Dylan’s Redemption(49)

“Come here, little man. Jess is hurt. We need to get her to the hospital.”

He tried to pick up his son, but he wouldn’t let Jessie go. “Will, come on. She’s hurt. Let me help her.”

Will decided to let go and come to him. He wrapped his little arms around Dylan’s neck and held tight and cried.

“Are you hurt, son? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. It was really scary.” His lip trembled. He glanced at all the people watching them and realized he’d done something really bad.

“Yes it was.” The accident had taken ten years off Dylan’s life. He couldn’t imagine his life without Will and Jessie. He’d just found her again.

The vision of her flying through the air with his son in her arms replayed in his mind. It would haunt him the rest of his days. He couldn’t even think about losing her.

“Jess, wake up. Come on, baby. Wake up for me.” He patted her face softly and held on to his son. His whole world was these two people.

The ambulance and deputies’ sirens wailed in the distance. Several of his men were already at the scene. People milled around and a few of the drivers of vehicles had gotten out to inspect the damage to their cars. Mostly, everyone gawked at Jessie, lying sprawled in the street.

The woman who’d been driving the vehicle that hit Jessie cried and blabbered on and on about not seeing her and how she’d come out of nowhere. The woman didn’t seem to understand she’d almost hit a child. No wonder. Will’s head barely came up to the hood of the car.

Will sobbed quietly against his chest, and Jessie—Jessie wouldn’t wake up. Blood smeared all over her arm and leg. Her dress was shredded on the bottom where she’d slid across the pavement and was pulled up to her hip.

He leaned over her and listened to her shallow breathing, then kissed her mouth.

“Come on, Jess. Wake up for me.” Dylan pleaded now.

He just wanted to see her eyes open. She had to be all right. The hood of the car that hit her was crushed in on top and had a broken windshield with a circular break, spreading out like a spider web. Blood splattered in the pattern. She’d slammed her head into the windshield.

“Will, I need to set you down next to me, so I can check on Jess.”

When Dylan set him down, Will scooted close to Jessie and put his hand on her arm.

Dylan gently put his fingers under Jessie’s head and tried not to move her neck. He didn’t know how badly she’d been hurt. So far, she’d spoken to them, but she hadn’t really moved, except to let go of Will.

He pulled his sticky, wet fingers covered in her blood away from her head.

He leaned over Jessie and tried to get a better look at her damaged shoulder. The street had chewed up her flesh and left it bloody and raw.

He moved down her side to check her thigh and noticed blood pooling at her waist and under her back. A lot of blood.

He peeled off his shirt and pressed it to Jessie’s side and under her back. She didn’t make any sound of distress when he pressed where she was bleeding. A bad sign.

He didn’t want to move her in case she’d broken her back or neck. He pressed on the shirt and it quickly stained with blood. The ambulance should arrive any minute. He hoped the paramedics could stop the bleeding.

With one hand, he pulled up her dress to look at her thigh. A gasp went up from the crowd of onlookers. He looked up in time to see his deputy go white and turn away. Jessie’s thigh was a mess. Road rash ran all the way up to her hip.

Leaning over her head, he whispered into her ear. “Jess, wake up. Please. Please, honey, come back to me. I can’t lose you again. I love you.”

“Dylan,” she sighed. “Dylan.”

“Yes, Jess. It’s me. I love you.”

“I’m sorry. Hope is gone.”

“I’m here. You’re going to be fine. The ambulance is here. We’ll take you to the hospital. You’re going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it. I won’t leave you. Stay with me. Stay with me, Jess.” He cupped her face and held her gaze until her eyes fluttered shut again.

The deputies and bystanders stared and gawked as Dylan transformed from a tough no-nonsense sheriff into a desperate man in love, begging Jessie to wake up.

The paramedics shoved him out of the way so they could get to her. One of his deputies grabbed his arm and held him back. Will clung to his leg. He scooped him up into his arms and watched helplessly as chaos reigned around him. Today he wasn’t a cop, but a father and a man in love with the woman lying hurt and helpless at his feet. He’d let his deputies handle the scene. He kept his eyes on Jessie. The paramedics staunched the bleeding wounds with bandages, strapped her to a gurney, and loaded her into the ambulance.