Lori closed her eyes then leaned her head against the seatback. She tried to focus on the future, on the increased responsibility that had fallen on her shoulders. Yet it all seemed overwhelming, since she would face running the clinic alone. She had been very close to her father and had relied on him in her career.
The flight attendant said over the loudspeaker, “If there is a doctor on board, please come to the galley immediately.”
Instantly alert, Lori got out of her seat and made her way by the two passengers seated next to her. Once in the aisle, she responded to the call. There would be only one reason for such an announcement. The crew needed assistance with an inflight emergency.
Crews were onboard to see to the passengers’ comfort and safety, but they were not medically trained. It didn’t happen often, but Lori or her father had assisted before when a crisis occurred. So far, the incidents had been controllable, and no one had died.
The pilot might choose to land the plane if a passenger was in a life-threatening condition. That could prove impossible on international flights, and Lori had once stabilized a woman with severe diabetic symptoms until the plane could land.
Lori was a professional, so her focus was on the patient, her own issues irrelevant now. She hoped it wasn’t anything too serious. After sweeping back the curtain, she stepped inside to take in the scene. There was a man in his forties lying on a pad on the floor with his shoes off.
“Are you a doctor?” the flight attendant said.
“Yes, I run the Waters Pain Clinic.” Lori didn’t have time to talk. It was clear the man was in anaphylactic shock. His skin was pale; his lips and eyelids were swollen. He appeared to have trouble breathing.
“This is Marco Bacci,” the flight attendant said.
Lori was already on the floor beside him. “Marco, I’m going to help you,” Lori said. The man nodded but seemed unable to speak. Most likely, his throat was swollen.
“Bring me the EpiPen,” Lori said, since she could use it to quickly treat the severe allergic reaction.
“We don’t have one,” the flight attendant said. “I’ll get the advanced life-support kit.” She reached in a cupboard and pulled out the kit.
There wasn’t much time. Such a reaction could be due to food, drugs, bee sting, or other allergens. It didn’t matter. The anaphylaxis was severe and potentially life-threating. She guessed the cause had been the ingestion of food, since that would result in a slower progression of the allergic reaction.
Lori couldn’t say how long she had. Once the anaphylaxis peaked, it could turn deadly in less than fifteen minutes. She rummaged through the kit. Thankfully, she found epinephrine and a syringe. “You’ll have to help me,” she said to the flight attendant.
The flight attendant knelt beside her.
“Remove his slacks. I’ll have to inject into his thigh muscle.” Lori started preparing the injection, adjusting the dose to one appropriate for a man of his size.
Then Lori looked at Marco. His eyelids were swollen but not completely closed. “You’re having a severe allergic reaction. I’m going to give you an injection. This is adrenaline, and it will bring you out of shock. Your symptoms should abate.”
Marco looked at her, clearly suffering.
“I won’t kid you; this is going to hurt. In a hospital, there are alternatives. But injecting into your leg muscle is the best option we have here.” Lori didn’t see the need to mention that if the situation deteriorated, there was a risk that she’d have to open his airways with an incision.
The flight attendant held Marco’s leg stable while Lori administered the injection. Then she gave Marco a look of encouragement. As the epinephrine began to work, Marco began to breathe easier. After a few deep breaths, he said through swollen lips, “Shit…I thought I was going to die.”
Lori took his hand. “Fortunately, the emergency kit had what we needed. Sorry, it was a bit rough, but it worked.”
“I owe you my life,” Marco said between deep breaths.
“That’s what doctors do,” Lori said. “When you get to the hospital, you’ll be given more epinephrine intravenously. What I’ve given you will last until you get there, so don’t worry.”
“We’re only thirty minutes from the airport,” the flight attendant said. “An ambulance is waiting and ready.” Then she spoke on the intercom to let the pilot know that the situation was under control.
“I’ll stay with you until you deplane,” Lori said. “I’ll monitor your heart and breathing.”
“My throat is better,” Marco said. “It was so swollen it felt like there was a tight band around my neck.”
“Yes, I can imagine so,” Lori said. “Do you have any idea what the allergen was?”
“I can’t say for sure.” Marco was talking, if in a labored fashion. “I wasn’t aware of anything that I’d react to. I did have food at the snack bar before the flight. I’m allergic to peanuts, but I’m always careful about that.”
“That could have been it,” Lori said. “There might have been undetected peanuts. Or food that was made on equipment that also processes peanuts.”
“I started to feel ill while boarding,” Marco said. “Then it got worse and worse. I realized it was serious and managed to buzz for the flight attendant.”
“It’s good she called for a doctor right away.”
“That really gave me a scare,” Marco said. “Yesterday, I was well when I flew to the Houston Pain Clinic for a meeting.”
