Then Came You

by Susan May Warren

  Okay. Maybe more like fifteen minutes.

  “I’m sorry. I know we’re busy. I’ll come right out and get back to work.” As a nurse on the night shift, Colleen knew the importance of each team member. They couldn’t afford for her to be absent. She stood to her feet. Brushed herself off. Took a deep breath.

  “You’ll do nothing of the kind.” Julie stood as well, crossed her arms. “Are you in here because of Genghis Kahn? He’s been moved to the psych unit.”

  “No.”

  “Colleen, I know you said you were fine after the incident last night but you’ve been jumpy your whole shift, and then you left the unit without telling anyone you were taking a break.”

  “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” She took a step forward…or tried to anyway. Julie refused to budge.

  “This isn’t about following procedure. I’m concerned about you.” Julie gentled her tone, uncrossed her arms.

  “You don’t need to be. I’ve had a short break, and now I’m fine.”

  “Look. Anyone would be having a hard time adjusting after that trauma.”

  Don’t get too close. The police officer’s voice from the night before snaked through her mind. This guy is a lot more dangerous than he looks. Don’t let the good looks and charm fool you.

  “The whole thing is my fault anyway.” Like a drum beat the words pulsed—my fault, my fault. If she’d followed procedure, it wouldn’t have happened. She touched the Band-Aid on her neck.

  “Are you kidding me? How is it your fault that a criminal held you at knifepoint?” Julie tossed her head, her light brown curls brushing her shoulders.

  The events of her shift well before dawn Sunday morning washed in again. She saw herself leaning over the patient to give him a drink of water. Saw the doctor spilling the instrument pan.

  “I should have listened to the officer. I got too close to the patient.”

  “How would you have known that he would find that scalpel and cut himself loose from the bindings holding him to the bed? You trusted your instincts to help someone who was hurting.”

  Please, just a sip of water. The criminal’s voice in her head this time. Help me out here. I can’t do it myself. My cup’s right over there.

  “Yeah, and my instincts were wrong.” Just like always. “I should have stayed on my side of the room and just let the officer and the doctor handle it.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the air in the closet pungent with bleach and orange-scented cleaner. When she opened her eyes, Julie was looking straight at her.

  “Colleen, there is no way you could’ve known that things would go down that way.”

  True, she hadn’t known that the gunshot victim in her ER room would take advantage of a Code Blue in the room next door. She also hadn’t foreseen that he would be fast enough to pull her to his chest and hold the scalpel to her neck in a desperate attempt to escape. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Of course, I am.” Julie put her hands on her hips and grinned at Colleen. “I’m always right. Listen, I came to find you because Nicole came in early and asked me to track you down. I think she’s going to recommend you take a few days off.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up. I don’t really think I need any time off.” As long as no more criminals came in for treatment or pans of instruments crashed to the floor or any tattooed men reminded her of events from years before…

  Yeah. She’d be fine.

  She relaxed her arms. Rolled her shoulders. “I’ll go find Nicole right now.” Colleen brushed past Julie and walked out of the closet.

  Taking a left, she walked to the central hub of the ER. At the corner of the main desk stood Nicole Miller, the ER nurse supervisor.

  “Ah, Colleen. There you are.” The heavyset woman in navy scrubs turned toward her. “It seems I missed all the excitement last night.”

  Colleen tugged at the hem of her scrub top. “Oh, you know, just another routine day in the HCMC ER. It wouldn’t feel right if there wasn’t some excitement.” She tried for a jaunty smile.

  “I’ve read the report of the incident. Could you come into my office for a few minutes? There are some items I want to go over with you.”

  Colleen glanced at her watch, 5:30 a.m. Nicole really was in early. Usually she didn’t grace their floor until after 7 a.m. on Mondays. She followed the older nurse into the semi-private space adjacent to the busy ER. Nicole left the door open, then sat down behind her desk and gestured for Colleen to have a seat.

  “As I said, I read the report from last night.” Nicole picked up a sheet of paper from the desk. “Was this your first time assisting in a room with a prisoner?”

  Located near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Hennepin County Medical Center regularly treated gunshot victims. They also saw many patients who came in under armed guard. The night before hadn’t been anything unusual.

  No. The problem had been with Colleen.

  “I’ve been in multiple situations where there was a police presence in the room. Including violent criminals.” She rubbed her damp palms across her scrubs.

  “And are you aware of our protocol for those situations?”

  Oh, she knew the protocol all right. Don’t touch the patient. Wait for the police officer to give permission before approaching the gurney. Do what the doctor asks you to do, and only what the doctor asks you to do. “Yes, I know it.”

  Nicole jotted a few things on the paper she held. “Was there any particular reason you felt you could ignore it last night?”

  “I don’t know. He seemed so harmless.” Even to her the excuse sounded lame. She fought the urge to touch the Band-Aid on her neck. The one covering the small cut the scalpel had left behind.

  “You thought the man, this Joseph Terranova, who came in strapped to a gurney, under armed guard, with a gunshot wound seemed harmless?” Putting down the document, Nicole sat back in her chair. Waited.

