Covet - A Novel of Fallen Angel Part 30

aGet your phone,a Vin said to Marie-Terese. aCall nine-one-one.a aAlready dialing,a she replied.

He wanted to look over his shoulder and check her with his own eyes, but he wasnat taking any chances. There was no telling who else had come into the house, and there was still a shallow movement in the intruderas chest.

As seconds drifted into minutes, Vin totally approved of the way the color was leaving the unremarkable features of the manas face, but Christawho was he? What was he?

Although if a bullet could stop him, he probably was just a human.

Marie-Tereseas voice drifted across the room. aYes, thereas been a shooting at One-sixteen Crestwood Avenue. There are two mena"three downa. We need an ambulance right away. Marie-Terese Boudreau. Yesayes. Yesano, itas not my residencea"a The lids of the intruder suddenly flipped open and Vin found himself staring into a pair of pale browns that were fixated on something other than whatever was in front of him. With a stiff twitch, those graying lips started to move.

aNooooooaa The word was extended for the length of a horrified exhale, as if whatever he was seeing made nightmares seem like sitcoms.

With a gasp and a shudder, the guy pa.s.sed into the hereafter, an expression of terror freezing on his face as a line of blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth.

Vin kicked those loose legs a couple of times and then he listened hard. He could hear wind whistling up the stairs, but there were no other sounds anywhere else.

He backed up slowly, gun swinging from left to right in case somebody came up from down below or popped out of any of the doorways.

Inside the bedroom, he held his arm wide and Marie-Terese came forward for a hard hug. She was shaking, but she held on strong for the split second they were together.

aCan you do CPR on Jim?a he asked. aOr do you want to hold this gun ona"a aNo, Iall take care of him.a She went over to the man, knelt down and put her ear next to Jimas mouth. aHeas still breathing, but itas not by much.a Whipping off her fleece, she wadded it up and put it to the bleeding wound on the front of the chest and pushed down while she took his pulse. aSo faintabut itas beating so I canat do chest compressions. The ambulance is due in five minutes.a Which was forever in a situation like this.

aDonat shoot,a came a groggy voice from downstairs. aItas just me.a aEddie?a Vin called out. aJimas. .h.i.t!a When Eddie appeared at the top of the stairs, he looked like roadkill, and as he limped forward, he glanced down at the intruder. aThatas really dead. Howas Jim?a aGood,a Marie-Terese whispered as she stroked the manas face. aRight, Jim? Youare good and youare going to get fixed. Youare going to make it just finea.a Vin put his gun down on the bed and knelt on the other side of Jim, mirroring Marie-Tereseas position on the floor as she reached out to the fallen man.

aHe saved me,a she said, her fine hand stroking Jimas thick arm. aYou saved me, Jim. Iad be dead without youa. Oh, G.o.d, Jim, you saved my lifea.a Vin ran his eyes over that big chest and didnat need a medical degree to know that the wound the man had taken was fatal. Jim was breathing in the same shallow way the intruder had been, and he was soon going to go the route the shooter had: His color was fading at an alarming rate, evidence of internal bleeding.

s.h.i.t, there was nothing they could do other than wait for the pros to come with their stretcher. CPR was not an option as long as Jim had a pulse and was breathing on his own, and pressure wasnat going to do s.h.i.t for a torn artery.

For the first time in Vinas life, he started praying for the sound of sirens.

Jim had been shot before. And stabbed. Hanged once, too. Head been injured in fights by fists and crowbars and jackknives and boots. Even been impaled with a Montblanc pen.

In all of those situations, head known he was going to survive. No matter how much it had hurt, or how much head bled, or how vicious the weapon, head known his injuries werenat fatal.

And now he knew with the same certainty that the bullet in his chest had left in its wake the kind of tearing trail that was going to carry him to his royal reward.

Angel or no angel, he was dying.

Funny, it didnat hurt much. There was a sharp burning, sure, and he was having trouble catching his breatha"which he took to mean either his lungs were starting to fill with blood, or his chest cavity was flooding outa"but overall he was comfortable. Maybe a little cool, but mostly comfortable.

So he was clearly in shock.

Guess that little bullet had nicked an artery.

He opened his mouth on instinct only, not because he wanted to pray or beg for the medics to come faster: He was drowning in his own body and that was the long and short of it.

