Best of Intentions

by Michelle Cary

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “I know the feeling all too well. I don’t know about you, but I’m not as young as I used to be. I love to ski, but one day on the slopes is usually followed by two recovering.”

  Tess laughed as the doors opened to the first floor.

  “Well this is my stop. Have a good day.” Mitch waved as he exited.

  “Yeah, you too.” Still smiling, she leaned against the wall. If he was the hospital’s Angel of Death, then he was hiding it well. Even though Eric had warned her to be careful around Mitch, she’d never garnered any strange vibes from him. Of course, there was always the possibility Eric was wrong.

  The door’s closed and Tess let her lid’s drift shut while she waited to reach the fourth floor. When the carriage stopped at the next floor, Tess suddenly had an overwhelming need to exit. She glanced up at the numbers above the door. It wasn’t her floor. Still, the pull was unmistakable, almost familiar in a way. She started to step off, then changed her mind and remained rooted in placed. Whatever the feeling was, it would go away and she simply didn’t have time to investigate.

  Once on the fourth floor, Tess walked through the double doors leading to surgical recovery and set her purse down on the nurse’s station desk. “Morning, Kim.”

  Without looking up from the chart she was reading, the woman replied. “Good morning. How was your ski trip?”

  “Exhausting. Hey what’s with all the reporters outside?”

  The petite blonde paused and glanced up. “You didn’t hear?”

  “Hear what?” Footfalls behind her had Tess turning to see her shift supervisor approaching. “Morning, Casey.”

  “Good morning, Tess. I’m glad you’re here. I need you to work ICU today with Tori.”

  Her brow knit. Had her urge to get off at the second floor been some sort of weird premonition? How had she known she was supposed to work ICU today? “Okay. Why?”

  “I take it you didn’t hear about the tour bus accident Saturday night?”

  Tess shook her head even as an unexplained feeling of dread settled over her. “I was skiing all weekend.”

  “So you don’t know anything about a rock band’s tour bus crashing over a guardrail on the turnpike?”

  Rock band? “God, no. Are they badly hurt?”

  “Two were DOA and one died in surgery. We have three in ICU and the two people from the car who apparently caused the accident. Tracy called out sick and Lauren went into premature labor, so I’m short-handed down there. Can I count on you?”

  Tess picked up her purse. “Of course. I’m on my way.”

  She hurried down to the Intensive Care Unit and walked in to find nine of the ten beds filled.

  Tori looked up from behind the small nurse’s station and smiled. “Boy, am I glad to see you.”

  Tess dropped her purse on the desk. “I’ll bet. So what do we have?”

  ‘Bed’s 1 and 3 are heart attacks, bed two is a stabbing victim, beds four through nine are from the bus accident Saturday night.

  Tess picked up the first chart and scanned it. “Casey said it was bad.”

  Tori nodded. “Bed nine is on life support.”

  “That’s such a shame. No brain activity?”

  “Very little, but it’s extremely swollen so they can’t be sure he’s brain dead. They’ll have to wait for the swelling to reduce before they can make a decision.”

  Tess shook her head. “I always hate when families are forced to make those type of…decisions.” Her voice faded as she read the name on the chart for bed nine. Travis Brighton. She shivered as awareness shimmied up her back. Eyes wide, her gaze shifted from the chart to her friend. “Tori, what was the name of the band?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I listen to Christian music not rock n’ roll.”

  “Please, Tori. I need you to remember.”

  Tori’s brow creased and she pursed her lips. “I think it started with an A. Aswald, or Ascent”

  “Ascension?”

  Tori pointed a finger at her. “That’s it.”

  A rush of adrenaline shot through Tess and she dropped the chart to pick up the next one. The name was unfamiliar. Instead of slipping it back in the slot, she dropped it and picked up the next one. With only two charts left, tears burned her eyes and she whispered a prayer. “Please let him still be here.” She opened the next chart only to have her fear increased when the name didn’t match. She let go of the chart, the metal clanged as it banged into the others already resting in a pile.

  Closing her eyes, she held the last chart in her hands, afraid of what she’d find. Slowly she lifted the cover, opened her eyes and blew out a relieved breath.

  Without, another word, she sat the chart on the desk and headed for bed four. Cupping her hand over her mouth, she stopped at the end of the bed and stared. Even after ten years, she would still recognize his handsome face despite his wounds.

  A large bruise ran along the side of his face from his temple down, encompassing not only his chiseled cheekbone but also a good amount of his squared jaw. Even a portion of his supple lips had suffered the impact from something large and powerful.

  She cringed at that thought and took a step forward. Exactly what had he suffered on that bus? Her need to touch him, to confirm he wasn’t a figment of her imagination grew and she reached out, stroking a hand over his dark brown locks.

  “Tess?”

  She whirled around to find Tori standing behind her with a worried look on her face. “Tess, what’s wrong?”

  “He’s an old friend.”

  Tori arched a brow. “Really? You never mentioned you knew somebody famous.”

  Tess shrugged. “It never came up. Hey, if you don’t mind, I’d like to mind his care for this shift.”

