"Okay, lay still." She looked over the front seat. "Can you check the glove box and see if there's a first aid kit?"

"Hang on."

The truck lurched back and forth as Wyatt leaned over and opened the glove box. "Nothing."

Jax's head spun around, checking under the seat and behind it as much as she could.

"Fuck." She didn't yell, but they weren't prepared for an issue like this. If they had the Beast, they'd be prepared. As if Wyatt knew what she was thinking, he turned down a side road and pulled the truck into a cleared area in the woods. Slamming the shifter into Park, he opened the door and jumped out. Looking back at her he said, "The Beast is just up this road, not far." She followed the direction his arm pointed. "I'm going to get it. Get Dodge sitting up and ready to transfer as soon as I get back."

She nodded. When she turned to Dodge he had a slight grin on his face. "What are you smiling at?"

"You're worried about me."

"Of course I'm worried you idiot, you've been shot. Though it's not life threatening, you sure don't want it to get infected."

"I think you care a little bit, Jax."

She wasn't going to answer him. Did she care. Sure. Of course. Who wouldn't. Right? But, she didn't care, care. Not like that.

His right hand grasped her left arm and slightly squeezed. "Jax?"

"Stop it. What's wrong with you?"

"I've been shot."

"I know that you jerk. I mean, don't talk all that mushy bullshit."

He laughed then. His face transformed when he laughed. And, shit there was a dimple in his cheek. Crap, both of them. She'd not noticed that before. Double shit. His full lips, curved perfectly and his teeth which were flawless and white made him look like a prince. His green eyes sparkled and her traitor of a heart sped up when she remembered those fascinating lips touching hers.

"You care. You're just too stubborn to admit it."

"I'm not stubborn."

He laughed again, a full on belly laugh. He moved to sit up then and grabbed the back of the seat as he seemed to become dizzy from the effort.

"Tell me what's going on Dodge. Your shoulder is bleeding but not enough for you to be dizzy from loss of blood. Were you hit anywhere else?" She examined his shoulder for an exit wound and found one. That was good.

He let out a deep breath and ran his right hand along his face. "No, it's just the adrenaline leaving my body. Kind of a rush."

The Beast came into view and Dodge opened the door and stepped from the truck, though not all that gracefully. He hung onto the door handle until he could get his bearings. Damned stubborn man wouldn't even wait for her to help him.

Quickly scooting across the seat and jumping from the truck behind Dodge, she once again draped his right arm over her shoulders, firmly grasped his hand in hers, and wrapped her arm around his back as she led him to the edge of the road where Wyatt would stop the Beast to let them in. He leaned heavily on her and staggered a bit as she led him. Her gut told her something wasn't right, but Wyatt and Gaige were the medics of the team.

Wyatt stopped the Beast and she yelled, "I need some help with him."

Jumping from the truck, he had all 6'7" of his body next to her in no time. "Something's not right, Wyatt, it's like he must be losing blood internally. I'll drive while you work on him. I think we need to get him to a hospital."

Wyatt took over carrying Dodge to the Beast, hustled him into the backseat while she quickly climbed into the driver's seat. Adjusted the seat for the major height difference and took off without any other thought. Tapping her ear comm she said, "Gaige, we need directions to the closest hospital sent to the Beast."

"Report to me." Came his worried voice.

"Dodge was shot in Mags's barn. In the shoulder but it seems as though he's losing blood. Wyatt's got him now."

"Shit." Came over the comm but she wasn't sure whose voice it was. She practiced some deep breathing exercises and focused on the curving mountain roads. Last thing they needed was to crash.

Their comms cracked and Josh quickly reported. "Cops are here. We acted like you stole our work truck and we're all upset. Gonna owe Mr. Delgado a repair job and some cash for his troubles. Our friendly from the County Sheriff’s office is among them. He showed when he heard the call come in. We'll be here a while as they investigate and get our story about the dead guys, and Mr. Delgado can get someone to come out here and pick us up. You still have his truck?"

She responded. "Nope, we left it just around the back of the hills behind Mags's where Wyatt stashed it. We're in the Beast."

She navigated a sharp curve and glanced into the mirror. All she could see was Wyatt looking down at Dodge and digging through their impressive first aid kit.

The ear comms chirped again. "Wyatt, can you report?" Gaige asked.

She watched him in the mirror quickly tap his comm. "I think his Brachial artery is nicked. The blood that’s present is light in color. There's a lot of internal bleeding in his shoulder. It's pooling up behind the skin and he's groggy."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked furiously at the tears that threatened to spill over her eyelids. He had to be okay. She sent up a silent prayer, “Lord, let him be okay and I promise I'll be nicer to him. I care about him, and I'm attracted to him, too, but that doesn't mean anything where you're concerned, I just want him to be okay. Please.”

The computer on the Beast chimed and the GPS lit up, directions to the hospital in Jasperville appeared on the screen and according to that, they were only fifteen minutes away.

She sat straighter in the seat and swallowed a few times to moisten her throat. Swiping at the tears in the corners of her eyes she focused on the winding roads ahead and getting Dodge to the hospital.