Seaside Kisses: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 4) (18 page)

The woman jumped and then turned to Amara. "Can I help you?"

"I need the room number for Rafael Hunter, please."

"Hunter," the nurse mumbled, typing on the keyboard in front of her. "How do you spell Rafael?"

Amara wanted to snap at her, but took a deep breath and spelled out Rafael's name for her.

"Hmm… this is interesting."

"Interesting?" Amara exclaimed. "Has he been sent home?"

"No." The nurse typed again and then used a mouse.

"What, then?" Amara demanded, no longer worried about being polite.

"He's in the system, but I can't find him."

Amara's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What do you mean by you can't
find
him?"

"Well, he's been checked out of emergency, but that's all we show."

Panic started to settle. "And what does that mean?"

"I'm not sure. It should show where he's headed."

Amara grabbed the side of the counter. "It doesn't give a clue?"

The nurse shook her head and continued tapping at the keyboard.

"Is there a place they usually send people after leaving the ER?" Amara glanced around, feeling the walls closing in on her.

"Depends on what they were admitted for and what happened while they were being treated. Do you know what he came in for?"

Amara took a deep breath, squeezing the counter. "He was in an automobile accident."

The woman bit her lip. "Hmm… so his injuries could have been anything."

"No. He had a sprained wrist and bruises. They said he was lucky. And his brother said…" Amara tried to remember if Zachary had said anything about the room, but was too flustered. She sighed. "I don't know."

"So, probably not critical care." The nurse continued typing.

Amara's breathing sped up and grew frantic. She turned around and focused on calming herself.

"I'm going to call someone," the woman said.

Amara turned around and watched her dial numbers on a phone.

"Hi, Lisa. This is Leah from the night reception desk, and we're having trouble locating a patient… Hunter… Rafael… He was admitted to emergency and released, but there isn't anything about where he was released to." Leah tapped away at the keyboard again. "Yeah… No… Car accident."

Amara bit her tongue, wanting to yell at both of them. How on earth could a hospital lose a patient? If she would have just remembered to bring her phone, she could be at Rafael's side that moment. It probably would have been faster to go back home and get the phone.

Leah made eye contact with Amara. "Lisa has me on hold, but if anyone can find him, she will."

"What about Brayden Hunter?" Amara asked.

Leah's eyebrows came together, and she looked confused. "I thought his name was Rafael."

"His brother, Brayden, is a cardiologist. He used to work here. Maybe he's still in the system. Can you get a hold of him and find out? He'd know."

"It's worth a shot." Her fingers flew across the keyboard again. "He's still in the system. You're sure Dr. Brayden Hunter is Rafael's brother?"

"Yes!" Amara snapped.

"I have to check. I'm about to call a doctor in the middle of the night."

"Just call him."

Leah got on the phone again. "Dr. Hunter? I'm sorry to bother you at this hour… I'm actually calling about him. I have someone here who's looking for his room, and it… uh, hasn't registered in the system yet… That's what I'm trying to figure out, sir." Leah glanced up Amara. "What's your name, dear?"

"Amara Fowler."

"Her name is Amara Fowler… Yes, thank you, Dr. Hunter." Leah made eye contact with Amara again and told her what room Rafael was in, explaining how to get there.

"Thank you." Amara spun around and burst into a run. She'd been closer when she had entered the building. By the time she got to the waiting room, she was out of breath. She leaned against a wall, watching a fish tank as she caught her breath.

The waiting area was huge with several televisions. Half a dozen people sat in chairs, sleeping, reading, or watching. She didn't recognize any of them, but felt better about how big and open everything was. She could finally breathe naturally again.

A large desk full of nurses was down a short hall. Amara went down there, but seeing that everyone was busy, she focused on the room numbers. The numbers grew smaller as they went down the hall, around the nurses' station. She went down that way, heart starting to race.

Hopefully, Zachary hadn't downplayed his injuries. Her chest tightened, imagining Rafael lying in a hospital bed attached to tubes and wires. He was so strong and able-bodied, it was hard to imagine.

Even though she was anxious to see him, her pace slowed as she neared his room. What would she see? How badly bruised was he? Would he be recognizable?

Amara took a deep breath. It didn't matter how Rafael looked—he would push through and be fine. And she would encourage him every step of the way, if he would let her.

She finally reached the room. The door was cracked open. Holding her breath, she knocked.

It opened a little more, and Cruz Hunter poked his head out. "Oh, there you are. Come on in. He just woke up a few minutes ago."

Pulse racing, Amara walked in. The room was filled with the Hunter family. She recognized everyone, even his parents. That was just how it was having grown up in Kittle Falls. It was somewhat awkward. Did she really belong? It wasn't like she and Rafael were even technically a couple.

A nurse came in. "There are too many people in here. No more than five, please."

"I'll go," Amara offered.

"No," came Rafael's voice from the bed.

Amara's breath caught.

"I need to get Tiffany home to rest, anyway," Jake said. He and Tiffany went over to the bed and hugged Rafael before leaving.

"Will you be okay if we go?" Robert Hunter asked, looking at Rafael. "Your mom really needs some sleep."

"I'll be fine, Dad." Rafael's voice sounded scratchy.

Amara took a couple steps toward the bed when the nurse cut her off. "I need to check his vitals."

"Of course."

Brayden rose from his chair. "Sit here, Amara."

She pressed herself against the wall. "No, I'm okay. Thanks, though."

Zachary came over to her. "Didn't you get my text?"

