Mountain Ambush. Hope White

he wanted to admit it or not, Dr. Spencer was certainly in trouble.

      She turned the doorknob to his bedroom, relieved that it wasn’t locked. “Dr. Spencer?”

      The room was dark except for the shaft of light streaming in from the living room behind her. The doc was stretched diagonally across the bed on his stomach.

      She considered her options. She didn’t want to turn on the light and rouse him from much-needed sleep. He got little sleep last night in the hospital thanks to nightmares that plagued him until about 3:00 a.m. It was a good thing she’d stayed to awaken him from the terror each time he’d called out the name Bobby.

      Maddie went to his bedside, knelt and took his pulse. Solid at sixty beats per minute. She placed her palm across his forehead. It was cool to the touch, not warm and clammy. Still, should she wake him to check his pupils?

      No, if Dr. Carver suspected it was more serious than a mild concussion she wouldn’t have discharged him. Maddie pulled the comforter across the bed to cover his body. He looked so peaceful. She sighed, glad he wasn’t thrashing about, tortured by nightmares.

      Since there was nothing more she could do for him, she decided to scoot. If Spence awakened and found her hovering, he’d surely be cross. She’d leave the doctor in the capable hands of Officer Carrington.

      As she made her way to the front door, she considered taking a personal day off work tomorrow. She had plenty coming, actually enough days to piece together a nice trip somewhere. A vacation would be perfect right about now, especially after the craziness of the last twenty-four hours.

      She opened the front door and froze.

      The driver’s side door of Officer Carrington’s car was open but he was nowhere in sight.

      “Red?” she called out.

      A gunshot echoed across the property.