He nodded at the backseat of the vehicle, the sudden sound of sirens bearing down on them a welcome relief.
“There’s a car seat. Check it for me, will you? But if there’s a child, don’t move it.”
Not waiting for an answer, he went around the front and yanked the driver’s-side door open. The unconscious woman inside gasped, her mouth wide open as she sucked down air, the harsh unevenness of the sound sending an ominous chill through him. The edge of the steering wheel—despite the presence of an airbag—pressed against the right side of the woman’s chest, which meant the force generated by the impact had traveled through the steering column and into her body.
He gulped, his heart rate spiking off the charts when he noted that with each inspiration the left side of the patient’s chest rose in a normal fashion, but a significant portion of her right side collapsed inward instead of expanding—a clear sign that multiple ribs had broken free, preventing her diaphragm from doing its job.
Flail chest. Game-changer.
He needed to get her out of that car. Now.
A uniform appeared at his right, the man ducking his head to take a look. “You the doctor?”
“Yes. I have a critical patient here. Do we have an ETA on the ambulance?”
“One’s about a minute out, another’s on the way.”
“She’s first.” He nodded at his patient, two fingers automatically going to her carotid artery to take her pulse, his gaze straying to the hand of his watch as he calculated the beats per minute.
“I’ll see what I can do.” The cop moved away.
“Tell them I need a backboard,” he yelled after he’d gotten the count.
Rapid and thready, as he’d expected.
“Kate?” he called, remembering he’d asked her to check out the car seat. “What have you got back there? Anything?”
“Yes, there’s a baby. I—I don’t know how old she is. She’s wrapped in a blanket, and she’s breathing. I can’t see blood anywhere, but she’s unconscious.”
“Okay, just stay with her for a few minutes and tell me if there are any changes.”
He heard the telltale slam of a truck door nearby. Thank God. His mind followed the sound indicators.
Swish. Click. Wheels of a gurney being lowered and snapped into place.
Rattle, rattle, rattle. The stretcher being wheeled across the roadway toward him.
Another head appeared. “What have you got?”
“Probable rib fractures resulting in a flail chest. Pulse one-twenty and thready.” He paused for a second before forcing the words out. “I’ll need some help getting her out of here, though.”
The paramedic blinked, his glance skipping over Luke’s face for a second before nodding. “Right.”
Luke limped back a pace or two to let the EMTs by, his hand going to his thigh and digging his fingers into the flesh to take his mind off the growing pain. It was nothing in comparison to the life-and-death battle going on inside that car. And she had a child. “There’s a baby in the back,” he said to the paramedics.
“My partner just had a look. Her vitals are strong. We’ll tend to the baby next and bring her with us in the ambulance. Injuries in the other cars appear to be minimal.”
“Good.” At least he’d made the right call in staying with this particular patient. “Careful with her back and with the ribs on her right side. The steering wheel is still making contact there.”
As soon as they’d secured the patient, he turned to Kate. “Do you have your international driver’s permit?”
“Yes, why?”
“I need to ride with her in the ambulance, if possible. We’re about a block away from the hotel. Just turn right at the next corner. And for heaven’s sake, keep to the left. Think you can get there without killing yourself or anyone else?”
“Yes, but what about your car?”
“I’ll pick it up later. I don’t want to leave it here, and I need to go. Now.”
Her glance went to his leg, where his fingers were still working to relieve the cramping. “Are you going to be all right?”
So she had noticed. Perfect.
He made his hand go slack, digging into his pocket for his car keys, instead. “I’ll be fine.”
One of the EMTs called over, “Ready to transport.”
Kate reached over and plucked the keys from him. “Go. I’ll take care of your car. Call me when you’re done, okay?”
CHAPTER FIVE
WHAT WAS WRONG with Luke’s leg?
She’d been shocked by the way he’d hurried over to the scene of the accident. He’d had a kind of uneven, hobbling run that had done the job but certainly hadn’t looked very comfortable. She’d never noticed him limp before. Had he twisted his ankle in his hurry to get over there?
Hmm...no, his hand had massaged his upper thigh, like he’d been working out a kink. A cramp? Maybe.
But the way he’d lowered his arm the second he’d seen her looking at it didn’t fit that scenario, either. Kate put the keys to his car on the table in her hotel room and paced, the thick beige carpet beneath her feet deadening the sound. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was just after eight. Already dark outside. Who knew how long he’d be at the hospital? He’d seemed to indicate he’d call, although he hadn’t actually said the words.
Well, she did have his car. So he’d have to get in touch with her eventually.
Even as she thought it, the phone rang. Wow, that was fast.
She picked up the receiver. “I was wondering how long you’d be.”
“Sorry?” The soft, clipped tones bore no resemblance to the low, intense murmur that had sent shivers over her in the supply closet. “Is this Kate, then?”
“Um...yes.”
There was a pause. “You sound like her, you know.”
Kate realized in a flash who it was and sat on the edge of the bed. “Nick?”
