Code Triage (35 page)

“Inflate the cuff, please,” she whispered to the technician, relief making her weak as Sam inhaled and she heard the first sweet rush of air through the tube—like a child playing with a soda straw. “We’ll get it secured in place, bag assist her for a few minutes, then continue those albuterol treatments.”

And you’ll live, Sam. You’ll live. Thank you, God.

+++

Nick felt a tug on the rope and looked back over his shoulder to see that Frisco, flanked by Tag and Maria, had stopped walking again. He couldn’t blame the horse; forty minutes of plodding in circles around the sandy riding arena felt way too long.

“He’s resting for a minute,” Maria said, surprising him again with her voice—angelic, sweet, and confident. Why he imagined that it would be different, he wasn’t sure. Except he knew the abuse and heartache she’d survived and expected, perhaps, to hear it in her voice. “Tag won’t let him lie down and roll; don’t worry,” she assured him. The donkey, as if on cue, nudged the big horse gently with his nose.

Nick smiled. “I see that.”

He walked back to Frisco, raised a hand . . . hesitated.

“It’s okay. He won’t bite you.”

Nick stroked his fingers along the gelding’s white blaze, relieved to see that the sweat was drying. Although the look in the animal’s dark eyes . . .
He’s still hurting. The order of the day. All around.
He touched Frisco’s soft nose, then turned to Maria. “It was your idea to call me?”

She nodded. “I knew you’d come.”

He raised his brows.

“You’re a policeman. You help people.” She stepped close to Frisco, and the horse turned his head toward her and sighed. “Animals too. Besides, he’s part of your family. And families—” she reached up to pet Frisco’s nose and Nick caught sight of the scars on her arm—“should always, always help each other. No matter what.”

Nick struggled to answer. “I think you’re right, princess.”

She smiled. “We’d better walk.”

He clucked to Frisco and the big horse moved to follow him. Tag and Maria stepped alongside, and they started another slow circuit of the sandy arena. They passed the wooden mounting block Gary had built so that the smaller riders would have an easier time climbing onto their horses. They walked by neat rows of protective riding helmets—some as big as NFL gear, for brain-injured children—hanging on pegs by the gate. The late afternoon sunlight glinted on a cluster of chrome wheelchairs and aluminum crutches. Frisco plodded quietly behind, head hanging low, and Nick led, his thoughts tumbling.

So much had happened in the past few days, things he’d never anticipated, like being here now, leading Leigh’s horse in circles with a near-blind donkey and a little girl. A child who’d been mute until today, when she’d called him to help this horse he’d never really liked. Because
“. . . he’s part of your family. And families should always, always help each other. . . .”

“No matter what.”
His heart cramped at the image of Leigh’s face in the gazebo today, when she’d try to explain.
“I was hurting.”
She still was; he saw that in her eyes every time he looked at her. Even last night, when she’d told him she wanted them to give their marriage another chance. She was frightened and confused. Maybe she had been all along. Had he really considered that? tried to understand why? Or had he always just moved ahead with what he thought was best—get married, start a family . . . buy that table? It had seemed right, solid, secure. He’d done it all because he loved Leigh; she had to know that. But if that was true, why had things ended up the way they had?

Nick clucked to Frisco, heard Maria echo it, then walked on, waiting for the vet and thinking how strange it was that he’d prodded Leigh for the truth, when maybe a much bigger truth was waiting for him right here in this dirt arena. Prompted by a little girl with cruel scars and the voice of an angel.

I’m listening, Lord. Show me, please.

+++

Sam drew a breath, grateful for its freedom despite the fact that it was flowing through a tube emerging from a gaping hole in her neck. She groaned, but no sound came because the tube bypassed her vocal cords. It was surreal. Especially the fact that it was Leigh Stathos who’d performed the emergency procedure. And saved her life, more than one nurse had told her in the past hour. Dr. Bartle had confirmed it. If Leigh hadn’t been there at the bedside, made the split-second decision to insert the breathing tube . . .
Elisa would be motherless right now.
Tears filled her eyes.

