by J. G. Sumner
“What do you say we work on getting that tube out of your mouth?”
The boy nodded.
“I’m going to change some settings on your ventilator. It’s going to make it so that you are doing most of the work breathing. When I tell you to, I’d like you to take a deep breath and slowly let it out. Do you think you can do that?”
Skyler nodded again.
Josh pushed a few buttons on the machine. “Now take that deep breath.”
Skyler did as he was told.
“Good. Now go ahead and take another one.”
Again, Skyler took a deep breath. But this time he coughed and seemed to get a little panicked.
“It’s okay. You’re just coughing. You’re doing a great job. I’m going to push a little device down through your tube. It’s going to suction out the junk you have down in your airway. It won’t hurt but it might feel like I’m taking your breath away. It will only be for a minute.”
Skyler nodded.
Josh suctioned Skyler’s airway. He coughed a few more times during the procedure and his face turned red.
“All done. You did a great job. Now try and take one more deep breath for me.”
Skyler did as instructed.
“Nice. Here’s what we’re looking at. Skyler, you’re doing a great job taking deep breaths. You are now pretty much doing all the work yourself. The ventilator is only going to support you if you forget to take a breath or if you’re unable to. We’re going to continue to watch your progress over the next couple of hours. I want to make sure that you don’t tire out breathing on your own. If you can avoid getting too fatigued and can still take deep-enough breaths, we’ll be able to take out the tube. If you get worn out, we will change the settings to let you rest overnight and try again tomorrow.
“The reason we do this is to make sure that you’ll be able to breathe on your own once the tube is out. Your chest muscles can get weak when you are on the ventilator for long periods of time, making it so you tire out when breathing on your own. Once we get the tube out, I want it to stay out. I don’t want to have to put it in again because you get too tired. Do you understand?”
Skyler nodded.
Dr. Stone looked at Rebecca. “Do you have any questions?”
“Is there anything I can do to help him?”
“The best thing you can do is keep him calm. If the ventilator alarms, it’s most likely because he’s not taking deep-enough breaths or because he’s coughing. Give him those reminders to take slow, deep breaths and focus on his breathing.”
“I can do that.” She squeezed Skyler’s hand.
“I’ll come back and check on your progress in a couple of hours. Until then, try and relax, watch some television, or do something else to keep your mind off this.” Josh put his hand on Skyler’s chest. “You are doing a great job. Keep it up, and I’ll see you in a little bit.” He walked toward the door.
“I have the OR scheduled for ten in the morning. I’ll fix Skyler’s arm then. In the meantime, try not to move that arm too much.”
Skyler nodded and looked at the broken appendage.
“Thanks. We’ll see you in a while.” Rebecca squeezed Skyler’s hand.
“Two hours! Remember to take slow, deep breaths.” Josh smiled and left.
Chapter 18
Laney
Laney’s cell phone was buzzing in her purse and she scrambled for it. When she finally found it, Josh’s picture from the beach appeared on the screen. “Hello!”
“Hi, gorgeous! How’s my best girl this afternoon?”
“I hope that I’m your only girl. I’m doing fine. How’s your day been?” Laney couldn’t escape the smile that consumed her face.
“Busy. You’ll be interested in this. Skyler woke up, and I’m looking to extubate him today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it was pretty amazing.” Josh filled her in on the details.
“Well, they have some strong connection with each other through that song. I’d be curious to know what it is.”
“Maybe I’ll ask when he can talk.” Josh paused. “How’s your day been?”
“I’ve been busy. Peyton and I went to the gym, had lunch, and went shopping. I got the cutest outfit today. I think I’m going to wear it tonight when we go to dinner.”
“I’m glad you were with Peyton. It sounds like you had a great time. You were supposed to call me to let me know when you were going someplace so I could keep tabs on you.”
“I just figured since I wasn’t alone, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Again, I’m happy that you were with Peyton and not alone, but Laney, this is serious. Did you call Stephen?”
“No, I just got back to Peyton’s and I was getting ready to. I had just put down my things when you called.”
“I see. Well, I spoke with him today.”
“And?” She was curious what the officer thought about her predicament.
“Because you live outside of his jurisdiction, he cannot file the report. However, he gave me a name of someone who can help. He also thought it wasn’t a serious-enough threat to really do anything about. But he believes we should file the report so that we have something on record if the guy gets really crazy and does something worse.”
“Fine. If you give me the officer’s name, I’ll give him a call.”
“His name is Ed Neal, and he’s with the San Diego PD. He’s a detective.”
Laney jotted down the information. “Great. I’ll do it right now.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
Laney couldn’t wait to change the subject. She didn’t like this type of attention on her. “When and where would you like to meet for dinner?”
“How about six at my house? I’ll text you the address. That’ll give me an opportunity to change.”
“That sounds good. I have to get into work pretty early tomorrow, so I’d prefer if we didn’t stay out too late. I like to be well rested for my first day back or it makes the next couple of shifts really hard.”