“I was there, too,” Lori said. “But I was at the conference giving a speech.”
For the remainder of the flight, Lori talked with her patient. Now that he was out of immediate danger, she distracted him with conversation. His appearance was professional. The polo shirt and nice slacks, plus the good haircut, spoke of respectability.
“I’m an attorney,” Marco said, then he pulled a card from his pocket.
“Always prepared, huh?” Lori said, examining the card. Embossed in gold was Bacci & Associates. The office was in Santa Monica.
“That’s my firm,” Marco said. “If you need legal counsel, give me a call.”
“I don’t plan to,” Lori said. “But thanks. How are you feeling?”
“Like a million bucks.”
“I like a man with a sense of humor,” Lori said. She wrapped a cuff around his bicep and inflated it, then read the gauge. “Your blood pressure has improved. Earlier, it was extremely low, which happens with this type of incident.”
“I heard you say that you run the Waters clinic?”
“My father used to…” Lori’s personal life came crashing back. “He…passed away. So, now I’m in charge.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Marco said. “About your father, I mean.”
“We’re going to land in a few minutes,” the flight attendant said to Lori. “You should sit in the seat next to me and buckle in.”
*****
Paramedics rolled Marco off the plane on a gurney, but not before he thanked Lori again. Then she was permitted to deplane before the other passengers. The pilot expressed his gratitude for her care of the passenger, and Lori shook his hand. She was relieved that she had saved a life.
Lori had used her skill to yank Marco from the brink of death. If only she could have done the same for her father. But his situation had been different. She wished that she’d had a chance to avert disaster, like she had just moments ago, but reality was harsh. A life saved, a life lost—yet it was difficult to accept.
As Lori rolled her suitcase down the jetway, she thought of her fiancé—actually, former fiancé. It would be nice if that had worked out, but it had been doomed from the start. Matthew Carter’s role at the clinic as practice manager involved him in key administrative functions.
Lori’s father had hired him based on his impressive resumé and experience. After Matt had been on duty for barely a month, he had begun flirting. At first, it had been fun and flattering. But the relationship developed quickly. Matt endeared hi
mself to Lori’s father, who began to trust and count on him.
That would have been fine, as Lori was pleased that her father had an employee he could rely on. It took a lot to run a major pain clinic, and she hadn’t wanted to see her father overworked. Matt’s role allowed Lori and her father to focus on the medical side of the business.
Matt was handsome, so it had been easy to fall for him. He was five eleven, fit and toned. His lean body and sexy blue eyes had captivated Lori. He had poured on the charm and courted her. It had been very romantic. Images of nights at his downtown condo reminded her of emotions that she’d rather forget.
The penthouse had an extra-large, city-facing balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows. The gorgeous night views had been the ideal setting for seducing her. Good wine and soft music completed the trap. Lori didn’t know why she thought of it that way.
It really wasn’t fair of her. Lori had agreed to marry Matt then hadn’t known why she wasn’t happy. She was thirty-six years old and hadn’t been married before. She attributed that to dedicating her life to a career. Sometimes it seemed as though she couldn’t have both.
It had seemed possible with Matt, because he had been immersed in the clinic like she was. They had that in common. But Lori’s attraction faded. The longer she was engaged, the more she wished for her freedom. But she tried to convince herself that it was her issue, that the relationship was basically sound.
Yet Lori hadn’t felt love like she should have. But what did she know? She hadn’t been in love, not truly. There had been some infatuations, a few relationships with possibilities. But not one of those had worked out.
It was her fault. She was too career-oriented, and any man she dated wanted more of her time—more of her, period. That hadn’t worked for her. The clinic came first, and her passion for medicine equaled her father’s. Dating was a distraction, and a serious relationship was out of the question.
That was the way Lori had thought until Matt became a part of her life. It had been time to face reality. If she wanted to marry, then she would have to compromise. There had to be a way to balance her life, and find happiness in the give and take with an intimate partner.
Guilt had riddled Lori. She had wanted to tell Matt it wasn’t going to work. Yet every time she had tried, he cut her off. He had talked her out of it, convinced her that they were meant for each other. But her heart told her otherwise.
When Lori’s father died, it had all been too much. After the funeral, she’d told Matt it was over. She couldn’t explain what was wrong, or why he wasn’t the one for her. He wouldn’t understand, anyway. So, she had shared her feelings, whether that made sense to him or not.
With the loss of her father, Lori hadn’t been able to deal with the failing relationship. She hadn’t had motivation to try and make it work. And hadn’t seen the point. She had told Matt that it was all too much. She had been devastated by her father’s death, and going on without him would be tough.
