Rose
Chapter 13: Gunny's down

“GUNNY!” I scrambled out from underneath his body, everything forgotten but him. I heard clothing rip as Craig, Linda and Nadine all shifted. Nadine moved in front of me, while Craig and Linda let out furious growls as they tore off the stage. I could hear the screams from the press, and we were quickly surrounded by agents with their guns out. “MEDIC,” I yelled as my eyes took in the exit wound on his back, up high near his shoulder. I pressed my left hand on it while I rolled him a little, finding the entrance wound just to the right of his sternum and below his collarbone. I stuck my other hand on it and pressed.

Gunny started to move under me, trying to get up. “Stay put, you’ve been shot,” I told him. He calmed down instantly, his hands moving up to cover mine. I sat down, putting his head on my thigh so I could keep his injuries high. I could hear sirens in the distance, and more agents were pouring out of the building.

“We’ve got to get you inside, sir,” the SAIC said to the Deputy Director, who was surrounded by other agents. I glanced at them as they moved back inside. The press had recovered from the initial shock of the shooting and was pressing forward, trying to get as close as they could to us as Gunny was bleeding out.

“Make a hole!” I could hear the Sheriff as he pushed them aside, making room for the paramedics. It had seemed like forever as I watched his blood seeping over my hands. He coughed, struggling for breath, as blood sprayed out his mouth and onto my leg.

Two men knelt by me, a large first aid kit next to them. They pulled out two large bandages pushed me aside, replacing my hands with theirs. More men arrived, and Rob Smith pulled me up and out of the way so they could work. I watched as they rolled him onto a backboard, one man still maintaining pressure on the wounds, and lifted him onto the gurney. “Are you hurt?” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

He looked me over, I was still too shocked to move. There was blood on me, and I felt his hands checking my jacket to verify it wasn’t mine. “I’m fine,” I said, “Just a little bruised.”

“Come on,” he said, “let’s get you in the ambulance. I’ll follow you in.”

“NO!” I looked around. “You’re in charge until I return. Find this guy before anyone on the team comes to the hospital. I’ll call you when I can.”

“You got it, boss.” He turned around and shouted for my team to form up around him.

They were already loading Gunny into the ambulance, I moved my ID to a chain around my neck and jumped in just before the doors closed. I took one last look around, taking in the chaos of the scene before focusing on Gunny again. They had him on oxygen, and were busy putting an IV into his hand as the ambulance took off. I moved to the other side of him, taking his hand. “You better not die on me, Gunny. I love you.”

I could see him smile under the mask, and he squeezed my hand back. There wasn’t much else I could do or say except try and stay strong for him. I pulled out my phone and called Robert Hastings, he was the closest Pack who had a doctor. He picked up on the first ring. “Rose, how is he?”

“He’s still alive,” I said. “I need a doctor who knows about Were physiology to meet us at the hospital.”

“I’ve already told Terry and Wendy to go, they should be leaving in a few minutes. What hospital?”

I looked over at the paramedic who was taping down the IV needle. “Where are we going?”

“University of New Mexico Hospital,” he said.

“Got it,” Robert said, “they will be there in less than an hour.”

“Thank you, Alpha.”

I put my phone back in my pocket, ignoring the buzzes as it blew up with text messages and phone calls. Right now, nothing mattered except saving my mate’s life. I felt the ambulance make some sharp turns then come to a stop. The doors opened, and a team of people was waiting, all dressed out in scrubs and disposable protective gear. Gunny was rolled out and the paramedic followed, already giving his spiel. “Male, 40, gunshot through and through to right chest. Decreased breath sounds, BP 100 over 58, pulse 90, pulsox 92.” They pushed through the doors as I watched, frozen. I was scared, scared of losing him, scared of just how much I needed him.

“Ma’am, you can come inside.” The driver had moved around and was holding his hand out for me.

“Thank you,” I said as I started to function again. He walked me into the emergency room and I looked around. A nurse came out, seeing all the blood she ran over to check on me. “I’m fine, it’s not mine,” I said.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up then, Agent.”

“Rose. Rose Conspiell.” I let her lead me around behind the desks to a hallway. She pushed me into an open room, it had a bathroom with a shower.

“Just put your dirty clothes in this,” she said as she pulled out a plastic bag from a drawer, “and go clean up. I’ll go get you some scrubs. You’re with the man they brought in?”

