Free Just Enough Light by AJ Quinn

let go. She landed on the mountain ledge she’d been targeting, but it was nothing short of a miracle that she didn’t go over the edge into the misty abyss.”
    Dana tried to process what Annie was saying. “How bad? How bad was she hurt?”
    “Her internal injuries were severe. During her first surgery, the doctors had to work just to contain the bleeding, get it under control. Then they had to deal with all her broken bones. God, Dana, she’d broken ribs, collarbone, shoulder, wrist, both legs…and she said she couldn’t feel her legs—” Annie stopped abruptly, got up, and poured herself a cup of coffee, clearly using the time to pull herself together. She held up the carafe. “Want some?”
    Dana shook her head. “I’m good, thanks.”
    It took three swallows before Annie was able to continue. “It didn’t look good, and for what seemed like much too long, they weren’t sure she would make it. For several days, she remained unconscious, with no reflex, no response. There was also a spinal contusion, and no one could say whether the initial paralysis was going to be permanent or temporary if she pulled through.”
    Dana swallowed hard, even though she knew the outcome had been a good one. The best one possible.
    “It was difficult,” Annie said, “on everyone. Endless days at the hospital, waiting. Praying to whatever God anyone believed in. And sleepless nights filled with incessant replays, and a never-ending desire to go back. To change the past. No one understood how the hell it had happened and everyone on the team began questioning…questioning everything . Second guessing. Did we do all the right things when we moved her? Make the right choices? Miss something crucial? We all questioned whether we should have done something more. Something different.”
    “Isn’t that pretty much the norm when people are making split-second decisions about critical medical care?”
    “Yes, of course,” Annie said. “But this was different. This was the heart and soul of the team lying in a hospital bed in a coma. We were afraid we’d never see her alive again. Or if she somehow made it through, if she somehow survived, that she would never walk again. That was unimaginable. We’re talking about a woman whose life revolves around hiking, climbing, skiing, and of course, SAR. And then on top of everything else, there was the investigation to contend with.”
    “What investigation?”
    Annie met Dana’s eyes. “It turned out it wasn’t an equipment malfunction that caused Kellen’s fall.”
    “Oh? Then what was it?”
    “She was shot. Someone deliberately shot her.”

Chapter Six

    Kellen wasn’t sure whether it was the aftereffects from her prolonged dip in the river or her chaotic emotions that had her shaking. She shivered in the sunshine and her voice lost momentum near the end. But at least she managed to get through what she needed to do without embarrassing herself or her team.
    She met with Roger and Andrea Donaldson, handled their outpouring of grief and rage, then gently arranged for the return of their son’s body.
    At some point during the soul-numbing process, she became aware of another man’s presence. Standing in the shadows of pine and spruce as they pressed in. At no time did he intrude on the Donaldson family’s tragedy. He simply stood there and watched.
    But Kellen saw him. And recognized him. After all, it hadn’t been that long since they’d last spoken to each other. Just as she now knew it wouldn’t be long before they spoke once again.
    This was the cop, she understood immediately. The one who had scared Cody and Ren into believing they might need to run. But Kellen knew he was no ordinary cop. No, the man with the military haircut, craggy face, deep-set eyes, and dark blue suit was an agent with the FBI. Special Agent Calvin Grant.
    For an instant, she wondered if he’d finally found out who had shot her. If he’d found the person who had nearly succeeded in killing