The medic looked up at me with hopeless eyes as if trying to tell me that what he was doing was going to make no difference. I shook my head. I refused to allow him to give up. “You get her back or, so help me, I will throw you out of this f**king ambulance while it’s still moving!” I growled angrily.

The medic jumped a little at my words and turned back to her, working her chest and squeezing air into her lungs. I watched with wide eyes, not knowing what to do, what to say or what to feel. I watched her face, willing her to take a breath, willing her heart not to give up on her, willing her to come back to me. I was more scared than I had ever been in my life.

After what felt like the longest time of my life, the medic moved back, looking a little shocked. “She has a pulse,” he said breathlessly. They were the four most beautiful words in the English language. “It’s weak, but it’s there,” he said, shaking his head. He looked a little scared of me, but I didn’t care about that.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I chanted over and over as we pulled into the hospital. As doctors ran out of the doors to meet us, I hung back, trying not to get in their way as I followed wearily behind them. All of my energy was gone. Now that the adrenaline from the fight was gone, I could finally feel the pain. It was burning through my chest and shoulder and my arm felt like it was made of concrete. Bolts of pain shot through my whole body every time I moved. One of the agents had followed behind the ambulance, so he slung my arm around his shoulder, helping me walk in, which I was grateful for. My legs felt like they would give out at any minute.

I followed her through the hallways but was told I wasn’t allowed in the treatment room with her, so I slumped into a chair outside. I put my head in my hands, praying with my mind, body and soul for her to be alright. If we could just get through this, I could make her my wife and take care of her forever. I’d make her the happiest girl in the world, she deserved that.

“Let’s go get you looked at,” the agent suggested, nodding down the hallway and the emergency check in desk.

I shook my head. “I’m not leaving her.”

“You’ll just be down the hall,” he encouraged, looking at me like I was stupid.

“Are you not f**king listening to me? I said I’m not leaving her!” I shouted, making him shrink back from the anger in my voice. He sat back down and didn’t speak again. The pain in my upper body was excruciating, but I just didn’t care, it didn’t matter, the pain was insignificant when compared to the pain that I felt in my heart.

After about ten or fifteen minutes, I heard a commotion down the hallway. I looked up to see Anna’s mother and father almost running towards me, surrounded by six secret service agents. They both looked grim so obviously they’d heard. I stood respectfully as they got to me.

“Agent Taylor, what the hell happened?” President Spencer cried as he gripped my hand tightly.

I gulped. “I followed a lead that turned out to be right. Carter was there, he stabbed her and she got banged up pretty badly. She’s losing too much blood, I don’t know if they can stop it,” I rambled, all my words slurring into one where I spoke too quickly. My heart was breaking as I said the words out loud.

“Where is she now?”

“Treatment room. They’ve been in there for ten minutes working on her.” I eyed the heavy-looking wooden door, watching for signs of news, but there was nothing.

“I was told Carter was killed, is that correct?” President Spencer inquired.

I nodded weakly. “Yeah, he’s dead. She’s safe now.”

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he nodded. “What were you doing there? You aren’t assigned to her anymore. Why were you even there?”

I smiled weakly. “Sir, I love your daughter. I couldn’t very well stand back and do nothing.” I shrugged, immediately wishing I hadn’t because the pain tripled. “I’m just sorry that I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t even stop her being hurt. I’m so sorry,” I croaked, looking down at the floor. I bowed my head. He could do what he wanted to me, it didn’t matter anymore; all I cared about was in that room, fighting for her life. I was probably going to be in trouble for getting emotionally involved with my charge, but I couldn’t care less.

“You mean, you and my daughter are really together?” he asked quietly, running a hand over the back of his neck.

I nodded. “Yes, sir. I love your daughter more than anything in the world. None of that matters though if she doesn’t make it!” My legs gave out, and I slumped into the chair, putting my head in my hands as I squeezed my eyes shut.

Melissa scooted up next to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “She’ll make it. Annabelle is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. She’ll make it,” she cooed.

I bit my lip, not believing a word of it. Anna was going to die, deep down I knew it, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. While we were all sitting there in silence, the door to Anna’s room flew open and she was wheeled out on a gurney and rushed up the hall with four medical staff running along at her side. I gasped and jumped to my feet. “Where are they taking her?” I cried, shaking my head.

