“Damn deer,” Hank mumbled and walked over to the carcasses and dragged them off the road as a tow truck pulled up on the shoulder.
“Hank, I’m driving up to the hospital. If you need me, that’s where I’ll be,” Ace said then he turned to his damaged SUV.
“That’s fine. I’ll come up there in a few minutes to get your statement. Gotta have everything documented for the insurance companies. Your SUV running okay? It took a hit, too.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s superficial damage.”
“I’ll be behind you in a few minutes after I check in with Dave,” Hank said as he turned to go talk with the tow truck driver.
* * * *
Eli stood at the window, waiting anxiously. Someone entered through the sliding doors, and before they closed, he heard the sound of a siren growing closer. His heart began to pound, and his lips moved silently in prayer. Grace stood beside him and held his hand, her eyes closed as she prayed, too. Adam’s heavy hand came down on his shoulder as the ambulance came to a screeching halt outside the emergency department unloading bay.
The doors swung open wide, and a doctor and a nurse ran out as the ambulance doors popped open. An EMT jumped quickly out of the back and reached for the stretcher, giving the doctor the run-down on her condition. The stretcher slid out with Rachel on it, feet first. She was partially covered in a blanket, but her upper torso was uncovered as the other EMT climbed out, working to help her breathe. The pretty blue top she’d put on earlier was now drenched in blood, and her arms were covered in blood. There was blood all over her face, and she was clearly unconscious.
A wild, guttural cry welled from his throat. He turned to run out of the waiting room doors to her and felt like he was moving in slow motion. His eyes slammed shut over tears of fear and frustration as Adam’s arms locked around his torso, holding him in place. He opened his eyes and looked down into Grace’s face but couldn’t hear her over the pounding of his heart in his ears. She shook her head and put her arms around him, pushing him back with her shoulder as he struggled against Adam.
“No, buddy. You have to let them help her. You go out there now, and you’ll just delay her getting the help she needs,” Adam said, struggling to hold on to him. “I know. I’d feel the same way. You gotta let them do their job, Eli.”
Afraid of accidentally harming Grace, Eli ceased his struggles and looked out the window again. He prayed this wasn’t the last time he’d see Rachel alive. Her long hair billowed off the gurney in the hot wind before they wheeled her in the double doors. He allowed Grace and Adam to direct him to a chair, where he sat down heavily and put his head in his hands. Now the torture of waiting without knowing began. This had been the worst part years ago. It was even worse now waiting for news because the image of Rachel lying bloody and unconscious on the gurney kept flashing in his mind. Eli felt like he might come unglued.
Ace entered the waiting room from the ER trauma room area. His left temple was bandaged, and his eyes were narrowed like his head hurt. Eli knew whoever had been in the other vehicle knew Rachel and had asked to have Eli called. He hadn’t expected it to be Webster.
Eli approached Ace and held out his hand in gratitude. “You were in the other vehicle?”
“Yeah.”
“Hank told me you asked the dispatcher to call me. Thank you.”
“Hey, no problem, Eli. It was the right thing to do.”
Hoping for a hint of good news, Eli asked, “Did you see her?”
“Yeah, seemed like everything was gonna to be okay,” Ace replied.
Grace went to Ace and gave him a hug. “Ace? Are you all right?”
“It’s nothing much, sweetheart, just a little cut. A couple of Tylenols is all I need.”
“Does your head hurt?”
“Yeah, I banged it pretty hard. They checked me out in there and the doctor said there is no sign of concussion, so I’m good to go.”
Suddenly, they heard someone yell from inside the emergency treatment area and a loud crash. Everyone outside in the waiting room became quiet and listened to the muffled, rapid-fire sounds of doctors giving orders. Eli longed to know what was happening on the other side of those doors and went to where the loading bay was visible from the side windows. There was no ambulance sitting there. The new activity was for a patient already in the ER.
