Sacred Trust

by Hannah Alexander

  “I know. Do your best. Medical control clear.” Mercy turned to find Lauren and Carol hovering behind her. “Hope these rescuers have been trained properly on safe weight-lifting techniques, or we could have more than two patients coming in with that ambulance.”

  “I’ve got everything set up in the cardiac room, Dr. Mercy,” Lauren said. “Dr. Bower is checking it out just in case we might need extra of anything. Is this man really over five hundred pounds?”

  “That’s a very rough guess. We’ll definitely have our hands full because our patient has a lot of other health problems. Oh, and, Lauren, make sure we have a suture tray ready. We’ll get two patients.”

  Lauren went to recheck supplies, and Mercy got up to pace, waiting for a radio report. Would the teams even be able to convince Clarence to come in? He might decide this was the big one, take advantage of it and stay at home, waiting, once more, to die. After all, it was Darlene who had called.

  Lukas came back a few moments later and watched Mercy wring her hands as she stared out at the street. “You look like a worried mother. They’re a professional crew. I think they’ll do a good job.”

  “Are we all set up for him?”

  “The cardiac room is stocked, and we have a good, sturdy exam bed. Lauren also has the laceration room ready for Darlene.”

  “Thanks, Lukas.” She glanced at him and stopped wringing her hands. “Did you have a good meeting with Mrs. Pinkley?”

  He winced. “Do you have to bring that up?”

  “I need something to keep my mind off Clarence. Was it that bad?”

  “Patient complaints.”

  She waited.

  He glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Ever hear of Dwayne Little?”

  “Sure, he’s Bailey Little’s son.”

  “Have you ever had him as a patient?”

  “A couple of times in the past year in the emergency room.”

  “I offended him by offering to set him up in a drug rehab program.”

  Mercy groaned. “You didn’t.”

  “I refused to give him the drugs he wanted, and I called the area emergency departments to check on him. His father wants me fired.”

  “And?”

  “And Jarvis George obviously wants me fired, as well.”

  “What does Estelle say?”

  “She says no way.”

  Mercy nodded with satisfaction. “Estelle usually gets what she wants.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. They’re talking big guns, maybe even COBRA. This may be out of Mrs. Pinkley’s hands.”

  “Wait. Just wait. She seldom loses a fight, and she was a trial lawyer and a prosecuting attorney for thirty years before she decided to become a hospital administrator.”

  “I hear Bailey Little seldom loses a fight, either. He apparently has strong political connections.”

  “True, and he fights dirty.”

  “Oh, great, I needed to hear that.”

  “You just need to be prepared to defend yourself, Lukas. Bailey is powerful, but he’s not God.”

  Connie’s voice came back over the radio. “This is Knolls 830 calling Knolls medical control. Over.”

  Mercy went back to her chair and flipped the switch. “This is medical control.”

  “We are currently inbound to your facility with two patients. Patient one is a class-two medical, a forty-two-year-old male complaining of chest pain. Be advised that we have established a jugular IV on patient one. Sublingual nitroglycerin times two has been given, pain has been reduced from a nine to a four. Patient’s current vitals are BP 92 over 68, respirations 18 and mildly labored, heart rate 112. Patient is on a cardiac monitor, revealing sinus tachycardia. No ST segment elevation is noted at this time. We have an ETA of two minutes. Are you requesting any further orders on patient one?”

  “Negative. Proceed with report on patient two.”

  “Second patient is a class-three trauma, a forty-year-old female who has sustained a deep laceration to the right foot, vitals are stable at this time and bleeding is controlled.”

  “Knolls 830, are you requesting lifting help upon your arrival?”

  “Negative. There will be ten of us.”

  “Medical control out.” Mercy turned to Lukas. “Let’s hope Clarence isn’t totally pain free when he arrives, or he may make them turn around and take him right back home.”

  “I don’t think so. Not this time.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Mercy crossed her arms. “What makes you the expert on Clarence all of a sudden? You’re the one who couldn’t convince him to come in last week.”

  “Fear is a great convincer.”

