by CJ Murphy
“Chance, talk to me. What’s going on?”
“Get Zeus to Jax.”
Sarah shook her head. “We’ll take care of Zeus. I need to get a line started.”
Chance grabbed Sarah’s hand forcefully with her own. “Get Zeus to Jax, promise me.”
“Dammit, Chance, I promise. Now let me help you.”
“Sheriff, it’s Taylor. I’ve got Zeus. I’ll get him to Jax, then I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
Sarah and another EMT packaged Chance on a backboard, moved her to a gurney, and loaded her into an ambulance.
The last thing Chance remembered were blue and red lights bouncing off the inside surfaces of the ambulance, as Sarah’s voice told her to stay awake. That, apparently, was one request she couldn’t fulfill.
***
Jax heard her uncle answer the house phone as she was about to walk out the door to go work on the clinic. She perked an ear to make sure it wasn’t for her. His excited voice brought her back to the kitchen, where he held an ancient, harvest-gold telephone receiver attached to a long, tangled cord.
“Uncle Marty what is it?”
He talked into the phone without answering her. Jax listened, unable to make out what the person on the other end of the line was saying. The look on Marty’s face said it wasn’t good.
He looked up at her while speaking to the caller. “We’ll meet you at the clinic. Just wrap it up for now to control the bleeding. We’ll see you in about fifteen minutes.” He hung up and reached for his wallet on the kitchen table. “We’ve got work to do. There’s a Sheriff’s Department K9 that’s been shot.”
Jax grabbed his arm. “One of Chance’s?”
“Not just one of them, hers. Zeus is on his way to us. From what Taylor said, it’s not life threatening. A bullet caught him in the ear, and it won’t stop bleeding.”
Jax’s radar went on high alert, as she asked the obvious question. “Uncle Marty, why was Taylor calling and not Chance?”
Marty put his hands on her forearms and held her. He looked her in the eyes. “Chance is hurt. Head injury from what I was told. They’re transporting her to Garrett Memorial for evaluation.”
Jax’s stomach roiled, and her legs buckled beneath her. “Chance has been shot in the head? Why aren’t they flying her out? That’s crazy! Garrett can’t handle an injury like—”
Marty raised his voice over her rising panic. “Jax, honey! She’s not shot, just injured, from what I heard. Let’s go do what we can for Zeus, so she can concentrate on making it through this. She’s as close to that dog as anyone or anything in her life. I’ll drive. No way am I letting you try to get there by yourself. I may be retired, but I still can do a thing or two. I know what she meant to you. We’ll do our part. Now let’s go.”
Jax’s feet felt leaden as she allowed her uncle to fold her into his arms and lead her to the truck. You’re wrong Uncle Marty, not meant. Means.
Within minutes, they were unlocking the door to the clinic. Jax’s focus shifted to what she needed to do for Zeus. Most likely, her uncle thought she’d be unable to concentrate on treating his injury. He would be wrong. Times like this made her focus laser sharp. All her years of practice and training kicked in as second nature. The crunch of gravel made her move to the door to hold it open as Taylor carried Zeus in, Midas right behind her.
“Bring him into the surgical room. We’ll have more room to work in there.” Jax pointed back down the hall, and her uncle followed behind. “What’s it look like? I’m assuming that blood that’s all over you is his?”
“Yeah, it looks like it took the top of his ear off. Can’t seem to get the damn thing to stop bleeding.” Taylor laid Zeus on the new stainless-steel table.
Jax stepped on the foot switch and brought the dog to a comfortable height. She hadn’t thought she’d be using the new equipment this soon but was glad she had it. “Looks like one of the vessels doesn’t want to close. She stepped back and measured Zeus’s weight using the built-in scale, then moved to the medicine cabinet to draw up the appropriate dosage of pain medicine to relax the dog. “You think he’ll bite if I leave the muzzle off?”
Taylor smiled. “In pain or not, he won’t bite without Chance’s command. I’ll hold his head if you’ll feel more comfortable.”
