A Doctor's Promise (Lifeline Air Rescue Book 1)

by Scott, Laura

  “Sure.” He barely spared her a look, his gaze riveted on the television

  “Great, I’ll be back soon.”

  Elizabeth was waiting when she closed the door to Ty’s room behind her. Shelly led the way to the small visitor’s lounge at the end of the hallway.

  “Mrs. O’Connor—” Shelly began.

  “Oh please, call me Elizabeth.” For the first time, Shelly noticed the older woman nervously twisting her wedding ring on her finger. “After all, you were practically my daughter-in-law.”

  Oh boy. Shelly rubbed her damp palms against her denim jeans. This was going to be worse than she’d thought.

  “Besides, I need to apologize for my behavior that night six years ago.” Elizabeth’s voice wavered. “Try to understand, I was out of my mind with grief when you arrived. To lose a child . . .” She swallowed hard, then continued, “I only pray you never have to experience what I went through that night.”

  Shelly glanced down at her hands, knowing exactly what Elizabeth was talking about. Fear of losing your child was all-consuming and not even close to actually living through the loss. If anything happened to Ty . . . she couldn’t complete the thought. As horrible as that night had been, it was easier now to understand the woman’s motive.

  “I hope so, too,” she murmured.

  “There now, stop it or we’ll both be blubbering.” Elizabeth took out a crumpled tissue, dabbed at her eyes, then blew her nose daintily.

  Shelly couldn’t help but smile as she swiped her fingers beneath her eyes. “I know what you mean. I don’t think I ever cried until I had Tyler.”

  “Exactly. Kids have a way of doing that to you, even when they’re older.” Elizabeth sighed in relief. “I’m glad you can understand and accept my apology. I want to welcome you and Ty into our family.”

  Shelly’s smile faded. “You’re being very kind, Mrs. O’Connor, I mean, Elizabeth, but I think there’s something you should know.” She paused, then forced herself to be honest. “Mark did propose to me the night he found out I was pregnant. But I never agreed to marry him.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? What did you say to him?”

  “I didn’t say anything. Frankly, I was so overwhelmed over the idea of having a baby before I’d manage to graduate with my nursing degree that I couldn’t even comprehend Mark’s proposal.” She forced herself to meet Elizabeth’s gaze head-on.

  “That’s okay, dear.” Elizabeth reached over to pat her hand in a soothing gesture. “I understand.”

  “No, I don’t think you do.” Shelly drew in a deep breath, then said in a rush, “I want you to know I cared about Mark. Very much. But we’d jumped into the physical part of our relationship too quickly, and I soon realized that we were better off as friends. That night—” It was forever engraved in her memory. “He assumed my silence was agreement, but in fact, I knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t marry him. Because you see, I didn’t love him.”

  Elizabeth was apparently stunned speechless.

  “I’m sorry,” Shelly said, feeling helpless. “But now you know that I was never going to be your daughter-in-law. But I do understand your desire to see Tyler. As long as we can agree on terms, I won’t stand in your way.”

  “I think I can work with that.” Elizabeth still looked as if she was knocked off balance at what Shelly had revealed. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to Tyler.” Shelly quickly rose to her feet and headed back to her son’s room.

  Elizabeth didn’t follow.

  Shelly knew Mark had been at Stephan’s that night, hadn’t he always? And of course, he’d had a few drinks. She shouldn’t have sprung the news of her pregnancy on him like that, but she’d needed someone to talk to. Mark had shocked her with his instant proposal, so much so that she hadn’t been able to bring herself to answer him. He hadn’t pushed but had quickly left, saying something about talking to his family and getting things lined up for their future.

  Had Mark seen the truth about her feelings reflected in her eyes? She’d always wondered but had never known for certain. It was part of the reason she’d written to him so often in her journal.

  Jared blamed himself for Mark’s death, but Shelly knew with deep certainty that the fault was equally hers.

  LATE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, Jared entered Lifeline’s lounge to find Shelly seated on the sofa, her head tipped back, her eyes closed. She looked pale and drawn, obviously exhausted, but achingly lovely.

