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“I’m betting I can guess what’s good.” Karen rolled her eyes. “You were out late last night.”
“Out late?” Their patient cackled breathily, obviously enjoying her role as spectator to their conversation. “And sparkling like that? Must involve a man.”
“Must,” Karen agreed, eyeing Madison with a mixture of wariness and happiness.
Madison just smiled, not willing to say more and particularly not willing to discuss Mrs. Cline’s personal physician in front of the lady.
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“What must involve a man?” asked the wonderful, breath-stealing man in question as he stepped into the room, twirling his stethoscope between his long fingers. His long, talented fingers. Looking at those fingers, remembering where they’d been, had heat flushing her cheeks.
He winked at his patient. “Hey, gorgeous. How’re you feeling this morning?”
“Better, but not as perky as my nurse.” The woman smiled at Levi, then motioned toward Madison. “I’ll have some of what she’s having.”
Levi’s brow rose when both Karen and Madison snorted. If only Mrs. Cline knew she was talking to the man responsible for Madison’s perkiness. Then again, what woman wouldn’t want some of Levi? He was amazing. Brilliant. Fun. Witty. Sexy. Wonderful.
Madison would like another helping herself.
“Oh?” Levi glanced toward Madison. His dark eyes twinkling with blatant mischief, a slow smile spread across his handsome face. “You feeling perky today, Nurse Swanson?”
“Yes, Dr. Fielding.” Had her breathing sounded as dyspneic as Mrs. Cline’s? Probably, but she couldn’t help it. Not when Levi was so near. Not when looking at him filled her mind with memories of kissing him. Over and over. And again when he’d taken her home after dinner.
She’d thought to invite him in, but she hadn’t, even though that was exactly what a real playgirl would have done. Neither had he pushed for an invitation. She’d gone to sleep that night thinking the day had been perfect, perhaps with the exception of hooking her arm, the best of her life.
All because of how the man before her made her feel. Was she feeling perky?
“Quite perky.” She met his gaze. “Thanks for asking.”
And for putting that perk into my life.
Karen’s lips twisted in a knowing smile. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Dr. Fielding?”
First sending a quick “be quiet” glare toward Karen, Madison glanced towards her patient. The older lady watched them with interest, which made Madison acutely aware that she didn’t want to discuss her perkiness a moment longer.
“Dr. Fielding, perhaps you should take a look at Mrs. Cline’s latest vital signs,” she suggested. “She seems to be doing okay, but her pulse oximetry has dropped a couple of points since her transfer.”
Karen excused herself and Madison went to leave the patient room too but Levi stopped her. “Stick around in case I need your help.”
Madison met Karen’s eyes. Her charge nurse-slash-best friend just nodded her approval and, smiling, left the room.
“I glanced over your arterial blood gases prior to coming in here. You’re still hypercapneic. Not as bad as you were at time of admission, thank God, but you’re still retaining too much carbon dioxide,” Levi explained to the woman. “The ventilator was helping you to breathe more efficiently and to get rid of the excessive carbon dioxide, but since you’ve been off the vent, your levels are slowly rising again.”
Panic in her eyes, the woman’s hands went to her throat. “Does that mean I’m going to have to be put back on the ventilator?”
No one liked having a tube down one’s throat and having a machine breathe for them. Waking up to that had to be one of the scariest things Madison could imagine.
“No.” Levi shook his head and patted the woman’s arm. “I’m hoping not, but I do want to start you on a BiPAP machine.”
“BiPAP?” The woman glanced at him in confusion. “Isn’t that what you prescribed for my husband’s snoring?”
Levi grinned. “Very good. Actually, it is what’s prescribed for Mr. Cline’s sleep apnea. However, BiPAP is also used in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease cases where hypercapneic respiratory failure is an issue. Your arterial blood gas levels and overnight oximetry results qualify you for use of a BiPAP to make your breathing more efficient and hopefully prevent the need for going back on the vent.”
The woman just stared at Levi, her breathing more ragged than prior to when he’d come into the hospital room. “Will I just be using this while in the hospital or even after I go home?”
Each word came out a breathy rasp.
“You’ll need to use the BiPAP every night, even after you’ve gone home. The machine provides positive airway pressure, which will help you to breathe properly, help to prevent atelectasis, that’s when the tiny airways collapse, will help keep your oxygen saturation elevated and your carbon dioxide level down.”
