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I don’t let myself wince as I move to the edge of the ramp and drop over the edge.
That’s the last thing I remember.
Chapter Three
Brooks
“Paging Dr. Harrison to the E.R. Dr. Harrison to the E.R.”
I gaze down at the single bite taken out of my turkey sandwich in dismay, internally cursing the day I thought that medical school was a good idea.
It’s been one of those days. As a private practice physician, I don’t typically round at the local hospital, but a colleague of mine is on maternity leave and we’re all pitching in to cover for her.
Which means my Fridays are now absolute hell.
Abandoning my sandwich, I shove my phone back into my pocket and walk towards the other end of the hospital. Maybe if I’m lucky it’ll be a simple fracture, I can ship the patient off for x-rays and return to my lunch.
The ER is as chaotic as it always is, a mess of harried doctors and nurses ducking in and out of doorways, patients being wheeled around and a drunk guy yelling for someone to bringhim a beer. It takes everything in me not to turn around and walk right back out.
“You paged?” I ask the charge nurse, who looks like she’s as exhausted as I feel.
She nods. “We’ve got a snowboarder in room 12, post traumatic head injury. Pritchett is evaluating her, but your name is all over her chart and I thought you’d like to know.”
It feels like my whole world has narrowed down to a single point. “Name?” I manage to choke, my throat constricting and my heart pounding in my ears as I hope and pray it’s not Delta, that this isn’t the call I’ve been terrified to get for years now.
In my heart though, I already know.
The nurse checks the computer in front of her, eyes darting over the screen rapidly. “Delta Jacobs. Birthday December tenth-“ but I’m already running.
The door to room 12 is open and when I skid to a halt in front of it, the place where the bed should be is empty. The room is deserted of medical staff, only occupied by three men in identical white snowboard jackets who are grouped together, arms folded and expressions grave. River looks up as I enter, and for once he actually looks genuinely worried.
My whole soul seems to plumet.
“What the hell happened.” I demand, ripping my gaze from River to look at the two men by his side, each of them older, male versions of Delta. Her brothers.
The younger of the two, Lake I think, glances at his father then back at me before responding. “She went in for a frontside 1080, right off the back. It’s nothing, she’s done it a million times. She landed it fine but then she just…” He looks at the floor and I can fill in what he’s not saying on my own.
My girl went down hard.
I round on River, fury rising in me hot and fast. I have never once told off the family member of a patient, even if they werethe reason their loved one ended up on my operating table. This is different though. This is Delta, and River has been ignoring what I’ve been begging him to hear for months now. He did this.
“I told you.I fucking told you.” I snarl, jabbing a finger into the center of his chest.
River is apparently not so shaken up he’s lost his pride, because he shoves me away, his voice raising to a level I know will attract attention from the medical staff walking by. “Get the hell out of his room. You’re never treating my daughter again.DJ knows her limits.If she didn’t respect them, that’s onher.”
I lunge forward but Lake catches my chest and yanks me back. His distraction ends up costing River though, when his eldest son delivers the blow I wanted to throw myself.
“Fuck you!” Roars Bay, towering over his father as River clutches his bleeding nose against the wall. “Bullshitshe knows her limits. You have her so convinced she’s weak, and she’s so damn desperate to prove that she’s not, she hasno ideawhen to stop!”
“Where is she?” I demand of Lake, who is watching the display from his brother and father with a grave, set expression.
He turns to look at me reluctantly. “They took her for a CT.”
I feel dizzy and realize it’s because I’ve forgotten to breathe. Taking a deep, steady breath I ask, “Was she conscious?”
Bay turns away from his bleeding father to meet my eyes for the first time. They’re the precise shade of gray as Delta’s, and a new surge of paralyzing fear bubbles inside me. What if I never see hers again?
“In and out. You’re Dr. Harrison, right?” I nod. There’s something accusatory in Bay’s gaze, but I don’t have it in me to care what he thinks.
