by Joan Davis
*****
Honor sent the scoop of the backhoe down again and drew it back towards her. The sun was bright and hot, but Honor sat in the relative comfort of the driving compartment of the backhoe and had her eyes shielded against the sun by a pair of dark sunglasses. She was digging down into a wide section of earth at the retirement community site to make way for a communal swimming pool. Using the backhoe to dig out a rough approximation of the pool’s size, she would later use smaller equipment for the detail work. As Honor drew the backhoe’s bucket towards her, she felt the entire vehicle suddenly buck in protest. Quickly, but gently, Honor backed away from whatever obstruction she encountered. Lifting the bucket with the dirt and debris it already carried, Honor deposited the load on an already large mound of dirt that sat in a dump truck. She swung the bucket back but didn’t lower it. Instead she let the backhoe idle and made a call on her walkie-talkie system.
“Hey Pete, what can you see from where you are? Felt like a large boulder to me, over,” Honor said, looking over to where Pete was peering into the pit of dirt.
“Can’t tell, Honor. Whatever you hit is still covered in dirt. We may need to dig around it to see what we’re dealing with, over,” Pete said and shrugged his shoulder at her.
“No problem. Give me a hand to get in a better position and we’ll give it another go, over,” Honor said, and got a thumbs-up from Pete. Honor pulled the backhoe arm up close and then swung around to drive the machinery into a better position. She saw Pete race around in front of her and start directing her movements. She trusted Pete to know the safest spot for her to maneuver. Once in place, she grinned as Pete gave her another thumbs-up and then raced back to his original position as her spotter.
Honor swung back around and locked herself in place, but before she could start utilizing the backhoe, a movement caught her eye. She looked over and saw Johnny Merrick loitering near their location. Frowning, Honor put the backhoe in idle and called Pete, but kept her eye on Merrick. “Pete, did Buck rehire Merrick, over?” Honor asked.
“Hell no, what’s that little fuck doing here, over?” Pete asked obviously noticing Merrick for the first time as well.
Honor was about to speak when Merrick realized they had seen him and quickly walked off the site. “Pete, give Buck a heads up. Better safe than sorry, over,” Honor said, still watching as Merrick walked away.
“Will do, although I can’t imagine him putting any real effort into anything worthwhile, much less something malicious, over,” Pete joked.
Laughing, Honor said, “Just the same let Buck know, over.” Honor got another thumbs up and then got back to work. An hour later Honor sat idle while Buck and Sam looked down at a large and imposing boulder that Honor had uncovered. It was too heavy for the backhoe to maneuver safely, so they were discussing options. Honor knew what they needed, but she knew better than to charge in with her opinion without being invited. Sam was weighing cost versus time, and Buck was worried about delays and meeting deadlines.
After a few more minutes, Honor saw Buck look her way and he sliced his hand in front of his throat a few times. The project had ended for the day. Since Honor already had the backhoe in shut-down mode it took seconds to close everything down and secure the vehicle.
As Honor stepped out of the backhoe’s cab she looked up and saw Johnny Merrick again. This time he was racing away from the almost finished section of the retirement community. He kept looking back and Honor followed his line of site. She could see scaffolding they had just put up to do some finish work on the outside of one of the buildings. Honor looked back at Merrick and saw he had vanished. A chill went up Honor’s spine.
Honor started jogging towards the scaffolding and calling Buck on the walkie-talkie attached at her shoulder. “Buck, I just saw Merrick running away from the site. I think he might have tampered with the scaffolding that we put up next to the community center today. Call over there and warn them, just in case. I don’t know if I can make it in time, over,” Honor yelled and took off in a dead run.
Just as she rounded the corner, Honor saw two men climbing onto the scaffolding and there was a loud groan of metal, and then a popping sound. “Jump!” Honor screamed as the entire unit of scaffolding started to sway drunkenly. She saw the men jump clear and race away, but Danny Bets had been kneeling and was trying to get to his feet. Racing towards him she hooked her arms under his and heaved him to his feet and then pushed him hard so he would land away from the falling metal. Honor looked up and all she saw was scaffolding and plywood coming at her. She tried to leap sideways to avoid it. As she jumped she heard the weird popping sounds again.
