Snatched…new writing, incomplete…unedited…

Rankin helped the kid up, and led him to one of the ambulances. I walked up to Manson.

“Where’s Lilly? Rankin said she’s okay.”

Manson wrapped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. 

“She was conscious when the paramedics whisked her away. They took her to Memorial Hospital to get checked out. Chief Janko went with her.”

“Okay. I’ll head that way.”

“You’re such a softie, Konan. What happened to the perp?”

“He ran into a wall.”

“Yeah. Looks like he ran into it repeatedly.”

“The things people do for attention. I’ll catch you later, Manson.”

I caught a ride with an ambulance headed to Memorial. Janko was in the lobby grabbing a cup of coffee. 

“Slow down, hoss. Lilly’s in the ER.”

“I thought she was okay? You and Manson said she..”

Janko put his hand on Konan’s shoulder. He’d never seen Konan get emotional about anything. Judging from what Janko saw tonight, Konan would be a mess if he lost Lilly.

“The doctor is checking her out for a concussion. She will probably have to stay overnight for observation.”

“I need to stay here with her, Chief.”

“Sure. Take a few days.”

“I don’t need the days off, Chief. I need to make sure my partner is okay, then we’ll wrap this up.”

Janko and Konan sat in the lobby, each trapped within their own thoughts and worries, until a petite doctor stepped out into the hallway. She gave them a tired smile and walked toward them.

“How is she, doctor?”

“Chief Janko, she is in recovery. I expect that with plenty of rest and time to recover, Detective Thompson will make a full recovery.”

“Oh, thank God,” I muttered. Relief washed over me. I turned my head to keep them from seeing my tears. 

“You’re Detective Konan, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. I am.”

“Lilly said you would probably be out here. She asked to see you, however, you shouldn’t stay too long.”

“Are you going to keep her overnight? Can I stay with her?”

“If everything is okay, Detective Thompson will go home in the morning. She will get out of recovery and into a room in about an hour. You can stay in the room with her, if she wants.”

“Thank you, doctor. I’ll go see her now.”

I walked to the recovery room and pushed the double doors open. Lilly looked up from the bed, a bandage wrapped around her head and gave me a tired smile. 

“Hey, pard. How are you?”

“I’m okay, Lilly. How are you? How’s the head?”

“It feels like it stopped a brick.”

I laughed, and Lilly grinned. I took her hand, the one without an IV stuck in it, and held it. We sat that way for a moment. 

“Did you catch the perp?”

“I did.”

“Good.”

“The doc said you’d go to a room in about an hour. Do you want me to stay with you?”

“No. You need to get back to work, Konan. Our city is burning, our people are scared, and someone must find justice for Bradley Freeman’s family.”

“But…”

“No buts, Konan. I’ll return to work as soon as they release me. We need to wrap this up as soon as possible, or there won’t be a town left.”

“ Alright,” I sighed dejectedly.

Lilly’s eyes grew heavy as the medication kicked in. I waited until she went to sleep, then I slipped out. Janko waited in the lobby. 

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, Chief. She told me to go to work, she’ll return as soon as she can.”

“We do need you, Konan. Fredericksburg needs you.”

“I’ll do what I can, Chief.”