And it was not a bad outcome, really. Thanks to the Four Lads, he knew head be seeing his mother soon. And he hoped to meet up with the lovely blond girl who hadnat deserved to die as she had.

All that put him at peace.

Funny, as he pictured those English guys in their whites with their dog, he wished them well and felt sorry for them. Guess those angels had been wrong. He wasnat the answer to their problemsa"although at least head gotten Vin and Marie-Terese on the right track.

And it was strange to know, but it had turned out the crossroads had been his, not Vinas.

When head seen that gun muzzle up and all ready to rock-and-roll, his only thought had been about Vin and Marie-Terese. Saving her meant saving them both, and their love was worth so much more than one paltry life.

It was the first time head done that. The first time head not only been truly unselfish, but acted out of something other than anger or vengeance. And head never been more sure of anything, except the need to avenge his mother all those years ago.

Summoning his flagging strength, Jim focused his eyes and saw Marie-Terese and Vin bending over him. Vin had gripped his hand and was talking at him, the manas face intense to the point of distortion, his features pulling together, his eyes burning. Jim tried to concentrate and get his hearing to work, but sound was beyond him. Best guess was that the guy was telling him to hold on, ambulance on the way, hold on, ambulance cominga. Oh, G.o.d, Jim, stay with usa.

On the opposite side, Marie-Terese was silently crying, her beautiful eyes resplendent in her sorrow, her crystal tears falling off her cheeks and onto his chest. She had his other palm and was slowly rubbing his arm as if trying to warm him up.

He couldnat feel a thing, but as he watched her stroke him, he was touched.

Unfortunatley, he didnat have a lot of time left with them, and he didnat have the breath to speakaso he did the only thing he was able.

With the last of his strength, Jim brought their hands together, linking them over the pinhole in his chest that had changed everything for all three of them, holding the two halves of them so they were one.

As his vision receded, he looked at those fingers, the small and the large, woven among each other. In a rush, he knew for certain the future was going to be kind to them. The demon was gone from Vin and somehow those talismans were in the possession of Adrian. These two fine, broken people were going to heal each other and walk through the hours and days and years of their decades side by side, and it was right; it was good.

Head done a good thing. After so many years of taking lives, head saved one that mattered. And two that counted.

At the crossroads, head chosen wisely.

Abruptly, Jimas chest seized up and he coughed hard, his mouth becoming wet. His next inhale was nothing but a gurgle, and his heart started to hopscotch. Not long now, not long at all.

He couldnat wait to see his mother. And he was surprised at how much what he had done put him at peace.

Just as red lights played across the ceilinga"the sign that an ambulance had pulled into the drivewaya"Jim let out his last breathaand died with a smile on his lips.

CHAPTER 41.

The ambulance ride was b.u.mpy from the speed and bright from the flashing lights. The sirens, however, came on only at intersections.

Marie-Terese took this as a good sign.

Sitting on a built-in bench beside Vin, with one hand locked on a vertical stainless-steel bar to steady herself and the other tight to his warm palm, she figured if his condition were really dangerous, the rip-snorting, high-pitched stuff would be going constantly.

Or maybe she was just trying to placate herself.

As he lay on the gurney, Vinas eyes were closed and his face was pale, but he was holding on to her. And every time they went over a pothole, he winced, his lips pulling back off his white teetha"which had to mean he wasnat in deep shock or a coma. And that was good, right?

Compared to the downside potential.

She glanced over at the medic. The woman was concentrating on the screen of a portable EKG, and her expression gave nothing away.

Marie-Terese leaned to the side and tried to get a look at whatever readout the machine was givingaand all she saw was a white line making some sort of pattern against a black background. She had no clue what it meant.

Out the back window of the ambulance, she prayed to see more street lamps on the sidewalksaand buildings instead of strip malls or residential streetsaand cars parked parallel to the curb.

Because that meant they were finally downtown.

It wasnat just for Vinas sake.

Shifting around and moving her b.u.t.t forward on the seat, she was able to look through the front windshield, and she took solace in the fact that the ambulance ahead of thema"which had Jim in ita"still had its lights going. The medics had triaged both men, called for a second team, and treated Jim firsta"and she had stood out in the hall with Eddie as a portable defibrillator had been brought in and that wounded chest had been shocked onceatwicea.

The sweetest words shead ever heard had come from the man with the stethoscope: I have a pulse.