  Colleen thought about arguing that he had a kind face and really nice clothes. And wow, that sounded stupid even as she thought it. “Um. I don’t know what to say.”

  “No, Colleen, I don’t know what to say. Your actions endangered the whole ER. I’m just glad that officer was able to act quickly enough that no one was hurt.”

  A replay of the night before flew into Colleen’s mind. The man’s arm around her, scalpel at her throat. A glimpse of a tattoo where his shirtsleeve was rolled up. The police officer’s hands outstretched in a “calm down” motion. The movie picked up speed and she saw another officer appear in the door, Taser in hand. She felt again the stiffening of the body behind her as the darts at the end of the wires hit their target.

  Her breath sped up. She blinked several times and the images faded.

  Nicole folded her hands. Laid them on the desk. Her gaze gentled. “I think you should take some time off.”

  “Are you firing me?”

  “No. Not at all. I’m just wondering if it isn’t a good idea for you to take a short leave of absence.”

  “I’m fine.” If she kept saying it, maybe it would stick.

  “That’s not what the rest of the team is telling me. I heard you’ve been jumpy all night. You’ve been forgetting things. Making simple mistakes. There’s no shame in taking time off. Working the ER, especially one like ours, is stressful. It can get to you after a while. Even if something like last night hadn’t happened.” Nicole unlaced her hands and shuffled a few papers on her desk. “I see that you are already taking a day off later this week.”

  “Yes, I’m going home for my grandma’s anniversary party. She remarried eight years ago, and my parents are throwing them a party.” Maybe now would be a good time to stop rambling. Nicole didn’t care about her family history.

  “Okay. Why don’t you take the rest of the week off and all of next week as well. I really think it will do you some good.”

  The thought of home, of her mother’s arms, and the memory of the smell of something delicious in her grandmother’s oven flooded her. She bet the
late September leaves were beautiful right now. Going home to Deep Haven for a while suddenly didn’t seem such a terrible idea.

  “You’re right. Some time off wouldn’t hurt. But I’ll only go for a week. I’ll be back before you have time to miss me.”

  “Fine, take a week. Call me next Monday and we’ll see about you taking more time than that. I think you should at least consider taking a month or more.”

  Colleen caught her supervisor looking steadily at her. In her eye, a look of…pity? There was no reason for Nicole to pity her. She was all right. She would go home, eat some of her grandmother’s pie, and be back in a week.

  She was just fine. She’d prove it.

  Acknowledgments

  The process of writing this novel has been an act of faith. I can’t tell you how many times I thought the task might be impossible—and, it was. Except for God. He sustained me and carried me through every part of this novel’s writing. I’m grateful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who used this story to minister to me in so many ways.

  Thank you to my husband, Brian, whose steadfast encouragement helped me endure the long—and, let’s face it—grueling—process of writing Then Came You. Thank you for the grace and love you give me every day. For understanding what stories mean to me. You always help me with my guy-speak, let me think I’m funny (I am funny, right?), and head off to the grocery store countless times so we have actual food for dinner. I’m blessed to have you as my partner and best friend.

  My boys…you inspire me and make me smile every day. Thank you for your words of encouragement and your infinite confidence in me. Thank you for the many times you waited patiently while I “finished my thought” on my manuscript and frantically kept typing for a Mom-minute (aka a really, really long time). Thank you for making me laugh and reminding me that sometimes you need to have a chocolate-brownie-thunder ice cream day.

  My mom, thank you for your enthusiasm and prayers. For the many times you checked in to see how my writing was going. For sharing my stories with pretty much everyone you know and everyone you don’t know. (Well, that is if you’ve ever actually *met* a stranger, which I totally doubt.) For your hilarious bookstore schemes to get my novels on the shelf (that you were forbidden to actually execute) and for your impromptu check-in calls and brainstorming thoughts.

  Susan May Warren, who operates at ninety miles per hour and still has time to stop and encourage, pray, and troubleshoot those niggling scene goals with me. We joke about our experience being the BUD/S of writing, but, well, the only easy day was yesterday, so there’s that. I’m grateful no boat crews or drown-proofing were actually involved in the writing process of this novel, nor was any life in jeopardy. But I did always know that I had a specialized, highly trained team watching my back and if I needed an exfil, you were always there. Thank you for the incredible gift of Boone Buckam. It has been my honor to write his story and let the world see him grow past his scars and all that has held him captive in his life. And Vivien? Of course, she, too, was one of your creations and I loved pairing her with Boone! Thank you for pushing me to go deeper and stretch myself beyond my comfort zone. I’m so grateful for our partnership and friendship.

  Lindsay Harrel, master planner. We’re off writing and changing things up and there you are—steady and sure. We’re glad you never made us do push-ups when we veered off the mission. Thank you for your mad organizational skills, your ability to know the course and keep all of us on track. Thank you for your grace and flexibility. For believing I could do this. I’m so grateful to work with you.

