Peril (40 page)

Of course, dead hostage takers didn't mean her suffering ended. There was the personal work of dealing with the darkness of Teagan's death and recapturing those things she loved about Tyler. Of making Tyler and her family believe that she was fully back with them.

“About what?” she said.

“Why are you and Tyler going to India?” he asked.

Morgan smoothed her hand over the taped box and wrote Lilly's name across the top. “Lilly said she'd keep these safe for me.”

Nathan swayed Sam in his arms, watching her eyes grow heavy. “I thought ICU nurses were good at answering a direct question.”

She smiled and held her hands out. He eased the baby into her arms and Morgan snuggled her close. It was hard not to think about Teagan being just this size when she died. Even the soft lilac scent of Sam's lotion had been what she'd used for her own baby. Was it a sisterly thing?

“Sometimes the hardest places to go are the easiest places to find forgiveness,” Morgan said.

“You're not running away?”

“Maybe. Probably. But the need is so great, and they never have enough medical people. Kids there will die if they don't get these heart surgeries.”

He leaned against the wall. “I know you've had trouble forgiving yourself for Teagan's death. I understand how it is—holding the weight of that responsibility, feeling the need to repay for losing someone's life under your watch.”

“But you saved me. You saved all of us that day.”

“Just as you will save many children.” From his pocket, Nathan pulled an envelope. “I have a favor to ask.”

Sam sighed from her peaceful state. “Come back?”

Nathan smiled. “Yes, I definitely want you to come back and live close to us at some point. Lilly won't say it, but she's sick you'll be so far away. She hasn't really had family, and now she wants to hold on too tightly I think.”

“This little one will keep her busy.”

Nathan shifted his weight. It might have been the first time Morgan had seen him unnerved.

“Many years ago, I created this list.” Nathan tapped the envelope against his other hand. “I call it my unforgivables. Ways I've let people down. Ways people died because of decisions I'd made. You probably keep something like this, too. Maybe it's not physical like mine—maybe just an image. I think we're alike in this way. Holding on to our mistakes.”

Morgan clutched the baby tighter.

“When I helped to save you and the others I finally felt like I was ready
to let go of this list. But I need it far away so I'm not tempted to look at it again. I'm asking you because I know you understand it. I'm asking you because, through your work, I know you'll get to the same place. When you reach India, will you burn this for me?”

Morgan's hand shook as she took the envelope from him. In her agreement, Morgan knew forgiving herself
was
possible.

It's built into everyone.

About the Author

Jordyn Redwood
has served patients and their families for twenty years and currently works as a pediatric ER nurse. As a self-proclaimed medical nerd and trauma junkie, she was drawn to the controlled chaotic environments of critical care and emergency nursing. Her love of teaching developed early and she was among the youngest CPR instructors for the American Red Cross at the age of seventeen. Since then, she has continued to teach advanced resuscitation classes to participants ranging from first responders to MDs.

Her discovery that she also had a fondness for answering medical questions for authors led to the creation of Redwood's Medical Edge at
http://jordynredwood.com
. This blog is devoted to helping contemporary and historical authors write medically accurate fiction.

Jordyn lives in Colorado with her husband, two daughters, and one crazy hound dog. In her spare time she also enjoys reading her favorite authors, quilting, and cross-stitching. Jordyn loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted at
[email protected]
.

Dr. Lilly Reeves is a young, accomplished ER physician with her whole life ahead of her. But that life instantly changes when she becomes the fifth victim of a serial rapist. Believing it's the only way to recover her reputation and secure peace for herself, Lilly sets out to find—and punish—her assailant. Sporting a mysterious tattoo and unusually colored eyes, the rapist should be easy to identify. He even leaves what police would consider solid evidence. But when Lilly believes she has found him, DNA testing clears him as a suspect. How can she prove he is guilty if science says he is not?

ISBN: 978-0-8254-4238-4

Five years ago, Keelyn Blake's stepfather took her family hostage, raving about Lucent, a being who forced him to commit unspeakable acts. But when Lee Watson—the best of the FBI's hostage negotiators—failed to overcome her father's delusions, she and her half-sister, Raven, were the only two to make it out alive. Now Lucent is back, and he's no hallucination—he is a very real person with dangerous plans. When he kidnaps Raven's daughter, Keelyn and Lee must work together to save what family she has left. But when others who were involved in that fateful day start dying, some by mysterious circumstances, Keelyn wonders if she and Lee can emerge unscathed a second time.

ISBN: 978-0-8254-4212-4