Page 4 of Guarding Colton’s Witness

Dr. Arnold glanced around him before stepping into Ryan’s space. “A sniper killed a snitch,” he whispered.

“That’s not good.” He took a step to leave, but Dr. Arnold moved in front of him.

Dr. Arnold lifted his chin toward the exam room he’d just left. “Got a cop in there who was shot.”

“Is he critical?”

“It’s serious. He’s headed up to surgery now.”

“Sorry to hear that.” What had gone down at the police station tonight? He left Dr. Arnold to find someone else to gossip to. After arranging to have Sam moved to a room, Ryan resisted the urge to return to the boy’s exam room because his reason for doing so would be to see Matti.

By the time he arrived home, he was exhausted. He actually wasn’t scheduled to work the night shift, but the doctor who worked with Dr. Arnold had come down with the flu, and he’d filled in. Since he had to be back at the hospital in three hours, he stripped his scrubs off, then face-planted on his bed. He fell asleep thinking of a pretty social worker.

Chapter 3

Matti was surprised that Sam was moved to a private room. She’d expected him to have a roommate. Ryan must have arranged that. She was getting him tucked in when an orderly pushed a cot into the room.

“Oh, thanks,” she said.

“You can thank Dr. Palmer.” After arranging the cot against the wall, the man grinned at Sam. “Dr. Palmer said you’re special, so if you need anything, tell a nurse to find Charley.” Charley tipped an imaginary hat to Sam and then to her before walking out.

When she turned back to Sam, she frowned. He had the sheet pulled up over his nose, only his eyes peeking out, and he was shaking.

“Sam, you’re safe here.”

He shook his head, then pulled the sheet the rest of the way over his face, hiding.

She’d seen enough fearful children to recognize the emotion on a child’s face and in their eyes. Charley was not only a male but a big man, and to a boy like Sam after what he’d been through the past few days, the orderly would be intimidating.

“No one’s going to hurt you, sweetie.” She lifted the edge of the sheet. “I promise.” Exhaustion lined his face, and she brushed his hair away from his eyes. “Go to sleep, honey.”

“What if the mean men come?” Even as he said that, his eyelids slid closed.

“No mean men are coming, and I’ll be right here, okay.”

She watched him for a few minutes, and when she was sure he was sleeping, she settled on the cot. Charley had even brought a lightweight blanket and pillow. She wondered if Ryan had told him to do that, too.

With all that had gone on tonight, she should’ve been able to fall right asleep, but between the hospital noises, the nurses popping in to check on Sam, and her own thoughts, she tossed and turned for hours. Her mind kept buzzing with images of a certain doctor. She lifted the hand he’d shook and wiggled her fingers. She could almost still feel the tingling from when he’d wrapped his hand around hers. She’d never felt anything like that before and had stuffed her hands into her pockets to keep from touching him again to see if she was imagining those tingles.

Then there was his sincere apology after he’d been so rude to her. As soon as Ryan realized his mistake, he owned it. There was a lot to like about that.

She wondered if he had a wife or girlfriend. He didn’t wear a wedding ring, but many men didn’t. If he did have one of those, she was probably model thin and beautiful. That would be the kind of woman he’d be attracted to. Oh, well, she wasn’t looking for a boyfriend—especially a doctor boyfriend—so Ryan would just be a pretty, shiny thing to look at and appreciate.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to being around great-looking men. Her brothers—Callum, Wyatt, and the twins, Dylan and Aiden—were all what women called sex-on-a-stick. But ewwww, they were her brothers, and she could never think of them like that. Jeez, she’d listened to them have burping contests and other gross things.

So, where she looked at them and saw nothing but her brothers, Ryan was perfect to fantasize over. That was all he’d be. She—

A scream had her jerking up on the cot. It was Sam. She rushed to his bed. “Sam, wake up.” He thrashed and cried out again. “Sam! Sweetie, wake up.”

Big brown eyes filled with tears settled on her. “Matti?”

“It’s me. You were having a nightmare.” A very bad one apparently. “It’s okay. You’re safe. You remember where you are?”

He glanced around the room again. “The hospital?”

“That’s right. Nothing’s going to hurt you here. Can you go back to sleep for a little while?”

He grabbed her hand. “Don’t leave me.”