  Just like the moment he’d first seen her.

  He longed to gather her close, smooth away the lines of fatigue with a kiss. But she wasn’t his to hold. Seeing her like this, close enough to touch, made Jared wonder if he needed to tender his resignation. Not seeing Shelly would be less torturous than working with her on a daily basis, knowing exactly what he was missing.

  He shouldn’t have offered to switch shifts with Evans, but the guy had wanted to spend time with his wife and newborn daughter. Jared couldn’t blame the guy, he’d do the same thing if he had a family.

  But he didn’t. All the more reason to help out those who did.

  As if sensing his presence, Shelly’s eyes opened and her gaze locked on his. Guilty of gawking again, Jared inwardly groaned.

  “Jared.” She sat up, blinking in confusion. “What time is it?”

  “Just after midnight.” He knew how disoriented she felt. Working swing shifts could really mess with your brain. “Don’t worry, you didn’t sleep through the shift. It’s been a quiet night.”

  “Shh, don’t say the Q word,” Shelly cautioned superstitiously.

  Too late. Their pages went off simultaneously. “I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth,” he said on a sigh.

  Shelly looked at her pager. “It’s a motor vehicle crash involving teenagers.” She grimaced. “They’re requesting adult and pediatric response, which doesn’t sound good.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Reese had the chopper revved up and ready to fly in less than two minutes, and they were airborne in less than five. A hard knot formed in Jared’s belly as the chopper banked and headed for the scene. Motor vehicle crashes, especially at night, always reminded him of Mark.

  The scene was bad, though no worse than he’d expected. They were immediately flagged toward one car, or what appeared to be half a car. The other half was crumpled beyond recognition.

  “We managed to get two teens out after a lengthy extraction. To be honest, we thought they were dead, but they weren’t. The sixteen-year-old boy was driving, but the girl is younger. Has a high school ID in her purse but no driver’s license or temporary permit.”

  He and Shelly split up, Jared instinctively taking the driver. The paramedic had just started CPR. Jared felt for a pulse and nodded at the paramedic. “Good pulse with CPR.”

  “Do you want me to hold off for a moment?” the paramedic asked.

  Jared nodded. The boy’s pulse immediately vanished. Not good. “No pulse, we need to continue resuscitation.”

  “I will but check his pupils. They were dilated when I pulled him out of the vehicle.”

  Jared examined the boy’s pupils and immediately noticed they blown, a sure sign of severe head trauma. No way was this kid going to make it. Still, they had to keep going. “We need to hyperventilate him, maybe that will give him a chance.”

  But it was no use. Even after a solid thirty minutes of resuscitation, the kid never responded. For a long moment, he and the paramedics stared down at the dead boy.

  Sixteen was far too young to die. But all the emergency medicine in the world couldn’t save everyone. It hadn’t saved Mark either.

  Jared shook off the desolation before crossing over to where Shelly knelt beside her patient.

  “Come on, stay with me,” Shelly said, delivering shocks at what appeared to be ventricular fibrillation on the portable monitor.

  He dropped to his knees on the other side of her. “I’ll get an int
racardiac needle. I think she has cardiac tamponade.”

  “I tried to tap her once but wasn’t successful.” Shelly gave yet another shock, then began doing CPR while he grabbed the six-inch needle.

  “Hold CPR.”

  Shelly stopped and pulled the girl’s blouse out of the way so he could insert the cardiac needle. At first he didn’t get anything, so he changed the angle and tried again. This time, the syringe filled with blood.

  “Yes!” Shelly cried. “You did it.”

  The girl’s cardiac rhythm returned, and with one meaningful glance, they understood they needed to get her into the helicopter for an immediate transfer to the hospital.

  “Children’s Memorial?” Shelly asked.

  He estimated the girl was roughly fifteen and based on her heart issues would need a cardiac surgeon. Based on her adult size, he shook his head. “No, let’s go to Trinity Medical Center. The adult cardiac surgeons need to take her to the OR as soon as possible.”

