Page 49 of A Chance at Forever
Within fifteen minutes, the ER began to fill with his and Victoria’s friends and colleagues from Marysville High School. Ma Smith came from the diner and brought several to-go cups of coffee for everyone.
Jeff Wilson burst through the automatic doors and demanded of no one in particular, “I just heard Victoria was brought in. What happened?”
Rusty knew about Victoria’s past history with Wilson. Not only had he heard about it from the Lawrences and the Houstons, but she herself had spoken freely with him about it. Even so, a surge of hot jealousy hit him hard in the gut. His eyes narrowed a little. “None of us have all the details. I found Victoria in the mountains. She’d been thrown from her horse and hit her head. At some point a rattlesnake bit her. That’s it.”
Jeff didn’t mistake the possessive tone of Rusty’s voice. “Do you mind if I wait with you?”
Rusty waved at an empty chair. “No.”
As he dropped into a seat, Jeff made a phone call. A few minutes later, a pretty brunette with short hair and an olive complexion joined him. He wrapped an arm around her. “This is Ava Garcia. Mygirlfriend.”
Everyone greeted her, and Rusty relaxed. Jeff emphasized the wordgirlfriendfor his benefit.
A steady stream of people came and went throughout the next couple of hours. Mia called Derek to let him know what happened, and he insisted on flying out to California.
“I don’t think that’s necessary right now. We’re still waiting to hear from a doctor about Victoria’s condition. I’ll keep you posted.”
Rusty couldn’t sit still. Worry gnawed at him, and he paced back and forth in the ER. “What’s taking so long? We should have heard something by now.”
After another nerve-wracking hour, he decided to demand information. As he approached the intake desk, a door swished open and a doctor emerged into the waiting room.
“I have information about Victoria Lockridge,” he announced. “Are there any family members here?”
“Her family lives out of state,” Rusty answered. “I’m her boyfriend.”
The doctor frowned but indicated Rusty should follow him. “Come with me.”
“Wait. Mia Houston and Jonica Lawrence are Tori’s oldest friends. She would want them with her.”
“All right.”
Mia and Jonica rose to their feet and joined Rusty and the doctor, who introduced himself. Dr. Morrison led them to the ICU on the third floor of the hospital. Icy fear crawled across Rusty’s scalp, and he heard the women’s soft gasps of dismay.
Outside the private room, Dr. Morrison addressed them. “Ms. Lockridge suffered a concussion. The gash on her head required several stitches. She also has a mildly sprained ankle which we’re treating with an ice pack. The snakebite, however, is another matter. We’ve done what we can to prevent tissue damage, but there will be some on Ms. Lockridge’s thigh where she was bitten. She’s had the proper dose of antivenom, and now we’re monitoring her closely to make sure she doesn’t have an allergic reaction to it. We’re also keeping an eye on her vital organs. If all goes well, we can release her within forty-eight hours.”
“May we see her?” Mia asked.
“She’s still unconscious. You may go in one at a time for no more than fifteen minutes.”
After Mia and Jonica spent the allotted amount of time with Victoria, Rusty sent them home. He sat by her bedside and held her cold hand. Only the sound of the machines monitoring Victoria’ vital signs broke the oppressive silence.
Rusty pressed his lips against the palm of her hand. “I’m here, my love. You’re safe now, and you’re going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He refused to leave Victoria alone and secured permission from Dr. Morrison to stay through the night. In between vigils at her bedside, Rusty dozed for short periods on the sofa in her room.
Toward dawn, Victoria regained consciousness. Sensing someone watching him, Rusty jerked awake and stared into her dull blue-gray eyes. He moved to the chair next to her bed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Hi, there. Do you know where you are?”
Her gaze traveled around the dimly lit, antiseptic ICU room. “Hospital.” Victoria’s dry voice cracked.
“That’s right. Let me inform your nurse that you’re awake.” Rusty pressed the call button.
“Yes, may I help you?”
“Victoria Lockridge is awake.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Victoria recognized her nurse when she entered the room. “Aren’t you Dawson’s sister? Dior?”