She hoped they were able to keep it going up in front. The idea that Jim would have to die to save her was nearly unbearable.

And as for Saulahe hadnat needed fast transport to the hospital. Plenty of time for him.

Good G.o.daSaul?

Head been all but invisible in those prayer group meetings, nothing but a quiet, balding man who had the sad-sack look of someone perpetually on the losing end of lifeas equation. Shead seen nothing from him to lead her to believe he was obsessed with her, but the trouble wasahe was precisely the kind of man you wouldnat remember.

Thinking back to when shead run into him at church the night before at confession, she wondered how many times shead missed noticing him. After all, head been the first car to stop when shead had that near miss in traffic after the service today. Which suggested head been right behind her.

How often had he followed her home? Had he come to the Iron Mask?

On a cold shiver, she wonderedahad he killed those men shead been with?

The whole thing didnat exactly make her glad for the kind of man her ex-husband had been. But she appreciated the precautions shead taken because of Mark.

From out the front windshield, the offices of the Caldwell Courier Journal flew by and she squeezed Vinas hand. aAlmost there.a His lids lifted. Those gray eyes that had first captivated her did the trick all over again: Staring into them, she felt as though she were tripping and falling and didnat have a clue where she was going to land.

Although that was no longer true, was it. She knew exactly the sort of man he was, and he was not the kind she had to look out for.

He was the man she needed in her life. Wanted in her life.

Leaning down to him, she smoothed his hair back, stroked his five-oaclock shadow, and looked into his eyes. aI love you,a she said, bending down and kissing his lips. aI love you.a His hand cranked down on hers. aLove youatoo.a Boy, that croaking voice lit her up from the inside. aGood. Weare even then.a aWeaarea.a The ambulance b.u.mped over something in the road and everything from the machines to the medic to Vin on the gurney got tossed up. As he sucked in a vicious hiss and squeezed his eyes shut, she went back to looking out the front window again, anxious to see the ambient glow of the St. Francis Hospital complexahoping that somehow her making visual contact with their route would speed things along.

Come onacome ona.

All at once the ambulance up ahead put its red lights out and slowed down to the speed limit, and the one she and Vin were in caught up quicklyathen pa.s.sed its leader.

aWhy did they slow down?a she demanded as the medic repositioned the EKG monitor. aTheir lights are off. Why are they slowing down?a The shake of the head she got in response was not a surprise. It was a tragedy: You needed to rush only if the person were alive. Which was why no one had attended to Saul after head been p.r.o.nounced dead.

Death left you with an eternity to deal with bodies. No hurry there.

Marie-Terese dragged in a breath, and as tears came to her eyes, she let go of the stable bar and brushed them away. The last thing she wanted was for Vin to crack his lids and see her upset.

aETA two minutes,a the driver called out from in front.

The medic picked up a chart. aMaaam, I forgot to ask you. Are you his next of kin?a Wiping her eyes, she pulled herself together for Vinas sake and knew right off there was no way in h.e.l.l she was going to risk getting sidelined when it came to his care. Acquaintances and friends got only so far when it came to ER doctors and nurses.

aIam his wife,a she said.

The woman nodded and made a note. aAnd your name is?a She didnat even pause. aGretchen. Gretchen Capricio.a aYou are a very lucky man.a Two hours later, those h.e.l.l-yeah words were spoken to Vin as his admitting physician snapped off her bright blue surgical gloves and tossed the pair into an orange biohazard container.

She was so right. All it had taken was local anesthesia and some st.i.tches to close up the entrance and the exit wounds. No bones busted up or tendons sliced or nerve damage. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d with the gun had hit nothing but meat, which was gross and a good call.

Vin had been really lucky.

Unfortunately, his response to the good news was to curl over and throw up into the pink bedpan next to his head. And the fact that he moved his torso made the pain in his shoulder go rock-starawhich made the vomiting worseawhich made the pain worseaand around and around he went.

And yet still he had to agree with the woman in the scrubs. He was lucky. The luckiest b.a.s.t.a.r.d on the face of the planet.

aYou cannot handle Demerol, however,a she said.

Thanks for the newsflash, Vin thought. Head been hurling since theyad given him the shot about thirty minutes ago.

