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He glanced into the room and sighed. “She is a beauty. Where have I seen her before?”
I turned my head, trying not to issue a harsh glare. “Let it go.” While I knew his connections could provide additional information regarding James Cavanaugh, I hesitated to say a damn thing given my sense of loyalty and duty.
“What’s the girl’s name?” he asked. When I didn’t say anything at first, he laughed. “I’m not your enemy, my friend. I’d like to call her by name if possible. I need to get her the items I mentioned.”
“It’s Willow.”
“Pretty name for a pretty girl.”
For some reason, I crowded his space, every muscle tense.
He threw up his hands, backing away slowly. “I get it.”
I waited until he walked away before heading into the room. The girl’s whimpers indicated she was in pain. I’d never been a medic, but I’d been party to several ‘fixes’ in the heat of battle, utilizing everything from fallen tree limbs as splints to belts as tourniquets. There was no doubt from the condition of the girl’s arm her shoulder was dislocated. There was also a lot of blood on her shirt.
As I walked closer, the father peered up at me, his eyes imploring, her mother on the floor holding the crying girl’s hand. The anxious man spoke several words, none of which I could understand. I shook my head and he seemed even more frazzled.
Willow peered up at me, taking several shallow breaths. She tried to keep a smile on her face, but her expression alone told me she was terrified for the girl. I shifted my gaze to the wound and resisted cringing. It appeared she’d fallen, impaling herself with something that had already been removed.
“She’s lost a lot of blood,” Willow said between clenched teeth. “I’m already worried about infection. Her fever is starting to spike.”
“Dislocated arm?”
“Yes, and the pain is not helping because she keeps moving. I need to stop the bleeding. This girl needs a hospital.”
“I can’t fly out of here at night.”
“You mean you won’t do it.”
“Willow. I’m not flying a plane. This isn’t the weather you can take a chopper out in. Can you keep her stable until the storm breaks?”
She closed her eyes briefly, then as the girl moaned, she immediately returned her attention to the patient, speaking softly as she rubbed the girl’s head. “I don’t know.”
“She’ll be okay,” I said, uncertain if her parents understood a single word.
The man nodded and smiled, but he continued to wring his hands.
“Here is everything I could think of,” Jameson said as he walked in holding a small bag and an armful of towels. “What else can I do?”
“Can you tell Kalani’s parents she’s in good hands and that I need some time with her alone?” Willow asked.
Jameson lifted his eyebrows then turned his attention to the parents. While I could tell he was having difficulty relaying the information, he did his best. After repeating several words, it seemed they understood at least some of what he’d told them. “I’ll take them with me downstairs. Is she going to be alright?”
“Let’s just say it’s going to be a long night,” Willow said, immediately grabbing one of the towels and standing. “Can you stay, Santiago? I might need your assistance. There is one more thing I do need. A stick or something to put in her mouth to keep her from biting her tongue.”
The look Jameson gave me was full of concern. “I’ll come up with something.”
“I need to wash my hands. Don’t let her move,” Willow instructed me before she headed toward the bathroom.
I immediately turned toward Jameson. “When the girl is settled, I need to talk to you.”
“Sure. Whatever I can do. Let me get them comfortable and I’ll come back with something for the girl’s mouth. I’m thankful she’s here.”
“Yeah.” After he left, I took a deep breath, heading to the girl’s bedside. She was much younger than Jameson thought. From what I knew about the woman who’d found a place in my heart, if anything happened to the girl, Willow would be crushed.
She returned with a wet towel in her hands, gently placing it on Kalani’s forehead. “Please tell me your friend brought Tylenol, aspirin, anything. I’ve got to get her fever down.”
I rustled through the bag, shocked to find an antibiotic, one I recognized from being in the military. “This will be safe. They used to give these out like candy.”