Grace gently led him back to a chair, and she made him sit down, then sent Adam to check with the receptionist. She told Adam the doctors were with her right now. Eli put his head in his hands and tried to breathe calmly. He didn’t even try to make sense of his prayers, just released all the fear and panic to God, begging for her to be okay. His heart pounded in his ears but he felt so cold he would have sworn there was no blood running through his veins warming his body. He barely noticed the hand on his shoulder or the murmuring around him. He tuned it all out.
A little while later, Grace grasped him hard by the shoulders and got right in his face. “The doctor needs to talk to you. Rachel’s parents aren’t here yet.” She grasped his hand and pulled him from the chair. That was good, he supposed. If it was bad news, they would be asking him to sit down, right?
The doctor quickly filled Eli in on what was about to happen. “Mr. Wolf, we’ve taken Miss Lopez into emergency surgery. She had internal bleeding. Which we caught in time. Her spleen is ruptured and may need to be removed. We’ll take good care of her, Mr. Wolf. She’ll have X-rays as soon as possible, and we’ll be setting her fracture and checking for other broken bones as soon as we can. She’s in good hands.” The doctor assured him that he’d let him know how the surgery went as soon as it was over.
After that conversation, Eli began to focus better. Rachel was alive. That was enough for the moment. Eli stepped into the hall and called Rachel’s parents, who were still a couple of hours away, to give them an update. When he came back, Ethan, Jack, Angel, and Mike were all sitting in the waiting room. There were a few others he didn’t know by name, but he thought he recognized her employer, Thorne Grogan, in the group. A lot of people cared about Rachel.
Eli was talking to Ethan and Mike when the doctor he’d spoken to earlier came and asked for him and Grace. This time, he was smiling. For the first time since the phone call, Eli felt like there was a little warmth in his body. The doctor explained Rachel’s complicated condition to them. It had been possible to repair the damage to her spleen, and they’d caught another bleed that had gone undetected from one of the large shards of glass that had penetrated the abdominal wall. She had a concussion, and they’d already set the broken bone in her left arm. They would keep her for several days, watching for signs of a blood clot or infection. She was sedated and would be for at least another day while they waited for signs of complications. The rest of her scans looked normal. The doctor said he was optimistic for a full recovery.
“When can I see her, Doctor?” Eli heard a slight tremor in his voice.
“They’re moving her right now, Mr. Wolf. A nurse will come and get you,” the doctor told him before excusing himself.
The relief in the room was palpable. Grace’s men took her to get a bite to eat, and the others dispersed. Eli walked along the hall until he found what he was looking for. Stepping into the quiet, softly lit chapel, he approached the front. He was no longer a child crawling on his hands and knees in the hope no one would notice him.
He sat in the second pew and rested his forehead in his hands and broke into quiet sobs. The tension leaked from his body with his tears as gratitude poured forth from his heart. He prayed in thanks for her continued presence in his life and asked for the chance to spend his life loving her and keeping her safe. As he prayed and wept, he felt enveloped in a warm, calming embrace. A memory of soft hands and deep blue eyes holding and comforting him as a little boy came to him from many years before. An angel had been sent to him back then, and surely that angel was with him now. But he had been blessed even beyond that consolation. Another angel waited for him somewhere in this hospital, hur
t but healing. He smiled, and another sob broke from him as he wiped his eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rachel woke to the sounds of quiet voices in the distance. She recognized her father’s voice, then her mother’s. They were speaking so softly she was unable to make out what they were saying.
She tried to swallow, and her throat was pierced by a stabbing pain. Reflexively, she tightened her hand into a weak fist and became aware of the large, callused hand holding hers. Only one person she knew had hands that big and warm. Blinking, she tried to turn her head, but that hurt excruciatingly. She grimaced and opened her eyes then slammed them closed again as the room spun around her. Nausea churned her stomach.
Her brow creased as pain affronted her from many different levels. Rachel’s head pounded with a nauseating rhythm, her throat burned, and the stabbing pain surged when she tried to swallow unsuccessfully, and the whimper that escaped her throat made it worse. Her stiff body felt like she’d been bludgeoned with a cinderblock, and sharp pain lanced her from more points than she could assimilate. Her left arm was stiff and unmoving. Tears leaked from her eyes, and one of her cheeks began to sting like crazy. Breathing even hurt.
