you have any questions, please don t
hesitate to have me paged. Pulling the surgery cap off his head,
he walked away, turning back briefly to wave before disappearing
through the operating suite doors.
After hearing the news, there were audible sighs of relief.
Everyone sat and chatted among themselves and slowly the
number of officers waiting started to dwindle down. As they said
goodbye to Grace, they included Jake and Tobi in their parting
thoughts and well-wishes. Jake was upset and very worried, as any
partner would be. The other officers understood that bond and
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offered him support and encouragement. Lauren and Tim had
stayed and made several trips during their wait to get coffee for
everyone. Two hours later, a nurse told them that Ryan had been
moved to the Intensive Care Unit for observation.
When they arrived at the ICU waiting room, they let the desk
clerk know they were there.  Hello, Dr. Drexler. Ms. Thomas s
nurse tonight is Andi, and she should be out shortly to talk with
you all.
 Thank you, Tobi replied with a smile.
Andi arrived fifteen minutes later and told Grace and Tobi that
they could see Ryan. As they entered Ryan s room, Grace took
Tobi s hand. Being on this end of the hospital environment gave
Tobi a whole different view of how things appeared to her
patients. The room was sterile-looking even with the mauve and
light blue accent colors. The hissing of the respirator and beeping
of the monitors were the only sounds and added to the room s cold
and morose feel.
Tobi stood beside the bed and looked down upon the woman
who had come to mean so much to her. They had taken great care [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]