Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
I looked at the floor. But for once, as well as blushing, I had this big, stupid grin on my face.
“Oh my God! Tell me everything!”
“Me too,” came Maggie’s voice from above.
I shook my head, remembering. Later. Maybe. If we did tequila shots.
At that second, it went black.
Not dark: black. Not only did every light in the hospital go out, every light in the street outside did, too. And with the moon behind a cloud, that left us in pitch, suffocating blackness. A shrill, discordant chorus of alarms sounded from the critical area: all the ventilators warning that they were now running on battery power.
“It’s okay!” Maggie’s voice. But she didn’t sound okay, she sounded panicked. Then I remembered she was perched ten feet in the air. “The wind must have brought down the power lines. The emergency generator will kick in in a couple of—shit!”
In the darkness, I had to fill in what was happening from the sounds. A rush of air as she fell. A creak as she grabbed hold of a pipe and dangled. A clang as her foot searched for the stepladder and kicked it instead. It toppled and crashed to the floor, missing me by inches. Heavy, running footsteps—
A scream as she fell. I winced, but there was nothing I could do: I knew the ladder was right in front of me, waiting to trip me. She was falling eight feet onto a hard floor, she’d crack her head right open—
There was a soft whump.
The lights flickered on. The ventilator alarms died away.
Earl was standing underneath the hole in the ceiling with Maggie in his arms. She was looking up at him in shock and he was looking down at her in a very particular way.
“Earl?” she said in disbelief.
“Ma’am,” he said.
I grabbed Krista by the elbow and towed her away. I may be socially inept, but even I know when two people need a moment alone. Behind us, I heard Earl mumbling something, her calling him a big lunk... and then silence. I sneaked a peek. They were kissing. Yes!
“I’m going to go check on Rebecca,” I told Krista, and walked off towards the critical area, grinning.
Rebecca was dozing, but she woke up as I approached. I whispered hi, keeping my voice low because the other patients were sleeping.
“You look different,” whispered Rebecca curiously.
My hair was down. I hadn’t thought to put it up again after Corrigan had pulled it free while we were... I coughed. But I wasn’t sure that was it. I felt giddy and light. I looked over my shoulder, seeing Corrigan at the far end of the row of beds, before I realized what I’d done.
Rebecca drew in her breath. “You’re in love!” she whispered, awestruck. “With Doctor Corrigan!”
I spent about three seconds trying to form a denial before I gave in and nodded. My grown-up head was saying things like you can’t use the L-word. Not yet. The whole rest of me was squeezing and singing, yes I can. “How did you know?” I whispered.
“My mom got the same look after she met my step-dad,” she said proudly. Then, at the mention of her parents, her face crumpled.
I leaned close and grabbed her hands. “Hey, hey, don’t worry,” I told her. Talking to her was getting easier each time... and leaving her was getting harder. “As soon as the snow clears, they’ll be here, okay?” She reluctantly nodded. “Now try to get some sleep.”
As she snuggled down, I remembered to check her chart. Everything was fine except—
Oh God.
“Everything okay?” asked Rebecca.
I managed to control my face. “Yes, sweetie,” I whispered. “Go to sleep, everything’s fine.”
It was the first time I’d lied to her.
36
Dominic
I SPENT about twenty minutes hunting for Beckett before I thought to go upstairs and check the surgeon’s break room. I strode in and sighed in relief as I spotted her standing in the shadows. Then I glanced around and whistled. Everything was sparkling clean, there were plump armchairs, a bean-to-cup coffee machine and a jar of amaretto biscuits. The ER break room was a frat house by comparison. “Wow,” I said. “So this is how the other half lives.”
She drew in her breath and I heard the rapid tremble. I rushed forward, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the light: yep, her eyes were full of tears. “What?” I demanded. “What’s going on?”
“Rebecca’s kidneys are failing,” she croaked. “They’re blocked. Damage from the crush injuries. I knew it was a danger, but I didn’t think it would happen this fast.”
My chest closed up. “What do we do?”
“There’s nothing we can do until tomorrow. I’ve given her Sorbitol, we need to wait for that to bring her potassium levels down first….”
She trailed off. I took hold of her shoulders. She suddenly looked so fragile. “What is it?”