A Humble Heart (Hollywood Hearts #1)(32)

“We’re back. We were fortunate to obtain exclusive footage of Dana from an incident that is already world famous. During college she paid her way by working as an Emergency Medical Technician in the southeastern Massachusetts area. She made quite a name for herself as an advocate for patient’s rights.”

“This footage is of an incident that attracted worldwide attention. The name of the young EMT who was involved was kept well hidden, until now. For those who don’t remember the incident, it occurred on the Bourne Bridge. A husband and father of three decided to take his family hostage to avoid an impending arrest. What started as a simple traffic stop turned quickly into a blood bath where the man killed his wife and attacked his children in front of police. This footage is very graphic and we implore you to get the children out of the room.”

“Oh no,” his father gasped.

“What?” Edward asked anxiously.

“If this is what I think it is then we’re about to get the hell scared out of us. I didn’t know that was her.”

“What?” Edward anxiously.

“Shh.”

The show switched to a grainy video. A man stood behind a car, shooting at police. He held a small boy in his arms as a shield. “Put the kid down!” a man ordered.

Another child, a five year old boy, suddenly ran away from the car, crossing the barrier between police and the madman. The boy was shot by his father and dropped to the ground. “Oh Christ,” Edward mumbled.

“Dana, get back here!” a man screamed.

Edward gasped as he saw a young woman rush to the little boy. She threw herself between the boy and the madman. “Get out of there!”

“I’ll kill you ‘beep’!” the madman yelled. He took several shots at Dana, hitting the ground around her.

“No!” she screamed. Edward eased to the edge of his seat and watched as she tore her shirt off, revealing a tight white tee shirt. She balled up her blue shirt and pressed it against the little boy’s stomach. He could hear the little boy’s cries and pleas.

“It’s okay, buddy, I’ve got you,” she said. Dana leaned over, covering the little boy with her body.

“Bring him back here, ‘beep’!” the madman yelled.

She didn’t answer him. She grabbed the little boy in her arms and ran towards the police. The man fired hitting her in the leg. Blood splattered on the cement. Edward dropped his head into his hands. feeling dizzy. “Christ.” He looked up in time to see Dana drag herself back to her feet and run the rest of the way with the little boy in her arms. He watched as she refused help, focusing everything she had on the little boy.

The video switched back to Emily. “We’ve recently found the little boy that she saved and we were surprised to find out she still has a close relationship with him." The show switched to a video of a young man.

“Sebastian, what do you remember about that day?”

The young man looked very uncomfortable. “I remember my mom crying when my father shot her and my brother’s begging for their lives. Then I remember running and the pain when I hit the ground. I was so scared until Dana ran to me.” The boy smiled. “She saved me.”

“What would you like to say to her today if you could talk to her?”

He laughed. “I talk to her several times a week and fly out to spend school vacations with her. She’s part of my family. I love her and her two kids. She’s great.” The show switched to a commercial.

“Oh my god,” Amy said. “I had no idea.”

“Damn, that girl is bad ass,” Seth said.

“Edward, you’re shaking. Are you okay?” his mother asked.

“I’m fine, just everyone leave me alone, okay?” He'd watched her get shot. Even though logic told him she was alright, it still scared the hell out of him.

“We’re back. Dana soon moved on to work with children. Her relationship with ex-husband Jeff Mathews was in full bloom.” Several pictures of Dana and a much thinner and handsomer Jeff came on screen. They looked happy. In every picture he was kissing or touching her. He couldn’t blame him, but that didn't mean he was happy seeing it.

“The relationship turned sour after the wedding. Unable to contact her ex-husband we’ve been unable to find the reason for this. We will continue our investigation and get back to you.”

“An interest in her books has brought attention to this young woman, but nothing could have prepared us for this new development. A cameraman from Life Magazine was sent to several beaches to catch unsuspecting stars in their natural state, without makeup to see if the perfection we see on screen was real or an illusion brought on by a talented makeup artist. During this hunt he accidentally came upon Dana Mathews and snapped this photo.” A large photo of Dana in a small black bikini popped on the screen.

“Holy-,” Edward started.

“Shit.” Seth finished.

"Wow," Amy gasped.

In the photo Dana knelt with slicked wet hair draped in a sexy as hell way around her head and shoulders. Her back was slightly arched, showing off a perfect figure. The tops of her large round br**sts glistened under the sun and she had the sexiest playful smile he'd ever seen. It was the sexiest picture he’d ever seen and to his intense surprise he was instantly aroused. He saw Seth from the corner of his eye pulling a throw pillow self-consciously over his lap. He decided it was a good idea and quickly followed suit.