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Julia’s nose and placing her on an oxygen mask. Eli heard the rush of air as Russell cranked the oxygen to its maximum flow rate.
    Eli sat on the bench opposite the gurney and grabbed Julia’s lifeless hand. “Is this all from the carbon monoxide?”
    “Likely. It explains why both of them fell ill.”
    Eli shook his head as scrambled thoughts scurried through his mind. “What does that do to a person?”
    Russell placed a blue tourniquet around Julia’s forearm. “Carbon monoxide is a toxic, colorless, scentless gas. It replaces oxygen on your red blood cells and starves the body of oxygen. That’s why she complained of a headache. Your brain gets very cranky when it doesn’t have enough oxygen.”
    “Why didn’t we get sick?” Eli motioned his hand between himself and Russell.
    “It takes time for that process to happen—about fifteen minutes minimum if the levels are high. Once you open a door, the gas will start to vent out. We didn’t have enough of an exposure to be symptomatic.”
    “Can you treat it?”
    Russell withdrew the needle from its plastic sheath and then shoved it into the back of Julia’s hand. Drops of her blood hit the floor of the ambulance before Russell could connect the IV solution. Her life spilled out in front of Eli. Was he at fault? Could he have prevented this from happening?
    Russell pointed to the mask. “The oxygen. If it’s really bad, the doctor may place her in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.”
    “Will she be all right?” Eli asked.
    “If we got to her in time, she’ll be fine. I just don’t know if we’re in that window.”
    For the first time in a long while, Eli bent his head and prayed to a God he’d distanced himself from.
    Lord, keep Julia safe. Heal her body.
    I need her in this life with me.
    * * *
    Under the muffled sound of sirens, Julia’s eyelids fluttered open. Her head...pounded, the surge of blood like freight trains rushing through a cross stop. She tried to pull her hand to her forehead to put counterpressure against the pain, but something snagged her hand.
    Warm fingers swallowed her hand up. “Julia.”
    Eli’s voice. Strong. Concerned. She inhaled a calming breath. Everything would be okay if he was with her. Why did she feel so terrible? Her body ached worse than when she contracted the flu. With her other hand, she groped her face and felt the mask covering her mouth and nose. The oxygen cooled her face. When she tried to pulled it off, another hand pushed it away.
    “Leave it on, Julia.” Eli again. “You’re in the back of an ambulance.”
    Blinking several times, she tried to clear her blurred vision. She tried to sit up, only to be stopped by the strap around her chest. She was covered by a rough, well-used cotton blanket.
    Julia shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. “What happened?”
    Eli gripped her hand tighter. “They think it was carbon monoxide poisoning.”
    At first, it didn’t mean anything to her. Even her medical mind couldn’t process the information. Everything was so jumbled. Fuzzy.
    Then a stranger’s voice. “My name’s Russell. I’m a paramedic. Glad to see that you’re waking up.”
    Her eyes finally focused. Eli’s blue eyes softened. A faint smile came to his lips. Her heart ticked up a notch.
    “How did it happen?” Julia asked.
    “What?” Eli said.
    “Julia, are you allergic to anything?” Russell asked.
    She shook her head. “Accident or on purpose?”
    Confusion clouded Eli’s face. How could she make him understand what she really wanted to know? Had this been an attempt on her life?
    Russell interrupted before Eli could respond. “Do you have any chronic illnesses? Do you take any medications?”
    Julia shook her head again. “Did they try to—”
    Russell’s head loomed into her field of vision. “Julia, I think it’s best if you rest. Your confusion is normal. Once we get the poison out of your system, you’ll start to feel a lot better.” He patted her shoulder and sat