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"Her foot is caught under the dash It’s probably got soe We need a machine in here to cut her loose"

I heard Church order them to be careful with me But one of the paramedics jostled my side as he tried to et to h to htning was ripping through every li rapidly in a field of black and that darkness was calling to ony that was pulling my body apart I heard other voices yell I heard a loud pop and sasoline that I was choking on … then everything went black and I finally stopped hurting

Church

I was going to pull the parae of the SUV by the back of his neck and shake the ever-living shit out of hi heron Her face was as white as chalk and there was blood coveringfro rate, and I could barely sto at the way her shoulder was cleaved open by that piece of glass I’d seen battlefield triage up close and personal, but none of that preparedto life as everything vital and necessary drained out of her

The little fool had risked everything to save everyone but herself

"Step back, son Let theet her out the quicker we can get her the help she needs"

I let my dad pull me away but I couldn’t take my eyes off the smashed vehicle where her s able to do anything to help her, had all those old feelings of inferiority and unfairness rearing their ugly little heads I wanted to help her, but I couldn’t and if she died … I didn’t want to think about what that would do to me, but it was alhts at bay I’d just found my way hoood chance that I would end up lost and adrift once again, nomy roots were

"This is all your fault!" I heard the accusation screaht and tied up in e that it took ahurled wildly at me from a hundred yards away

I turned to look at Joseph Erikson, bloodied, listing to one side, but still able to stand under his oith that gun he’d used to terrorize Dixie clutched in his shaking hand He had police on either side of hiain he was surrounded with nowhere to go but he refused to give up

"How did he un when he was thrown?" I asked the question under my breath and saw Jules shake his head in response

"No clue, but his luck ends right here" He unsnapped the holster that held his service weapon and sun out "Joseph Erikson, you are under arrest for theand false imprisonhed hysterically and wavered on his feet One half of his face was covered in blood and I couldn’t be certain but it looked like he wasa couple of his teeth He hadn’t escaped unscathed but I wanted hi her way through

"She could have loved ht" His words were garbled and he started to cough, which un wobble in his hands The deputies that were closest to him started to move in closer but stopped when he snapped the weapon back up and pointed right at me I heard Jules swear under his breath but ile form was finally freed from the twisted metal that had kept it captive Theyand I couldn’t tell if she was still breathing or not It was every fear I’d spent a lifetiin my power to avoid this very situation, a wo on the brink of death withthis here I wasto love you because she loved me I didn’t want her to, but she never does what’s best for her, because she’s always doing what’s best for everyone else" I turned to walk towards the a what happened behindtowards aited in front ofto let the bad that was threatening take any more of it away I trusted Jules to watch not only , sounfire I didn’t knoho pulled the trigger but the crazy talk stopped, so I figured it was one of the good guys and I selfishly hoped it wasto pull the trigger

"How is she?" I asked the paramedic that was closest to me as they loaded Dixie into the back of the ambulance

"Better than she looks That slice in her shoulder is ugly and deep I won’t be shocked if she needs surgery She’s lost a lot of blood, which is why she blacked out, but she’s coood, but by some miracle I think it’s only a bad sprain She’s incredibly lucky I’ve seen crashes less severe than this one where I still had to use the Jaws of Life to get bodies out instead of patients The debris froh did a nuoodso, but right now there’s no need for a tube We’re taking her to Tupelo but they ht need to airlift her to somewhere more well equipped to handle her injuries"