Taking over the clinic and surviving the grief was all she could deal with. Matt had been hurt and tried to argue Lori out of it. But that time she hadn’t budged. It was over, and they both had to face that. She didn’t have her father to lean on anymore. And she didn’t have a fiancé to give her emotional support.
Lori was alone, and that sucked. But she didn’t have a choice in the matter. There was one thing she knew for sure: she would keep her father’s dream alive. It had become her dream as well. She would get it together and make sure the clinic survived.
When Lori emerged into the waiting area, it was packed with people. In recent years, Matt had picked her up at the airport, but that was no longer the case. She wove through the crowd looking for a familiar face, then she saw him and waved.
It was of some comfort to see her uncle’s smiling face. Lori appreciated his support, especially during this period of grief. He had been gentle and caring, which was all she could ask for. When she got free of the tangle of passengers, she gave her uncle a hug.
Sheldon Marino was tall and strong, so much different than her father. He had dark hair and eyes and resembled his Italian father. Lori’s father had been blond with blue eyes, just like she was. The two had been half-brothers, and the difference in looks came from their heritage.
But Sheldon had been a part of Lori’s life throughout her upbringing. He was someone she could trust, and that meant a lot.
“Uncle Sheldon.” She kissed his cheek. “I appreciate you picking me up. It’s a madhouse here. I don’t have any other luggage, so lead me out. I need some air.”
“How was Houston?” Sheldon took the handle of her case to roll it out for her.
“For October, it was a little cool,” Lori said. “But I won’t complain about seventy degrees and sunny.”
“And how was the conference?”
“I managed to give the speech, if that’s what you mean.” Lori took a deep breath. “I’m glad it’s over. It was really hard for me to face an audience so soon after my father’s death.”
“I understand,” Sheldon said. “I still think you should have cancelled. You push yourself too hard.”
“I couldn’t do that,” Lori said. “My father spoke at that conference every year, and what he planned to share was important. I couldn’t let him down.”
Sheldon didn’t argue. It was touching that he cared about her. It seemed that after her father died, Sheldon had stepped up to take the fatherly role. Sheldon was fifty-nine, a couple of years older than her father had been when he passed. He did, indeed, seem fatherly.
When Lori stepped out to the sidewalk, the heat hit her. It had to be eighty degrees. “And back to the warm L.A. weather.”
Sheldon smiled. “How about a late lunch? I’m sure you didn’t eat on the plane.”
Lori’s stomach growled, although she didn’t have much appetite. But it would be good to sit and talk for a while. “Sure, you pick. I’ll eat whatever sounds good to you.”
“How about Top of the Town?”
Lori linked her arm with Sheldon’s. “You don’t have to do that.” The restaurant was one of the most beautiful, perched atop a downtown bank tower with stunning views of the city.
“Nothing is too good for my niece,” Sheldon said. “And maybe you’ll find a dish that you’ll actually eat.”
Lori couldn’t deny that not much sounded appetizing. “Yes, maybe.”
The prospect of lunch with her uncle boosted Lori’s spirits. She could relax in his company and talk about things. He would be proud of her for saving a passenger’s life. That would be a story to tell. Besides, Lori wasn’t anxious to go home.
After her father died, Lori had moved out of her apartment and into his house—but it seemed so empty. Years ago, when her mother had passed away, the place had seemed too large for one person. But her father had memories there, and he refused to sell it.
The house was Lori’s now, and she couldn’t bear to part with it. Yet living there alone—without even a fiancé to warm her bed some nights—was depressing. She had no one but herself to blame for that. Maybe after lunch, she would ask Sheldon to drop her at the clinic.
There was an overwhelming list of tasks that Lori needed to tend to. She had put them off for long enough. Grief or not, she was in charge and needed to start acting like it. Work would be therapeutic. Treating patients and alleviating pain made her feel valuable and gave her purpose.
Sheldon ushered Lori into his BMW, then stowed her suitcase in the trunk. He got in and turned to her. “I want you to know that if you need anything, you must ask. I realize that you want to be strong, and I respect that. I’ve always admired your strength and professionalism. But I understand how difficult it was to lose Robert…your father. I miss him too. We have to stick together.”
“That is kind of you,” Lori said. “You are the only person I have that I can count on, so that means a lot.”
Sheldon squeezed her arm affectionately, then he headed for the restaurant. Lori leaned back and closed her e
yes. For a moment, she allowed herself the luxury of imagining that her father was still alive, that he would greet her at the clinic and share the latest patient crisis.
Lori couldn’t hold on to the past; she had to move forward. When she opened her eyes, she would quit dreaming and face her responsibilities. But her father would always be in her heart; he would be with her in spirit if not in body. And she vowed to wrap up the details surrounding his death and put any nagging unanswered questions behind her.
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