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“There’s a lot of blood,” she murmured, hoping BB was the only one to hear.
“Did somebody call an ambulance?” BB pulled off his suit jacket and pressed it directly to Cohen’s wound.
Gennessey thought she heard one of her uncles answer yes, and she prayed the paramedics hurried.
“Gen, I need to call Iz. She can talk us through field triage. Keep the pressure on his wound. Even if it hurts him.”
She snapped to attention, nodded and replaced his hands with hers when he pulled away. Keeping her eyes on Cohen’s face, she continued whispering to him, saying anything that crossed her mind which he might respond to.
“Isobel, you’re on speaker with Gen and me. Her cousin was shot.”
Isobel knew instantly why they’d called her. It wasn’t the first time her experience as a field medic had to be used.
“How many wounds and where are they?”
BB’s tone was clipped in response. “Only see one. At his shoulder close to the collarbone. He’s lost a lot of blood. We’re applying pressure, and the ambulance is on the way.”
“Is the bullet still in?”
BB looked up at Gennessey. “Help me roll him to check for an exit wound.”
Gennessey’s heart raced when Cohen gave a low, almost indiscernible moan of pain when they rolled him toward her. BB checked out Cohen’s back and shook his head.
“No exit.”
“Keep applying pressure. If you have a first aid kit, use gauze to pack the wound and then use a clean cloth to apply pressure and avoid infection. Watch for signs of shock.”
“There’s a kit in the house. I’ll get it,” someone shouted, but Gennessey could barely focus to figure out who spoke.
“Bring a blanket and clean towels!” BB called after whoever it was.
“What else do you need?” Isobel knew there was no more they could do until the paramedics arrived, and Gennessey appreciated that she wanted to help in other ways.
Gennessey didn’t stop her murmurings to Cohen, so BB answered Isobel.
“We need backup.”
“On it.” Isobel clicked off.
Gennessey felt like time crawled by as they waited on the ambulance. Even bringing the first aid kit and other supplies seemed to take longer than it should have. Once they got them, she and BB went to work just as Isobel had instructed.
BB took over applying pressure, and Gennessey was grateful since her arms felt fatigued. She covered Cohen with a blanket when he started to shiver though his skin was warm to her touch.
Gennessey almost fainted in relief when the sirens blared loud enough to be close by. BB started shouting orders for the crowd to make room for the paramedics, for someone to direct the paramedics to their location, for someone to report what happened to the police, for someone to ready a car to take Autumn to the hospital, for Gennessey to be the one to ride in the ambulance with Cohen, for the guests to go inside and wait for the police, and for someone to gather comfortable clothes for them to change into.
Her mind was reeling, but he didn’t miss a beat. He had thought of everything, and she was still trying to process the fact someone shot up her cousin’s wedding and left him to bleed out at his bride’s feet.
The paramedics went to work with Gennessey and Autumn hovering near them. Gennessey could feel BB’s presence behind her, and she was suddenly thankful it was him who was with her.
She clutched Autumn’s hands as they listened to the paramedics use their technical jargon to treat Cohen, who seemed to have fallen deeper into unconsciousness. When they loaded Cohen onto a stretcher, Autumn’s parents stepped forward to take her to the hospital.
“I’m coming,” Gennessey called after the paramedics before looking over her shoulder at BB. “Could you…”
“I’ll update your family and coordinate with the police on the investigation. I’ll clear out the guests and make sure everyone is okay. You do what you need to do.”
“Thank you.” Someone pushed her shoes into her hands, but she didn’t bother checking to see who it was.
She jogged barefoot over to the ambulance and climbed inside. Peering through the window of the door, she saw BB standing on the lawn watching her leave. Then she turned her attention to her cousin.