There was another pause, longer this time. “Yes.”
She thought there might be a slight edge of hurt to his tone, but surely he didn’t expect her to call him Dad. Only one man had earned that right. But the fact that Nick thought she sounded like her mother made a fresh wave of grief wash over her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize your voice.”
“That’s to be expected, I suppose.” He cleared his throat. “I’m actually calling on my wife’s behalf. She wondered if you might like to have dinner at our house some time next week. I realize we haven’t had much time together, and...well, she thought it was the right thing to do.”
Surprise washed over her. “That’s very kind. I’m sure none of this has been easy on her. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t come to London.”
“No. Absolutely not. I’m glad you did. I just wish I’d known that...well, that’s neither here nor there. Could you come, do you think?”
“If she’s sure.”
“She is. She’s had a rough go of it recently, but she’d like to get to know you. As would I.” Another voice sounded in the background, and Nick answered before coming back on the line. “I’d invite Luke as well, of course.”
Of course. She almost smiled. Maybe he and Tiggy thought they’d need Luke’s help sorting out her Southern accent. Funny how she never thought of herself as having one. But then again, no one ever thought they did. “Will you be well enough to have company? I mean, with your surgery.”
“I’m a bit sore still, but, well...I don’t know how long you’ll be here or when you’ll be back.”
Kate didn’t know if she’d ever be back. It all depended on how everything went. And she had told Luke she wanted to get to know Nick better, and possibly help with his therapy in some way. “If you’re sure.”
“We are.”
She couldn’t help but smile at th
e emphasis he’d place on the word we. He sounded...happy.
* * *
He didn’t want to pick up his car.
Oh, some perverse part of him did, but the realist in him wanted to just call her up and say, “Keep it.” His flail chest patient, despite everyone’s best efforts, hadn’t made it. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’d evidently been a single mom, and no one knew who the baby’s father was.
So the child—a little girl—was now at the mercy of the system. At least until they could find someone to give them some answers about her relatives. A social worker had already come to the hospital and carried the baby away, saying she’d get her into foster care.
And his leg hurt like the devil. The stress of running—something he normally avoided—had done a number on it. And standing for another three hours as they’d feverishly fought to stabilize the patient hadn’t helped, although he’d barely noticed the throbbing pain while they’d been in the thick of battle.
The thick of battle.
There’s a term he hadn’t used in a while. But it was true. Emergency medicine never knew what it might face on any given day. Some days were good. And some days were horrific. Like the day he’d taken Kate by storm after losing another patient.
A day very much like today. He leaned against the hallway wall just outside the break room to take the weight off his leg.
Only he couldn’t afford to let his guard down like that again. There was that little promise he’d made to Nick to consider, but it was also ridiculous to think Kate would simply fall into bed with him whenever he lost a patient—for as long as she was here, anyway.
Not only that, but he had a feeling that she was going to ask questions as soon as he saw her. She’d already looked at him oddly at the accident site, and it was doubtful he’d be able to hide the limp that went along with overdoing it. The last thing he wanted to do was trudge through old, familiar territory.
Okay, so he could take a cab over to the hotel, meet her beside his car, jump in and take off. She’d be none the wiser, right?
Unless she asked him to come up.
He didn’t see that happening.
But just in case... He straightened, exhaustion taking hold as he made his way to the nurses’ station. Luckily, there was a familiar face behind the desk, her dyed hair just a shade shy of blue beneath the cool light of the tube fluorescents. Mimi Copeland. His favorite nurse.
He rested a hand on the desk and waited for her to glance up at him. When she did, she gave him a compassionate smile, deep wrinkles in her cheeks coming to life. “Well, hello, Dr. Blackman. Heard you had quite a night.”
“You could say that. I have to pick my car up from a visiting...friend. Could you do me a favor and call and let her know I’m on my way?”
“You mean could I ring her?”
He chuckled at her good-natured ribbing, trying to ignore the speculative gleam in her eyes. Great. He turned a pad of paper toward himself and scribbled down the number of the hotel. “If you could ask the front desk to give Kate Bradley a message, saying I’m on my way over and could she please meet me downstairs.” There. He’d emphasized the word. Maybe that would keep the gossip to a minimum. He doubted it, but it was the best he could do on short notice.
“Sure thing, Doctor.” As she started to dial, he slowly made his way to the entrance and hailed a cab. Thankfully he didn’t have to hobble much farther than the hospital entrance to find one. He’d have to wait until he got home to down a muscle relaxant, as he didn’t want to drive once he’d taken it.
All the way over to the hotel he rehearsed his words, needing to keep the conversation as short as possible.
He frowned when he got there. Kate was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was waiting inside the lobby. He handed the driver a bill, telling him to keep the change, then climbed out of the taxi, stabilizing himself on the door for a minute when his leg complained at being roused.
“Are you all right?” the taxi driver asked.
