Page 48 of Crossing Lines

I glanced up at Wayne. He wasn’t one to curse a lot. When he did—well, it said a lot.

“Fix her leg, give her and my son meds, care instructions, and whatever else they need to help them care for the injuries they have so we can go home. We will follow up with Doctor Grant and Doctor McKenna when we get back to Burke.”

“Did someone call my name?” Shelby walked in, a forced smile on her face. I guess she’d been told what was going on and came to help. She was still an employee of the hospital, after all.

“Shelby, these shi—people are tryin’ to say I’m certifiable.”

Shelby did grin then. She glanced at the doctors then back to Stel. “Well, doll, you kind of are, but not in a bad way.” She turned her attention fully to the doctors in the room. “Doctors, I assure you this woman is not a threat to herself. Quite the opposite. She’s had a bad day. Can we just get a move on with X-rays, tests, and whatever you have ordered? I’d like to get them home and settled. I, along with my grandfather, will be caring for them once they are back home.”

“I was called down to see her,” the woman in the pencil skirt said.

Shelby sighed. “Doctor Avinger, I appreciate you wanting to look in on my friend, but as I just said, your services aren’t needed. The eval wasn’t warranted to begin with. I have three deputies, the sheriff, and a number of PD officers in the waiting room, along with Ms. Malone’s fellow bond enforcement partner who can attest to what happened today and why. Again, we appreciate your worry and concern, but she is in capable hands. There is no need to put her through a chat she doesn’t need.”

“How can you say she isn’t in need of an evaluation? She has done nothing but berate the staff and behave combatively since she arrived.”

“Look,” Stel started. “You go watch your little brother being beat on by thugs. Attacked when you try to save him. Then get the crap knocked out of you, and see how you react. I did what I needed to do to save my life and that of my unborn baby. I won’t apologize for that. But I tell you what, you can just fuc?—”

I covered her mouth and winked down at her. The more she talked, the louder she was getting. If she kept that up, they’d keep her, and we wouldn’t have a way around it.

The doctors shared looks and stepped outside of the curtain for a moment. Shelby moved to the top of the bed.

“How’s your pain?” she asked Carter. He was trying to be a tough guy and hide the pain, but it was there. We all saw it. “Scale of 1-10 ‘cause we all know you’re hurting.”

“Six—seven maybe. My side is the worst. My shoulder too.”

“Now you get why patient care is so hard?” she asked gently.

“Yeah, I saw that on New Year’s Eve when I did the ride along with Riley.”

“Is that where you got punched for being a dick?” Stel asked him, grinning a little.

“I wasn’t being a dick. I thought my joke was funny,” he muttered.

I chuckled. “Kid, a scared woman is never in a joking mood.”

“I thought he knew better. I obviously failed there.” Wayne chuckled.

“Y’all are funny.” Carter winced as Shelby palpated his side.

“Sorry. I just wanted to see if the swelling was worse.”

The curtain opened, and the orthopedist came back in scowling. He had such a warm bedside manner. The emergency room doctor followed him. Silently he grabbed a pair of gloves and slipped them on. A nurse came in with a smile and greeting. She carried a good many syringes filled with a clear liquid along with a small basin. I watched Stella shift nervously. She knew what was coming next.

“Easy, baby,” I said, resting my hand on her shoulder. She brought her hand up to grip my wrist. If that's what she needed, she could have it.

“Ms. Malone,” the orthopedist started, “I’m going to let Dr. Myers examine your leg and do what he needs to. I don’t believe there is any bone damage. I am, however, having your images looked at a second time to make sure. So I’ll return momentarily.”

Stel, being Stel, gave him the one-finger salute when he disappeared. I shook my head.

“Ms. Malone, I’m going to give you a few shots of a medicine that will numb the injured area. You’ll feel a pinch and brief pain until it kicks in. Once that’s done, I’m going to irrigate the wound again, then stitch up the areas while we wait on radiology to double check your X-rays.”

He waited for her nod before the nurse held up her leg. He laid a blue pad under it and positioned it so he had access to the wound. A blue paper cover with a hole in it was laid over her leg. I shifted my hand from Stella’s shoulder to take her hand in mine. She was already clamping down from just the anxiety of knowing what was coming.

“What about my son?” Wayne asked.

The doctor kept working while he answered. “Never fear, I will assess him again in a moment. He’ll get a wrap for his ribs. There was no bleeding or internal imperfections. He’ll be bruised and sore for a couple of weeks. The bruising along his left side especially will be sore for a while. The broken ribs will heal, but as with any break, it will take some time.”

The first injection went into the wound on the inside of Stella’s calf, and she jerked. Her grip on my hand tightened.

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