Page 53 of Digital Desire

Will turned, and they all went silent as a stretcher was brought from the remains of the Learjet. Covered in a blanket and a silver foil to keep him warm, Drew had an oxygen mask over his face and the pretty paramedic who had held his neck now held a drip as they raced him to the helicopter.

He looked at Aubrey and then Drew, torn, wanting to be with both his friend and the woman he loved.

“Go with him, he shouldn’t be alone,” she said kissing his cheek. “I’ll meet you at the hospital,” she finished as she stepped back.

“Thank you, you’re the best girlfriend ever,” he said with a grin that he didn’t know he had in him at that point. It was worth it to see her face light up at his words.

“Go,” she said and shooed him towards the helicopter.

Alex stepped up next to him as they waited for them to settle Drew before he climbed in. “Jack will meet us at County Hospital. Zack is going to make sure Lauren and Dane are told,” Alex said in his calm, reassuring manner.

“Thanks, Alex,” he said as he climbed in.

“You did good, boss man,” Alex responded as he fastened his seat belt.

Will looked at him for the criticism he thought he would see and saw none. “If you call getting one of your best friends killed good, then yeah, I guess I did,” he replied sarcastically as the rotors began to move and Alex ducked out of the way.

The helicopter lifted, and Will kept his eyes on Drew who looked even greyer than before. If Drew died, Will would never forgive himself, but he would make it his personal mission to hunt down Chopper and kill him.

Chapter 24

The waiting room was already full to the brim with Drew’s family and friends when Aubrey walked in with Madison. Her sister hadn’t said a lot on the drive in with Blake, but she had held tight to Aubrey’s hand which was very out of character for her.

Spotting Will, Aubrey looked at her sister and with a nod let go of her hand and made her way over to him as he stood and pulled her into his arms. The feel of him all around her was like coming home, a sense of rightness gripped her when she was like this with him.

“How is he?” she asked pulling away to sit beside him as Blake walked her sister over to the coffee machine.

“Not good, they took him straight into surgery. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet,” Will said as he glanced at Lauren who was pale and clinging to Dane’s hand like a lifeline as his other arm seemed to hold her up.

She looked dreadful, Aubrey couldn’t imagine what it was like to be in this situation, but then maybe she could. She had seen it more times than she cared to admit, being a cop meant delivering bad news sometimes and it never got any easier. Seeing the family members suffering always brought up memories of her parents and how she had felt losing them.

How many times had Madison scared her stupid, but to have her sibling injured to the point that they might die was incomprehensible. She didn’t even want to go there in her mind.

“You should go home, you must be exhausted,” Will said snapping her back into the moment as he rubbed her hand with his thumb.

She placed her hand over his to make him look at her. When he did the guilt and fear she saw in his beautiful eyes was crushing. “I’m not leaving you, Will. If you want me here then there is nowhere else I would be than with you,” she said as she cupped his face and leaned her forehead against him.

“Thank you,” he said, and she heard the tears in his voice.

“Oh, Will, this is not on you. I can hear the guilt, but you did not do this,” she whispered.

“It was my call,” he retorted.

“Yes, and it was the best chance we had of any of us making it out of there alive. You saved a lot of people with that idea.”

Aubrey looked up as Lauren sat down beside Will and he stiffened as if waiting for a blow to land.

“Thank you for helping him,” Lauren said leaning her head against Will’s shoulder as Dane knelt in front of her.

“Why are you thanking me? This is all my fault!” he exclaimed sounding confused. Aubrey bit back the emotion that threatened to choke her as Lauren consoled Will.

“No, it isn’t. Daniel told me what happened, and you both took the only option you had. You saved them, and you probably saved Drew too. At least he has a fighting chance now,” she said as her throat closed over unshed tears. “Chopper and his men would have killed him for sure, but if he makes it out of surgery, we can help him heal the rest.”

Will went silent at Lauren’s words, and Aubrey knew he was processing what she had said.

“Come on, let’s get some air,” Aubrey said knowing he needed a few minutes alone.

Will linked his fingers with hers as they stepped outside accident and emergency into the freezing air of the late afternoon. Another hour and it would be dark, tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and Aubrey could hardly comprehend the turn her life had taken this year. Meeting the Fortis crew had been a whirlwind—lies, suspicions, plots of world domination by people who were definitely in need of the men in white coats but most of all love. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected to fall in love and especially with a man like Will.