“Yeah.” Kabe nodded. “Mostly. Things were spider-webbed but the glass held.”
Carla took the stethoscope off my chest and out of her ears. “It’s probably irritation from the cornstarch or, more likely, talc in the airbag packing.” She looped the instrument around the back of her neck and moved towards the wall where my chart hung. “You,” finally she was talking to me instead of about me, “might be sensitive to the propellant, but we’d see more respiratory distress from that.” She noted some things on the paper. “I’ll let your doctor know, but the wheezing doesn’t sound too bad.” She looked up at one of the monitors to the side of me. “Blood oxygen levels look fine. It should resolve in another day, but we’ll keep an eye on it. How’s your pain?”
Grumpy, uncomfortable, I growled, “Compared to what?” Cain’t say I was in the best mood ever. I mean, I knew I was lucky to be in as good of shape as I was, but still, I wished I was someplace else.
Carla didn’t seem to pay my lousy mood no mind. “Okay, one to ten…one being almost no pain to ten, having your leg sawed off without anesthetic.” She grinned. “Where would you say you fall?”
I had to chuckle a bit. “I’m on some pretty good medication.” ‘Course that got me coughing up my lungs again. When I could talk, I added, “When it wears off more I’ll let you know, but right now I could enjoy a good train wreck.”
“Well, Joe, that lets us know it’s working.” She noted that down, hopefully cleaning it up a bit. “I’m going to ask you a couple of questions, okay? They may seem a little stupid, but I see that you were blacked out for awhile so I want to see that you’re alright. What’s your name?”
I teased, “Ain’t that in your little chart?” When she glared, in that way that only nurses can, I answered. “Joseph Price Peterson.”
“Who’s the Sheriff in this county, deputy?” Her tone added a bit more rebuke.
“Myron Simple.” Even when I was serious, I had to josh a bit. “And he’s going to tan my hide for tearing up the newest patrol vehicle we have.”
She grinned. “Your birthday?”
“April twenty-fifth and I will be thirty-three this coming spring.” I didn’t want to get short, but I was pretty wrung out and worn. “You got enough to know I didn’t scramble my brains?”
One of those almost patronizing, but still sympathetic grimaces flashed across her face. “Tired?” As she spoke, she jotted the last of it on my chart and then hung it on the wall near my bed.
“Kinda.” I huffed it out. I was beyond tired…exhausted deep through my bones might have come close to how I felt.
“Look,” Carla fluffed my pillow and adjusted some things on the monitor next to me…I mean I had one of those little finger cuffs on my left middle finger and a drip line of something into my left arm, but there weren’t nothing major strapped to me. “Take it easy, sleep if you can.” Patting my arm, she added, “You’re going to be here overnight.”
“Is he that bad?” The hollow echo in Kabe’s voice told me he was darn scared. Maybe if he was I ought to be… Right then, however, I figured I’d let him worry for the both of us.
“No.” She reached across me to touch Kabe’s nose. “He was obviously in a car wreck, but he’ll come out okay.” I don’t think I’d ever seen Carla that familiar with anyone. ‘Course, I didn’t usually stick around for this part of things. “We only do releases in the morning.” Carla turned her face and smiled down at me, “Okay, Joe, does one of my favorite deputies need anything?”
Managed to mumble out, “I’m kinda thirsty.” Actually, I was more than kinda thirsty, but I didn’t want to come off too needy to Carla.
“I’ll get you some ice chips.” She patted my chest. I guess I was like a puppy to her right then…pet ‘em so they don’t whine. “Once the doctor checks you out and signs off on it, I’ll get you some juice. You should be cleared to have a decent dinner tonight. I’ll let Carlos, in the kitchen, know you’re here. He always treats you guys special.”
“You guys?” Kabe sounded unsure of what she meant.
“Law enforcement and other first responders.” Carla sort of shrugged, like it should make sense to him. “Family.”
I knew, even as drugged up as I was, what she meant. I managed to add, “Kabe’s got to learn that.”