  Mercy shook her head slowly, frowning. “I think he needs a motivator. Darlene.”

  “She’s always been a motivating factor. I think it just took him some time to realize he’s been going about it the wrong way.”

  “So you’ve made him see the error of his ways,” Mercy said drily.

  “Nope. I already told you. When fear and pain talk, people listen.”

  When the ambulance arrived, Lukas followed Mercy out to meet it.

  “Dr. Bower,” Clarence called from his seemingly precarious perch on the Stryker cot.

  Lukas leaned through the ambulance door. “How’s the pain?”

  Clarence nodded. “Still hurts, but not like it did. Take care of Darlene.”

  “A nurse is already helping her inside.” Lukas shot him a mischievous grin. “Dr. Mercy’s on duty, and she’s going to take good care of you.”

  Clarence looked at Mercy and groaned.

  Mercy glared at him. “I see you haven’t lost your chauvinistic charm.”

  She and Lukas backed out of the way while eight men and two women surrounded Clarence and heaved his huge bulk out of the ambulance. There was a tense moment when the stretcher nearly tipped, but they righted it and turned to push Clarence toward the entrance.

  Mercy descended on her patient. “How’s the pain now?” she asked.

  “Better than it was,” Clarence muttered.

  “Rate it for me on a scale of one to ten,” she said.

  “I don’t know.” Clarence glanced down at the cot that carried him. Thick folds of flesh hung over each side. “Maybe a three, but it’ll get worse if I fall off this sawhorse.”

  “Then you’d better hold still and do what the doctor tells you,” Mercy said as the team wheeled him toward the cardiac room.

  Darlene sat inside the E.R. doors with both feet elevated in a wheelchair, refusing to be taken into an exam room until she knew Clarence was going to be okay.

  “We gave him a third nitro on the way here,” Connie told Mercy. “His pain has eased more each time.”

  At the count of three the group lifted in unison, and amid grunts and groans, they gently placed Clarence onto the slightly wider exam bed. They expertly handled oxygen, IV and monitoring equipment.

  Mercy leaned over Clarence with her stethoscope and auscultated his massive chest. Heartbeat and breathing were muffled. No wonder the paramedics had trouble getting readings on him.

  When she straightened, Clarence asked, “Is it a heart attack?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “What about my sister? How’s her foot?”

  Mercy turned around and saw Lukas standing at the exam room entrance. “Lukas, would you mind taking care of Darlene? Looks like I’m going to be here awhile.” She motioned to Lauren. “Let’s give Mr. Knight another nitro and put him on a Tridil drip. Put him at three CCs an hour.”

  “Yes, Dr. Mercy.”

  Mercy walked out to the desk. “Carol, we need a stat cardiac workup, EKG, CBC, chemistry panel, cardiac enzymes and PT, PTT. And get us another nurse down here. We’re going to need her.”

  “What about a portable chest?” Carol asked.

  “No. With someone his size it would be a complete waste of time.”

  She walked back into the cardiac room. “How’s the pain now, Clarence?”

  “Still a thre
e in my chest,” he muttered. “Six in my arm.”

  “Feel like a pin cushion yet?” Mercy asked, grinning wickedly.

  Clarence laid his head back wearily. Mercy stepped up and patted his huge arm. “We need to run these tests.” She paused, almost expecting him to refuse the tests and demand to be taken back home. “Lukas will take good care of Darlene.”

  Clarence looked up at Mercy. “I know.”

  “And I’ll take good care of you.”

  “I can’t afford it.”

  Mercy sighed heavily. “We’ve been over this before. You have no choice.”

  He watched her for a moment, his dark eyes filled with sorrow. “I know.”

  Mercy hid her surprise well. Aha! Wait until Lukas heard about this.

  “Once you get to feeling better, I’ll have social services come by and talk with you.” She waited for an argument.

  None came.

  Now was not the time to shout for joy. She patted his arm again. “Stop worrying so much, Clarence. That’s one of the things that put you here in the first place.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Julie was back, and Tedi was furious.