Pain stabbed into Honor’s right forearm as she tucked herself into a small ball and covered her head as debris rained down on her. Oh crap, please don’t let me die in a scaffolding accident. That is so lame, Honor thought irrationally as a board smashed into her leg. She grunted in pain. Then there was dead silence. Shit, am I dead? Honor wondered for a split second, but then she heard the frantic calls of Buck and the other men in the crew.
“Honor, damn it, answer me. Are you hurt? Call out, little girl” Buck demanded.
Honor blinked her eyes and looked around carefully. She found herself cocooned under the debris that had fallen around her. “I’m here, don’t think I’m hurt, not pinned, but under a shitload of crap. Is everybody else okay?” Honor asked as loud as she could.
“Good. Don’t you worry about anybody else, girl, just keep talking, so we can find you faster. Part of a wall came down with the scaffolding so hold on girlie,” Buck said, cautious relief in his voice.
Honor heard a dull dripping sound and looked around her small space trying to figure out what it was. Honor felt a pinch of pain in her arm and looked down. With a detached fascination, Honor noticed a jagged piece of metal sticking out of her arm and blood was dripping onto the ground and creating a puddle beneath it. “Uh, Buck, I think I was wrong about being injured. I’ve got some metal sticking out of my arm and I’m bleeding pretty good. Think you guys can hurry it up and get me out?” Honor asked, wincing as pain started radiating up her arm.
“We almost gotcha girlie, don’t you worry,” Buck said gruffly, his voice clearly shaking.
Sunlight suddenly pierced Honors cocoon and she squinted. “Damn, I lost my sunglasses. I loved that pair,” Honor groused to herself.
“I’ll buy you another fucking pair of sunglasses. Quit your bitching.” Buck said as he leaned over and smiled down at Honor. He looked over at her arm and paled a bit.
“Buck O’Leary, if you pass out and land on top of me, I’m going to kick your ass. Now help me out of here,” Honor said sternly and bit her lip as the pain in her arm grew worse. She heard the sounds of sirens getting louder by the second and then heard Sam’s deep voice giving orders as the crew cleared the surrounding debris.
In just a few minutes paramedics arrived on the scene, stabilized Honor’s arm and put a cautionary neck brace on her before they lifted her carefully and placed her on a stretcher. Then loaded her into an ambulance. Lifting her head, Risa caught Buck’s eye. “I’m going to need my backpack out of my truck, but my keys are in my pocket,” Honor said and looked imploringly to the EMT worker who smiled and retrieve the keys and tossed them out to Buck. “Buck, do not call Mama Leone. She will wreck this place if she thinks I’m seriously hurt. Do you hear me?” Honor asked tightly.
Nodding Buck said, “I hear you, little girl. You don’t worry about anything. I’m right behind you.”
Honor smiled at Buck’s concerned face and then laid back and tried to grit her teeth against the pain. Right before the doors closed, she saw Fergus Sinclair standing behind Buck with such a look of rage that it made Honor shiver. The doors of the ambulance closed and it started to move. Sirens started wailing as the vehicle made it way to the hospital’s emergency wing.
*****
Gabriel and Conner sat at a long table filled with people from a new manufacturing company that just opened in Da
lton. They were looking to add additional security features to their headquarters and other facilities. Conner had just finished a proposal, and they were going over the specific costs and times of completion for each phase of the project.
Conner felt his phone vibrate quietly at his waist and brought it up and looked at the screen before handing it to Gabriel. Looking down at the phone, Gabriel read the text from Sam; ‘Honor injured on job, Trinity ER, tell G.’ Gabriel handed the phone back to Conner and got a nod from him. Gabriel handed over his prospectus to Conner, politely left the meeting and hurried down to his truck, thankful that he and Conner had driven to the meeting in separate vehicles.
Gabriel’s stomach tightened as worry over Honor settled inside him. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and pressed his foot on the gas pedal as he raced toward Trinity Memorial Hospital, which was only about five miles away. In less than three minutes he walked into the Emergency Room. Spotting Sam and Buck, Gabriel headed straight for them.