“Yep.” He slammed the door, pulled in a deep breath and started walking. Parking must be underground or around back, as he didn’t see anything other than a car or two in the covered check-in lane. But there was a valet booth off to the side, so maybe Kate had just left the keys with him. He could hope, anyway.
He pulled even with the guy, shifting his weight to his good leg. “Did a Katherine Bradley leave the keys to my car with you, by any chance?”
The man’s dark mustache twitched as he leaned over to check a clipboard. “Not that I can see, sir. If you have her room number I can check if you’d like.”
“That’s all right. I’ll ask at the front desk.”
Fifty feet to get inside. Fifty feet to get back out. Then the valet would bring his car round. He gritted his teeth. Once upon a time he’d run training drills with huge packs on his back and come back ready for more. Those days were long gone. Right now he could barely walk the distance it took to get inside a hotel lobby.
He knew it wasn’t fair to judge things by how he felt right now. By tomorrow morning he’d probably be fine. It was the afternoons and evenings, after he’d been on his feet all day, that gave him problems.
Having to run on it...well, that was never a good idea at any time of day. Not that he’d had a choice today.
And to have his patient die anyway...thanks to a drunken idiot who hadn’t known when to quit.
Like him that day in Afghanistan? No, he hadn’t been drinking and, yes, he’d been trying to save one of his buddy’s lives, but rushing into an unknown area was never a good idea. He’d just made himself into a target.
He pushed away the memories and schooled his face to display cool disinterest. By the time he reached the young woman manning the front desk, he was back in control. She sent him a youthful megawatt smile, which just made him feel a million years old.
“Hello. How can I help you, sir?”
He braced his hands on the desk, hoping it didn’t look like he was about to leap over it and attack her. Because he wasn’t. He wasn’t in any shape to do much of anything at the moment. “I’m trying to reach Kate...er...Katherine Bradley. She’s staying here.”
“And you would be...?” One perfectly groomed brow arched just a bit higher.
“Luke Blackman. Someone was supposed to leave a message that I was picking up my car.”
Why the hell wasn’t Kate stepping off that elevator?
“Oh, yes, I see it. I rang Ms. Bradley right afterward and let her know.” She hesitated. “Would you like me to try again?”
“Please.” Okay, so the word hadn’t come out in the most gracious tone, so he tried again. “Thank you.”
The receptionist waited, the phone pressed to her ear. “Ms. Bradley? A Mr. Blackman is here in the lobby. Will you be coming straight down?” She blinked a time or two then bit her lip. “Right. Yes, I’ll tell him.”
She set the phone down carefully. “She’s having a bit of difficulty locating the key and wonders if you’d...um...give her a hand.”
What the...?
He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out something that didn’t involve walking, but came up empty.
“Lift?” he gritted. Why couldn’t one thing go easily today?
“Just to your left, sir.”
Luke swung away from the desk and did his best impression of a casual saunter, knowing it probably resembled more of a duck walk. How could someone misplace a set of keys in a hotel room? It’s not like there were a million places it could be.
He made it to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor, leaning against the nearest wall once he was inside. He should have gone with his first instinct and taken the taxi to his apartment and come back for the car tomorrow. But he had to ride right past the hotel, and had figured it would be just as easy to swing by on the way h
ome. This was ridiculous.
When the doors opened again, he noted with relief that room 302 was just a few feet away. The door was ajar, but there was no sign of Kate. Which was good. At least she wouldn’t stand there and watch him try to haul himself across the foyer. But if she expected him to be able to crawl around on his hands and knees and help search for the key, she’d be disappointed.
He knocked and the door swung open farther. “Kate?”
“Come on in. Sorry for the confusion.”
When he pushed the door wider, he was shocked to find her seated in a chair, a glass of red wine in her hand, bare feet propped on the edge of the huge bed. Why was she just sitting there? Had she already located the key?
“I came to pick up my car.”
“Oh, of course.” She nodded at the table to her left, the slow drawl making it sound like she had all the time in the world. She was wearing some kind of stretchy pants and a loose T-shirt, like workout gear or something. “I’ve got the keys right here.”
He drew a slow careful breath. “The receptionist said you couldn’t find them.”
Kate set the glass down and got to her feet, a spark of concern coming into her eyes. “Luke? How bad is it?”
He just stood there, trying to pretend he didn’t hurt like a sonofabitch. He could do this. Stroll to that table, snatch the keys off it and walk back out. “I’m fine.”
He took a step, forcing his leg to bear his full weight, and almost lost it. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he took a second and then a third step, his jaw working hard to contain the flurry of evil words that were swirling in his head.
“Stop it!” She grabbed the keys and moved in front of him. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea you’d be in this much pain.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I talked to Nick this evening, but I never imagined...”
His eyes closed. Of course she’d talked to him. He’d seen the way she’d looked at his leg at the accident scene. If she was truly a physical therapist, she could decode the signals, just like all the other therapists who’d worked on him. And none of them had done him a lick of good.
The Lone Wolf's Craving Page 4