  For nearly two weeks, ever since the day Dad had really lost his temper and scared Tedi almost to death, he’d been better. There’d been no booze, no bad temper, no nasty remarks about Mom. And no Julie. Coincidence? Tedi didn’t think so. It sure had been good while it lasted, with Dad in make-up mode.

  Late this afternoon, though, about two hours ago, Julie had come ringing their doorbell. The first thing she’d stuck through the door when Tedi opened it had been a bottle of wine. The next had been a stupid fake smile, a tearful apology for Dad, and a hug. For him.

  Tedi wanted to puke. She also wanted to break the wine bottle over Julie’s curly blond hair, but it was too late now. Dad had finished most of the bottle. Tedi knew that because she’d spent the past two hours eavesdropping while she pretended to watch television and do her homework.

  She knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but how else would she have known that Dad and Julie were talking about marriage? Actually, Julie was talking about marriage, with a big, fat diamond ring, at least a carat. Ugh!

  And how else would Tedi know how much Dad drank? The amount of booze he drank had a direct effect on his meanness. Julie didn’t know that yet, but it was never far from Tedi’s thoughts.

  Julie’s voice reached the family room just loudly enough for Tedi to hear over the television.

  “Sweetie,” she said, “I’m concerned about Tedi. Is she still having trouble over the divorce?”

  With a scowl, Tedi got up from her perch on the sofa arm and crept closer to the hallway so she could hear better.

  “She’s fine,” came Dad’s voice. “You don’t have to worry about her. Kids recover better than adults. My parents got a divorce when I was Tedi’s age, and I turned out okay.”

  A commercial blared suddenly, drowning out everything but Tedi’s indignant thoughts.

  “Butt out, Julie,” she muttered.

  “She thinks her mother is supporting both of you,” came Julie’s voice again.

  “Oh, no,” Tedi whispered to herself. “I’m dead.” Julie would just make things worse. When she left tonight…

  Julie’s hateful voice continued. “Maybe she’s just jealous of our relationship, but I don’t know why she would—”

  The Energizer Bunny thudded his drums. Tedi jumped, and for a couple of moments, she didn’t hear anything.

  Then came Dad’s irritated voice. “You’ve been discussing family finances with my daughter? My finances aren’t any of your business.”

  “But when we’re married—”

  A screaming car salesman tried hard to get Tedi’s attention. She wanted to ram her fist through the screen. But she wouldn’t be the one ramming fists tonight. Dad would be.

  She couldn’t let that happen.

  Tedi knew she had to leave first, at least until Dad had time to cool down and sober up.

  “Ouch!” Four-year-old Timmy Bradley tried to jerk his lacerated arm away from the anesthesia needle. His tiny face scrunched up into prescream.

  Lukas Bower finished the injection and held his hands out so the little boy could see he was finished—for the moment. “I’m sorry, Tim. Remember, I told you that the first one would hurt just a little, like a bee sting. The next one won’t hurt.” He placed Dermalon 5.0 suture in the needle driver.

  The nurse, Claudia Zebert, shifted her grip on the child and gave him a warm, grandmotherly pat on the leg. “Want some extra help, Dr. Bower?”

  Lukas shook his head and grinned at his patient, who watched him suspiciously and held tightly to his mother’s leg.

  “Thanks, Claudia, but Tim’s a big boy. Besides, we’re going to play a game.” Lukas waited until Timmy’s face registered curiosity. “Tim, I have some Popsicles in our freezer in the other room. If you can feel me stick you again, I’ll give you a Popsicle.”

  The child’s eyes held Lukas with growing interest and a little less fear than when he’d first come into the emergency department.

  “But you can’t cheat,” Lukas continued. “You have to look at Mom so you won’t be able to see when I stick you. Is that okay with you?”

  Timmy frowned and nodded his head.

  “Okay, here we go. No fair peeking.” Lukas moved closer to the wound.

  “Ouch!”

  Lukas suppressed a laugh. “Hey, I haven’t even stuck you yet. You really want that Popsicle, don’t you?” He glanced over at Mrs. Bradley’s tense face and winked.

  She tried to force a smile, but her chin quivered. She was a young mom, and this was her first child.

