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tears dripped onto his shirt.
    “I’m here, Babe,” he choked out. “Don’t leave me, Miranda. Just hang in there. You have to be around to take care of all the kids I was going to convince you to have.” He rocked back and forth on his heels as he spoke. “I was gonna do it, too. Convinced you to date a cop, didn’t I?”
    His legs gave out and he flopped back onto the floor, sitting now. Sitting and crying. Waiting.
    Where were the paramedics? They had to get there in time to save her—her and the kids he knew they never would have.
    He could hear Charlie in his ear directing different officers in their search for the suspect, concentrating on the third-floor hotel rooms, but it was only background noise now. His attention was focused on Miranda.
    His mind flew back to the bellman who had come out of the hallway as Colin searched the lobby. Could he have been the murderer? Dark hair, right height and build. He shook his head. Was he grasping at straws?
    “Charlie,” Colin said into his mic, “find the bellman that was in the lobby. He fits the description.” He could hear Charlie giving the orders to locate the man.
    The paramedics finally arrived at the third-floor stairway, but by that time, Miranda was gone.
    Colin clung to her hand as the EMTs loaded her body onto a stretcher. Her hand was still warm and he wanted to convince himself she was going to be all right, but he knew she was dead. Clutching it tightly, an agonizing heaviness pressed in on his chest as he realized this would be the last time he would ever touch her.
    ~*~
    Sitting, again, on the chair beside Emily’s bed, Colin’s eyes welled up as he thought of his last moments with Miranda. Still holding Emily’s hand tightly, he rested his head on the edge of the hospital bed.
    “Ahhh!” Emily groaned and her eyes drifted open.
    “Emily?” Colin sat up, his heart pounding hard in his chest. “You’re awake.” A huge smile formed as he wiped his hands across his face. He had been so afraid she’d never wake up.
    “Let go of my hand!” she moaned. “You’re squeezing it so tight.”
    Colin yanked his hand back and grimaced. He hadn’t realized that he’d had a death grip on Emily’s hand while he was telling Ernie about how he had held Miranda’s hand as she’d died.
    “Hallelujah!” Ernie shot out of his chair and ran to get the nurse.
    “Emily, Babe, I love you.” Colin’s arms flew around her in a desperate embrace.
    “My arm! My arm!” she hollered.
    He jumped back, raising his hands. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself, I’m so happy you finally woke up.”
    “I can see that.” A smile spread on her lips.
    “Let’s get married tomorrow—no, right now.” He wanted to touch her once more, take her hand, or gather her up in his arms, but he held back for fear he might hurt her again. “Don’t they have a chaplain in this place?”
    “Colin, sweetie, you’re not making any sense.” Emily put her good hand out to him. “What’s the matter? Talk to me.”
    He took her hand and kissed it. “I just love you so much. I couldn’t survive losing you.”
    “Losing me?” A look of confusion drifted across her face. “I’m right here.”
    He knew how quickly that could change. He leaned down and kissed her on her bandaged head. “What would you say if we got out of the detective business? Opened a coffee shop or something? Maybe even in another town.”
    “What? A coffee shop? What are you talking about? I don’t want to move away.”
    “No, listen. We could find a quiet place—”
    “Colin, that’s crazy talk.”
    He drew a deep breath and expelled it. “You’re right, you’re right. Crazy.” He nodded. “I was so scared, so afraid you’d never wake up.”
    “Afraid I’d never wake up?” With a quizzical frown, she glanced around the room. “Tell me again why I’m in the hospital.”

Chapter 7
    “What happened?” Emily asked.
    “You don’t remember?”
    She shook her head. “Ow,” she