“No, it’s fine. I have no doubt he’s been expertly trained. This medicine will help with his pain and let me clean it to get a good look. I think I need to tie off the bleeder or cauterize it, at least.” As Jax leaned over the dog to examine him, she became covered in blood. She gave Zeus the shot and stroked his neck to his shoulder. She motioned for her uncle. “What do you think, Uncle Marty?”
Zeus whined and twitched, as Jax flushed the wound. Marty pulled out a few supplies from a drawer. “He got the big one. I think a few sutures right there will stop the bleeding. After that, we probably can stitch it all the way across and close it. There’s no way to save the shape. You’ll need to excise it and make it smooth across that area. We’ll tell Chance it doesn’t take away from his good looks. That ear has character now. We’ll probably want to put him under for that much work.”
“Okay, I agree. Let’s get him ready. Taylor, what’s going on with Chance?” Jax moved around the room gathering an intubation kit.
Taylor was looking at her phone and scrolling. “How much do you already know?”
Jax donned a gown and tied it at the back. “Only what you told Uncle Marty.”
Taylor rubbed the back of her neck and pulled her phone from her pocket. “She was checking out a suspicious vehicle. As she was calling in the registration, the guy opened fire on her. The shot went through the windshield and apparently,” Taylor pointed to the injury, “caught Zeus in the ear. Chance managed to get the Yukon in reverse and move back onto the roadway. She’d gotten out to shield herself with the vehicle, when the guy tried to escape by ramming her. She was able to fire before the impact. Unfortunately, it threw her across the road. When she landed on the blacktop, she hit her head. It looked like she broke her left wrist. They took her to Garrett Memorial. I just got word she’s having a CAT scan now.” Taylor put her phone back in her pocket. “If it’s okay with you two, I’m going to step out and check on Maggie and Dee. I sent a deputy to get them.”
Jax acknowledged with a headshake. “Shouldn’t take us long. I’ll let you know in a few minutes how he is. Tell them we’re taking care of Zeus.”
“Will do.” Taylor left the room, Midas at her side.
Jax and Marty methodically worked through medicating and intubating their VIP patient. It was as if they’d worked together many times, as each found a rhythm in the task they were performing. Jax focused on her sutures and tried not to let her mind stray to thoughts of Chance lying in a scanner. With the procedure finished, they moved Zeus to a recovery area to allow him to wake up slowly.
“He’s not going to be happy with the cone of shame. I don’t want him scratching his ear, so he’ll have to live with it for a while.” Marty closed the cage and stood back.
“They always hate it. We don’t need him opening that back up. His hemo count was good when we checked. I’d prefer he didn’t lose any more and keep it that way.”
Marty put a hand on her shoulder. “He’s young and healthy; he’ll do fine. I’ll stay here and watch him. You go get an update on Chance.”
Jax removed her disposable gown and threw it into the trash. “Thanks. It was all I could do to concentrate on Zeus.” She walked out and found Taylor pacing in the waiting room. “Any word on her yet?”
Taylor looked up from her phone. “How’s Zeus first?”
“In recovery. Marty’s watching him. We were able to close the wound easily.”
“That will relieve Chance’s mind. Okay, this is what I know, which isn’t much. She’s out of the scan and back in the ER. No word on the results. They’re evaluating the rest of her injuries. I’m coordinating with the state police. We’ve got press crawling all over my wife at the sheriff’s off
ice. I’d like to head to the ER. Unfortunately, as Chief Deputy, I’ve got too much to do here, right now. Sarah’s there with her. Maggie and Dee rode over with Randy. I’ll head there after I go check in with Penny and try to formulate a statement for our public information officer. The one trooper that was on scene is a good friend. We’ll need to coordinate what we release to the media. I’ll say this, I’m grateful Chance is a very good shot.”
“Do you think…” Jax hesitated, “that Maggie and Dee would care if I came to the hospital? I could give Chance an in-person update on Zeus. Maybe that would ease her mind, so she can concentrate on her own health.”
“I’m sure they’d appreciate that. If Chance is awake, Zeus is all she’s going to be able to focus on. Are you okay to drive?” Taylor looked at Jax with what could only be construed as concern.
“I’m fine. I’ll feel better if I’m there.”
“I have no doubt having you there will be good for Chance. Be careful and call me if you need anything.” Taylor handed her a business card. “I wrote my personal cell number on the back.”