Sam was already shaking his head at Gabriel. “We don’t know anything yet. They just took her inside. We just have to wait.”
“What happened?” Gabriel demanded “How bad is it?”
“Some scaffolding and part of a wall came down on top of her and her arm was injured. She has a few other cuts and bruises, but like I said we will know more once the doctor looks her over,” Sam said. He could see panic building in his friend’s eyes and knew Gabriel wanted to get to Honor’s side.
Gabriel ran an agitated hand through his hair and nodded to Buck as they both paced. Gabriel jumped as they heard a loud crash and then heard Honor screaming and cursing. Without a thought, Gabriel burst through the ER doors, followed by Sam and Buck. They followed the sound of Honor’s irate voice until they found her sitting up on a table and facing off with a doctor and a nurse.
“I said back the hell up, lady.”
“Ma’am it’s not going to hurt a bit. We just need to put you under so the doctor can clean and suture your wound,” the nurse said soothingly and started to take another cautionary step forward.
“What aren’t you hearing? Don’t you fucking come near me with that shit. I swear to all that’s holy I will knock you on your ass if you don’t back up,” Honor said, threat clearly in her voice. When she saw Gabriel, Sam and Buck she grew furious. “You fucking assholes better not try to hold me down. I swear I will kill you if you do.” Honor shouted.
Gabriel heard the doctor whisper to the nurse, “Call security and get them down here.”
Honor wasn’t hard of hearing and roared, “You better make sure they have fucking guns because you’re going to have to shoot me before I let you knock my ass out,” Honor said, wincing in pain as she jerked her arm by accident.
“Honor, is that the problem? You don’t want to be given anything that will knock you out?” Gabriel asked her gently.
Honor looked at Gabriel for a second and he saw real fear in her eyes. But then she returned her hard stare to the doctor and nurse. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell these assholes, but they don’t seem to understand English,” Honor said. “She keeps thinking I’m worried about the pain of getting a damn shot. Idiot. I’ve got a freaking hole in my arm and she thinks I’m worried about getting a shot.”
“Why don’t you just give her a local anesthetic instead? I had one a few years back when I needed stitches in my leg. Why can’t you do that?” Sam demanded.
The doctor turned a stern face towards Sam and then took an involuntary step back as he realized the enormous size of the man who had spoken. “Sir, it’s not possible to give the patient a local anesthetic.”
“The patient is right here, asshole, and my name is Honor-freaking-Weston. Maybe you should look at that little computer you like staring at so much. I’m sure it’s on there somewhere,” Honor said snidely.
Ignoring Honor’s harsh words, but still keeping an eye on her and the nurse, Gabriel asked the doctor, “Why isn’t it possible?”
The doctor scratched his head and then said in a low, quiet voice, “Her insurance company won’t cover it. They will only cover general anesthesia.”
“What?” all three men said angrily in unison, making the doctor wince.
“Look, I have no problem with giving her a local, but the insurance people said, ‘No’.”
Honor laughed bitterly. “That just great. Thanks Sam, great medical coverage you’ve got for your people, just fucking perfect,” Honor choked on her last words, and Gabriel saw angry tears fill her eyes. He also saw uncertainty and fear, and it tore him apart.
Sam sighed in disgust, but he didn’t hold Honor’s words against her. He turned back to the doctor and said, “I’m the owner of the company that supplies Ms. Weston’s insurance, and I want her to have the local. So give me whatever paperwork I need to sign, and if I have to pay for it myself, fine, just do it.”
Three hours later, a different nurse was wheeling Honor out of the ER in a wheel chair. A sling supported her injured right arm, and Gabriel, Sam and Buck followed behind her. Buck looked at Gabriel said, “The doc said he called in prescriptions for antibiotics and steroids to help with swelling. He also called in some pain killers, just in case she needs them. I’ll run by the pharmacy and pick those up.”
Gabriel nodded and looked at Sam. “Lela is at a sleepover at Molly Ling’s house tonight. I will get Honor home and stay with her. Can you get Lela for me tomorrow?” At Sam’s nod, Gabriel jogged out to his truck and pulled it around to the front of the ER just as Honor’s nurse wheeled her up to the curb.
