“All right, Mr. Cable,” I said to the old farmer. “Now, what are you going to do when you go home?”
Mr. Cable was a wheat farmer. He’d been farming wheat for over sixty years now.
He’d informed me that he’d come into the ER all of two times, and one of those times was because his wife was in labor.
The other was because his wife had forced him in, just like today.
Both times he’d been cut severely.
This time, he didn’t have the gift of time on his hands like he had previously.
He needed to rest, and that was nonnegotiable.
“Rest, relaxation, and follow up with my primary care provider.”
I nodded.
“Only, my primary care provider just died…” He paused. “Doc Pendelton was that for me. Do you recommend anyone else?”
I frowned. “Dr. Pendelton passed away?”
He nodded.
I’d heard a rumor but…wow.
That was news to me.
In Jesper County, there was only a single doctor that served over ninety miles of towns. With Dr. Pendelton gone that would mean that the ER would become overcrowded.
That was a terrible way to look at it, but that just meant that I’d be forced to work in the ER more and more.
Maybe someone would replace the old doctor soon…
“Give me a few seconds and I’ll call his office.” I held up a finger. “They may have a replacement.”
But when I called, there was no answer.
I went back into his room and said, “Come back here. I’ll check it out. Just let one of the staff know that you’re here, and I’ll come check it out.”
The farmer smiled.
The farmer’s wife patted my arm. “Thank you, dear.”
I watched her leave, which was why I saw which particular police cruiser pulled up to transport the patient that I’d called about earlier.
The slightly lifted brown sheriff’s department-issued GMC with contrasting yellow lettering. The one-of-a-kind truck that only one person that I knew drove because I saw it sitting in the driveway every freakin’ morning.
I blew out a breath, girded my loins, and crossed my arms as I stood to the left of the nurses’ station and watched him hop out of the truck.
Today he was in full uniform.
Tan cargo pants. Tan boots. Skin-tight black t-shirt. Tan Kevlar vest with all the pockets on the front. Black thigh holster holding a big black gun. Bright gold star on his chest.
Tan baseball cap. Black and gold Randolph Engineering aviators.
He was the total package.
He started sauntering toward the hospital as if he was there for a lovely visit instead of transporting a patient from the hospital to the jail—something that usually meant he was in for a headache and not a pleasant drive.