As I went to follow after her, a doctor stopped in front of us and held up his hands, smiling sadly. “Annabelle’s had extensive blood loss. The knife didn’t penetrate cleanly and has caused a lot of internal damage. The team are prepping her for surgery right now because she has some internal bleeding.”

My heart sank at his words. Melissa burst into sobs next to me, and President Spencer stepped forward, confidently asking the question that I didn’t dare ask because I wasn’t sure I could handle the answer. “Will she be alright?”

The doctor’s face was unreadable – probably from years of practice. “Honestly, it’s touch-and-go at the moment, Mr President. She’s lost so much blood that the surgery is going to be extremely dangerous, but we can’t not do it. By all accounts, we almost lost her in the ambulance, but luckily she has a strong heart and the medic was able to resuscitate.” He nodded behind him where Anna had been wheeled up the hallway. “I’d better go and scrub up, I’m assisting. As soon as there is any news, someone will be out to you. Please just wait here.” Without another word he turned and dashed up the hallway. Wordlessly, we all sat back down, just waiting.

“Agent Taylor, have you had treatment? You look like death warmed up,” President Spencer observed a few minutes later.

“I’m fine. I want to wait for Anna.” My whole body hurt, but I wasn’t leaving her again.

The agent that I’d walked in here with stepped forward, looking at the President. “He’s refusing to leave here, sir. I’ve tried to get him to have some treatment but he won’t.”

President Spencer sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Go get a doctor, tell them to come now, they’re needed,” he ordered one of the agents.

I shook my head. “I’m fine, I just need to be here for Anna,” I protested. They would have to drag me kicking and screaming away from here, there was no way I was walking away from her room of my own accord. He didn’t say anything in response.

The doctor arrived a few minutes later. President Spencer nodded to me. “My daughter’s boyfriend needs some treatment please, Doctor,” he requested. My head snapped up to him at the words. Did that mean he was giving me permission to date his daughter? He wasn’t going to have me shipped off to Antarctica or something?

“Okay, well, let’s get you to a treatment room,” the doctor suggested, holding out his arm to help me up.

I frowned. “I’m fine; I’m not going anywhere until I know she’s okay.” I flinched away from his hand.

“Doctor, please treat him here,” the President stated.

“But we don’t treat in the hallway,” the doctor replied, frowning.

“Treat him here,” President Spencer repeated sternly. The doctor hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded and walked off to fetch supplies.

I looked at President Spencer gratefully. “Thank you, sir.”

He nodded. “That’s okay, son. You really should go and get looked at properly, but for now, they can just check you over,” he replied, nodding.

The doctor came back with a nurse and a little cart full of medical supplies; they pulled a chair slightly off to the side and motioned for me to come over. “Take your shirt off,” he instructed, helping me to pull it over my head. I heard Melissa gasp behind me, and I grimaced apologetically, thinking of what I must look like.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“You got shot?” the doctor asked, shaking his head. “I can’t treat this here, I need to do x-rays and make sure everything’s out. You could have shrapnel in there.”

I sighed because this guy just didn’t seem to want to give up. “Look, Doctor, it’s all out, it didn’t hit anything major I can tell. I also have a broken rib or two. Please just patch me up so I can go back to worrying about my girl. I’ll get some proper treatment later,” I snapped, frowning.

He sighed but nodded and started to clean my wounds. I needed stitches in the back of my head, and butterfly stitches across the bridge of my nose. “Okay, that’s all I can do for now, do you have any cuts or anything on your legs?” he asked. I shook my head, I was pretty sure I had some bruises but no cuts. “But you’re covered in blood,” he protested, looking at my jeans.

“That’s not mine,” I answered quietly. That was Anna’s blood from when I’d carried her out of the building.

He nodded apologetically. “Right, well, I’ll order a chest x-ray and a scan for your bullet wound when you’re ready.”

“Thanks. You might want to go for a hand x-ray too, I think I’ve broken a couple of fingers,” I admitted sheepishly.

“Right okay, a hand x-ray too then.” He smiled weakly, scribbling on a pad.