Page 104 of Mountain Void

Charlie lifted the cup to her lips. It was warm and sweet, but tasted of smoke—or maybe the smoke was already in her throat.

Her hands shook.

Without a word, Tristan took the cup back.

“Has a doctor seen you?”

She shook her head. “Ry did. In the helicopter. I’m fine.” She wasn’t going to let anything distract her from seeing Lorenz.

“Okay. Okay. Let’s take the elevator. I’m not sure you can manage the stairs.”

It was an attempt at humor, but it didn’t escape her attention how he kept his hand near her back the whole time.

The elevator doors opened at the far end of the corridor. Charlie looked up automatically—and stopped.

The entire team was there.

Beau, and Alex, and Hugo. Ry, who’d changed into a fresh T-shirt. Kat was there, too, still wearing her uniform.

Beau spotted her first.

“How’s the boy?” he asked immediately.

“Good,” Charlie said. “The doctor’s not worried. He’s with his mom.”

“That’s great news.”

“Come sit with me,” Kat said. “Val’s inside. She promised she’d come out and talk to us as soon as she knew something.”

Charlie let the other woman guide her to one of the plastic chairs.

Exhaustion and fear made her legs fold.

“We’ve only just found each other again,” she muttered.

“He’s going to be okay, Charlie,” Kat said. “You have to believe that.”

“Ry said that.”

“Ry wouldn’t lie to you. He knows better than to lie to you. You’re tough. You spend your days in a room with twenty small children, and manage to survive.”

Charlie smiled. “Twenty-two.”

Kat laughed. “Twenty-two. You’ll see, Charlie, everything’s going to be fine.”

The set of doors farther down the corridor swung open. Val stepped through, wearing dark blue scrubs that contrasted with her bright red hair.

The entire corridor fell silent.

Val’s eyes found Charlie’s and held, her expression softening as she walked quickly towards her.

“I’ve seen him,” she said. “He’s out of surgery. Everything went well.”

She spoke in the clipped tone of someone used to giving such news, and knowing how to do it fast.

“Surgery …” Charlie’s knees felt weak. He’d been in surgery this whole time.

“Shoulders can be tricky, but the bullet didn’t hit anything vital. He’s going to make a full recovery.”