Rachel tried to open her eyes again, slowly this time, and focused on the soft soothing voice that spoke to her. The room spun a little but began to settle as Eli moved into the center of her vision, bent over her bed. A hospital bed. Oh, this couldn’t be good. In confusion, she looked at him, as he settled carefully on the edge of the bed where she could see him.
He spoke softly, which helped with the pounding in her head. “I’ve never been so happy to see those gorgeous blue eyes of yours, Rachel. We were all so worried about you.”
Eli looked like he hadn’t slept in days and his eyes were very bloodshot. Had he been crying? What in the hell had happened? How long had she been in the hospital?
He evidently saw the confusion in her eyes and softly began to fill her in. “You were involved in a car accident two days ago. It’s Thursday morning. Two deer and another vehicle. Ace Webster was driving the other vehicle and called 911. He helped control your bleeding until EMS got there.”
Two days? Ace? Did she see Ace? In a flash, she saw the deer and remembered a screeching sound. The other vehicle. Ace? The longer Eli talked, the worse she felt. She must be in bad shape.
The other voices came closer and entered her room as Eli stood and moved to the foot of the bed where it was easier for her to see him. Her mom and dad and a man she didn’t know came in, all with eyes on her. Her parents looked tired but relieved. Gingerly, she reached with her right hand, and her mom took it, rubbing it on her cheek and kissing her knuckles. Rachel smiled at her, trying to not pull at the bandage over her cheekbone. She looked at her dad and pointed at her throat.
He nodded and said, “No talking for a little while, honey. That needs time to heal.”
She motioned with her fingers, and he reached into her night table for a pad and pencil.
Eli caressed the top of her foot and said, “Angel, I’ll give you a few minutes while I go get something to eat real quick. I’ll be back soon.”
Showing she was a trooper, she smiled and winked at him, blowing a little air kiss. He teared up and mouthed, “I love you,” before exiting. Her heart lurched a little at the vulnerability in his eyes, and tears welled in her eyes, too.
* * * *
Utterly exhausted, Eli leaned against the wall out in the hallway, uncaring that someone might see him in such an emotional state. He put his head in his hand for a moment before pushing off and going once again to the little chapel down the hall. Prayers of praise came from his lips, tears slipping from his eyes as he remembered her winking at him, such a simple little thing, yet so powerful. That feeling of peace and comfort overtook him, and he knew they would get through whatever came next. His angel would be all right, but she was in some very real pain, so he prayed for her to feel better.
By the time he returned, the doctor was gone, and her parents remained only long enough to thank him for the tender loving care he gave their daughter. Humbled, he thanked them both and returned the hug that Mrs. Lopez gave him and shook Rachel’s dad’s hand. After they left, a nurse brought in another large fresh flower arrangement then checked her vitals. The nurse injected a pain reliever into the port of her IV line.
“She’s going to get sleepy soon, but she should feel better within a minute or so, Eli. You need anything?” she asked as she walked to the door.
“No, thanks, Eva, I appreciate it.” He smiled at the nurse that had gone to great lengths to make his stay in the hospital over the last two nights as comfortable as possible. He looked over at Rachel in time to catch the irritated scowl she cast at the door. He put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow at her. She tried to scowl at him and even raised a weak fist at the door before smiling sheepishly at him.
“Jealous much?” He came to sit down in the chair and held her right hand. “You have nothing to worry about, angel. My eyes see only you. She made my stay more comfortable here by finding me a folding cot, blanket, and pillow, that’s all. How do you feel now?”
She scribbled on her pad then showed him. Better, but sleepy now.
“Good, the more rest you get the better. Are you thirsty?”
No, Mom helped me earlier. It hurt, but it was wonderful, too. My throat was very dry. Getting woozy. She dropped the pencil and looked at him with a dreamy serene smile on her face.
