“I’ll get the defibrillator,” Evan said to no one in particular, a smile still curling his lips at the assurance that his sister’s core personality was very much intact.
Meg glanced down at Creed’s hand as he nudged her. She accepted the warmth of his touch and laced her fingers with his.
“That’s my girl,” Creed whispered into her ear so only she could hear.
Meg frowned briefly before quietly accepting his words. She felt the wave of devotion and love spilling from his sapphire-blue aura right into the palm of her hand. The dark-eyed girl stood barefoot in the middle of nowhere with strangers, submitting herself to a painful procedure for reasons she didn’t completely understand, but knew to be truth.
“Sloan, would you please do the honors?” Evan asked, emerging from the back of the SUV. His skillful fingers were fiddling with some buttons on a white suitcase-looking machine.
“Of course.” Sloan was all business as she took the machine from his hands and motioned for Meg to follow her. Everyone else stayed back out of respect to Meg’s privacy. Prayers were murmured, hands shoved into pockets and eyes averted from the location back down the highway where Sloan and Meg walked.
Sloan was finishing her explanation to Meg about what was about to happen.
Meg sensed her confidence and appreciated it. She was about to put her heart in this little girl’s hands—literally.
“Sloan?”
“Yes.”
“This nanoweapon in my heart. Is there any chance the defibrillator will activate it instead of causing it to malfunction?”
“Slim to none. From what I’ve witnessed, you’ll convulse slightly then pass out for a minute or so while your heart works to resume its regular rhythm.”
“Then I’ll be safe to be around Maze,” she finished nodding resolutely.
“Precisely.”
“Am I very close to him? The coydog?”
“From what I’ve heard, he is more than your best friend and he’s saved your life more than once.”
“That’s what I sensed, but it’s nice to hear confirmation of my instincts.” Meg started pulling the torn black dress over her head, found a patch of wild grass and removed her bra bravely.
“Okay, the machine is as charged as it’s going to get.” Sloan positioned the cold paddles on Meg’s torso.
Meg’s dark eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and determination.
“It’ll be okay; I’ve got you.” Sloan smiled reassuringly before starting a countdown.
From a dozen yards away, Creed used his metahuman night vision to see. Sloan was on her knees, Meg on the ground. He flinched sympathetically when he saw Meg’s body jolt up and flop back to the ground, motionless.
He couldn’t help it; his feet started pulling him toward her. Instinctively, he broke into a run and seconds later, knelt at her side reverently.
Sloan had quickly covered Meg’s chest with her dress and was beginning to pat her face, trying to help her come to faster.
Seconds dripped by.
Sloan’s attempts at reviving Meg were becoming more purposeful.
Creed found himself praying frantically.
“Why isn’t she waking up!” his voice cracked with emotion. His eyes never left Meg’s quickly paling face.
“She’s been through a lot,” Sloan’s voice remained calm, but her skillful hands moved to Meg’s chest where she ground her knuckles into the boney breastbone there.
A minute passed more painfully than a kidney stone to everyone who had now gathered around the girl there on the side of the highway. Sloan was seconds away from starting CPR when Meg’s expressionless face became animated with a grimace.
A collective sigh of relief spread through the small crowd.
“Ow,” Meg muttered. The girl, who had hovered so close to death’s door found enough moxie to frown as she blinked her eyes open. She forcefully shooed Sloan’s knuckles away from her. “You were right,” she said to the crowd, “that thing hurts like a bitch.”
Chapter 8 He Needs Me
Creed carried Meg to the back of the SUV. She leaned over and peered into the window.
“Oh!” Meg gasped. Without hesitation, she squirmed out of Creed’s arms and stood on wet noodle legs as she reached for the handle to open the trunk.
There, lying on his side was a huge, silver-coated canine. He looked up at her with a mix of pain and happiness in his intelligent yellow eyes. His large tail flopped pathetically as he tried to greet his beloved Meg despite the pain.
She reached out to gently rub between his ears. Maze groaned from pure contentedness, but lost the energy to keep his head up. He crumpled back onto the carpeted floor and huffed though he kept trying to watch Meg. He was fighting exhaustion to stay awake, but the pain won over his relief at seeing his girl again.
Tears welled up in Meg’s eyes as she scanned his bloodied, torn paws and raw nose.
Without looking to anyone for permission, Meg started to climb into the trunk as carefully as her shake legs would allow.