Full Moon

by Barbara B Carson

  FULL

  MOON

  Romantic ER Affairs

  Book 2

  BARBARA B. CARSON

  Full Moon © 2020 by Barbara B. Carson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Editor: Sarma Burdeu

  Cover design: Pro_ebookcovers

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  EPILOGUE

  THANK YOU

  Also By Barbara B. Carson

  CHAPTER 1

  Shots rang out, echoing through the usually quiet streets of downtown Johnstonville. The sun had just barely set, but the full moon was out and already chaos had begun to ensue. Someone screamed, tires squealed, and a concerned neighbor peeking through their window dialed 911.

  The call came through the radio of the ambulance that Dean had been assigned to.

  "Thanks, Sherry, we're on it," Dean replied to the dispatcher over the radio and glanced at his partner Ashleigh, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

  "The full moon never lets us down, does it?" she rolled her eyes. "And I was actually hoping for an easy night."

  "Not tonight, darling'," Dean said, reaching over to switch on the siren. With able hands and a quick foot, he maneuvered them swiftly through the darkening streets of the town.

  Lacey Foster, a medical student who was doing her internship at the Johnstonville General Hospital was the one to take the call. It would be her first time treating a gunshot wound and her nerves were on edge. She wasn't looking forward to this patient's arrival. She had only started her placement a few days prior and was still trying to get used to how the hospital ran and what exactly she was expected to do. Her schooling had given her plenty of book knowledge, but she was quickly realizing that her hands-on skills were lacking tremendously. It's one thing to read about blood, but it's a completely different thing to have to deal with it in real life.

  Luckily for Lacey, her time at the Johnstonville ER so far had been pretty uneventful. She had been there for only a few days and had helped treat a few cases of the flu, stitched up a few minor wounds, and helped some heart attack victims. It had all been a pretty routine. Johnstonville was known to be a relatively quiet, a small town where not a lot seemed to happen. Lacey was thinking that this was definitely the way she preferred it. When the call for the gunshot victim came through, she immediately began to worry. She’d never dealt with any kind of trauma like this before. She assumed, based on all that she had studied, that it was likely to be a gory scene. The only good thing that was there was plenty of other doctors working that evening, so she would have lots of help and if she had it her way, hopefully, someone more experienced would take over and she could watch and take notes from the sidelines. She kept her fingers crossed as she gowned up and waited by the emergency doors for the ambulance to arrive.

  Dean reached the gunshot victim in record time. Throwing the vehicle into the park, both he and Ashleigh rushed out of the vehicle, ready to tend to their patient. Lying on the sidewalk, just off one of the main streets in Johnstonville was a young man, approximately twenty-five years of age. He had been shot multiple times in the chest, abdomen, and was bleeding heavily. Dean immediately checked for vital signs. They were there, but his pulse was weak and his breathing was shallow.

  "Ashleigh, grab the stretcher. We have to get this guy in and fast. If we don't, I'm not sure he's going to make it."

  She nodded at Dean's command and returned a moment later with the metal contraption, ready to lift the patient onto it. On the count of three, the patient was lifted from the ground and secured in the ambulance, ready for transport. The police were just arriving, as Dean was getting ready to pull away.

  One of the officers spotted the pool of blood on the ground where their victim had been and shook his head. He shouted to Dean who had poked his head out of the open driver's side window.

  "Better drive fast. It looks like whoever was here is going to need all of the help they can get. I hope they have a good doctor on duty down at the ER tonight, he's going to need it. And let them know we will be down there for a full report as soon as we get the crime scene here under control."

  Dean nodded then sped away, sirens blaring. It only took a few minutes for them to reach the hospital. The paramedic team moved swiftly and unloaded their criticaly wounded patient, wheeling him quickly through the automatic doors and straight into the trauma center, leaving a trail of thick, sticky blood behind them.

  The doctor on duty approached Dean for an update. "Young male, mid-twenties, multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, pulse is weak, blood pressure is…" his voice trailed off as he looked up for the first time into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They were soft brown and were staring directly back into his own with concern. He took a second to take her all in and found he was quite distracted. Her lips were pink and plump and she was biting her bottom one in distress. Her long blonde hair hung around her shoulders and despite the fact that she was wearing a paper gown, she still looked absolutely fabulous. He cleared his throat, forcing his attention from the longing he was feeling in his loins, to the much more urgent matter at hand.

  "Right, blood pressure. His blood pressure is dropping and he has lost a whole lot of blood."

  Lacey's mind raced. She was trying to take everything in but the sight of the blood pouring out of the poor man's body was all she could think of, and felt her own blood drain from her face.

  "Take a deep breath, Doc. You got this." She breathed in deeply as she was told, and it helped her to steady things. She immediately got to work trying to stabilize the patient, but her hands were shaking. Dean watched from the sidelines, there was nothing more he could do to help her; it was beyond his scope of practice. All he could do was to watch and wish her luck, for her own sake and for the victim's, whose situation was quickly getting direr.