“Yes. He’s my mate.”

“He’s a werewolf?”

“Panther, actually. Here.” I used the pen and paper by the television and wrote down a number that Alpha Robert had texted me. “This is the number for the Gila Pack doctor, he’s on his way. If there are any questions about treating him, have them give Terry a call.”

I took the bag in with me and set my gear on the shelf over the sink, using a wet paper towel to clean the blood from it. I then stripped, dumping my ruined clothes into the bag. I walked into the shower, letting the hot water wash away his blood as I stood there crying.

I couldn’t have a pity party, though, there was a lot of work to do. I washed my hair, scrubbed my body clean then stepped out and dried off. The nurse had popped in and set scrubs on the sink, so I pulled my underwear back on then put them on. It looked stupid, but I put my belt on around my waist so I would have my gun with me, and moved the badge back to the belt near it. I put my keys in one pocket, my phone in the other and grabbed the bag. Walking out of the room, I was met by the nurse again. “He’s been taken to surgery,” she said. “Come on, I’ll take you up there.” She led me to an elevator, then we exited onto the surgical floor where she led me to a waiting room. She turned me over to the receptionist there.

“Agent Rose Conspiell, FBI,” I said as I showed her my badge. I handed her my card. “I need to be notified immediately of any changes in Agent Rodriguez’s condition.

“Are you next of kin?”

“I’m his girlfriend, and his mate,” I said. She looked up when I said that, she knew what that meant now that werewolves were out in the open. “Do you know his health history? Is he insured?”

My shoulders dropped, I knew so little about him, other than work and screwing like rabbits we really hadn’t spent a lot of time learning about each other. “I’ll get it for you. Listen, I’m in an active investigation and there are going to be a bunch of phone calls and people coming. Is there somewhere I could use so I don’t disturb everyone else?”

She thought about it for a minute, and checked her computer. “There’s a conference room back here, looks like it is open.”

“That would be great,” I said. “You’ll be getting a bunch of people up here soon, please direct them to me,” I said as I walked back to the room she was pointing at.

“I know the drill, it happens every time a cop or fireman gets hurt,” she responded.

I went into the room, dropping into one of the chairs. I pulled my phone out, and texted Agent Smith along with Linda and Nadine, telling them Gunny’s status and the room I was in. I told them to call me with an update on the shooter.

My next call was to Alpha Ella. “Rose,” she answered, “how is he?”

“In surgery,” I said. “Have you heard from Craig?”

“Not yet, he’s still looking for the shooter. Nadine called me, he got away.”

Shit.

“Rose, where are you?” I gave her the information. “All right, I’ll be there in a few hours. Do you need anything?”

“Clothes, mine were ruined and I’m in scrubs. Have Charlotte pack for both of us for a couple days, I can’t leave him, Ella. I just can’t.”

“I know, Rose. I’ll have Josh pull her from school and bring her home. Stay strong, Rose. He’s a Marine, he’s too damn stubborn to die.” I laughed, he was.

I saw another call coming in, it was Linda. “I have to take this, Ella. Tell Charlotte I love her and have her call me when they are on the way.” I quickly hung up and answered the next call. “Linda, what’s going on?”

“We’re back in the office now, at least those of us not involved in the manhunt. She got away, but this time she couldn’t cover his tracks as well.”

My head jerked up, did I just hear right? “She?”

“Yes. The shooter is a female, we got her scent. Crime scene is processing the area right now.”

“Please tell me we have a witness,” I begged.

She sighed. “So far no, but we’re working it hard. We’ve already gone down to the press and had another press conference, asking for help. We’re hoping someone has a cellphone video or something else that can help. We are also harvesting surveillance video, traffic cameras, anything else to see if we can figure out who it was. By the time they got there, she was gone.”

“Do whatever you need to do to find her, Linda.”

“We are, Rose. The manhunt is going to be huge, this was a huge FUCK YOU to the whole task force, going after us like this. I don’t think I’ve ever seen people this pissed off. Your Director went off, he wants some butts and he wants them now.” She took a breath. “We have this under control, Rose. You stay with him, you may not understand how important you are to him but you are. He will stay calmer, heal faster and wake up quicker with you around. You need to stay as close to him as they will let you, especially skin to skin contact. It will help his panther to have your there.”

“I’m not leaving without him,” I replied. She was right, I had to be here for him.

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