Page 54 of Coulda

“Murphy’s.”

Amber stopped to look at him in shock. “Murphy’s? That’s my dad’s bar. I mean Rio’s bar.”

“A bunch of injuries ranging in severity are coming in.”

“Do you know their names?”

“No. They’re not reporting that.”

Her mind whirling, Amber pulled out her phone with shaking hands to call Rio. The message went straight to voicemail. She tried to control her pounding heart as she listened to his deep voice. “Rio, I need you to call me now and tell me you’re okay. There was a shooting at Murphy’s.”

“Are you okay to work?” the emergency department director asked, pinning her with his assessing gaze.

“I’m okay. It’s better to help than to worry,” she assured him, trying to pull it together. Everyone would be brought here. If Rio was hurt, she’d know faster than if she drove like a crazy woman around town trying to find him.

“The first patients are coming now. Take the first bay.”

“Yes, sir.”

Glad to have something to focus on, Amber hurried to meet the paramedics at the door to the first treatment room. They ran through the patient’s statistics and injuries as they wheeled in a familiar face.

“Jeri? I’m Amber. We met at Murphy’s a few weeks ago. I’m going to get you set up here for treatment. Are you in any pain?”

“Amber. I remember you.”

“Are you in pain?” Amber repeated as the paramedics transferred her to the bed.

“No. They gave me good drugs,” the server admitted to Amber.

“Perfect.”

“Rio pushed me out of the way. He saved a bunch of people,” Jeri told her.

“Is he okay?” Amber asked as she did her job on autopilot, helping get Jeri moved over onto the hospital bed and hanging up the IV line they’d already started.

“Hello. I hear you have a shoulder I need to take care of.” The doctor interrupted Jeri from answering as he walked in the door.

Amber decided that Jeri was her best friend when the server looked around the surgeon to meet her gaze. “He made them take me first to the hospital.”

Digesting all the information in that statement, Amber knew Rio was injured and would be coming to the hospital. She also knew that he was coherent enough to be bossy. Trying to focus on the positive, she arranged for the X-rays the doctor requested.

At her first free moment, Amber peeked into the other treatment rooms. No Rio.Please let him be okay.She needed him to be okay.

The organized chaos in the emergency department flowed like a choreographed ballet. Even sick with worry about Rio, she knew this was a good place for him to come get the best care. Ambulances streamed in with patients. She was pleased to see a few discharged after initial treatment.

“The last patients are on their way in,” the director shared as Amber darted into a bay to assist a doctor in stitching up a wound.

He had to be okay. She kept reminding herself they would have insisted on bringing him in first if he was critical. A colleague called her name at the door of a bay and Amber rushed toward her.

“Rio?” she asked.

“He’s asking for you. Come in and let him see you so we can treat him.”

“Rio!” Amber said, darting through the privacy curtain.

“Ella,” he answered. “I’d give you a hug, but I don’t want to get you messy.”

“What happened to you?” Amber asked, searching over his body. Blood was splattered over his chest and arms, but she didn’t find any wounds.

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