After Midnight Read Online Free Page A

sunlight touched her long black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Sam’s smile faded.
    “Hey, don’t look so disappointed,” the woman scolded. “Who were you expecting—a hot nurse?” She shook her head and approached his bed. “You’ve been here less than twelve hours, mostly unconscious, and already you’re hitting on the staff?” She smiled. “But then, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
    Sam grimaced as a pain shot through his shoulder and down his arm. “I must be in worse shape than I thought if they sent you.”
    “No grim reaper today. I’m here just as a worried friend.”
    Julie Lawrence had been working with the Denver Police Department for almost five years. She wasn’t an officer, but a civilian who ran the Victim Advocate Program. She didn’t wear a badge or carry a gun, but she or one of her volunteers was often the first person the officers called once they’d arrived on the scene of a crime.
    While the police dealt with the call or the crime or the body, Julie calmed the children or the injured party until help came or, in the case of a death, helped the survivors deal with the realities of planning a funeral and dealing with the financials. The joke around the precinct was that no one wanted to look out their peephole and see Julie outside, but the truth was, she was viewed as a welcome and valuable asset to the force.
    Julie stopped next to the bed and looked down at the mess of tubes and wires attached to Sam’s body. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are?”
    “Yeah…lucky.” Already knowing the answer, he had to ask, “Larry?”
    She shook her head. “I just left Sue. The services will be Friday.”
    “How’s she doing?”
    “Not good. They just bought a monster camper and were planning a cross-country trip in the fall to visit the grandkids.”
    “Shit.” Larry and Sue had been high school sweethearts. They had three kids, and eight or nine grandkids—Sam had lost count. So much to live for. So much to lose.
    Just one of fate’s cruel ironies. Larry had so many people loving and depending on him. Sam had no one. Oh, sure, his parents and two brothers would grieve if they lost him. But they had one another and, in the scheme of things, Sam would barely be missed. On the other hand, Larry had paid his dues. In just two more months, he would have been free. Why? It had all been so fast, so unexpected, so unjustified. Larry hadn’t even drawn his weapon.
    The door opened again, and a doctor and a nurse entered. The doctor was flipping through a chart while the nurse headed for the IV bag.
    “How are we feeling?” the doctor asked, stopping at the foot of the bed.
    “Like
we’ve
been hit by a bus.”
    Julie stepped back so the doctor could walk around to Sam. “Hey, I’ll check back later,” Julie said as she picked up her purse off the chair and headed toward the door.
    “Thanks for dropping by.” Sam tried to give her a little wave, but pain streaked up his arm, turning his smile into a grimace. He turned his attention back to the doctor, who was unwrapping the bandage on Sam’s shoulder and arm.
    “The bullet went straight through. It nicked your humerus just below your shoulder.” The doctor gently lifted Sam’s arm and tested the flex. “The bone will heal on its own, but there was some muscle damage. We put it all back together, but you’ll need to get started on physical therapy right away.” He pulled the sheet down and loosened the thin cotton gown so he could see Sam’s chest.
    Sam looked down and was startled by the purple and black bruise radiating out from a red welt centered over his heart. The first shot had been the kill shot. Kevlar 1, Bad Guy 0.
    “Sometimes a blow like this so close to your heart can cause problems, so we’ll keep your monitor on at least through the night,” the doctor continued, moving around the bed to check the wound on Sam’s head. The nurse had already removed the bandage, and the doctor