  It appeared that luck was on their side as the head of the Emergency Room Dr. Danielle Shields came in. She expertly took over, commanding the nurses around her and managed to get the patient stabilized before promptly sending him to surgery.

  CHAPTER 2

  Lacey stood with her back against the wall and her eyes closed. She’d choked and she knew it. This was the first life or death situation that she had had to deal with and she dropped the ball. Her stomach was churning. She had never seen so much blood before. Her head pounded and her palms were sweaty. She was an absolute mess.

  Dean watched her from the nurses’ station where he was filling out the required paperwork. He could sense her distress and longed to go to her and offer her comfort. He handed over his clipboard to the nurse behind the desk and took a step towards her, just as his partner Ashleigh called to him from the ER doors.

  "Dean. We got to go, just got another call from dispatch, looks like we've got a baby on the way."

  Dean cursed under his breath at the bad timing of it all and spun on his heels, heading out to the ambulance. Ashleigh noticed his frustration as he got behind the wheel.

  "What's up with your ass?"

  He was quick to reply. "Not that i
t's any of your business, but I just feel bad for that new med student in there. Did you see her?"

  "Of course I saw her. She stood out like a fish out of water. She was in way over her head. I'm surprised they haven't sent her home and told her to reconsider her career choice."

  Dean looked over at Ashleigh and frowned.

  "C'mon. That's not fair. Remember your first day on the job? It takes time to get used to the stuff we have to deal with every day. Give her a break."

  “You just like her ‘cause she’s pretty and has a hot body.” Ashley smacked him on the arm. “Don’t say it isn’t true.”

  Dean grinned at her. “Yeah, you’re right, she’s pretty cute, and did you see her ass?” He nodded in appreciation, making Ashleigh laugh.

  The pair had been a team for well over a year now and got along just like brother and sister.

  Dean continued to let thoughts of the new student fill his mind as he expertly handled the ambulance, speeding through the back streets of the town like a rally car driver. The moon was bright and round and lit the way to the house where a baby was about to be born. The report had come in that the baby was two months premature but the mother’s water had broken and she was having intense labor pains. He pulled into the driveway and threw the vehicle into park. On getting out, they could hear the screams of pain coming from inside.

  "Remind me never to get pregnant," Ashley said as they grabbed the stretcher out of the back for the second time that night and headed up to the front door.

  CHAPTER 3

  The pregnant woman was loaded up into the ambulance and rushed to the hospital. The baby’s heartbeat was weak and it appeared as though it may be a breach. You could hear the mother’s moans up in the cab of the vehicle, and Dean sensed Ashleigh wincing with sympathy pains for the woman.

  “That sound is about all the birth control that I need,” she spoke her thoughts aloud.

  Dean got them to the ER in record time and rushed the mother inside. As much as he wanted quick care for his patient, his main priority was getting back to the hospital as fast as possible so that he could see Lacey again. He wanted to talk to her. He hadn’t been able to get her off his mind and he needed to see her again.

  After doing a quick search of the Emergency Room, he decided to check the cafeteria. He remembered his need for some quiet time and a strong coffee on his first day on the job, it was possible she was there getting the same. Sure enough, he was right. She sat alone in the very far back corner of the large and nearly empty room. Her back was towards him and her head was down. He approached her slowly, taking all of her in and preparing himself for what he would say when he finally got to her.

  “Is anyone sitting here?” He gestured towards the empty seat across from her. She looked up, her eyes red and watery. She shook her head in response. Dean sat down.

  “I’m Dean Hampton. We met earlier. I’m the paramedic who brought in the gunshot victim. I just wanted to introduce myself since we will probably be seeing a lot of each other around this place.”

  Lacey shook her head again. “Well, it’s nice to meet you Dean, and I’m Lacey by the way, but I think tonight is the last night you’re ever going to see me here. I’m not sure if you noticed, but I nearly lost that guy tonight. I completely froze under the pressure and couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do. What kind of doctor am I going to make if I can’t help my patients, and the sight of blood makes me feel like I’m about to pass out”

  Dean put a hand on top of Lacey’s and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. He expected her to pull away, but she didn’t. “Listen, my first day on the job wasn’t so great either. I wasn’t sure I was going to have what it took.”

  Lacey looked up at him, searching for comfort and needing someone to understand how she was feeling at that exact moment.

  Seeing the pleading look in her eyes, he continued. “I was a cocky kid. I thought I was going to go out and save the world. I thought being a paramedic would be like being superman. I’d fly around town and save everyone who was sick or hurt. When I finished school, I bragged to all of my friends about what a hero I was going to be. My first callout put me in my place. A severe car accident. There was broken glass everywhere and blood, lots, and lots of blood. I dreamed about the blood for weeks afterward. When I got out of the ambulance, I just stood there. I knew what to do. I had studied it for years in school and had the protocol memorized word for word. Everyone was running and shouting around me, it was complete chaos, but all I could do was stand and stare. One of the victims died that day and all I could think was that maybe if I had done something, anything at all, there may have been a chance that he could have lived.”