  Andrea Christenson and Michelle Sass Aleckson…how many times did we wonder what we’d gotten ourselves into? By the grace of God, we have done more than we ever imagined, and what a privilege it is to walk through this experience with each of you. The humor through hardship, our web calls, and knowing you totally understood every utterance of joy and despair that left my lips. I always knew I could count on you to bounce ideas around and help me see a fresh solution to my literary dilemma. I’m so proud of the work we’ve done together. Thank you for your cheers, friendship, and prayers. Just. Keep. Swimming.

  Barbara Curtis, you are an absolute gem. Your editing skills take my stories to a whole new level. Thank you for the incredible care you give each manuscript. Your attention to detail, the questions you pose, and the nuggets of encouragement you drop into all the red “ink.” You are a treasure and you help the story shine. I’m so grateful to have you as editor and friend.

  Rel Mollet, you are a total rock star. What else can I say? From social media graphics to proofreading to online events. Behind the scenes, you do an incredible amount of work and it’s a privilege to know you and work with you.

  Ryan Zollinger, firefighter and EMT. Thank you for letting me pick your brain for insights into the emergency medical field to get the details right. I’m sure it isn’t every day you’re grilled about near-drownings and the exhaustive efforts to save a life. Because of you, my scene says more than “they did some stuff.” You helped me bring layers and depth to my rescue scene. I’m incredibly grateful to you and Debra for giving me your time and proofreading the scene for me. Any mistakes left are purely my own.

  Tari Faris, you prove that one can never be too young to be a wise sage. Thank you for reminding me that God always has the answers I seek. Thank you for sharing your experience with me, lending your ear to my confused ramblings, and directing my eyes ever back to the One who gave me this opportunity.

  Thank you to proofreaders Lisa Gumpton and Bobbi Whitlock. Your attention to detail and fresh eyes have been critical to closing the gaps and ensuring my readers don’t get story-whiplash. I’m grateful to have proofreaders with such keen knowledge of Deep Haven.

  Cover artist Jenny Zemanek—once again, you’ve created a beautiful addition to this series and captured the perfect glimpse of the story for the cover. Thank you for sharing your incredible artistic talents and creating such eye-catching designs.

  My Book Therapy huddles—aka my prayer warriors. Barbara, Deanna, Gracie, Heidi, Jenni, Kristi, Mandy, Nancy, Suzy, and Tari. From lost sleep to injuries to complete and utter burnout, you bolstered me with your prayers, encouragement, and enthusiasm. Thank you for being part of my writing family.

  For the ladies of the CCM, thank you for letting me share my passion for fiction and all things “books” with you. For being my sounding board, prayer partners, and cheerleaders. Though thousands of miles separate us, you are never more than a call, text, or message away.

  Thank you for my local writing critique group—April, Danika, Julie, Kendy, Kelly, Linda, Melinda, Melody, Nora, and Sandra. It’s been such a tough year to connect and yet your steadfast support has been instrumental to my journey. Thank you for letting me be part of the stories you tell and for helping me grow as a writer.

  A special shout-out to the Sunrise Publishing Support Crew. Thank you for your open-armed, avid-reader enthusiasm for these novels. Your encouragement and collective excitement are contagious. You warm my heart with your posts, reviews, and personal messages.

  And, of course, I’d like to thank the Academy. That is, the Novel Academy members who join me each Thursday night for our peptalks. The camaraderie and support from the group is a highlight of each week. I never know where the chat topics will go and it’s brought me laughter and tears. Novel Academy is an amazing family that I’m grateful to be part of.

  Readers, you have been a blessing to me. Thank you for welcoming my stories onto your shelves and sharing them with others.

  Breathing life into a novel is a team effort and I’m grateful to each and every person who has walked this road with me. Whether you are named or not, know my heart is filled with gratitude for your support.

  About the Authors

  USA Today bestselling, RITA, Christy and Carol award winning novelist Susan May Warren is the author of over 80 novels with nearly 2 million books sold, most of them contemporary romance with a touch of suspense. One of her stron
gest selling series has been the Deep Haven series, a collection of books set in Northern Minnesota, off the shore of Lake Superior. Visit her at www.susanmaywarren.com.

  * * *

  Rachel D. Russell is a member of Oregon Christian Writers, My Book Therapy’s Novel Academy, and is a regular contributor to the Learn How to Write a Novel blog. When Rachel’s not cheering on one of her two teens at sporting events, she’s often interrogating her husband on his own military and law enforcement experience to craft believable heroes in uniform. The rest of her time is spent cantering her horse down the Oregon trails and redirecting her three keyboard-hogging cats. Visit her at www.racheldrussell.com.

  Then Came You: A Deep Haven Novel

  Published by Sunrise Media Group LLC

  Copyright © 2021 by Susan May Warren and Rachel D. Russell

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

  Scripture quotations are also from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  For more information about Rachel D. Russell and Susan May Warren, please access the authors’ websites at the following respective addresses: www.racheldrussell.com and www.susanmaywarren.com.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Cover Design: Jenny at Seedlings Designs