by Angelo, Judy
But now there was no time to stand there dwelling on her patient’s plight. The buzzer on her desk was going off and she knew what that meant. Another emergency to deal with. Dr. Gupta would be meeting with Mr. Gerritsen soon so for now all she could do was leave things in his hands while she ran to attend to another cry for help.
By the time Solie finished her shift and left the hospital eleven hours later she felt like she’d been wrung and put out to dry. No matter that it was only seven o’clock in the evening, all she wanted to do right then was dive into bed. If she never heard another buzzer or call for ‘code blue’ it would be too soon.
When she got home she didn’t even bother with dinner but went straight to the bathroom where she had a warm shower, threw her window open to get some air then climbed into her soft, sweet-smelling bed. Heaven.
Her head had just touched the pillow when the space outside her window erupted in a burst of laughter and cheers that had her springing up. What the heck?
She dashed over to the window and stuck her head out. The sun had already set but she peered through the red-tinged shadows and what she saw made her exhaustion fly out the window on the next breeze. Her neighbor, that beast of a man, was at it again. She was staring right at his newly built gazebo and it looked like he had a hundred people, all men, hanging out in his backyard. Didn’t he know that in this residential neighborhood a crowd like that was against the law?
Immediately, she swung away from the window and grabbed her robe from the back of the chair. It didn’t matter that she was wearing oversized pajamas that flapped around her legs. She didn’t care what she looked like. She just wanted the party over.
Muttering under her breath she marched out of the bedroom and down the hallway. When she got to the back door she flung it open and stomped across the grass toward the oh, so familiar hedge, the place where she’d been having so many heated conversations lately. Climbing on top of the rock by the shrubbery she peered over the hedge. From that vantage point she had a perfect view of the men milling around in her neighbor’s backyard.
Okay, so it wasn’t a hundred of them back there, more like a dozen, but still…with the noise they were making it was just too much. And on top of all that there was that dog again. As soon as her head popped over the fence he bounded toward her, barking like he’d gone mad and bouncing around like he thought it would make her jump over and have a romp with him. Yeah, right.
And there, following right behind the dog was its owner, loping toward the border between their homes, his mouth set in a grim line like he was ready for a fight. Well, he could bring it on because she was ready and she’d be the first to get the ball rolling.
“Excuse me, but you and your rowdy crowd are creating a major noise disturbance. I’m trying to get some sleep over here.” Her voice carried across the space loud and clear, making the men turn to regard her with curious eyes. Some of them grinned up at her, some stared then turned back to whatever they were doing, but a couple of them looked surprised by her outburst. She didn’t give a damn. She wasn’t the one at fault here. Their host was to blame. “Either you tell your people to be quiet or I’m calling the police.”
The man had bent over to pat his dog’s head but at her words he straightened to his full height which couldn’t have been less than six foot one or two. His brows fell and he was opening his mouth to respond when one of his party walked over and slapped him on the back.
“So this is the feisty little neighbor I’ve been hearing about. She’s pretty.” Nodding, the big man gave her an indulgent smile like she was a cute little school kid and not a grown woman, and the fact that she was sensitive about what her friends called her ‘baby face’ did not make his comment any more palatable. “So what gives, little lady? Has my friend here been bothering you? Just say they word and I’ll tackle him for you.”
“Thank you but just stay out of this. I can handle my problems myself.” She gave the man a withering look. If he was in the company of the beast then he was one of the enemy.
The man’s face fell. He was obviously taken aback by her bitter rejoinder.
His startled look actually made Solie feel bad. If the man weren’t the color of hot chocolate he probably would have turned red in the face. Okay, so maybe she didn’t have to slam him that hard. After all, it was that other man who was pissing her off. She drew in a deep breath. She really had to get a hold on her emotions.
“I’m sorry," she said quickly. "That was uncalled for.” She shook her head then turned her attention back to the man who was now regarding her with a face as dark as thunder clouds. “It’s you I have a problem with. Do you do these things to annoy me?”