After his latest bout of gagging lost its enthusiasm, he settled back against the pillow and closed his eyes. As a cool hand towel-wiped his mouth and his face, he smiled. Marie-Teresea"Gretchen, actuallya"was still terrific with the terry cloth.

And G.o.d willing, she wouldnat have to put that skill set to use on him again anytime soon.

aIam going to give you an antinausea injection,a the doctor said, aand if the vomiting subsides, we can release you. St.i.tches need to be removed in ten days, but your internist can do that. Weave given you a teta.n.u.s shot and Iall write you a prescription for oral antibioticsa"but we have some samples here, and weave already given you one of them. Any questions?a Vin opened his lids and looked not at the doctor, but at Gretchen. She loved him. Shead said so, in the ambulance. Head heard the words from her very own mouth.

So nope, he didnat have any questions. As long as he knew she felt like that, he was good to go on pretty much everything else.

aJust shoot me up, Doc, so I can get the h.e.l.l out of here.a The woman snapped on fresh gloves, uncapped a syringe and put the needle right into his vein. As she hit the plunger, he didnat feel a thing, which made the hurling almost worth it. aThis should ease things immediately.a Vin held his breath, not really expectinga"

Holy s.h.i.t. The effect was lickety-split, as if his belly had been blanketed in a whole lot of whoa-nelly-easy-there-big-boy. On a shuddering breath, his entire body went loose, giving him a clear idea, as if the upchucking hadnat, of exactly how green head felt.

aLetas see if that holds,a the doctor said, recapping the syringe and tucking it into an orange box. aJust rest here, and when I release you, weall get you and your wife a cab.a He and his wife.

Vin brought Gretchenas hand up to his mouth and brushed her knuckles with a kiss. aSound good to you?a he asked. aHoney?a aPerfect.a A smile lifted her lips. aAs long as youare ready to go. Dear.a aI so am.a aAll right, Iall be back to check on you.a The doctor went over to the curtain that separated Vinas bay from the rest of the ER. aListen, the CPD is asking to see you. I can tell them to contact youa"a aSend them in,a Vin said. aNo reason to wait.a aYou sure?a aWhatas the worst that can happen? I start throwing up again and use the guyas pockets instead of my bedpan? Iam willing to risk that.a aOkay, you got it. If it goes on too long, hit the nursing b.u.t.ton and weall intervene.a The doctor nodded and swept the drape back. aGood luck.a As the curtain swung shut, Vin squeezed Gretchenas hand with urgency, because he didnat know how much time they had.

aI want you to tell me the truth.a aAlways.a aWhat happened with Jim? Did hea?a The hard swallow she took before she answered told him everything, and to spare her from having to put out the words, he kissed her hand again. aShh, itas all right. You donat have to say ita"a aHe was your friend. Iam so sorrya"a aI donat know how to say this, so Iam just going to.a Vin rubbed the beating pulse at her wrist with his thumb. aIam so glad youare still here. For your son. For me. Jim did an incredibly selfless, heroic thing, and as much as I wish he hadnat died because of it, Iam very grateful for what he did.a She dropped her head and nodded, her curling hair falling forward. As he drew circles over the fine bones of her wrist, he traced the glossy waves with his eyes. Jimas final action on earth had left one h.e.l.l of a legacy, namely a life to be livedaand a son who still had his motheraand a lover whose heart hadnat been shattered by loss.

A fine legacy.

aHe was a real man.a Vin cleared his throat. aThat oneawas a real man.a They sat in silence together, he flat on the gurney, she on a plastic chair, their hands linked tightlya"just as the man who had saved her life had put them together over his chest.

On the other side of the gray-and-blue curtain, people rush-rush-rushed along, their voices overlapping, their shoes shuffling by, their shoulders brushing the drape and causing it to swing from the metal hooks it hung from.

He and Gretchen, on the other hand, were motionless.

Death did that to a person, Vin thought. Stopped them in their place in the midst of the great tumble and scramble of their life, isolating them in still silence. In the instant it took hold, it changed everything, but its effect was like that of a car slamming into a walla"what was inside kept on going because the s.h.i.t didnat know betterawith the result being utter chaos: All the clothes the person had worn became some kind of history exhibit to be cleaned out by a weepy nearest-and-dearestaand their magazine subscriptions and account reports and dental reminders went from acorrespondencea to ajunk mailaaand the place where they lived went from being a home to a house.

Everything stoppedaand nothing was what it had been.