Page 104 of Blood Money

Gray glared down at the doctor until he removed his hand. “And he could die while we sit around on our asses waiting for the paperwork.” Ignoring the doctor’s objections, Gray began wrapping Nicky up in the sheet and cooling blanket. “John, grab the IV bag off the pole and keep it above Nicky’s heart. Unplug the blanket. Grimaldi, you drive.”

When he picked Nicky up, another twinge of pain radiated from his shoulder down his left arm, worse than before. Nicky moaned in his arms. His eyes flickered open briefly. “Detective Gray,” he whispered. “You’re here.” His eyes closed and Gray felt a distinct tug at his heart.

“I’m taking you to see your mommy and the doctor who will make you better.” With one last annoyed look at the ER doc, Gray carried Nicky out of the room.

Please, God. If you’re really up there, help me save this little boy.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alex stood just inside the entrance to the ER, clinging to Daisy’s hand and craning her neck to watch for the vehicle Nicky would arrive in. She didn’t know how she could have gotten this far without her friend’s support.

A few feet away, Dr. Maxwell and two nurses waited with a gurney. Unable to stand still any longer, Alex pulled from Daisy’s grasp and walked to the doors. When they swished open, she peered around the bend in the road for an ambulance, straining to hear the telltale siren. The ER’s cul-de-sac was ominously quiet.

When Gray called to say he’d found Nicky, she’d literally sunk to her knees with relief, but the moment was fleeting. At hearing that his temperature had spiked to a hundred and six, fear overshadowed any relief she’d felt.

The horrible disease often gave Nicky a fever, but never so high. Dr. Maxwell warned her that he might not bounce back after such a setback. His internal organs could shut down, and in all likelihood that process had already begun.

In the distance, a siren wailed, getting louder with every second. Please, please be them. It seemed to take forever before Alex saw the flashing blue and red lights. A dark sedan turned the corner and sped into the cul-de-sac. As the vehicle screeched to a stop in front of the ER, the doors behind Alex swished open. Nurses rushed the gurney to the edge of the curb.

Detective Grimaldi jumped out of the driver’s seat and came around to open the rear passenger door. Gray stepped out of the car with Nicky bundled in his arms. Detective Shanahan followed, holding an IV bag attached to Nicky’s arm by a clear tube.

Alex took Nicky’s hand. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “I’m here, baby. Mommy’s here.” When he didn’t respond, her breath caught in her throat.

After Gray gently laid him onto the clean sheets, Detective Shanahan handed one of the nurses the IV bag he was holding, which she hooked onto the metal rod jutting out of the gurney.

“Inside,” Dr. Maxwell ordered. He and the nurses rushed the gurney through the ER doors.

Alex began to follow the gurney inside, stopping to face Gray. She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.” When he nodded, she noted his pallor and wondered if he was getting ill. But realizing she no longer had any business worrying about his health, she turned and hustled to catch up to the gurney. Daisy followed not far behind.

Once inside the ER cubicle, Dr. Maxwell began barking orders. “Change the IV bag and get him hooked up to the monitors. Someone plug in that blanket.” He checked Nicky’s temperature. “Still 106. Let’s intubate his airway and get some fluids in him.”

One nurse began the intubation then gasped. “Dr. Maxwell!”

Bright red blotches of blood soaked the otherwise white sheet Nicky had been swaddled in.

“Check him for injuries.” Dr. Maxwell whipped the sheet onto the floor. “Ms. Romano, you didn’t say Nicky was injured. Am I missing something?”

“No, not that I know of.” Alex’s heart beat faster, and she wrung her hands. “Is he all right, do you see anything?”

“Nothing.” Dr. Maxwell pressed a stethoscope to Nicky’s chest. “This must be someone else’s blood.”

Alex pressed her fingers to her lips. Gray.

He’d been holding Nicky tightly to his chest and he’d been so pale. Was he hurt protecting Nicky? As much as she wanted to check on Gray herself, there was no way she could leave Nicky’s side.

She grabbed Daisy’s hands. “I need you to do something for me. Find Gray. See if he’s okay.”

“Of course I will.” Daisy squeezed Alex’s hands then turned to leave.

Alex watched Daisy head down the corridor and turn the corner. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling. Please, please save my son. And let Gray be okay.

The next few minutes were a whirl of activity. Cold compresses were applied to Nicky’s forehead. One nurse hung a new IV bag on the gurney pole, while another set a series of syringes on a metal table. Alex took Nicky’s hand in hers. When she pressed her other hand to his forehead, he was hot to the touch and so very pale.

As Gray’s face had been.

Again she wondered what had happened. Did he get shot? Was it a knife wound? She pressed a hand to her forehead. Her chest was tight. Her stomach wouldn’t stop clenching. Worrying about both Nicky and Gray was tearing her heart in two. She peered around the curtain, trying to catch sight of Daisy.

“Okay, that’s all we can do for his fever.” Dr. Maxwell picked up one of the syringes and slowly injected it into Nicky’s IV. He turned to Alex. “He’s got a long night ahead of him. We’ll have to wait and hope that we got this into him in time. This,” Dr. Maxwell said as he pointed to the monitor indicating Nicky’s body temperature, “is critical. His temperature is so high we raised the warning level to 107. If the monitor starts beeping, that’s not good. The ICU is prepping a bed for him. I’ll head there now and get things ready. If there’s any change while I’m gone, step outside the curtain and flag down a nurse. They’ll call me if I’m needed.”