But it didn’t matter anymore.
The whipping blades of a helicopter whooshed through the air.
Too late.
Too fucking late.
Sydney didn’t move, so lost in Sam she was.
“Get out of the way, ma’am,” a voice said.
No. I’m not leaving him.
“Ma’am, move, or I’ll move you.”
Not leaving him.
Strong hands jerked her from her love.
“No!” she screamed.
Emergency technicians crowded around Sam.
“He’s still with us,” one said.
Sydney’s heart leaped in her chest. Did that mean…?
“Let’s get him out of here,” another said.
In a few minutes, Sam was on a stretcher with an oxygen mask covering his face.
“Is…is he alive?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am, but barely.” They loaded him on the helicopter.
“Can I come with you? Please?”
“You a relative?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then I’m sorry. You can’t. We’re taking him to Denver General. Meet us there.”
Damn! Why hadn’t she said yes?
She gunned it all the way to Denver. She had no idea where Denver General was, so she stopped at a convenience store for directions.
And realized she hadn’t called Dusty.
She looked at her cell phone. Her fingers had stopped working. How could she call Dusty now? And tell her what? That her parents had taken Duke and Sam had gone half mad? And now he was barely holding onto life and might not make it?
She couldn’t formulate the thought herself, let alone tell someone else.
She’d wait. Wait until she got to the hospital and found out how things were. There wasn’t anything Dusty could do now anyway.
She found the hospital and went straight to the emergency room. “Sam O’Donovan?”
The nurse receptionist rustled some papers. “He’s in surgery. You a family member?”