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of breath. Whirling around, she saw Jacob. His ashen face and the fiery gleam in his eyes alarmed her.
    “Couldn’t you have had the decency to call me?”

Chapter 3
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
Aesop
    Alex thought he’d stepped into a hornet’s nest when the angry border agent confronted Agent Danika Morales in the surgical waiting area, but he had no intentions of getting stung. Perhaps the other agent was a good friend of Jon Barnett’s, and he was nervous and concerned about the man’s condition. They all should be. Barnett had nearly passed from this life to the next and was still in critical condition.
    “Jacob, I haven’t had time to call you,” Danika said.
    The wide-shouldered agent bristled. “My guess is you’ve been in the waiting room with Livi.”
    “Precisely.” Danika remained amazingly calm. Maybe Jacob was more than a coworker—a relative . . . or a boyfriend.
    “Alex, this is Jacob Morales,” Livi said. “Another agent from the McAllen sector.”
    Oh, a husband worried about his wife. “Mr. and Mrs. Morales, glad to meet you.”
    “They’re brother- and sister-in-law,” Livi quickly added. “Not husband and wife.”
    Alex should have kept his mouth shut and stuck to healing his patients. “I’m sorry. Been a long night and day.”
    Danika smiled her understanding. Quite an attractive lady. Intense blue-gray eyes penetrated into his very soul. That rarely happened. He quickly noted she didn’t wear a ring, but he knew many agents who didn’t wear them for safety purposes. Hazardous working conditions meant the possibility of losing a finger in the day-to-day operations of protecting the country’s border or having their families threatened by those who didn’t value or respect the Border Patrol.
    “Jon made it through the surgery and is resting in recovery,” Alex said to Jacob. “From there, I want to keep a close watch on him in ICU. He’s a tough guy, and I’m optimistic about his recovery.”
    Jacob reached out and shook Alex’s hand. “Thanks. He’s a good agent.” He glanced at Danika. “Can we have a word outside?”
    For about one tenth of a second, a flash of animosity creased her features. “I suppose so.”
    Alex studied Jacob Morales long enough to realize he strongly resembled the late Toby Morales. Perhaps they’d been brothers. Could Danika be Toby’s widow?
    The two walked outside the ER into the afternoon heat. He could read body language well enough to tell Jacob was perturbed about something.
    Alex turned to Livi. “You doing okay?”
    “For a close call, I guess so.”
    “Anything I can do?”
    “Keep that stubborn, daredevil husband of mine alive.”
    “I’m doing my best.” Alex had seen Livi’s ability to hold up in times of stress on previous occasions when Jon had been injured.
    “When can I see him?”
    “Soon. I’ll have a nurse notify you when he’s awake.”
    “Waiting is not my best trait.” Livi glanced at her watch.
    “I don’t think it’s anyone’s shining point. Have you called your pastor?”
    A thin-lipped smile met him. “I was too busy praying to call.”
    Alex touched her arm. “That’s not a bad thing. I’m sure Jon felt them, because he fought hard. Why don’t you get some coffee and relax a few more minutes?”
    Livi nodded.
    Danika appeared and wrapped her arm around the woman’s shoulders. Alex hadn’t seen her return, and Jacob was nowhere in sight.
    “I’ll wait with you until Jon’s out of recovery,” Danika said and peered into Alex’s face. “On behalf of the Border Patrol, thank you for taking good care of Agent Barnett. One of our supervisors will be here any moment.”
    “You’re welcome.” Alex excused himself to get back to work. He heard Danika ask Livi about the kids getting home from school and offer to have someone meet them there. Alex blinked back the weariness. He could use someone to greet him at the door when he got home from the hospital,