“Thank you, Taylor.”
“It’s me that needs to say thanks for taking care of Zeus. He’s an important part of this department and, well, he’s family.”
Jax smiled. She’d worked with other police officers and knew the devotion between K9 handlers and their dogs. She watched Taylor and Midas leave the office, and then turned back to the recovery area. Marty was repositioning Zeus’s head to make sure he could maintain his own airway.
“Is he starting to wake up a bit?”
“Some. He’s still pretty groggy from the anesthesia on top of the pain medicine. I’ll stay with him. You headed to the hospital?”
“I thought I’d go home and change. I don’t think she’ll want to see me covered in Zeus’s blood. I’m going to take a few pictures of him with my phone to show her how he’s doing. Maybe it will calm her nerves.” Jax walked over and opened Zeus’s cage. The dog’s eyes were open. “Hey buddy. Your mom’s going to be asking about you. Can you give me a good picture, so she won’t worry so much?” Zeus huffed, as Jax pointed her cell phone at him, zooming in on the surgically repaired ear first. She took a few of him resting comfortably, along with a short video of her talking to him.
She stood and put the phone in her pocket, as she walked over to her uncle. He kissed her on the temple. “I’ll have to take your truck to go home and get mine, can you call someone for a ride home?”
Marty nodded.
“We’ll be fine here. He’s going to sleep, and my new edition of Fins and Fur arrived. Drive slowly and call me with an update on Chance, doctor’s orders.”
Jax kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Uncle Marty. I love you.” With that, she strode out of the clinic and climbed in her truck. Now that I’m sure one Fitzsimmons is on the mend, let’s see how the other one is faring.
Chapter Seven
CHANCE LAY IN THE bed of her Chevy pickup, Jax snuggled in close to her. A million stars danced overhead, as the peepers croaked out a love song. The water lapped against the riverbank in a soft rhythmic slap. A slight nip to the side of her neck brought everything alive in her body.
“Jax, you know that drives me nuts.”
Jax bit her neck again and moved her hand under Chance’s black, basketball T-shirt. “You don’t say.”
The light scratch of fingernails against her stomach muscles made Chance’s body jerk with arousal. She flipped Jax onto her back and let her own body lie down on the soft flesh beneath her. Jax wore a pair of cutoff jeans and that red, white, and blue bikini top that turned Chance into a complete mess of desire. She was eighteen and had touched only one other girl, when she was a junior, and nothing to this extent. As a senior, her focus would be on her grades and basketball. Right now, all she wanted to concentrate on was getting those shorts down Jax’s long, silky legs.
“God, you feel good,” Chance murmured.
“I’d feel a whole lot better if you took your clothes off…mine too while you’re at it. Especially now that you’re legal and I won’t be considered a cradle robber.”
Chance laughed and bit Jax’s lower lip softly. “Happy birthday to me, and you’re only nineteen, hardly a cradle robber.” She unbuttoned Jax’s shorts and slipped her hand inside. Jax was so wet for her.
Jax reached behind her own neck and put the tie for her bikini top in Chance’s mouth. Chance moved her head until the string came lose, then used her teeth to move the fabric enough to take a tanned nipple between her lips.
Jax groaned beneath her and ran her hands in Chance’s hair. She pushed Chance’s head tighter to her breast and let out a gasp.
Chance looked up at her, the nipple still in her teeth. “I want you,” Chance whispered.
Jax held her face and looked into Chance’s eyes. “Then take what’s yours.” Jax helped push down her shorts.
Chance let her fingers trail down the taut stomach muscles again, before she allowed her fingers to run through Jax’s wet center. She let her fingers brush Jax’s clit with a feather-soft touch, and Jax bucked into her. Chance was breathing hard and heard Jax gasp as she moved to be inside of her. With utmost tenderness, she entered her and felt Jax clamp down around her fingers. Their eyes met and she uttered the words she’d never said to anyone who wasn’t a family member.
“I love you, Jax.”