Amara shook her head. "I forgot my phone at home. If I'd have known how hard it would be to find the room number, I would have made sure to bring it." Suddenly, the room felt hot. She slid her coat off and hung it on a hook on the wall.

Cruz came over to them. "I can't believe they didn't have him in the system. What kind of place is this?"

"Mistakes happen," Brayden said, still sitting in his chair across the room. "It could have been a computer error. Or maybe a new intake nurse who forgot to push save."

Cruz rolled up his sleeves, exposing an armful of tattoos. His eyes narrowed. "This is a
hospital
. Those kinds of mistakes shouldn't happen."

Brayden nodded. "I agree. But people make mistakes. That's why all of us doctors have to get malpractice insurance. It's horribly expensive, but necessary."

"We'll have to agree to disagree, bro." Cruz shook his head.

The nurse moved away from Rafael's bed and went across the room to a computer and typed.

Cruz glared at her. "Do you know who failed to get my brother into the system?"

She turned to him, appearing intimidated. "I assure you, we'll find out and take proper actions. This type of thing doesn't usually happen."

"Amara," came Rafael's voice.

She took a deep breath and walked over to the bed. White gauze wrapped around his forehead. There were two small bruises next to his left eye. His wrist was also wrapped in gauze and had an ice pack sitting on it.

As she neared the bed, they made eye contact. He raised his good arm and held her hand. "Thank you for coming. Sorry it was such a hassle."

"I don't care about that," she said. She ran her fingers along the unbruised side of his face. "I just had to make sure you're okay. Are you?"

He squeezed her hand. "I think so."

"What happened?"

"I can't remember," Rafael said.

Her eyes widened. He didn't have brain damage, did he? She was afraid to ask.

"They said that's normal. I might remember or I might not. My long and short term memory are fine, it's just the accident."

"Where were you going?" she asked. "Home?"

"I was headed for the shop, probably from home."

"Why?" asked Amara.

"That's what I've been trying to remember."

"I suppose it doesn't matter. Just that you're safe now."

Rafael ran his fingers along her bare arm, giving her the chills. He smiled. "I'm really glad you're here."

"Me, too."

He wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled, bringing her close to him. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before he pressed his lips against hers.

Twenty

A sharp pain in his wrist woke Rafael. He groaned and rubbed it over the bandages with his good hand. The bruises on his face throbbed near his eye. He opened his eyes, to check the time. The nurse was supposed to give him pain medication a half hour earlier. He readjusted his position and his ribcage protested.

He moaned, looking for the nurse call button. It was just out of reach. Of course.

Why had he had to get into the accident, anyway? He couldn't even remember why he'd been on the road. The last thing he remembered was being at home. He'd eaten dinner, right? The oven had been on, though he couldn't recall what he'd made—he'd made something.

Despite the hospital staff saying it was normal to forget the time surrounding the accident, he was determined to remember what had happened. It had to have been something pretty major, but what?

The headache made it hard to think—and that was with hospital-strength painkillers pumping through him. He didn't even want to know how he'd feel without them. He glanced at the tubes attached to him and followed the path up to the little hanger with little bags full of liquid.

It reminded him of when his dad had been admitted with all his health problems the last summer. But now he was doing great, often acting like a man half his age. It had been a wakeup call for his dad, and he started taking care of himself and focusing on his remaining children. Both of his parents, actually.

They'd been so focused on their grief over losing Sophia that they hadn't been able to focus on anything else. Was this some kind of wakeup call for Rafael? If it was, he didn't want to miss the message. But what was it?

He moved his focus from the hospital equipment to his bed and the rest of the room. Someone slept on a chair next to the bed. Rafael used his elbows to lift himself up to see who it was. They were partially hidden from his view by a curtain.

Whoever it was had feminine curves, and for a moment, he thought it was Sophia. He shook his head, only to have more pain shoot through it. He leaned back down, moaning. Though he'd stopped moving his head, it continued to throb. Rafael closed his eyes, hoping that would help.

Something moved in the direction of his visitor. He wanted to open his eyes and see, but couldn't. Not until the pain subsided, anyway.

A warm hand touched his good arm. He wanted to see who it was, but had to wait for the headache to stop attacking him.

"Are you okay, Rafael?" asked a voice as sweet as an angel's.

He forced one eye open. Amara stood next to his bed, hovering over him, her hand still resting on him. She looked like an angel, too. He wanted to thank her for staying with him, but the words wouldn't come.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

"Painkillers."

She squeezed his arm. "I'll find a nurse."

He nodded, not trusting his voice. The pain coursed through him stronger with each moment. It wasn't just his head and wrist—everything hurt. Maybe that was normal after a collision. It'd had to have been pretty bad to sprain his wrist and give him such a headache.

Amara kissed his forehead and walked away.

Rafael felt somewhat better knowing she was there. Had she been there all night? Daylight came through the blinds. What time was it? Hadn't he just looked at the clock?

Panic hit him. What if his short term memory was messed up? That would really make his life challenging. No. Worse than that. It was be nearly impossible. How could he run his shop if he couldn't remember things from two minutes ago?

Wait. His shop. Rafael forgot about his sore body for a moment. That was what he'd been focused on before the crash. Had he been going there?

Voices sounded in his room. Rafael opened his eyes, and the light seemed to bring back his aches. He squinted. Amara and a middle-aged nurse came into the room.

"How would you describe your pain on a scale of one to ten?" asked the nurse. "One being the best and ten being the worst."