Trauma Plan (42 page)

She came down the steps . . . wearing that oven mitt. He smiled at the unexpected complication. Fitting—they’d had more than a few complications in their history. Then the sun caught Riley’s hair and his breath staggered. The world had never felt so right.

She joined him on the circular driveway, and they turned to look back at the newly constructed stone building that smelled of milled lumber, fresh paint, and peanut butter.

Riley shielded her eyes from the sun and glanced up. “Oh, Jack,” she breathed, pressing the oven mitt to her chest.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” He read the sign again, his throat constricting.

Bandy Biggs Community Clinic

“It’s perfect.” Riley’s gaze moved from the sign to the window boxes on the porch, freshly planted with the beginnings of a winter garden. “Everything.”

He smiled, loving her even more. “Good enough for the city council members?”

“Absolutely.” She grinned at him. “Especially since two of their wives have signed up as volunteers.” She shook her head. “The new volunteer coordinator is a miracle worker.”

“She assured me there would be photographers here for the ribbon cutting.”

“Aagh.”
Riley’s brows shot up. “Ribbon. We need to do that. And I should make a quick call to Alamo Grace, to see if everything’s okay there. My assistant’s taking calls, but—”

“Hold it, Chaplain.” Jack caught her arm. “Not so fast. You forgot something.”

He reached into his pocket, handed her the engraved name tag:

Chaplain Riley Hale, Clinic Director

“Oh.” Her eyes lit. “It came. I’ll pin it on as soon as I get this apron off.”

“Good.” Jack took a slow breath, feeling his heart climb toward his throat. “One more thing and you’re official.”

“Official?” She peered at him warily. “Tell me you are
not
going to toss a CPR manikin.”

“Hardly.” He laughed as he reached into his other pocket . . . and found the small velvet box. “You think I was raised by wolves?”

“Then what—?” The oven mitt rose to Riley’s lips; her eyes went wide. “Oh, Jack! Is it . . . ?”

“It is,” he said, opening the lid to let the Texas sun hit the facets of a princess-cut diamond solitaire. “I love you, Riley. Please say you’ll marry me.”

She caught her breath, fresh tears shimmering. “I will. Of course I will.”

“Good.” He started to laugh. “Now if you’ll take that pot holder off your hand . . .”

“Oh, right.”

He slipped the ring on her finger, and she flung her arms around him. He hugged her close, squeezing his eyes shut—and feeling everything fall into place at last.

“I love you so much,” Riley whispered, her lips warm against his neck.

He released her just enough to cradle her face in his hands and kiss her. Once, twice, and—

They both looked up at the sound of barking.

“Hey, you two!” Vesta Calder walked briskly up the driveway, an eager Hobo and his cart leading the way. She waved a sheet of paper, her cheeks a healthy pink and her smile completely contagious. “I have two more volunteers. And some neighborhood news.”

“We have news too.” Jack smiled at Riley, slid his arm around her waist. “But you first.”

“Nothing earth-shattering,” Vesta said, arriving beside them. She squinted up at the clinic’s new sign and released a deep sigh. “Only that Andrea Nichols’s house has a For Sale sign on the lawn. Thought you might be interested in that. Though it might take some time at the price she’s asking. I suppose that’s because she spent all that money a while back on the new roof.”

Riley nudged him and Jack knew she was thinking the same thing he was. Hector’s fall all those many months ago. It made sense, Jack supposed. But so many other things made far more beautiful sense. Like the fact that Riley was going to be his wife, and—

“I’ll have to figure out a way to break the news to Hobo about Andrea’s cat, of course,” Vesta continued. “But right now we’d better stop this dillydallying and snap to it. We have a clinic to dedicate!”

Riley laughed, offered a hearty thumbs-up.

Jack glanced heavenward. A habit he’d recently adopted.

Sounds like a plan. Yessir.

About the Author

Candace Calvert is a former ER nurse and author of the Mercy Hospital series—
Critical Care
,
Disaster Status
, and
Code Triage
. Her medical dramas offer readers a chance to “scrub in” on the exciting world of emergency medicine. Wife, mother, and very proud grandmother, Candace makes her home in northern California. Visit her website at
www.candacecalvert.com
.

An Interview with Candace Calvert

Where did you get the idea for this story?

The character of Riley Hale sprang from my own experience of being a nurse sidelined by serious injury. In Riley’s case, it was an assault that left her with debilitating fear. It reminds me of a profound question I once heard in a Beth Moore Bible study: “Down deep, what are you most afraid of?” Fear (at odds with faith) is such a universal human experience. I wanted to explore it with this story and show the triumph of hope.

Are any of the scenes pulled from your personal experiences as a nurse?

As with most authors, my stories have a base in personal experience. In the ER there was heartbreaking tragedy but also stress-relieving humor and the warm camaraderie that came from being part of the medical team. I strive to offer all of that to my readers. I also draw from many “out of scrubs” life adventures. Yes, this author did indeed skydive! For the sake of romance, I spared Riley the indignity of having air rush up her nostrils. Not pretty.

As a former nurse, how do you write realistic medical scenes while avoiding the use of too much technical jargon?

When possible, I try to show medical scenes through the eyes of a layperson. That helps. My readers tell me they are more interested in the relationships between characters—the hearts and souls behind the stethoscopes—than they are in medical jargon and technical detail. So my goal is to use the “sirens and adrenaline” imagery to add tension and enhance setting without making folks feel they need to stop reading and consult a medical dictionary.

In the story, Riley is coming back to work after a traumatic injury. How is that similar to your own personal story?