Sam opened the passenger door of the truck and stopped Gabriel as he was about to get out. “I’ve got her,” Sam said, and he bent down to look into Honor’s sullen face. “Are you going to slug me if I pick you up and put you in Gabriel’s truck?” Sam asked, with an amused arch to his brow.
“No,” Honor said quietly and then looked at Sam and said, “I’m sorry I said all those mean things before.”
Grinning, Sam gently lifted Honor and her small back pack into his arms and placed her on the passenger seat of Gabriel’s truck. “Don’t worry about it. You obviously haven’t heard Risa when she is in a pissy mood,” Sam said teasingly.
Honor gave Sam a slight smile and then did the same to Buck. “Thanks for getting me out of that mess, Buck.”
Buck just nodded and then said, “I’ll get your meds and bring them right out to you, little girl. You’ll be good as new in no time.”
Sam shut the passenger door on Gabriel’s truck and gave him a small salute. Gabriel looked over at Honor. She had her head leaned back on the head rest and her eyes closed. Needing to touch her, Gabriel covered Honor’s left hand as it rested on the seat and he laced his fingers through hers. She absently curled her fingers up and caressed his wrist with her thumb. Gabriel turned the truck and headed towards Honor’s home.
Twenty minutes later they pulled onto Honor’s driveway. Gabriel got out and went around the truck to open Honor’s door. Without waiting for permission, Gabriel lifted Honor in his arms and headed for the front door.
“I can walk you know,” Honor said, frowning slightly.
“I know, Honor, let me do this,” Gabriel said as he climbed the stairs to the front porch. “Get your key out,” he said and waited as she used her key with her left hand. Gabriel pushed the door open and maneuvered them inside and used his foot to close it. “Bed or couch?” Gabriel asked, as he stared into Honor’s eyes.
“Bed,” Honor said staring back at Gabriel.
Gabriel carried Honor into her bedroom and gently set her on her feet next to the bed. He knelt down and unlaced her work boots and tapped her leg she would lift it so he could remove each shoe and sock. He gently removed the sling from around Honor’s arm and shoulder and placed it at the foot of the bed. Gabriel stood up and looked at the hospital surgical shirt that they had given Honor, since both her T-shirt and flannel shirt had to be cut off at the hospital. “You want to just leave that on for the night? It look
s comfortable enough.”
“Just leave it, it’s fine,” Honor said, cradling her right arm, and then she reached down and popped the button of her jeans and pulled down the zipper.
Gabriel stepped forward and with gentle hands he pushed the thick material over Honor’s hips. “Hold on to me while I get the legs,” Gabriel said and felt Honors left hand grip his right shoulder as she lifted her leg so he could pull her jeans free. He saw a large bruise on her right thigh and winced. “That’s a nasty looking bruise you got there.” Gabriel ignored the tightness in his groin as he saw Honor was wearing a pair of black silk underwear.
“Yeah, I think it’s from a board that hit me,” Honor shrugged.
He stepped around her and pulled the bed’s comforter down, helped her get in under the covers and lay her head on a pillow. He pulled the covers back up around her, except for her right arm which he propped up on the other pillow. Gabriel couldn’t resist gently brushing her hair back from her face. There was a knock at the door.
“That’s probably Buck,” Honor said softly.
Gabriel nodded and left the room, then returned with Buck. “I got all your medicine right here, little girl. The doc at the hospital said they already dosed you for today, but in the morning just follow the directions on the bottles. I know you said you didn’t want the pain killers, but I got them anyway, just in case. I’m just going to put them here on your bed table,” Buck said in a fatherly voice. “Now if you need anything, just call and Evelyn and I will be right over. You got that little girl?” Buck asked.
“Thanks Buck, for everything,” Honor said, nodding. Buck patted her head awkwardly and waved goodbye before leaving. “You don’t have to stay, Gabriel. I’ll be fine,” Honor said quietly.
“I’m staying,” Gabriel said emphatically as he put away Honor’s work boots and placed her jeans in the hamper by the bathroom.