“No problem. We’ll stay local and grab something in Encinitas.”
“Sounds like a plan!” Laney let out a small giggle. “Well Doctor, I need to be going now. I have a certain police officer I need to track down before my boyfriend gets too upset with me.”
“So I’ve reached boyfriend status?”
“You’re certainly protective like one, and you seem to treat me like I’m your girlfriend. And with the amount of time you spend focused on me, I’m going to say you don’t have any other girls on the side. So yes.”
“Point taken. I like that I’m your boyfriend. I was hoping to obtain that exclusive privilege at some point.”
“It’s quite the privilege. So don’t abuse it. Otherwise, I’ll have to unleash my wild female fury on you.”
Josh laughed. “That sounds frightening. Let’s avoid that at all costs.”
“I’ll see you at six, Doctor.”
“You know what that does to me.”
“I can only hope that you’ll unleash some of that machismo on me tonight.”
“Woman, you’re asking for trouble.” Josh had a slight growl in his voice.
“I’m pretty sure I can handle you. Now, I’ll see you at six.” Laney hung up. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Laney loved the way she got butterflies every time she talked to Josh. She loved their banter, his overprotective tendencies, and the fact that he was a hopeless romantic.
She could easily fall in love with him if she let herself. And even though they had known each other for a while, it was too early to have those feelings for him. The relationship was too new, and she was always cautious not to go too fast in relationships. In fact, most guys were head over heels for her before she had developed any real feelings for them. They would get frustrated with her reluctance to go forward faster with the relationship, and it would always end over the fighting that ensued.
Not this time. It was time to get herself in check. S
he certainly wasn’t ready to jump into a marriage with Josh. But she didn’t want to push him away either. There needed to be a happy medium.
Laney walked over to Peyton’s laptop and pulled up the non-emergency number for the San Diego Police Department and punched the number into her cell phone.
“Hello, San Diego Police Department. How can I help you?” The woman answering had an all-business tone of voice.
“Hi, I am trying to reach an Ed Neal. Is he available?”
“Let me check on that. May I ask who is calling?”
“My name is Laney Pearson.”
“Just a moment please, Ms. Pearson.” She heard the click on the line as she was placed on hold. The woman’s voice was replaced by Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight.” Laney hummed along. Sometimes you just can’t beat the classics.
The woman came back on the line.
“Ms. Pearson?”
“Yes.”
“Detective Neal is on another call right now. Would you care to leave a voicemail for him?”
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll connect you.”
There was a click as she was transferred. Detective Neal’s voice message played and Laney listened through it. When it finally beeped, she left a message.
“Hi, my name is Laney Pearson. I was referred to you by Officer Stephen Miller. I’ve been having a problem. Someone seems to be stalking me.” When Laney said the words out loud, her throat got tight as the reality of the situation finally hit her.
“Officer Miller told me I needed to complete a police report and you would be able to help me. If you could give me a call back, I would appreciate it.” Laney left her phone number and disconnected.
She headed into Peyton’s bedroom and began looking through the clothing items she had packed to spend the night at Josh’s. She had taken care to pick out the perfect lingerie for the evening and picked a deep purple see-through teddy with black lace around the edges. “The good doctor is going to love this,” she murmured. She gently folded it and placed it back in her bag.
Laney was headed into the bathroom to check her makeup when her cell phone rang. She ran into the living room and grabbed it out of her purse. It was an unlisted number. “Hello?”
“Ms. Pearson?”
“Yes.”
“Hi. This is Detective Neal from the San Diego PD. I’m returning your call.”
“Thank you for calling me back so promptly.” Laney proceeded to explain the events that had occurred over the previous few days.
“This certainly does sound concerning. I’m going to have to take a look at those letters. You have no idea who could be doing this to you?”
“Not at all.”
“Do you have any enemies?”
“Not that I’m aware of. I work at the hospital, and I have a close-knit group of friends I hang out with on my days off.”
“What do you do at the hospital?”
“I’m a trauma nurse in the emergency department.”
“Do you recall ever coming across an especially unhappy patient who might want to get back at you for something?”
“Honestly, no one likes to come to the emergency department and most people are ticked off they have to be there in the first place. It would be hard for me to narrow down a couple of especially unhappy patients. Lord knows we have more than our share of patients with psychological issues. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“Have there been any patients in particular who may have threatened you while you were caring for them?”
“I get patients threatening me several times a week. I get called all sorts of names. It goes along with the business.”
“So, what you’re telling me is there hasn’t been anything out of the ordinary lately.”
“Correct. Wait. A while ago, my ex-boyfriend from high school was in the department. He said he wanted me back. He was drunk, but he wasn’t threatening in any way. I don’t know if that helps, but maybe it’s something.”
“How long ago did you date?”
Laney paused. “It’s been over a decade. Since then, we’ve only seen each other in passing a couple of times. I can’t imagine that it would be him.”
