Bad Karma (35 page)

Surprised by his quick action, she flashed a nervous smile at him. “Thanks, Hank. I’m going to get the oxygen on him and see if I can slow down his heart rate.” She placed a plastic mask over the man’s face and reached to adjust the flow of oxygen.

Hank’s hand was on the knob. “How much?”

“
Give me four liters.” She watched as his long fingers adjusted the flow correctly.

He ducked his head, muttering softly, “I was a corpsman in the Army.”

Sky hooked the patient up to the monitor and studied the green backlit numbers informing her that her patient’s blood pressure was one-eighty-nine over one-ten and his heart rate was one-fifty-seven. She pressed her lips together and drew a breath. She needed to start an IV but his fists were gathered at his chest and she couldn’t straighten his arm. She cajoled and crooned in his ear, but the man seemed determined to curl into a ball.

Sky gave up on searching for a vein in the patient’s pudgy arm and tried to use a vein in his hand.

She pointed to a small plastic fracture board and Hank handed it to her. She taped the patient’s wrist to the board and spread his fingers out. Hank helped her hold his hand down while she inserted the IV catheter into a large vein and plugged a fresh line into a bag of normal saline.

Sky injected the IV with Propanolol and, within minutes, the patient’s heart rate slowed and his blood pressure decreased. She ordered an EKG and kept charting his vitals as his ruddy coloring grew more normal and he began to breathe easier. At least his face looked less like raw liver.

Sky pulled the cubicle curtain back and looped her stethoscope around her neck. “Thanks for your assistance, Hank.”

Hank ducked his head. “Glad I could help,” he mumbled.

Sky grinned up at him. “I couldn’t have stabilized this man without your help.”

“
It wasn’t anything.” He turned back to his duties, reaching for the ladder.

“
Seriously, Hank, you should consider looking into a nursing program offered around here. I don’t know the area so I can’t give you advice, but you have a lot of knowledge and keep a cool head.”

Hank grinned at her, looking pleased. “You think so?”

She nodded. “You’re a natural.”

~*~

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Trepidation

They’re looking for me
. He pulled the visor of his baseball cap down over his eyes.

There was a storm in the Gulf. The weatherman was scaring everyone with dire predictions. If he played his cards right, he could get his business with Skyler Danforth over and done with and then get out of town before the storm blew in.

The water was choppy that afternoon, making the boat rock rhythmically. His stomach felt queasy. Probably should eat soon.

He’d need to go to shore for more provisions.

Should have done it earlier, when I made my little foray into town
.
At least I got to see her. The sheriff’s department is circulating my picture.

He’d seen it posted behind the cash register at the convenience store where he’d been shopping. He shook his head and adjusted his dark glasses.

Skyler looked very pretty this morning. It seems she’s attracted a suitor, the brash young red-haired fellow driving the Jeep. Too bad for him. He shouldn’t get too attached to a woman with a heart of stone. Oh, yes, she pretends to be Florence Nightingale, but she has the heart of a vulture. What kind of a medical practitioner would stand by while a woman and small boy were dying?

In truth, he knew Skyler had sustained injuries of her own, but she shouldn’t have been on the road in that condition. She shouldn’t have been driving under the influence. She shouldn’t have chosen to be in Kira’s path that rainy night.

But, since Skyler had chosen the wrong course, Luther felt it was up to him to make sure she didn’t have any more lapses in judgment.

I’ll make sure of that.

~*~

Zach stood on his deck keeping a watch on the water and the sky. It was clear and beautiful with the wind coming from the east. He’d checked earlier and thought he should add to his supply of non-perishable provisions. He had three mouths to feed now.

He should stock up on water and batteries too.

Sky came out on deck, barefooted. She’d changed from her scrubs into a pair of shorts and a little tank top.

She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her cheek against the back of his shoulder blade.

Could a man be any more content? Yes, he could.
The fear that had been hanging over their heads had to be dealt with and soon. He wanted to move on to the next step with Sky.

He picked up her hands and kissed them.

It’s so gorgeous out there,” she said. “I wish I was on a boat, way out beyond the horizon where nothing bad could happen to me or anyone I love.”

“
You want to go on a long boat ride?” He turned to face her, cupping her face in his palms.

“
I would. It must be safer out on the water than it is to be a sitting duck here on shore.” She grinned up at him, “That’s in my fantasy, but here in the real world, I have to work for a living.”

His brow furrowed as he gazed down at her lovely face. He brushed s kiss across her forehead. “Do you?” He gripped her shoulders, staring into her clear blue eyes. “Do you need to work? Do you have some extravagant needs that I can’t meet?”

