Rachel walked the beach as she did every afternoon, her eyes on the sand as she automatically looked for shells. Walking briskly from the room and down the hall to where Grant and Jane waited, he said tersely, 'Let's go.'

Then he straightened, and his face settled into its usual hard, blank mask. Sabin hung over her bed for several more minutes, memorizing every line of her face for the last time. 'I know,' she whispered, and went to sleep. He'd have given his own life to have spared her this, and he was the cause of it. God, she was trying to reassure him! He choked, rubbing her hand against his temple. isn't that bad,' she managed, her voice almost soundless. It was almost more than he could do to walk around the bed and lift her other hand to his cheek. For a moment Kell was frozen in place, and his eyes closed on the burning sensation that filled them. Incredibly, a weak smile spread over her bloodless lips, and she tried to hold out her hand to him, but her arm was anchored to the bed with tape, while an IV needle fed a clear liquid into her vein. But nothing could have prepared him for the blow of walking into the roomand then she opened her eyes and looked at him. He knew about the machines that would be hooked up to her, monitoring her vital signs, and he knew there would be tubes running into her body. When at last they let him see Rachel, he was braced for the shock he'd seen too many wounded people not to know that the paraphernalia of hospitals often made it seem worse. Jane might not get where she was going by the same route the rest of the world would take, but in the end she was usually right on the money.

'Why not now? If you don't snap out of this you're not going to be in any shape to do what needs doing.' 'Really? When were you put in charge of the world? I must have missed the headlines.' Jane came to stand beside him, slipping her hand into his bigger one and squeezing it comfortingly. Kell nodded and shook the doctor's hand then he stood rigidly, unable to relax even now. I'll have a nurse come for you when they get her moved.' I don't think that kidney's going to start bleeding again, but if it does, I want her there. I'm going to keep her in ICU overnight, but it's just precautionary. Barring complications, I don't see any reason she won't be home in about a week.' The relief was so great that all he could do was croak, 'When can I see her?' I had doubts about saving the kidney, but there was less damage than I'd anticipated. She lost a lot of blood, but we got some back in her, and her condition is stabilizing. He straightened away from the wall, his entire body taut. Every minute had meant the loss of more blood for her. Kell had identified himself as Rachel's husband and signed the release forms for her to be treated to speed things up. The surgeon entered the waiting room, his lined face tired.

Diamond bay by linda howard