  Reese had the chopper ready to go. He and Shelly quickly loaded the young teen inside. Twice Jared pulled more blood from the pericardial sac around her heart, and he knew she must have an arterial laceration. He called to make sure there would be a cardiac surgeon waiting for them when they landed.

  “What’s the problem?” The surgeon glanced at him expectantly.

  “Repeated cardiac tamponade, I think she has a lacerated artery.”

  “I’ll take her to the OR,” the surgeon agreed. “Where are her parents?”

  “Not sure. The cops at the scene of the accident were tracking them down.”

  The surgeon nodded and whisked the girl to the OR with a bevy of ER personnel. The ones remaining behind asked about the second victim. Jared informed them the driver of the vehicle didn’t make it.

  “Brittany! Where’s my daughter!”

  Jared turned to see a hysterical woman flying through the doorway. Two nurses approached on either side, but for some reason, the woman’s wild eyes locked on his.

  “Where’s my daughter?”

  “Easy now, she’s alive and in surgery.” Shelly’s calm voice seemed to penetrate the woman’s hysteria.

  “Surgery? What kind of surgery?”

  “There was a problem with her heart, but we have the best surgeon taking care of her.” Shelly put her arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Now listen, you need to calm down so that we can get your daughter’s information from you, understand?”

  “Yes. Brittany, my baby.” The woman’s face crumpled. “We had a fight, and I thought she was in bed, but then I discovered she sneaked out of her room to meet with that boyfriend of hers. The last words to her were said in anger. What if I never get the chance to tell her I love her? What if she dies thinking I hated her?” The woman broke down sobbing, leaning heavily on Shelly for support.

  He braced her on the other side so they could get the crying woman into a nearby chair. Then he stepped back, watching as Shelly comforted Brittany’s mother, reassuring her that she’d have a second chance with her daughter.

  Jared wasn’t so sure that was entirely true. He knew better than anyone that there wasn’t always a second chance to right a wrong.

  He hadn’t been given one with Mark.

  WHILE SHELLY FINISHED CONSOLING Brittany’s mother, Jared called the paramedic base to let them know their transport was finished. It was close to three in the morning—only four more hours to go until the end of the shift. The base radioed Reese who decided to take the opportunity to refuel. Jared agreed to meet up with the pilot on the helipad in thirty minutes.

  He mentally thanked the ED nurses who had freshly brewed coffee in the employee lounge. Shelly joined him there a few minutes later.

  “Smells great,” she said, heading straight for the pot.

  “Tastes just as good as it smells.” He eyed her over the rim of his mug. “Is Brittany’s mom going to be all right?”

  Shelly’s smile slid sideways. “If her daughter survives surgery. Otherwise, I’m not so sure.”

  Jared nodded. “It’s not smart to offer false hope.”

  She scowled and carefully set her mug down. “What do you mean?”

  “There aren’t always second chances. I argued with Mark, and then he died. There isn’t anything I can do to change that.”

  She stared at him intently. “What if I told you it was my fault? Would you forgive me?”

  “Yes, of course, but that’s not the point. Mark’s death was my fault, not yours. I’m the one who argued with him, told him he was crazy to quit school and marry you.”

  “I didn’t love him,” she blurted. “Mark asked me to marry him, but I didn’t answer. Because I knew I couldn’t. I didn’t love him, Jared. And I think he saw the truth in my eyes, and that’s why he rushed out to see you.”

  Jared frowned, thinking back to that fateful night. “Mark was certain the two of you were getting married. In fact, I specifically asked him if he loved you and he said yes.”

  She winced and glanced away. “He thought he loved me, but he was just being nice. In my opinion, he was using the baby as an excuse to quit law school. To write full time. Trust me, we would not have gotten married. So you see, his death was as much my fault as anyone else’s. If you can forgive me, you’ll have to forgive yourself.”

  “I’m not sure . . .” His voice petered out as she stepped closer.

  Shelly took the half-empty coffee cup from his hands and set it aside so she could hold both of his hands in hers. He marveled at her small hands, firm as if infused with the strength of Wonder Woman.