She hadn’t told the nurses or Dr. Bartle that the only reason Leigh had been here was that Sam had summoned her so she could enjoy the fact that she’d ruined her chances for reconciliation with Nick. If Sam were inclined to believe such things, she’d think that God had masterminded their bedside meeting. She caught sight of Leigh in the hallway and reached for the pad and pencil the nurse had provided. They’d be taking the tube out in a few hours, but Sam couldn’t wait that long. Her heart thudded.
I have to do this.

“Hello,” Leigh said, stepping through the doorway. Her gaze swept the monitor displays. “Dr. Bartle says you’re doing well.” She stepped to the bedside. “No more hives, itching?”

Sam started to speak, remembered she couldn’t, and shook her head.

“Good.” Leigh rubbed her hand across the back of her neck, looking obviously fatigued. “I think I’m going to go, then. The tube will be out in a few hours—Band-Aid, very little scar—and you’ll stay on steroids and antihistamines. You’ll be fine. I’m . . .” She cleared her throat. “I’m glad I was here.”

Sam raised her hand, beckoned to Leigh before she could leave. She lifted the clipboard and tapped the pencil against it, feeling a knot gather in her throat that had nothing to do with allergic hives.

“Question?” Leigh asked. She stepped close again as Sam wrote.

You saved my life.

Leigh started to speak and Sam shook her head, pressed the pencil to the paper again.

I was awful to you and you still helped me.

“I’m a doctor.” Leigh swallowed. “And I meant what I said; I didn’t want Nick to lose you. I wasn’t there for him when Toby died. You were. I can’t bear the thought of him losing someone else.”

Sam felt a tear slide alongside her nose as she wrote again.

He never cooked for me. I think cooking is like love for him. He loves you. Always has.

Leigh’s eyes glistened.

I’m so sorry.

“Sam, I don’t know what to say. . . .”

She looked at Leigh for a long moment and inhaled slowly through the lifesaving tube.

Love him back. He’s one of the good guys.

Sam returned the warm squeeze of Leigh’s hand, watched her walk away, then punched the button on the morphine pump. She sank back against the cool pillow and felt the effects of the medication swirl, thinking of Elisa and her play castle. She hoped someday her little girl would find that prince. Because of Nick, Sam knew they existed. She hoped he would have his happy ending too.

But if his wife was ever foolish enough to turn him away again . . .

+++

Leigh pulled into the stables’ parking area, heart pounding. When she’d finally turned her cell phone back on, there had been half a dozen messages: Patrice’s sister Glenna, Dr. Hunter’s technician, several from Caro, and one from Nick. His voice had been flat, unemotional, and he’d simply said, “I don’t know why they called me. But no one can find you. So I’m going to the stables to check on your horse. Call them.”
Them. Not him.

She slid out of the car thinking of the information she’d learned about Frisco. The colic symptoms were back; he’d been trying to lie down, and he didn’t look right, according to the distraught message from Glenna. The veterinary office assured her that while Dr. Hunter was in surgery, he’d be there as soon as possible. If things worsened, one of his associates out on a ranch call could probably stop by. She jogged through the doorway of the barn and nearly ran into Caro.

Leigh’s gaze swept Frisco’s empty stall and her stomach lurched. “Where is he? Did he—”

“It’s okay. Dr. Hunter brought the equine ambulance and they just pulled out. They’re taking Frisco to the UC Davis vet school. If he needs surgery, that’s where Dr. Hunter wants him. He already has an IV and they gave him something for pain. Dr. Hunter said Nick did a great job.”

“Nick?”

“He and Maria and that funny little donkey walked Frisco for an hour; Nick sponged him down, kept him from rolling. I got here about half an hour ago, long enough to see that your horse-shy husband looked like a pro. I think Frisco’s in good hands. Don’t look so worried—it’ll be okay.”

Leigh swiped at a rush of tears. “It’s not only that. It’s so much else. When did they leave?”