  “Okay, Timmy, can you count to three?”

  Before the child finished his count, Lukas gave him the final injections.

  Timmy got his Popsicle anyway.

  Tedi stuck a jacket, an apple and a peanut butter sandwich into her denim school backpack. She couldn’t go to Mom’s. Dad would just cause more trouble for her, maybe even have her committed again like he’d threatened. Grandma was hiking somewhere in Colorado.

  Tedi stepped to the door of her bedroom and listened. Their voices barely carried up the stairs from the den. If she was really quiet…

  She put on a sweater, pulled the pack over her shoulders and turned off the light as she slipped out the door. Maybe if Dad didn’t see the light, he would think she was asleep and not bug her. Or maybe he would be too drunk. Or maybe he would be thinking murder.

  Now she heard anger in both voices as they carried up the stairs. Even Julie wasn’t as sweet and fakey as she had been.

  Better get out of here before Julie left and Dad exploded.

  The voices continued as Tedi crept down the stairs. She skipped the third step from the bottom because it always squeaked, but she landed too hard on the next one. It thumped.

  The voices paused.

  Tedi froze.

  The phone rang. No one made a sound. It rang again.

  “I’d better get that,” Dad said. “It’s probably work. We’ve been waiting the whole afternoon on a client to arrive from L.A.”

  “What?” Julie sounded shocked. “You’d interrupt—”

  “Let go!” came Dad’s irritated voice, then the sound of the telephone receiver being picked up. “Yeah?”

  There was a pause, then, “They’re here? Now?” More silence. “Yes, Gordon. I’ll be down. Give me a few minutes.” He hung up.

  “How could you do this?” Julie’s voice was suddenly cold and harsh.

  “Do what? I’m trying to earn a living.” He paused. “How am I supposed to buy that ring for you if I don’t make a sale now and then?”

  Tedi didn’t wait to hear anything else. She slipped out the front door without another sound and hurried along the sidewalk to the street.

  Three blocks away was an open field. Across that field was a farmhouse and a barn. Tedi knew about it because she’d gone there last fall on a field trip with her
class to see a bunch of beehives. The beehives weren’t in the barn, so it would be safe.

  It was the only place she could think of to go and hide for a while. She didn’t feel like thinking about what she would do when it got dark. That would be a while yet. Right now she just had to get away, at least until Dad had time to sober up.

  Lukas stepped out of the curtained exam room and walked Mrs. Bradley and Timmy to the central desk, where Claudia waited with follow-up instructions. They arrived at the desk just as the radio crackled with the familiar voice of Buck Oppenheimer.

  “Knolls Hospital, this is Knolls 832. Please come in.”

  Lukas answered. “This is Knolls medical control. Go ahead.”

  “Medical control, we are currently inbound with a twenty-five-year-old Caucasian female patient who is complaining of acute pain in her lower abdomen. Her BP is 100 over 60 with slightly increased respiration. Heart rate is 90. She is very agitated and has twice asked us to return her home. We’ve convinced her to get checked out. Do you have any questions or orders?”

  “Yes, what is your ETA?”

  “We’ll be there in about two minutes.”

  “Thank you. Please advise us of further developments. This is medical control out.”

  “What developments can happen in two minutes?” Claudia muttered as she watched Timmy and his mom walk out the door. “Why does the ambulance crew wait until they’re almost here to call us? And tonight’s going to be a full moon. You can already see it out there, and it’s not even dark yet.”

  Lukas grinned. “Come on, Claudia. You’re not superstitious, are you?”

  “Everybody knows all the psych patients and Obs show up during a full moon. From the sound of it, this gal could be both crazy and pregnant.”

  Lukas shook his head. He had only worked with this fiftysomething nurse a few times, but he appreciated her manner with patients. Her maternal, no-nonsense attitude gave her an edge over the other nurses in spite of the fact that she was the most recently hired, and therefore worked the night and weekend shifts no one else wanted.

  “Relax, she may not even get here,” he told her. “Remember that the ambulance attendants had to convince her twice to continue the ride.”