Free No Safeword: Matte - Happily Ever After (Safewords) by Candace Blevins Page B

husband?”
    “Yes.” God, it was hard to breathe, but she had to tell them. “Frantic. He’ll be…” She tried to say frantic again, but couldn’t get enough air past her vocal cords.
    “He was told we’re taking you to Erlanger. I need you to stop talking so we can get you stabilized.” They put the mask back over her mouth and nose, which made breathing easier, but didn’t help calm the flaming arrows darting inside her chest.
    Sam tried to relax but the pain wouldn’t let her. She wanted to scream when they moved her into the ambulance, and she felt every bump in the road on the short drive to the hospital. They were obviously driving fast and the sirens were going full blast — both signaling she was in bad shape. She felt her mind slipping into blissful darkness but forced herself to stay awake and aware. She wanted to tell Ethan she loved him, and she hoped he’d be at the hospital.
    The ambulance slowed to make a sharp left turn and she assumed they were turning into the road beside the hospital. They turned again and hit some bumps, and finally came to a stop. The doors opened and she suppressed a scream as she was rolled out and jostled even more.
    A nurse approached and began placing pads on her chest the instant they rolled her into the building. Sam talked into the mask, “Ethan, my husband. Is he here?”
    Another nurse...no, she wasn’t in scrubs. A doctor? The woman followed them into an exam room and didn’t look up from her inspection of the entrance wound as she said, “We need to get you stabilized and get some pictures. Just lie back and try to relax.”
    Sam yanked the mask off with her good hand. “I’m not going to relax until I see Ethan! He can stand in the corner while you do this, but if I’m going to die I want to tell him I love him one more time.”
    A few people came into the room, and she realized she’d practically screamed the last part. She didn’t dare close her eyes, as she was afraid she may not open them again. She was running on adrenaline now, and needed to say what she could while it lasted. “We’ve only been married a few months. Please ,” she begged, nearly in tears. “If he’s here, let me see him.”
    The doctor nodded to the nurse in the doorway. “Put a gown and gloves on him; maybe he can help us get her calmed down. The note says she’s allergic to morphine and codeine and I’d rather not give her a sedative until I take a look at her records and we’ve had a look inside.”
    “Thank you,” Sam said, relaxing a little just knowing he was in the building. “I can handle the pain, so don’t worry about pain meds. If you want me to relax; I recommend valium.”
    The doctor smiled and said, “How many gunfights have you been in, exactly?”
    Someone put something in her nose, and breathing became easier again. “This is my first.”
    A few minutes later Ethan stepped into the room and Sam almost burst into tears. He walked to the foot of the bed and she reached her right hand towards him, but he shook his head. “They told me I had to stand here if I want to stay.” His hands rested on her feet and she realized she still had one shoe on.
    “Bastard owes me a pair of shoes.” She tried to make her voice sound stronger, but it still came out breathy.
    His eyes warmed and she could tell he was fighting tears. “Come home to me and I’ll buy you all the new shoes you want.”
    A hospital employee wheeled a large machine into the room and Ethan said, “They’re going to take some pictures to see what kind of damage we’re dealing with. Just close your eyes and relax; let them do their job, Samantha.”
    He used his gentle Dom voice, and Sam’s eyes drifted closed at the soft command.
    She heard the doctor mention surgery, and heard Ethan on the phone with their friend Kyle, saying, “If you say he’s good I’ll trust your judgment. Can you call him and see if he can come now? They’re talking about wheeling her into surgery any