Carla laughed a little, with one of those quiet, nurse type laughs. Then she headed out the door. Just before she walked out, Carla paused and sorta turned to stare back at us both. “You know,” she hesitated just a moment before rushing out, “one of our nurses’ aides is going out on maternity leave in a couple of months, it’s temporary, but…you should apply.” With an encouraging smile, she added, “Hospital work looks good on a resume when you’re trying to land EMT gigs.”
Kabe, who’d gone back to stroking my thumb with his own, muttered, “I’ll think about it.”
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter 26
A clap of his hands signaled Dr. Snow’s arrival in the room. “Hey, Joe!” Tucker Snow and I went to high school together. Obviously, he’d gone a bit of a different direction than me. Still we both ended up right back in Panguitch. Just took him a few years longer than it did me to come on home.
I eased into my shirt. “Doc Snow, how you doing?” Wasn’t all that easy with a hand all bandaged up. Kabe started bothering, trying to help, and I jerked away a bit. Then I realized I actually needed him. It’d been easier getting my pants on, so long as I moved slow, ‘cause I could take the brace off my leg. Then Carla showed me and Kabe how to fasten it back up before she went off to grab a wheelchair.
Even with all Kabe’s fussing over me, Dr. Snow didn’t do much more than just raise an eyebrow. “I work in the best place in the world.” He tipped up my chin and looked over my face, kinda touching the bruising around my left eye and the bridge of my nose. “The sun is shining and I delivered three babies this morning. I’m doing great.” Nodding, he stepped back. “Well, everything looks about as good as it can right now. Ready to go home?”
Went to button up my shirt and realized that this one handed thing was going to be a major pain in the rear. “And how.” I could do it, it just weren’t easy. Kabe reached over to help. I might have glared, but I didn’t stop him.
Realized I’d missed something Dr. Snow said while I was messing with my shirt. “So you should follow up,” he didn’t seem to notice, “with your regular doctor sometime tomorrow.”
“Ah, yeah.” I huffed out a breath. “I don’t got one right now.”
That stopped him. He kinda looked at me funny. “I thought your family always saw Dr. Prestwick.”
“Yeah.” I’d been going to him since I was knee high to a grasshopper. “He don’t seem to have many open appointments these days.” Least ways, for me that is. Everyone else I knew seemed to be able to get into see him right quick.
“Really?” Dr. Snow’s eyes went a little wide as what I meant must have hit him. “Okay, well,” he pulled a card out of his shirt pocket and handed it over, “I see private patients two days a week. Call up my wife, Cindy, and make an appointment. Probably going to have to refer you down to Cedar City for an orthopedist, send you in for an MRI there too.”
“Thanks.” I winced as I reached back to shove the card in my jeans’ pocket. “How’s our boy Alex doing?” Carla’d already told me he had a room just down the hall.
“Considering everything,” Dr. Snow crossed his arms over his chest. “He came away lucky to be alive. He’s going to be here for a while.”
“But you’re fine with sending Joe on home, injured.” All morning Kabe’d insisted he didn’t think I was ready to be released just yet. Guess he needed to get in another dig.
“Joe’s banged up.” Kabe got a grin. “But he’ll be more comfortable at home.” Carla came in with the wheelchair at that point and Dr. Snow moved out of her way. “That boy’s in traction.”
Took us a bit to get me into the chair and for Kabe to collect what little bits—a few cards and
balloons and the like—that I’d accumulated since yesterday, as well as the stuff I’d need when I got home. Carla’d already put me in my place about having to ride in the chair, at least until I got out of the hospital. I gave up when she started quoting safety regulations. We all chit-chatted about much of nothing while I got settled and she wheeled me on into the hall. Dr. Snow walked alongside me and Kabe kinda moved back and forth like he weren’t sure if he should lead or follow.
About halfway down the hall, two ladies stepped out of a room. One was all tearful and I didn’t know her. Recognized the other as one of the sisters from the local LDS Relief Society, likely sent down by the Ward’s bishop to offer comfort. They hugged a bit, talking pretty low so we couldn’t hear. Carla slowed up and then stopped, I guess so they’d have a little bit of privacy since they hadn’t seemed to notice us yet.