Almost casually, the man folded his arms across his chest, tilted his chin and looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Maybe,” he said, his voice deceptively soft.
Her brows fell and, with a pout added, her frown turned into a scowl. “Maybe? You mean you’re doing these things deliberately?”
His expression made it clear that he thought she was daft. “You’ve got a mind of your own. Think whatever you like,” he said, his tone little better than a scoff. “Just don’t come pissing your anger all over my lawn. I’m within my rights and you know it.”
“I know no such thing. If you don’t shut this party down right now I’m calling the police.” The nerve of him.
He jerked his chin at her. “Go do what you have to do.” With that, he turned and strode away, his bewildered-looking friend by his side.
Solie clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists. If she could only get her hands on him she’d show him who he was dealing with.
With a frustrated growl she hopped off the rock and stomped back into the house. He was right. The noise wasn’t loud enough to be a public disturbance so she didn’t dare call the police. But she knew he would mess up again and she was sure it would be soon. And when he did she would get him.
He could bet his butt on that.
***
The days were flying by so fast Ransom couldn’t believe it had been a week since he’d last visited the construction site. He’d been caught up in the office for days and the need to make a quick trip to his New York office hadn’t helped. Today, though, he would not let it slide. He hated to feel out of the loop on such an important project.
When he pulled into the parking lot at the site he hadn’t even shut off the engine when his construction foreman, a brawny middle-aged man wearing the standard fluorescent orange vest and yellow hard hat ran toward his truck. “We’ve got a problem,” he blurted out before he’d even come to a halt.
That was an immediate attention grabber. The last thing you wanted to hear on a construction site was that there was a problem. There was too much that could go wrong. He threw the door open and got out. “What’s going on?”
Gordon shook his head. “The same problem. We thought we’d resolved it but like a friggin’ pendulum it keeps coming back.”
“Plumbing again?”
That got him a nod from the foreman. “That damn fool of a plumbing contractor we’ve got isn’t worth a sack of dirt. Doesn’t know his head from his ass, if you ask me.”
Ransom could have reminded him that they’d hired the man on his recommendation but he kept his mouth shut. No sense in going there, not when it wouldn’t resolve a thing. He would much rather focus on resolving the issue than on casting blame. “The leak is still in the underground parking garage?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Gordon said, falling into step beside Ransom who’d already set off across the gravelly parking lot. “He’s down there with his crew right now.”
Ransom gave a grunt and kept on walking. For many of his other projects he’d relied on his team of managers to ensure that things ran smoothly but for this one he’d decided to immerse himself fully. Now he was beginning to wonder if that had been such a good idea. They were beginning to rely on him a little bit too much.
When he got to the location it was to find Egan Stiles tappi
ng his fist against his chin, a look of confusion in his eyes. Not good.
As Ransom approached he looked up then nodded. “Glad you’re here, Mr. Kent. Good to have someone I can discuss this with. Someone who won’t go flying off the handle.” He directed a pointed look toward Gordon who had come in just behind his boss.
Ransom ignored his jibe. “Where’s the problem this time? Same place?”
Stiles shook his head. “It’s shifted to the north passageway. I have my crew on it but just can’t figure out why this would crop up again. That’s what’s beating me.” He was back to tapping his fist against his chin.
“Take me to it.”
At Ransom’s words a look of surprise flashed across the contractor’s face but, just as swiftly, he tightened his lips and turned. “Follow me, please.” His voice was businesslike, almost brusque, as if it had dawned on him that his show of confusion could have been construed as a sign of weakness.
For his sake, Ransom hoped it was a minor glitch because if the problem couldn’t be resolved within the next twenty-four hours then he would have his foreman give him his walking papers. In this type of business where production schedules were critical he had no time for incompetence.