“I see. And you dated while living in San Diego?”
“Yes.”
“What’s his name and address?”
“Scott James. I have no idea where he lives. Again, we haven’t kept in touch.”
“Well, I’d like to come by and collect those letters as evidence. I was getting ready to head out of the office to follow up on some things. Would it be okay if I stopped by about four-thirty?”
“That works out perfectly.”
“Great. Let me get your address and I’ll come by.”
“Um—actually, I’m at my friend’s house right now. My boyfriend thought it would be a good idea if I weren’t alone.”
“Okay, should I meet you there?”
“That would be fine.” Laney proceeded to give the detective Peyton’s address before hanging up. Peyton came back from walking Jack just as Laney ended the call.
“And how’s Dr. Stone?” Peyton asked, a twinkle in her eye.
“He’s fine. I was actually just talking to the detective who’s going to investigate the stalking thing. He’s coming over here in a bit. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Absolutely not. I’m glad I could be here for you.”
“Thanks for letting me hang out for the day.”
“No worries. I’m going to take a shower while we are waiting for the officer. I have a hot date tonight with the Marine, and I want to be ready to go when you leave.”
“That’s fine. I’ll hang out and watch some television.”
Laney grabbed the remote, turned on the television, and began flipping through channels while she waited for the detective.
***
Laney followed the GPS directions on her phone to find Josh’s house. She pulled up in front of an old Victorian-style home. With its deep blue color, white trim, and the wraparound porch, it looked like something straight out of the movies. She noted Josh’s car parked in the driveway as she parked on the street. She grabbed her purse and got out of the car, not bothering to take her overnight bag yet.
As she walked up the driveway, Laney became awestruck by the view of the Pacific Ocean. She couldn’t help but stop on the porch and take it all in. The smell of the ocean and the tranquility of the waves rolling in and crashing on the shore was surreal. There was nothing more relaxing than sitting on a porch swing with a nice cocktail and watching the water.
She was startled by Josh’s arms suddenly wrapped around her waist. When she turned around to face him, he pulled her closer.
There was something better than sitting on that porch swing. It was being in his arms, the strength of his embrace, and the smell of his skin. She looked up at him. Their eyes met as he tenderly kissed her lips, leaving a tingling sensation that made her place her fingers on her lips, hoping to savor the taste and touch of his kiss. She never wanted to lose that feeling.
“Hey, are you okay?” Josh looked at her with concern.
She broke out of her trance and offered a half smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just got a little caught up with the view. It’s amazing.”
“That was the selling point for this house. When I first bought it, the house was in bad shape so I’ve been slowly fixing it up.”
“I think it looks beautiful.”
“Yeah, the outside is really starting to get there. I just had it painted last month. Wait until you get inside—it’s not as pretty. I’m in the process of redoing the floors. I’m laying new hardwood. Talk about time consuming. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.” Josh chuckled.
“You’re doing the remodeling yourself?”
“What I can. I’ve had to hire some people for things like the electrical work, plumbing, and countertops. That stuff I didn’t want to mess with.”
“You’re amazing!”
&nb
sp; “I prefer to think of it as just being cheap.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“No, I really enjoy it. It keeps me busy and takes my mind away from work. Would you like the grand tour?”
“Sure, that sounds great!”
Josh escorted Laney into the house. She placed her purse and keys on a table just inside the entryway and was greeted by something sniffing at her. Startled, she turned around and found a gray-and-white Great Dane.
She bent over and pet him. “You must be Duke.”
“Go lie down. Leave her alone! Sorry if he scared you.”
“He seems very friendly.” Laney continued to rub the large dog.
“A little too friendly,” Josh acknowledged. “Shall we?”
He escorted Laney to the living room. Josh started the tour downstairs and guided her through each room, explaining the work he had already done and what still needed to be completed. As they circled back to the stairs, his front door opened and a woman walked through.
She was beautiful, with long dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, and pale, flawless skin. She saw Laney and frowned.
Laney felt a pang of jealousy. Was this a girlfriend? An ex-girlfriend? Was this who Josh was talking to on the phone the other day asking to let his dog out?
Just when she was about to go insane wondering who this woman was, Josh broke the uncomfortable silence.
“Hi, Jillian,” he said. “How was your day?”
The woman threw her keys on the same table that Laney had hers on. Jillian? Who the hell is this woman? Chill, she told herself.
“Fine.”Jillian turned her sights on Laney. “Who’s your friend here?” She smiled but the sarcasm dripped from her voice.
“This is Laney. Laney, this is my sister.”
Laney held out her hand to shake Jillian’s and was met with empty air. “It’s nice to meet you, Jillian.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Jillian remarked as she studied Laney. Then she stalked off toward the kitchen. Laney followed Jillian with her eyes before directing her attention back to Josh.
“Your sister is a lovely woman.”
“That wouldn’t be my first description of her.”
“She’s stunning. She might be one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.”