“Who’s that woman?” I whispered the question to Dr. Snow.
He leaned down and whispered back, “Alex’s mom.”
Just who I needed to see right then. “Great.” I set my good leg down, braced myself on the arm of the chair with my right hand and stood on up.
“Hold on a moment.” Carla grabbed my shoulder. “You’re supposed to ride in the wheelchair until we discharge you.”
“Well.” I sassed her back. “I ain’t leaving just yet.” I reached over and tried to move on past Kabe. We traded glares for a moment, before he relented and offered up his shoulder. I’m sure he realized I’d just try walking without him if need be. I hobbled down the hall, Kabe on one side, supporting me, and Dr. Snow on the other. Both seemed about the same load of pissed. And, oh lord it hurt, but I didn’t say nothing ‘cause I weren’t about to let any of them stop me.
The one woman walked off, I half heard her mumble something about water, as we came up. Alex’s mom must have heard me gallumping along, ‘cause she turned to face us.
“Mrs. Smith.” Dr. Snow kept up with me. Not like that was hard since I moved about as fast as a three legged dog. “This is Deputy Peterson.” He introduced me and then pointed at Kabe. “And one of the EMTs who brought your son out.”
“I’m not, ah…” Kabe started hemming and hawing.
I turned away from Mrs. Smith for a moment and hissed in his ear to shush. She didn’t need to know that since it didn’t much matter in the big scheme of things. Then I gave my attention back to her. “I hear tell that Alex is doing pretty good, all things considered.” She just nodded like there weren’t much she could say to that so I soldiered on with why I’d taken us on this detour. “Ma’am, is it alright if I talk with your son a bit.”
She twisted the hem of her shirt all in around her fingers. “About what?” Blue circles under her eyes told me she hadn’t slept much in the last twenty-four hours.
“About why he was so scared he tried to outrun my patrol vehicle.” I chuckled a little…hoped a little humor might relax her some. “Weren’t all that smart, you know. We were looking for him and all.” Tried to shrug like it weren’t no big thing. Wasn’t all that easy balancing my weight on Kabe. “But I think I might have an idea why.”
“We didn’t know you needed him.” She seemed to think on it for a bit. Finally she licked her lips and asked, “Does the doctor think it’s okay?”
“Well, doc?” I prodded him
Dr. Snow leaned up against the wall opposite the door. His hands were crossed over his chest and he looked all put out with me bringing police business into his hospital. “He’s got some good pain meds running through his system right now.”
“So you’re saying he’s stoned?”
“No.” He snorted and pushed away from the wall. “Nothing really that heavy, don’t like to put kids his age on heavy narcotics if we can help it. But he’s liable to be a little drowsy and lightheaded.”
“Is his judgment impaired?” Hoped the answer was what I needed it to be.
“No more so than any normal seventeen-year-old’s.” We both got a little grin off that.
I turned back to her. “So ma’am, is it okay?” I soft pedaled my voice as much as I could. “You’re his momma, you can tell me to go pound sand. You know that right?”
She looked down at her hands. “If there’s something you need to talk with him about, go ahead.”
“You can come on in with me. In fact, with the painkillers and all, I’d prefer it.” Actually, I didn’t just prefer it, I pretty much needed her in there—her or social services. “I’ll respect your wishes, you want me to stop talking with him and I will.” Interviewing any minor needed to be done in the presence of an adult advocate, especially given that he might be involved in Lane’s death. When she nodded and moved towards the door, I bopped Kabe’s ankle with the tip of one crutch. “Kabe, let me have your phone.”
Although he reached into his pocket, twisting and contorting so as not to drop me on my butt, Kabe lectured me. “You’re not supposed to use cell phones in a hospital.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s got a recorder on it, don’t it?”
“Oh, yeah, here.” I think he figured why I needed it. “This is the app. Just hit record and I can email the session to you.”