  Tori placed a hand on her shoulder. “Of course. He’s been fading in and out of consciousness. From what I’ve been told, he’s yet to be coherent enough to actually talk.” She turned to walk away then paused. “Is it okay for me to ask how you know him?”

  Tess stared down at his bruised and battered face, a wealth of emotions swimming inside her head. “Devin and I were high school sweethearts.”

  Chapter Two

  Pain racked his body as the bus tumbled down the embankment. The sound of grinding metal filled his ears, and he struggled to hang on to anything within reach. The microwave broke loose from its enclosure and tumbled down at him. “No!”

  His body jerked and his eyes flew open, yet the darkness remained. Trapped between nightmare and reality, he struggled to take a breath without pain ripping through him, to get up and move without the associated agony.

  “Shhh, you’re okay.” A soothing female voice filled his ears, while, he could only assume, her hands pressed gently against his shoulders, pushing him back to the pillow.

  “Who? Where?” He fought against her in search of something to confirm he wasn’t still dreaming. His brain refused to cooperate, keeping him engulfed in a mental fog. Desperate to once again find reality, he reached out with his good hand and managed to grab her arm. “Please help me.”

  “I am helping you.” The comforting tone in her voice seemed hauntingly familiar. Did he know her?

  “Where am I?” he asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper. The last thing he remembered was being inside the bus looking for Travis.

  “You’re in the hospital. You’re okay. Now lay back before you rip out your IV.” For reasons he couldn’t explain, hearing her voice soothed his frayed nerves, comforting him. He stopped fighting her and his body slowly relaxed, though his mind continued to race. Lost in darkness and dreams he had no idea how long he’d been unconscious. “What day is it?”

  “It’s Monday morning.”

  Monday? How could he not remember and entire day of his life?

  “Please, can you answer some more questions for me?”

  “I’ll try. What do you want to know?”

  “What hospital am I in, and what about my band mates. Are they okay?” He detected wh
at he envisioned to be a chair scraping across the floor, then the soft rustle of clothing.

  “First, you’re in the intensive care unit at Regional Hospital and some of your band members are here with you. I don’t know about the rest, but I’ll see what I can find out for you.”

  “What about Travis? I need to know he’s okay.”

  “Travis is here with you in intensive care. He is being well taken care of. Now what else do you want to know?”

  “Why can’t I see anything?” He hated the trepidation he perceived in his voice, and dug deep into his soul looking for strength to help him through this. Was it simply the fear of the unknown he was feeling and didn’t everybody experience that particular fear from time to time? It simply meant he was normal, right?

  “Let me get your chart.”

  Seconds later, she returned. “The test results show your brain is swollen, creating pressure around the optic nerve. Once it subsides, your vision should return, but it’s going to take some time. Until then, you’ll need to be patient.”

  Careful not to move too much and cause himself more pain, Devin nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate you being straight with me.”

  “It’s the least I can do.”

  There it was again, the lilt in her voice, the softness in her tone. He knew her, but how?

  “One more question?”

  “Okay.”

  “What town is this?”

  “Mechanicsburg.”

  He’d known before the accident they were close to where he’d grown up. He remembered seeing the signs. Now here he was, broken and battered, back in his hometown. “Your voice sounds familiar. Do I know you?”

  There was a long pause before she answered. “Yes.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “You used to call me Tessa.”

  ****

  Devin stared up at the darkness as Tess’s name rang in his ears and wished more than anything he could look into her beautiful green eyes. Even without his vision, he’d somehow known it was her standing by his bed. Still he couldn’t help but wonder if he was dead and this was part of some elaborate chapter in his afterlife. But if he was dead, then why was Tessa here and why couldn’t he see?

  He fought to make his mind work, but the damaged muscle refused to cooperate. Trapped in a pain-induced fog, he could feel himself starting to slip away again as his eyes drifted shut. Even if this wasn’t real and he was indeed dead, he didn’t want the moment to end and lose her again. It required every ounce of energy he had to force his eyes open.

  “So, you’re really a nurse, and I’m not dead?” he whispered.

  “No, you’re not dead and yes, I’m really a nurse.” Her tone never wavered as she spoke, carrying a sympathetic quality about it. For a brief second, Devin wondered if he detected pity in her voice. Not that it mattered. He must have looked a sad sight even to her. The once proud rock star now battered, broken and blind. If it were anybody else standing by his side he would have been ashamed for them to see him this way, but once upon a time, Tess had seen him at his worst and had loved him regardless of the circumstances.

  He swallowed hard. “It’s good to see…well, I mean…”

  “I’m glad to see you too.” She gently touched his hand. Currents of electricity raced from the point of contact up his arm and through his body, giving him a warm feeling. It wasn’t so much sexual as it was comforting, much like a warm fleece blanket on a cold winter day.

  “I was worried when I learned it was your band involved in the accident. When I couldn’t find your chart earlier, I feared you might have been one of the—” She stopped mid sentence, leaving an uncomfortable silence between them.

  A prickle of fear weaved its way through Devin’s body. He didn’t need ESP to know people had probably died in the accident, but he wanted to know for sure. “One of the what?”

  “Never mind. It’s not important right now.”

