Laini

“She’s going to be fine,” he told Judd, clapping him on the shoulder. “It’s just a matter of time, now. You can stop holding your breath.”

Judd thanked him and then went down the hall and leaned against the wall trying to compose himself. He’d been in hell for so long that the relief was devastating. She would live. She was going to live. He brushed away the
quick moisture in his eyes.

Cash came up beside him, a question in his eyes.
“She’s going to make it,” Judd said huskily.
“Thank God,” Cash said with heartfelt relief.
“What about Clark?” he asked suddenly, having only
just remembered the man.
“Patched up and in jail, probably for the rest of his life
after the trial,” Cash assured him. He was watching the
other man closely. “I think you should know what Tippy
told me,” he added, hating to reveal it even now. It meant
an end to all his own hopes.
“Yes?” Judd prompted.
“She saw Clark step out and aim the gun at you. She
didn’t have time to react, and neither did Crissy. She said
Crissy realized you wouldn’t be able to save yourself, and
she deliberately stepped out in front of the gun.”
Judd’s intake of breath was audible.
“Tippy was devastated when she saw it,” he continued.
“She said she felt ten kinds of a fool for the trouble she’d
caused between the two of you, when she knew how much
Crissy cared.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have told
you if Crissy had died. But you should know. I’ll go call
Maude and give her the good news.”
He turned and walked away. Judd stood there like a
statue, absorbing the statement with a feeling of utter humility. Christabel had taken the bullet meant for him.
She’d been willing to give her own life to save him. He’d
never dreamed she cared so much. He was absolutely
without words. Now he had to find a way to rebuild the
bridges he’d burned. It wasn’t going to be easy.”
― Diana Palmer, Lawless

“Oh, my God. Did I force myself on him? Wait, under him. Can you force yourself under someone?”
― Alexa Riley, Snow and Mistletoe

“Judd sat alone in the chapel. They’d let him in for a
handful of minutes to look down on Christabel’s white,
drawn little face. If he’d been able to get to a bar, he could
have gone through a fifth of whisky afterward. It was shocking to see her like that. She was hooked up to half a dozen monitoring machines with a needle in her arm feeding her
nutrients and apparently a narcotic for pain. There was a
tube coming out of her side to drain her chest. Perhaps it
was the same tube they’d used to reinflate the lung as well.
Not since she was sixteen had she been so badly hurt,
and even then it wasn’t this serious. There hadn’t been the
risk that she could die from her father’s brutal beating.
This was different. She looked fragile and helpless and
so alone. Her big dark eyes were closed. There were dark
circles under them. When she breathed, he heard the slow rasp of fluid in her chest. Her lips were blue. She looked
as if she’d already died.
He’d touched her small hand with his big one and remembered the last thing she’d said to him before Clark showed up. Tippy had told her that he’d been disgusted with her, that he hadn’t wanted her hanging on him, running after him with her heart on her sleeve. His eyes had closed with a shudder. If she didn’t make it, her last memory of him would be one of pain and betrayal.
It wasn’t true. He wasn’t disgusted. He lay awake
nights remembering the passion they’d shared. He missed
her. It was like being without an arm or a leg. He’d told
her he didn’t want anything permanent. Now the choice
might not be his anymore. He might be left alone, as he’d
thought he wanted to be when he told her he was getting the divorce.
Somewhere he remembered an old adage. Be careful
what you want; you might get it. He looked at Christabel’s still body and saw the end of everything he loved.”
― Diana Palmer, Lawless

“You took his guns away from him, didn’t you?”
Maude asked Cash when Cash pulled up in front of the
house.
He nodded. “They’re locked up in my office.” His expression was somber. “But there’s still a pistol and a
shotgun in the house somewhere. Crissy told me. You’d
better get all the ammunition and lock it up somewhere.”
“The minute I get inside,” Maude promised.
Tippy glanced from one of them to the other. “You
aren’t serious,” she remarked.
Cash met her eyes. “If she were my wife, that’s what
Maude would be doing for me,” he said flatly. “And yes,
I’m serious. Maybe Judd hasn’t realized it yet, but he
won’t have a life left if Christabel dies. It isn’t logical, but
it’s what some men do when they’re out of their minds
with grief. We don’t need another tragedy.”
― Diana Palmer, Lawless