The drive to the parking area where the ambulance waited seemed to take forever, though they drove as quickly as they could over the rough terrain. He didn’t worry about the evidence they’d marked and photographed on the forestry road. If it all got contaminated or destroyed, it didn’t matter now. They knew Angela’s car had been driven down that road. What mattered most was Cyn’s life.
What he didn’t know was if Cyn found her sister and niece in the car.
It only took a few seconds to transfer Cyn from the police truck to the ambulance where the paramedics were set up to run an IV into Cyn. Her color already looked better.
Hunt held her hand under the blanket, keeping one of the hand warmers between his palm and hers. She didn’t wake during the whole ride to the hospital. By the time they got there, his concern was off the charts.
Her eyes fluttered for a moment and he leaned in close. “Cyn, baby, can you look at me? Let me see those beautiful blue eyes.”
She didn’t open them, but he felt a soft squeeze of his hand.
“There you are. I felt you. You’re going to be okay. We’re just about to take you into the hospital.”
She whispered something.
He leaned in close. “I can’t hear you, sweetheart. Say it again.”
“No car seat. No Angela. Front windows open.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “Okay, sweetheart. The baby probably wasn’t in the car because she’d have been in her car seat. Rad probably took it and her out before he sent the car into the river. And your sister wasn’t there, so more than likely she wasn’t in the car either. Unless she was swept out the window.”
She squeezed his hand again, letting him know he’d understood what she was trying to tell him.
“Could you see if the seat belt was fastened even though she wasn’t there?”
She didn’t answer right away and he thought maybe she’d passed out again, but then she whispered, “Not fastened.”
He kissed her lips. “They’re going to pull the car out tomorrow, but I’ll tell the guys working the case what you told me. She’s still out there somewhere. We’ll find her.” He helped the paramedics take her gurney out ofthe ambulance and walked beside her into the emergency room. The badge allowed him to stay with her as they wheeled her into a room, transferring her onto a bed. A nurse covered her in blankets from a warming cabinet.
Cyn groaned and tried to open her eyes, but the light seemed to hurt them, so she closed them tight.
The doctor issued a bunch of orders to the team around Cyn, then asked, “How long was she in the water?”
He answered. “Four minutes, twelve seconds. When we pulled her out of the water, she wasn’t breathing. No heartbeat. I gave her CPR for approximately two minutes before she spit up a bunch of water. At that point, she was breathing on her own, though it was shallow and uneven until we got her warmed up enough that her whole body wasn’t shaking violently. There’s an eight-inch gash on her right shin, along with some other scratches. I think her leg got caught on some rocks. There’s another severe wound on the back of her head and neck, left side. She said her vision was wonky and her head hurt.”
The doctor nodded. “Do we suspect any other head or neck trauma?”
“She was able to move her head and limbs.”
The doctor ordered a neck brace until they got her scanned and X-rayed to be sure there wasn’t anything wrong.
“Thank you, Officer, we’ll take it from here.”
Hunt wanted to use his authority to stay with her, but he knew she was in good hands. “Doc, she’s... my girlfriend, and I’ll be waiting to see her as soon as possible.”
The doctor nodded. “Any known allergies or medications? Drugs? Alcohol? Medical issues we should know about?”
“No drugs or alcohol. I’ll call her mom right now and find out the rest, though she lives in town so her medical records are probably on file here. She’s strong. Spirited. She’s a fighter. She knew the risk going into that water and she did it anyway.”
“I’ll keep you posted.”
“I need her back as soon as possible.”
“I understand. We’ll take good care of her.” The doctor brushed her hand over Cyn’s hair. “You hear that, Cyn? Your guy wants you back ASAP.”
Cyn’s lips twitched into a soft grin. She whispered, “He’s bossy.”
He slid in between the doctor and a nurse and bent over her. “Damn right. I’ll be waiting for you, so hurry the hell up.”