“Good drugs?” He chuckled, watching her eyelids slide closed as she nodded happily then conked out. He tucked the blanket around her, kissed her forehead, and settled back in the chair.
To see her in so much pain earlier had torn him up. Almost as much as seeing her when they unloaded her, unconscious and helpless, from the ambulance, drenched in her own blood. They had waited anxiously for the last day and a half until she regained consciousness. He had tortured himself in those hours spent waiting, especially when he had tried to sleep, with a contrasting image of the two of them making love, the wild ecstasy that had turned to sweet tenderness on a dime. What if last time had been the last time?
The doctor opened the door and motioned to him to come out so their conversation would not disturb her. Out in the hall, the doctor leaned against the door frame and said, “Listen, I don’t know what your circumstances are, but now that Rachel is past the critical point, you’ll need to think about what to do until she’s fully recovered. I want to keep her here for a few more days to watch for complications. Once those dangers pass, she won’t need such intensive care. She’ll need someone to prepare and serve her meals and make sure she is eating properly, help her get around, and she needs to be someplace she can rest. I can recommend an intermediate recovery facility, but that’s not the only option you have available.”
Eli cocked a knowing eyebrow at the doctor. “How does she feel about a facility?” Eli could not picture her staying in a hospital setting that long.
The doctor chuckled. “She doesn’t think she needs it. But she hasn’t tried to move around yet, either. She’s going to need the extra time, but it doesn’t have to be in a hospital setting. Peter and Renata have offered to let her come home and stay with them for a while. She was opposed to that, not wanting to ‘move back home’ was how she put it. You could encourage her to either option, but they want you to know that they offered, for her sake, and not because they want to have her dependent on them. This must be a big deal to her.”
“Doc, you have no idea.”
The doctor nodded and smiled wistfully. “I’m married to one of those types, too. It’s a good thing with the hours I keep. Speaking of which, that’s the main reason that I’m recommending intermediate care. I know you keep some strange hours, too. She needs someone at home around the clock to watch over her. We don’t want her to get up to use the restroom by herself rather than bother anyone and wind up falling and breaking her other arm.”
Eli cringed, not liking the sound of that. The ache in
his chest grew at the thought of how much he’d miss her.
“How long?”
“Four weeks. I’d like to see her then, evaluate her progress and determine whether she needs any physical therapy or not.” He gave Eli a knowing grin. “Absence makes the heart fonder, right?”
“You’re an intuitive man, Doc. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“All the time. You see what I’m getting at, though? She needs more than a few days to recover, and she needs to do that with others around her. If she likes being on her own, it will probably drive her crazy, but that will motivate her to work toward her recovery.”
“Rachel won’t want to go home, but I doubt she’ll agree to go to a facility because she won’t want to offend her mom. I’ll talk to her and help her to see she needs this. Can she get up at all?”
“She can sit up in bed and sit on the edge of the bed. No walking unless someone is holding her because she’s going to be dizzy. In another day or so, I’d like to see her moving around in the halls. Will you talk to her, Eli? Peter and Renata both seem to think she’ll listen to you.”
“I’ll talk to her. She’ll see reason, but she won’t like it.”
“Good luck with that,” the doctor said dryly and shook his hand. “Let me know what she agrees to.”
* * * *
A week later, Rachel carried her favorite flower arrangement in her lap as Eli wheeled her out of the hospital exit to his waiting truck, parked in the shade under the portico. He opened the door, and she smiled at the comforting blast of frigid air. The September heat was absolutely stifling. He lifted her effortlessly into the passenger seat, and she had to stifle a chuckle as she watched the two nurses who carried flowers out to the truck for her. One’s mouth popped open, and the other couldn’t help the dreamy sigh that escaped. She couldn’t blame them for their admiration as they watched him buckle her seatbelt for her.
The Divine Creek Ranch Collection, Volume 1 [Book 1 - Divine Grace, Book 2 - Her Gentle Giant, Book 3 - Heavenly Angel] (Siren Everlasting Collection) Page 84