  A single tear fell down Lacey’s cheek.

  “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I know exactly how you’re feeling and trust me, it’s going to get better and a whole lot easier. It’s just going to take some time and some experience, that's all.” He was doing his best to comfort her.

  “Thank you, Dean. I just don’t know if I have what it takes to be a good doctor though. I mean I thought I did but now, after what happened tonight, I’m not so sure.” She picked up her coffee and took a long sip with her shaking hand.

  “You’ll be all right, darling. Drink up, that stuff there is liquid courage. It’s gotten me through a lot of tough times.”

  She took another sip and let the soothing, warm liquid run through her. The coffee and Dean’s reassuring words were starting to make her feel a bit better, that was just the combination that she needs in order to get some of her confidence back.

  “I know you’ve got it in you. You didn’t work that hard all through med school to quit now right? This full moon is going to bring out a lot of crazy stuff, it always does, and like the old saying goes ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’.” He winked at Lacey and she blushed. He was being so kind to her and it didn’t hurt that he was drop dead gorgeous and dripping in confidence. Seeing him sit across from her in his dark blue paramedic uniform made her a little weak in the knees. But she didn’t have time to think about that right now, Dr. Danielle Shields was swiftly approaching, her high heels echoing off of the cafeteria’s tiled floors.

  “There you are Lacey, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to cut your coffee break short. The ER is filling up and fast. It looks like this full moon is going to prove to be one of the craziest yet. There isn’t an empty seat in the entire waiting room and we need all of the help we can get.” She smiled at the girl, a glimmer of understanding in her eyes, then turned and headed back to the elevators.

  Lacey stood and faced Dean. “Thank you so much.” Her words were sincere. “I can’t tell you how much I needed to have you with me right now. To have someone who understands what I’m feeling. I found myself in a pretty lonely place, but you kept me company. Thank you Dean Hampton.”

  She grinned at him as she said his full name and he could feel himself turn to jelly. How was it possible that just a few sweet words from a cute girl could make him feel that way?

  Taking her hands in his, he looked her in the eyes and pulled her a little bit closer. “Lacey Foster, I have an unshakeable faith in you. You can do this.” She smiled again and he couldn’t resist any longer. He pulled her in until her body was pressed up against his, and then tilted her face upwards. “You can do this.” He whispered as his lips met hers.

  Just then, his radio crackled to life and Ashley’s voice came through, “Dean, you there?”

  “Shit.” Dean cursed under his breath and smiled apologetically at Lacey. “Duty calls.”

  “Dean,” the radio crackled again. “I need you up here, we got to go, another call just came in, we have to respond ASAP. Looks like we have an overdose.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Lacey watched Dean as he ran out of the cafeteria. His blond hair was just long enough to make it look a little bit messy and ruffled. His body was tall and muscular and his tight uniform did little to hide the rippling
muscles underneath. She could feel herself falling for the man that she had just met and she was trying everything to talk herself out of it.

  You are in a vulnerable situation, Lacey. Just because someone was nice to you when you were feeling down doesn’t mean you have to fall head over heels for him. Then she thought of the kiss they had shared and how sweet it had tasted. Shivers ran through her as she replayed the moment in her mind. He was a really good kisser, she tried to reason with herself, but her thoughts were cut off by Danielle’s voice calling her. Apparently she had been waiting at the elevator for her and had come back to see what was taking her so long.

  “Lacey we need you. Are you coming?”

  Lacey pushed all of her thoughts of Dean aside. She had more important things to focus on at the moment. The two women got into the elevator together and Danielle turned to look at her.

  “It’s a very busy night. There is a lot to take in here. It could be overwhelming for anyone. Just try to stay focused on what you need to do and if things get to be too much at any point, just take a few deep breaths. You know your textbooks inside out. A few deep breaths and a moment of concentration will bring the information right out to you. You’ll know exactly what to do.” Danielle patted the girl on the shoulder reassuringly.

  Lacey thanked the women for her helpful tips and kind words, but as the elevator continued to rise to the Emergency Room floor, her head began to swim with doubts again. She started to psych herself up. Lacey you have to be strong. You have to do what it takes and stay focused and help the people here who need you. You aren’t going to let anyone down. You worked way too hard in medical school to fuck this up now.

  She convinced herself that her little pep talk had worked and walked out of the elevator into the chaotic ER with as much confidence as she could pretend to have.

  It was funny how you could actually get used to the loud, annoying blaring noise of a siren, but after listening to one, day in and day out, it was actually pretty easy to block out. Besides, Dean’s mind was somewhere else completely. He could still taste Lacey’s fruity lip-gloss on his lips and could still feel her tiny body pressed up against his. It was a wonderful feeling and he wasn’t sure how long he could wait to get more of it.