  “I think after tonight I believe in second chances, Jared.” Shelly’s voice was soft. “Think about what Brittany’s mother said, about parting in anger. Life is too short to hold a grudge. Isn’t that what carrying guilt amounts to? If the situation was reversed, you’d forgive me. So what is it that you’re really blaming Mark for?”

  For dying? The realization hit hard, stunning him as if he’d been hit square in the gut. He blamed Mark for drinking and driving. For putting their family through so much grief.

  For leaving Shelly to raise their son, Tyler, alone.

  “I—don’t blame Mark.” The words sounded uncertain to his own ears. “I blame myself for not supporting him.”

  “And he should have been responsible not to drink and drive.” Shelly voiced the concern he struggled with the most. “I cared about Mark, as you did. But that doesn’t mean he was perfect. None of us are. So if it’s okay for Mark to do some things wrong, then it’s okay for us, too.”

  How was it that she made sense out of chaos? Suddenly everything was crystal clear. He couldn’t blame his dead brother for making a bad choice, so he’d focused on his role in the events of that night.

  “You’re right, Shelly.” Jared had played a role, as had Shelly. But Mark’s behavior had been the ultimate cause of the crash. Jared felt as if a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders. He tugged on Shelly’s hands, pulling her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he inhaled deeply, filling his head with her fresh lilac scent. “Life is too short to hold a grudge. I’ve seen enough death to know that. Guilt blinded me from seeing the truth.”

  “For me, too,” Shelly acknowledged. She drew back enough to meet his gaze. “I was wrong to get angry with you, Jared. I treated you badly for bringing your parents here. And I never told you how thankful I am for your kindness in donating your blood for Ty’s surgery.”

  “I’m the one who needs to apologize.” Jared lifted a hand to smooth a strand of hair from her cheek. “Donating blood was nothing, I’d do anything for you and Ty. I’m sorry that my parents showed up without an invitation, but please know I didn’t encourage that. I told them to wait. But the end result was the same anyway.”

  “Your mother isn’t too bad,” Shelly admitted.

  “She means well. And I let her and my dad have it when I heard what they did to you.” He stared deeply into her eyes. Tell her, the tiny voice in the back of his head sh
outed. Tell her how much you love her, you idiot! Don’t chicken out now!

  “Oh, Jared.” Her eyes misted, and his heart sank. Was this the same expression she’d given Mark? Was she telling him right now that she could never love him?

  Before he could risk everything by telling her how he felt, their pagers went off. As much as he was tempted to throw the blasted thing against the room, Shelly pulled away from him to reach for hers.

  “Reese has finished refueling.” Shelly frowned. “Huh. I didn’t even realize he’d gone. He’s ready to head back to the hangar.”

  “Yeah, I told him we’d meet him on the helipad.” He didn’t want to go, he wanted to stay and continue talking to Shelly.

  They still had unfinished business between them. At least on his part.

  “Oh, sure.” She blinked and gestured toward the door leading out of the lounge. “We’d better go up to meet him. What time is it anyway?”

  “Time I told you the truth.” Jared caught her hand in his before she could completely slip away. The staff lounge wasn’t the most romantic place on earth, but he couldn’t let it go. The next page could be a call out. “I love you, Shelly. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you dancing around your house, blowing that silly horn, and wearing the goofy hat while celebrating Ty’s health. I know you’re strong and independent. I know you don’t need anyone’s help, but I need you. Will you please marry me?”

  She gaped at him for a long moment. The hope that had filled his heart melted away as he realized she was trying to find a way to let him down slowly.

  But then she tightened her grip on his hands. “Jared, you’re wrong. I do need you. You have no idea how much. These past few days have been horrible without you. You think I’m strong? What a joke. I’m so not.”

  “You worked part-time to get yourself through school, had a child without any help financial or otherwise, moved back to your hometown, even though you didn’t have any family left to help support you, yet still managed to become a flight nurse.” Jared lifted a brow. “Being raised by well-off parents and attending medical school seems insignificant compared to all of that.”