When they got to the north passage Stiles pointed to a narrow tunnel. “It’s along here. The guys are busy down there so it doesn’t make sense to bother them while-” He broke off when Ransom strode past him, bent his head and headed into the shadowy walkway. “Hey, I didn’t mean for you to go down there. I’ll get the guys to come out and talk to you.”
Ransom ignored him. He wanted no second party reports on what was going on. He needed to see what was up. “It’s not safe.” He heard the yelled words but did not slow his pace. He was going to see things for himself. That was the only way he would understand what the devil was going on.
It was getting darker as he progressed but when he saw lights at the end of the passage he knew he was near. He sped up as he got closer but he was almost upon the lights when he realized the men were nowhere in sight. What the blazes?
“Hey, anyone here?” he called out and that was when he heard a muffled sound above his head. He looked up and at that moment something sounding big and heavy and metallic clanged its way down the chute. Quick as a flash Ransom ducked his head but just as he was about to swing away to safety he felt a rush of wind and caught sight of a black mass flying toward him.
He glanced away just in time to avoid a full frontal slam to his face but his luck ran out when the missile crashed into the side of his head.
The last thing he felt was his head splitting open and then he crumpled to the floor.
CHAPTER THREE
“E.R.’s not my thing. They know that.” Solie was not a happy camper as she strode purposefully down the hallway, a fellow nurse in tow. “As if I haven’t been under enough stress…” She didn’t have to say more. Her colleague knew exactly what she meant.
“Yeah, well, welcome to my world.” Anita shrugged as if this sort of thing happened to her every day. “I’ve been shifted around this hospital so much it’s like I’m a rolling stone. As soon as I get in the groove at one department, poof! They wave the magic wand and I’m off again.”
“But you know me, ‘Nita. I hate change.”
Anita shook her head. “True. But it’s not like we have a say in where they send us.”
“But my patients in palliative-"
“Come off it, Soledad. They say they’re short in E.R. so we just have to go. It’s not what we want to do, it’s what we’ve got to do.” Anita clucked her tongue at Solie.
As they rounded the corner that led to E.R. Solie sighed. “I know, girl. It’s not like I don’t. I’m just letting off steam, that’s all.” She bit her lip. “I’ve got a patient…I don’t want to be too far away. He…needs me near right now.” She surprised herself when she felt the sharp prick of a tear. Come on, Solie. No breaking down on the job.
Anita threw her a sympathetic look. “He’s getting close, is he?”
Solie nodded. “Real close. I want to be there in case he calls for me.”
“No family?”
“His wife’s been here since yesterday but she left half an hour ago. Poor woman. She’s exhausted.”
The conversation came to an abrupt halt when they got to the triage desk. Immediately, a frazzled looking nurse grabbed Anita by the hand and pulled her over to a waiting chair. “Cover for me,” she said, her brows furrowed in a frown. “I haven’t eaten all day and I have a splitting headache. I’ve got to go.” She raised a hand to her forehead then glanced over at Solie. “Dr. Delgado needs you on the trauma team. Get yourself over there right now.”
The woman didn’t have to say another word. Solie swung around, pushed through the swinging doors behind Triage and hurried to the trauma center. Where lives were concerned, particularly in an emergency department, there was not a minute to spare.
When she walked in three pairs of eyes swung toward her. The doctor gave her a curt nod. “Nurse Felix. Bed twelve, concussion. Check all vital signs and administer Percocet. Intravenous. Medication in one liter of solution. Go.” Not sparing her more than a glance the doctor dropped her eyes again to the patient lying on the stretcher, an oxygen mask covering the lower half of his face.
“Yes, doctor.” She was heading for bed twelve before the doctor had even finished barking out her instructions. She’d worked in E.R. before and she knew that rapid action was critical. She headed down the passageway to bed twelve, threw back the pale blue curtain and stepped forward.
What she saw made Solie freeze in her tracks. Dios! She knew the man lying in the bed. Eyes closed, his breathing shallow, there was a real vulnerability to him but there was no mistaking the rugged jaw, the wide forehead and the furrowed brow of her neighbor.