  It was obvious she was stalling, trying to protect him. “Tessa, please. If something has happened to my band mates, I have a right to know.”

  The silence between them made him squirm and he begged her again. “Please.”

  He caught the anguish in her sigh and braced himself for what was to come. “I’m so sorry, Devin. Three people on your bus didn’t make it. I don’t know which ones. I’ll see if I can find out for you.”

  Her words inflicted nearly as much pain as the accident had. Exhausted, he couldn’t fight back the tears. “But you said Travis was okay, right?” he choked out. She of all people knew how close he and Travis were.

  “He’s here in intensive care with you and one other person from the bus.”

  Relief flooded through him, but the vagueness of her statement and the sadness in her voice told him what her words hadn’t. “But?” he asked, knowing there had to be more.

  “Devin, I think it would be best if we waited to talk about this.”

  Frustration reared up and filtered through his body, tightening his muscles and pushing him beyond the point of reason. If something terrible had happened to Travis, he needed to know. He lifted himself off the pillow and pushed up onto his elbows. “Damn it, Tess.”

  Her hands landed on his shoulders. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but please, lay back and try not to get too upset. You’re still badly injured and I don’t want you to make it worse.” She paused, then finally spoke. “He’s suffered major head trauma in the accident, which we believe has led to severe brain damage. It’s an irreversible loss of cognitive function, but how bad we simply don’t know yet. We have to wait for the swelling to reduce to know for sure.”

  Devin’s brow knit as he processed her words. “Irreversible loss of function? What does that mean?”

  “It means there’s an outside chance he may be brain dead. We don’t know for sure, Devin, but you need to be aware, even if he’s not, he’ll never again be the person you knew. I’m so very sorry. I know how close you two are.”

  He ripped his hand from hers and brought his arm over his eyes. Not that he needed to hide his eyes from the light, but he really didn’t want her to see him cry. Everything they’d worked so hard for was gone; snatched out from under them in a matter of seconds. It was bad enough to know he may have lost his other band mates, but Travis was different. He wasn’t simply the band’s singer and Devin’s friend. Travis was like a brother, his only family who still mattered. Tears broke free and slid down his temples, wetting his ears before dripping into his hair.

  “Devin?”

  He shook his head. “Whatever you’re going to say, please don’t. I want to be alone for awhile.”

  She brushed a hand through his hair, and he felt her lips on his forehead. “I’ll check on you in a little bit.”

  Nodding, he let his head fall away from her. He didn’t want to think about life without Travis, to face the fact he may well lose his best friend. Should he have warned Travis about the accident? Would it have done any good? If Travis died, Devin was sure he’d spend the rest of his life missing his friend and dealing with the what ifs.

  ****

  By the time her shift ended, Tess wasn’t sure she wanted to leave. Though Devin was able to talk, he was still in critical condition and with him so despondent, she feared he’d simply give up, especially once he learned about the permanent nerve damage to his hand.

  Then there was the issue of the suspicious deaths happening in the hospital. Although they only seemed to happen to patients who were critically or gravely ill, they were taking place more frequently.

  The fact he was awake and talking gave her some comfort, but deep down a hint of fear still plagued her. It wasn’t as if she didn’t trust her colleagues with his care, but ICU was full and there would only be two nurses on duty. If both were tending to other patients, Devin could be an easy target, especially since he was blind. It would be all too easy for the killer to slip in without Devin noticing.

  “Devin?”

  He turned toward her. “Yes?”


  “My shift is over. Before I leave I wanted to know if you needed anything.”

  Without saying a word, he shook his head then returned to his original position.

  She stood there, contemplating her next move. Her conscious wouldn’t allow her to walk away without trying to get him to talk. “Has your family been notified? Do you need me to call them?”

  He didn’t move. “Mom had a stroke several years ago and Gavin moved her to Atlanta with him. When she had a second stroke and forgot who she was, he put her in a nursing home.”

  Tess remembered her mother talking about Mrs. McFadden’s stroke a few years back, but she hadn’t realized it was that bad. “How about your brother? I’m sure Gavin would want to know what’s happened.”

  “He’s building a bridge somewhere in Australia right now.”

  Tess closed her eyes and mentally cursed herself for not remembering Devin’s brother was a sore subject. When Devin was younger, his parents berated him for pursuing his rock star fantasies and not following his brother’s footsteps to become an engineer. “There must be someone who needs to be here with you, someone I can call?”

  “There’s nobody, Tessa. Don’t worry about it. Go home. I’ll be fine.”

  She touched his hand. “If you need me, ask the nurse on duty to call me at home and I’ll come back.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he repeated.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  Second thoughts raced through her head all the way to her car. Instinct told her to stay with him, but logic argued for her to go home. After all, it wasn’t as though she owed him anything. He was the one who walked out on her.

  Ten more minutes passed while she sat behind the wheel of her Explorer and contemplated her options. Yes, seeing Devin had been a shock. Still, should she allow her own world to come to a screeching halt simply because his had? She shook her head, started her car, and drove out of the parking lot. If she gave in now and stayed, who knew how far she’d allow him to suck her back into his world. No matter how much her heart ached for him, she couldn’t permit him to hurt her again.