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“MIMI… MIMI, I love you,” Jean-Luc yelled as two officers led him to the back of a second ambulance.

She didn’t reply. She wouldn’t give him the dignity of a response. All she cared about now was that Johnny was okay and she was eager to get back to her son and grandfather.

But first, Beau had lots of questions that needed to be answered. “I need to get a statement from you, Mimi,” he said.

“Can we do this later? Maybe after I get home?” she asked.

Beau gazed at her for a long moment. “Why don’t I catch up with you sometime tomorrow?” he suggested.

She smiled at him with relief. “Thanks. Needless to say I’m eager to get home and see Danny and Gramps. I also need to check to see how Johnny’s doing.” Her stomach churned with fear for him.

“That’s one strong man. I didn’t even know he’d been shot. It’s obvious he’s deeply in love with you.”

Tears burned at her eyes. “I know.”

Minutes later she was in Johnny’s truck and headed home. As she drove, tears streamed from her eyes…tears of relief that she had survived and tears of worry about Johnny.

How badly had he been hurt? Had the bullet hit something vital? He had to be okay. He just had to be. Her love for him exploded in her chest.

Beau had offered for an officer to go with her, but she had declined the offer. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She needed this alone time to re-center herself for when she saw Danny and Gramps.

She drove as fast as she could given the trailer on the back. Her need to wrap her arms around Danny and hug him tight was all-consuming. She’d worried that she’d never see him again, that she was never going to get out of that swamp without Jean-Luc killing her.

She had no idea how long she remained in the thorny bush, but just as she’d run out, she’d heard the police sirens blaring and she knew help had arrived. Her heart had exploded with happiness when she’d seen Johnny. She couldn’t believe he was really there.

It seemed like it took forever, but finally she pulled up and parked at the swamp’s entrance. She got out of the truck and raced up the path toward her shanty. She still had to worry about the Deer Slayer, as did everyone in Black Bog, but at least one threat had been removed from her life. Hopefully Jean-Luc would go away for a very long time.

When she reached the shanty, she nodded at the two police officers seated on the porch, and then she flung open the front door and rushed inside.

Danny and Renée were on the floor with Danny’s miniature cars spread out. When Danny saw her, he leaped up off the floor and flew into her arms.

“Mommy,” he cried. “You’re home. You’re really home.”

“Yes, baby, I’m home.” She squeezed him tight in her arms, breathing in the very scent of him. She finally released him as Gramps stepped out of the kitchen.

“Thank God,” Gramps said.

Mimi released Danny and walked over to her grandfather, who pulled her into his arms. She melted into him, comforted by the familiar contours of the man who had raised her.

When she finally moved out of his arms, they were both crying. They were happy tears of relief that she was back where she belonged.

“Girlfriend, you look like hell,” Renée said to her, her eyes moist with tears. “But you’ve never looked so good.” She pulled Mimi in for a tight hug. “Where’s Johnny?” she asked Mimi when she released her.

Just like that, Mimi’s happiness transformed to deep worry. “He was taken to the hospital. Jean-Luc shot him in the back. In fact, I need to get cleaned up and go there as soon as possible.” A new wave of tears filled her eyes, this time from fear for the man she loved.

“Is there anything I can do?” Renée asked.

“Stay here with Danny and Gramps?”

“Done,” Renée replied.

“How badly is he hurt?” Gramps asked.

“I don’t know. That’s why I need to get to the hospital as quickly as I can, but first I need to take a quick shower.” She wanted to wash off the dirt of the swamp where she’d hidden. She needed to clean herself from Jean-Luc.

Minutes later she stood beneath the spray of sun-warmed water in the shower on the back deck. She hadn’t realized how much blood had been drawn during her frightened dash through the unfamiliar swamp. The paramedics had cleaned a lot of it off, but she scrubbed hard to remove the last of it. She washed off as quickly as she could. She needed to get to Johnny and find out how he was doing. Hopefully he was fine. To think otherwise was torture.

Once she was clean, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a pink, sleeveless blouse.