“Less than ten minutes ago. It took a while to load Frisco in the trailer, but then Nick and Maria thought of sending Tag in first.”

“Tag went?”

“And Maria and Nick; the front section of that rig is huge. Patrice thought it would be good for Maria to follow through, since she was the one who first saw that Frisco was in trouble and phoned Nick. So—”

“Wait. Phoned? She doesn’t talk.”

Caro smiled. “She does now.”

Leigh shook her head. “I’m so confused. But I need to get there. UC Davis?”

“Right.” Caro reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “And I’ve got the Z4. I was going to follow, but if we can intercept them . . .”

“I can ride along with Frisco, too.”

“And Maria—and Nick.” Caro tipped her head, her expression concerned. “He didn’t tell me any details, but I got the feeling things aren’t quite where they left off this morning?”

“No. Something happened.” Tears gathered again. “It’s something I should probably tell you about too.”
I should have told you before. . . . Lord, I’ve made such a mess of things.

“Okay, then,” Caro said, wrapping her in a quick hug. “Do that on the road; we have a horse ambulance to catch.” She started down the barn aisle, then stopped. “Where were you, by the way?”

“You won’t believe this. I was at the hospital saving Sam Gordon’s life.” Leigh expected the look on her sister’s face. “Yes. I never dreamed I’d be doing that either.”

Never dreamed . . .
The impact of it hit as she followed her sister to Nick’s car. She’d just saved the life of the woman she’d killed over and over in all those awful, troubling nightmares. Her throat tightened and goose bumps rose.
Lord, you are there. You have found me. Can you stick with me now? Will you stay?

+++

“We’re here already?” Maria stood on a bale of straw to peer through the small window in the front section of the large trailer serving as an equine ambulance.

“Couldn’t be.” Nick glanced at his watch. “We haven’t been on the road long enough. Maybe we’ve pulled off so the tech can come back and check Frisco.” He glanced through metal bars at the horse tethered in the slant-load trailer, roomy enough that if the worst happened, the big horse could lie down on the thick rubber mats. Securely tied with a quick-release rope, Frisco’s head hung low, dark eyes half-lidded from the sedative given via the IV. Tag rode in the third space, completely unflappable and pulling wisps of leafy, fragrant alfalfa from a hay net. Nick wondered for the umpteenth time why Leigh hadn’t answered her calls.
Where are you?

He reached for the intercom button that connected to the truck’s cab. “I’ll ask why we’re stopping.”

Before he could do it, the trailer door opened. He squinted into the glare of sunlight and saw blue scrubs . . . and Leigh’s face.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“I’d like to ride along,” Leigh said, putting one foot into the trailer. Frisco nickered softly at the sound of her voice and Nick saw her eyes fill with worry. “Caro has your car out there. She was planning to follow. But if you’d rather drive back with her . . .”

“Frisco wants you both here,” Maria said quickly, closing the Bible storybook in her lap. “All of us. There’s room. See?” She swept her little arm wide, indicating the space thickly bedded in fresh straw where she and Nick sat. “It’s all comfy because they were going to take some baby lambs to the hospital. But Frisco needed it more. Come in. It’s okay.”

Leigh glanced over her shoulder. “I could tell Caro—”

“I’ll stay here,” Nick said and heard her breath escape in a sigh. She waved to Caro and climbed in. The faint trace of her shampoo mingled with the scent of straw as she moved toward the metal divider and reached through to gently stroke Frisco’s nose. For some reason, Nick thought of her knitting bag—the baby caps—and his painful confusion returned. He wondered if he should go with Caroline after all, then heard the BMW’s engine as she pulled away.

The trailer started forward and Leigh sank down in the straw beside him. “Thank you,” she said, smiling at Maria before turning to Nick. “Dr. Hunter said that you walked Frisco and sponged him down.”

“I’m not responsible for the Cinderella bow.”

“I figured that. But . . .” Her eyes held his. “I mean it, Nick. Thank you.”

“Where were you?” he asked, seeing the fatigue etched on her face.