“
I, I don’t think so.” She looked confused, her soft, full lips parted.

Zach leaned down and kissed her, tasted her sweetness, pulling her against him. “You know that I’m in love with you, don’t you?”

She smiled, a soft blush staining her cheeks. “I love you too, Zach.”

“
I was thinking that we should get married.”

Sky opened her eyes wide. “Married? I’m being pursued by an insane man who wants to kill me and you think we should get married?”

He nodded. “Yes, I think we should. And I think we should go on a long honeymoon cruise to some distant port and stay gone until Rafael catches your pursuer. How does that sound?”

Her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip quivered. “It sounds pretty good to me.” She buried her face against his chest. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Zach grinned, pressing his lips to the top of her head.
She said it! Marrying me. Sky is going to marry me.
A swirl of emotions ran through Zach’s consciousness. He felt numb on the outside as though he was observing himself from afar.
She said yes
. His breath caught in his throat as he searched for the right way to express his feelings to his future wife.

“
We can pick out a ring tomorrow and you can redecorate the house when we get back. Or we can live someplace else if you don’t like it here.”
Stupid! That wasn’t what she wanted to hear
. “And I love you,” he whispered.

She pulled back, gazing up at him with tears running down her cheeks. “I love you, Zach. I love your house. It’s just perfect. I love to walk out here on the deck every morning and when Rafael catches the bad guy, we can go walking on the beach again and swimming.”

He nodded, wiping her tears away. “You can quit working at the hospital or just take a leave of absence until this thing is all over.”

Sky shuddered as a sob shook her. “I want to believe that this can all be over, Zach, but I’ve been living this nightmare for so long, I can’t remember what my life was like before... before the fear.”

“
It doesn’t matter. What you had before and what I had before is nothing compared to what we have together.”

“
I...I haven’t allowed myself to think beyond the immediate moment; haven’t made any plans.”

“
We can make those plans together. Please believe me, Sky. We have a future together.”

She sniffled against his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

“
I believe you, Zach. I just don’t want to get you killed.” She stared up into his eyes, entreating him to understand.

“
Not going to happen. We’re going to grow old together with our children all around us.”

Her face split into a wide grin. “Our children?”

He kissed her forehead. “All of them.”

~*~

Javier drove to the Fire Station early the next morning.

He had a doctor’s appointment later and he wanted to be sure the Captain had put his name back on the schedule. He was informed that they were on standby, watching to see which way the storm headed.

When he left the Captain’s office, several of his fellow firefighters were waiting for him.

“
Hail the hero,” Dave made a Roman gladiator chest beating move before raising his fist to Javier.

Javier grinned, slapping hands with his friends. “Had to save my girl.”

Dave made a face. “So if it had been some fat old guy you wouldn’t have saved him?”

Javier laughed. “Sure I would have. But, I wouldn’t have given him mouth to mouth.” He assured them that he would be returning to work soon. He started to climb in his truck, but Jorge lingered behind. “S’up,
Primo
?”

“
I heard you were moving out of your parent’s place. Man, what’s that all about?”

“
I need my own space.”

“
You’ve never needed it before.”

Javier leaned closer to Jorge. “I need a place to be alone with Cassie. I’m going to marry her. We picked out furniture together.”

Jorge looked doubtful. “She’s a beautiful girl, and she’s sweet, but you have nothing in common. I mean, you hardly know her.”

Javier cast a sharp look at Jorge. “Be happy for me. I love her and she loves me. I can spend my whole life finding out her favorite color and if she likes to eat her steak rare or burned to a crisp.”

Jorge frowned, took a breath and let it out. “What if you find out that you don’t like her after you get to know her better?”

“
Not a chance. I’m discovering little things about her all the time and she delights me. I just found out she speaks Spanish. I nearly fell over.”

“
No lie? I wonder where she picked it up.”

“
She said she took two years of Spanish in high school.”

Jorge shook his head. “That doesn’t sound right. Most people learn a few sentences, but they don’t become proficient in crappy high school language labs.”

Javier spread his hands. “I heard her with my own ears. She doesn’t sound like a native speaker. She’s got that Texas drawl and she speaks slow and distinct, but she didn’t have to think about what she was saying. It just came out.”

Jorge continued to frown at him. “And she’s going to move in with you?”

Javier shook his head. “She’s not that kind of girl. I’m going to marry her first.”

Jorge gave him a slap on the shoulder. “If you’re happy, then I’m happy for you.”