In that instant Solie’s heart pitched forward and slammed into her ribs. The shock made her suck in her breath, her palms suddenly growing moist. When she hurried to his side and stared down at his pale face all she could think was, Oh God, make him be all right. For some reason, seeing him like this made her feel faint. Why she was having this reaction, only heaven knew, but there was no time to think about that now.
She grabbed his chart and skimmed it quickly. Ransom Kent. Head injury on the job. Construction site. Hit on the head by a wrench? What the hell? He could have been killed. Involuntarily Solie’s eyes flew to him again and that was when she saw that he was wide awake and staring right at her.
For a split second he seemed confused, his brows knitting as his dark eyes focused on her, then a spark of recognition appeared and he blinked. “What are you doing here?” His voice was hoarse and gravelly, little more than a whisper. He didn’t wait for an answer. His frown deepening, he turned his head to glance around. “Where am I?”
“Stay still.” Quickly, Solie reached out to lay a firm hand on his arm. “You’ve suffered a concussion. You need to lie absolutely still right now.”
“Concussion?” He frowned and raised a hand to his forehead then he was looking around again, at his curtained-off temporary hospital room, the medical equipment and then the machines to which he’d been hooked up, totally ignoring her instruction to stay still. “How…” He frowned again, as if trying hard to remember.
“Please, just relax,” she said gently, and as she was talking she pulled the blood pressure machine close and began strapping the thick blue band around his upper arm. “You were rushed in from a construction site,” she explained quickly. “Head injury. You were hit on the head by a …wrench.” She could hardly get the last word out.
Her patient groaned. “Oh, yeah. I remember now. Something fell out of the chute and brained me.” He gave a soft chuckle then sank back into the pillows. “A wrench, was it?”
Why was he even laughing? “My God, you could have been killed.” The words flew out before she could stop them. She hadn’t meant to be unprofessional but she couldn’t help it. Didn’t he realize how close he’d come?
&nb
sp; His soft laughter died away. “I guess I should be grateful for my hard hat.”
“It saved your life,” she said softly. She had no doubt that it had.
The fact that he was still alive told her that he hadn’t taken a direct hit. The wrench must have glanced off the side of his hard hat. Maybe he’d seen it coming and shifted just in time, she didn’t know. The only thing she knew was that he was here, he was conscious and he was talking. Thank the stars for that.
But this was no time to reflect on what had almost happened. It hadn’t, and that was all that mattered. Now she had work to do. “Stay still,” she said, her tone extra firm as she tried to get a hold of her emotions. She was a nurse, dammit. Where was all this emotion coming from? He was a patient just like any other. “No movement while I check your blood pressure.”
Instead of closing his eyes and lying back like she thought he would, Mr. Neighbor gave her a smug look and curled his lips into something that was more of a smirk than a smile. “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes never leaving her. In fact, if he hadn’t been lying in a hospital bed Solie would almost say he was checking her out. His eyes were roaming up her body, over her scrubs and up to her face, making her feel like she was wearing the slinkiest of outfits. “You look…flustered.” He chuckled as he said the word, which pissed her off big time. How dare he be so bold when he was supposed to be weak and vulnerable? Wasn’t he supposed to be disoriented?
Just then the blood pressure machine beeped, much to her relief. Leaning over, she rested her hand on his arm to release him from the band. This time, though, instead of touching only the blue rubber of the cuff her fingers slipped – or betrayed her, she wasn’t sure which – and the next thing she knew she’d come in contact with solid, unyielding muscle so firm and warm, throbbing with a strength that made a lie of his current state of weakness. How would it feel to have those arms around her?
Solie blinked and pulled her hand away. Jeez, girl, get a hold of yourself. This is your patient you’re lusting after. “How are you feeling now? Does your head hurt?” She practically blurted the words out in her haste to cover her momentary lapse. She would just die if he noticed she’d been staring. No, not just staring, lusting after him…if she should admit it to her wicked, wicked self.