Serious pain abruptly pulled Chance from the first night she’d made love to Jax, the first night she’d declared her love. Sounds disoriented her, and there was a pounding in her head. The bright lights of the room felt like knives stabbing behind her eyes, forcing them closed. The noise in her ears reminded her of the last time she’d walked by the shooting range without hearing protection. The ringing had lasted for hours.
Her stomach flipped, and she felt the urge to throw up. “I’m going to be sick.” A basin was forced beneath her chin as she was flipped onto her side, while she emptied the contents of her stomach.
“Chance, don’t move around so much. Let us do the work. That wrist is broken.”
The voice was familiar. The sensations bombarded her and kept her from thinking clearly. Pain and noise overwhelmed her. Jax? Was that Jax? No, not Jax. Who? A terrifying memory hit her.
“Zeus, where’s Zeus? He was shot, bleeding. Have to find Zeus!” Chance tried to rise from her supine position, only to be held down. The voice came again.
“Chance, settle down. Zeus is fine. He’s at the vet’s office. Let us take care of you. Please, Chance.” It was clearer now. She knew that voice and heard the trepidation in the plea. “Faith? Where am I? What’s happening?” She tried to focus, but the lights were too bright and sent her stomach into convulsions again.
A confident blonde stood at the side of the bed in navy-blue scrubs, concern written all over her face. “Chance, you’re in the emergency room at Garrett Memorial. Zeus is with Doc Hendricks. Taylor says he’s fine. Maggie and Dee are in the waiting room.” Faith bent down. “You have to settle down before you hurt yourself. I can’t sedate your ass, or I would. Now I mean it, lay still. Don’t make me go get Maggie to ground you.”
The thought of Maggie and Dee’s distress settled Chance down. Zeus was fine; he was getting treatment. She needed to figure out what the hell had happened and how she’d gotten there.
“Okay, okay. Stop yelling, my head is killing me.” Chance reached up with her right hand to feel a row of stitches above her right eye.
“I’m not yelling. It’s the concussion. Leave those stitches be. You’ve got a few more battle scars for your collection. You’re damn lucky. You have a grade three concussion, and your left wrist is a mess. We have an orthopedic surgeon coming in to evaluate.”
Chance opened an eye cautiously and tried to figure out where she was. “What are you doing here? This isn’t the clinic.”
Faith lifted an eyebrow. “Unhappy with my treatment, Sheriff?”
Chance tried to shake her head but stopped abruptly when the
nausea hit. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I thought you only worked in the clinic.”
“I started taking shifts here at the ER last month to help out when they’re short staffed. I want to thank you for not tearing up my previous work. Now lie still. The nurses need to clean up a few more patches of road rash. I know Maggie and Dee are chomping at the bit to get to you. Taylor’s been calling here about every three minutes asking for an update.” Faith leaned over Chance and aligned her body so that Chance didn’t have to turn her head. “You were lucky, Chance. This could have been a lot worse.”
Chance took a few deep breaths and tried not to be frustrated with her ex-girlfriend’s concerns. “Faith, I’m fine. Battered and bruised, I’ll admit. I’ve been through worse.”
“One of these days that isn’t going to be true, and I’ll be leaving flowers on your grave.”
“Faith, we’ve been through this. Please don’t, not now.”
“And now I remember why I’m you’re ex. I’m going to go talk to Maggie.”
Faith started to pull away, and Chance reached for her with her bad hand. Her mind was too muddled to realize the consequences. The pain rolled through her. “Fuck! Damn it, Faith, please.” Chance tried not to throw up again. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, as she struggled to maintain control. She risked opening her eyes to look at the woman she’d shared nearly five years of her life with. “I’m sorry. I appreciate all you’re doing for me. I just can’t do this right now, okay? Can we call a truce for once?”
Faith studied her, then nodded. “I’m going to go get your real family.”
Chance felt the blow as surely as if Faith had issued an open-handed slap. Faith was now in a healthy relationship with someone who loved her. Chance still felt guilty from the breakup. The most dangerous thing Faith’s wife did was take on members of the girls’ basketball team in one on one. Faith was right, they were no longer bound together as family, and the disagreements that led to that reality were old and not worth repeating. Chance could no more change who she was than Faith could change how she felt about it. The darkness closed in again, and she drifted off into the peace.