It’s quite similar, though my injuries came from an equestrian accident that landed me in my own trauma room—with back and rib fractures, a bleeding lung, a broken neck, and spinal cord damage. Like Riley, I had weakness and numbness in my dominant arm and serious doubts I’d be able to continue my career as an ER nurse. I could easily understand Riley’s frustrations and fears. When I begged to return to duties too early, my department manager asked me much the same question posed to Riley in
Trauma Plan
: “What if a panicked mother rushed in, shoved a critically ill child into your arms—could you carry him to the treatment room?” It shook me to the core. The inspirational essay that chronicles my experience as a trauma victim, “By Accident,” appears in
Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul
and started my writing career.

Was there a specific inspiration for Jack? How did his character come about? Do you usually know your characters fully before you start writing, or do you discover new things about them as the story takes shape?

I wouldn’t say there was a specific inspiration for the character of Jack Travis. But as an easygoing, nonconfrontational, go-by-the-rules person, it was fun to create the opposite: a volatile maverick willing to take a stand like Commander Travis at the Alamo. Though I make notes about my characters before I begin, I don’t really know them until they start telling me their secrets. They whisper; I type. For instance, I had no clue that Jack played the guitar, had a Hispanic great-grandmother, picked peaches as a boy, or would soon learn valuable life lessons from a rodeo clown. These discoveries are blessings that enrich a story beyond any author’s plan.

San Antonio comes to life in this story. Why did you decide to set this series in Texas? And how did you research the setting for this book?

Though I’m a native Californian, my husband is a fifth-generation Texan and wanted to return there after retirement. We spent six years in the beautiful hill country northwest of San Antonio. Texas is beyond colorful, so different from what I’d known, and such fun to “research”! From gorgeous sunsets, the confetti whirl of Fiesta at River Walk, and the dance floor at Luckenbach to cannons at the Alamo, Tex-Mex food, and the surreal magic of fireflies, it was an experience I’ll never forget. And I’m eager to share it with readers!

Readers fall in love with the animals in your stories—and Hobo is sure to become one of their favorites. Do you have pets of your own? Do any of them have physical disabilities similar to Hobo’s?

Right now, we have no pets. Sadly, we lost our elderly mini schnauzer while we lived in Texas. I once had a Manx cat named Franklin, who lost the use of his back legs, and a beloved horse who suffered from seizures. Pets bless our lives and teach us valuable lessons about courage and unconditional love. Somehow animals always seem to wag, meow, swim, squawk, or gallop their way into my stories! I think we learn a lot about people—and fictional characters—when we see them interact with animals.

The people of The Bluffs are against having the clinic in their community because they are afraid it will bring crime into the neighborhood. Did you feel there was any validity to their fears? Have you experienced this kind of resistance during your nursing career?

I think Rob Melton nailed it when he told Jack, “Those neighbors aren’t bad people, Jack. They’re scared people. Wary of what they don’t understand. Protective of their families and their property. So they install security gates, form committees—” It’s human to fear what we don’t understand. And it’s wise to be cautious sometimes. But I think people are far more alike than different. Trauma and tragedy spare no one. I once worked at a hospital that served people from very poor neighborhoods as well as a new, affluent community. The ER waiting room was a melting pot. Was there ever intolerance, friction? Sure. But not as much as you’d think. Everyone can understand a mother’s worry over a sick baby, the wrenching pain of losing a loved one. You’d be surprised at the number of times I heard suffering people say, “Take that person ahead of me. He needs help more than I do.” I try to convey that grace via my stories.

Discussion Guide

Use these questions for individual reflection or for discussion within your book club or small group.

Note: Book clubs that choose to read
Trauma Plan
and would like me to “attend” your gathering, please e-mail me at
[email protected]
. I’ll try to arrange a speakerphone conversation to join your discussion.

1. In the opening scene of
Trauma Plan
, Dr. Jack Travis rushes to help a man set afire in the clinic parking lot. He’s furious that the gathered crowd has done nothing to help the victim. How do his attitude and actions here set the stage for his behavior as the story continues? What was your initial reaction to Jack? If you were in that crowd, what would you have done? Have you ever felt compelled to provide aid in a similar situation?

2. Former nurse Riley Hale struggles to accept her physical limitations after a vicious assault. It’s a miracle she survived, yet she can’t help wanting more—to be “whole again.” Have you ever been grateful for blessings while sensing a nagging need for more? How did that make you feel? How did you handle it?

3. Fear plays a prominent part in the theme of
Trauma Plan
: Jack attempts to “spit in the face of fear”; Riley fears she’ll never be whole; Vesta’s panic attacks leave her housebound. When Jack, Bandy, and Riley entertain children at the Sunshine Center, the teacher asks each child to name a fear. If you had to do that, what would your answer be? What helps you most when you’re afraid?

4. Birds are a recurring symbol in
Trauma Plan
: the grackles that Riley so despises, the birds Vesta loves to watch from her window, the Eagle Skydiving logo on Jack’s shirt, the caged finches Riley’s mother keeps, and the white dove in the stained-glass window of the hospital chapel. What do you think each represents?

5. Bandy Biggs tells Riley, “Sometimes it’s sorta like I’m spreadin’ hope, not peanut butter.” Do you think that is true? How does Bandy touch (and change) the lives of the people around him? How important is his character to the story? Discuss.

6. After Jack’s explosive confrontation with clinic neighbors at the library, Bandy tells him, “We can’t pick and choose who deserves good treatment. Those neighbors need it too.” He is, in effect, reminding us of God’s commandment to “love your neighbor” (see Matthew 22:34-40). Have you ever been involved in community conflict? How difficult is it to “love your neighbor as yourself”?