While we talked, Mrs. Smith went on inside the room. Dr. Snow took leave of us then. Said we should page him if we needed anything and Carla said the same as she headed over to the nurses’ station. Kabe decided to take my stuff on out to his truck since I told him it weren’t wise to have him in on this interview, although he whined like a broken gate about me being on my own. When they all left, I took a second to settle myself. For all of a moment, I wished I had on my uniform, but then I figured the casual thing might work a bit better with Alex.
I hobbled on into a hospital room pretty similar to the one I’d been in, ‘cept this one was a double occupancy. Had to brace myself against the door frame, the wall and then managed to hop a step to the foot of the empty bed without screaming. I swallowed down the pain and grinned. “Hey, Alex.”
Boy was definitely worse off than me. Stitches crossed his chin and cheeks. His mouth and eyes were all bruised, swollen up. Casts covered his legs from the knees on down and another swathed his right arm from pit to wrist. There were more bandages than skin showing on Alex. His whole body was stung up like some marionette.
Since he really couldn’t move none, I headed over to the side of his bed. Luckily it weren’t more than a step. “We’ve met before…at least our vehicles have.” I teased. “I’m Deputy Joe Peterson.”
“Oh, ah…I didn’t…oh, heck…I got scared.” I think that equaled almost an apology of some sort.
I tried to smile. “It’s water under the bridge, boy.” My own face felt all stiff from trying to hold back the pain moving like this brought on. “Don’t fret about it none.” Once I had my hip set against his bed, I could balance on my good leg and that eased things some.
Alex’s eyelids were so swollen that he couldn’t do more than look up at me through slits. “What happened to your face?” Alex’s words came out thick, like he talked around a mouth full of marbles.
“Broke my nose when the airbag went off. Got cut up too.” My guess is he hadn’t yet seen himself in a mirror, ‘cause he was a darn sight worse. “Not so bad as you, but I’m an old guy, being cute don’t matter as much to me as somebody like you.”
His eyes slid over to look off away from me. “I guess.” His mom settled down in a chair next to his bed. She sat there, not saying much, just stroking the fingers of his left hand.
As long as I kept my weight off my left leg, I could manage. “Hurting?” Lord knew I still felt all sore. They had me on something called Tramadol, which, I was told, was like a narcotic without really being one. Seemed to ease the pain, some at least, without dulling my wits, although my stomach didn’t feel too happy. “Want me to call the doctor in?” They’d given me a prescription for the really good stuff for when I’d made it home and could lay down.
“No.” Alex’s mouth went tight. “It’s not that.”
“I th
ink I can guess what it might be.” I held up Kabe’s phone where Alex could see it. “I need to talk to you and I’m going to record it.” Took me a moment of messing to get the thing to work right. As I fussed with the phone, I explained, “I don’t have my digital machine on me so I’m going to use this here phone, okay?” Once I got it going, I set it down on the little table that stretched half over his bed.
His gaze shifted from me, to his momma and back to me. “Can my mom…”
I figured Alex might be not wanting his mom around for this. She had to be there though given that he’d been right there at the scene when it all went down. “Look, son, your friends Cooper and Trey are in up to their armpits in the manure pile about now. Your momma is here for your protection.” Alex’s mouth got all hard again and he blinked a few times. I took it to mean he understood. “See, from what I hear tell, you were there that day, you know up on the mountain. I’ve talked to Chris, heck I’ve even talked to Austin about what happened to Lane. Right now Trey and Cooper are trying to play cool and ain’t talking. But you ain’t like them. Not the way Chris tells it.”
While I spoke, Alex moved his hand just enough so it wrapped around his momma’s fingers. He squeezed them pretty hard. “Are you going to arrest me?”
“What?” Mrs. Smith stood, almost leaning over her boy to protect him from me. “Why?”
“I cain’t promise I won’t.” Weren’t about to lie to this boy. “I can tell you right now it ain’t gonna happen any time soon, you’re gonna be in the hospital for quite some time. I’ve told your momma that she can tell me not to talk to you no more and I’ll abide by her wishes. But something tells me, you got something you want to get off your chest. Am I right?”
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