Page 93 of Her Wild Coast Promise

The triage nurse’s eyes grow wary with my approach.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I say, and give the gentleman what I hope is a kind smile, “but there’s someone here I need to see.”

The nurse, a short woman in a set of pink scrubs, rises from her chair. “I’ll be right back,” she tells the man, then steps from the office. The instant we’re in the hallway, the nurse puts her hands on her hips and stares me down. “In the future, instead of barging into my Emergency Room making demands, you call us first so we can funnel your request through the proper channels.”

“Got it,” I say, because arguing with her will only slow me down.

“Do we need to alert Security, Deputy—” She squints at my nameplate. “—Dalton?”

“No, ma’am,” I say.Come on.

With one last glare, she spins on her clogs, taps her badge to the sensor next to the door, and leads me inside.

There’s a nurse’s station in the center and rooms lining the left side. The right side has two stations for trauma patients—resuscitation bays separated by curtains. I’m relieved that Cora isn’t in either of them. The back of the E.R. opens to the hallway leading to the ambulance bay.

“This is Marcus, he’ll be able to assist you,” the triage nurse says at the counter. A lanky man wearing blue scrubs writing on a white board looks over his shoulder at us, but I’m already moving toward the room with Cora’s name written on the door.

“Whoa there!” the triage nurse calls.

I ignore him and yank on the door handle.

“Deputy, you have to—”

I slip into the room, where a mid-thirties woman in a white coat stands at the bedside, blocking my view of Cora.

Over her shoulder, the doctor gives me a stern once over. “Um, who are you?”

Marcus is right on my heels. “Sorry, Doctor Higgins. Stacy brought him back but he wouldn’t wait.”

“Cora?” I say, stepping closer.

To my horror, Cora answers with a quiet sob.

I slip past the doctor. Cora is on the bed. She’s dressed in a hospital gown and covered by several layers of hospital blankets. She has an IV in her arm and a white plastic hospital bracelet on her wrist.

“Hold on,” the doctor says. “Is this official business? Otherwise, there is no need for you to–”

I cut off the doctor and nurse with a hard glare, then sit on the edge of Cora’s bed. She’s looking away, crying softly, with one arm wrapped across her middle.

“I’m here, sunshine,” I say in as calm a voice as I can muster.

Cora covers her eyes, like she doesn’t want me to see her. “I’m sorry.”

I want to pull her into my arms and let her know that she’s not alone. “Why are you sorry?”

“Deputy—” Marcus cuts in.

“It’s okay,” Cora says to them, her voice cracking. “Can we please be alone?”

“Okay,” Doctor Higgins says but it’s clear from her tone she’s not happy about leaving. “I’ll get working on the discharge paperwork.”

The door thumps shut behind them, leaving me alone. Finally.

Cora’s not reaching for me or even looking at me.

“I came as soon as I found out. Did something happen? All I know is that you’re in pain.”

She shakes her head. After wiping her eyes, she swallows and inhales a slow breath. “I was pregnant.”

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