The desk nurse flinched before him and motioned in the direction of waiting room Number Two. He pivoted wordlessly and reached the doorway in four purposeful steps.
Kacie huddled in a corner of the upholstered couch staring sightlessly at the floor. Her hands lay in her lap, right hand twisting the rings on her left in a nearly ritual-like movement. She was trembling from head to toe as her breath came in shallow gulps.
Kermit was next to her in a moment, and she leaned her head on his shoulder with a small whimper. He slid an arm around her and held both of her cold, shaking hands in one of his large, warm ones.
"How you holding up here, Babe?" he asked huskily. {God in heaven, I have been through this too many times. Some day the kid is going to use up all of his multiple lives, and I don't know what any of us will do.}
"They won't let me be with him. They wouldn't let me see him before they took him to surgery," she recited through chattering teeth and white lips. "He-he has a flail chest and a punctured lung. He couldn't breathe, and he was trapped in the car. They wouldn't get him out fast enough. I kept telling them to get him out. Get him out." Her face took on a haunted look as the scene replayed itself in her mind's eye.
*****FLASHBACK*****
Kacie's screaming continued until the spinning car
came to an abrupt and glass-shattering impact. Her seat
belt bruised muscle and skin as it bit painfully into her
hips and shoulder. She moved her head slowly and shook
it carefully, not only to test her neck, but to dislodge the
splinters of glass that had fallen into her hair. "Peter?"
She called him shakily, reaching out a hand toward him
and bringing the other to touch her own face.
When he didn't respond, she looked over at him and muffled a scream. The Saturn's left front fender had collided with the corner of a garbage truck, and had crushed in, crumpling like an aluminum can. The side door and steering column had collapsed inward, pinning Peter between the wheel and the back of his seat. His head lolled back between the headrest and the side window; his arms hung limply at his sides. His face and hair were sprinkled with a fine powder of glass, and a thin trickle of blood spilled from a small cut below his eye.
"No-o! No-o-o," she moaned, unhooking her seat belt and sliding closer to him, heart pounding in her throat as she checked his carotid pulse. Tears of relief sprang to her eyes as she felt the flutter of life below her fingers. Part of her mind registered the sounds of emergency sirens, and the rest focused on Peter and determining the extent of his injuries.
Peter's breathing was shallow, and he seemed to be gasping for air. He was pale, and his lips were taking on a bluish tinge. His skin was cold and clammy to her touch; she was sure he was in shock. She felt a rising sense of hysteria as she knew there was absolutely nothing she could do to help him.
Seconds passed like hours before the paramedic unit made its way to what used to be a red Saturn. A female EMT came to Kacie's door and opened it. "Ma'am? Ma'am? Are you hurt? Can I help you?"
"Get my husband out of here! Get him out!" she shrieked. "He can't breathe! He's in shock! Get him out of here!"
"Calm down Ma'am, calm down. Are you hurt? Are you in any pain?"
"Didn't you hear me? Help my husband! He's the one who's hurt! Get him out of here!"
Firm but gentle hands assisted her out of the car. The EMT asked her again, "Ma'am? Can I help you? My partners are taking good care of your husband. Our unit is the best in the city. He's in good hands." The woman spoke soothingly while carefully inspecting Kacie for any outward signs of injury.
Kacie tried to crawl back inside the car, but a uniformed police officer helped the EMT restrain her and keep her out of the way. By the time the jaws of life cut through the car's shell and released the pinioned driver, Kacie was beside herself. Both the EMT and the officer had their hands full with the nearly hysterical woman.
The paramedics attending Peter exchanged information, and one spoke into a walkie-talkie. "County General, this is Paramedic 2-1-4. I have a flail chest here with probable punctured lung. Victim is in respiratory failure and shock. Pulse is weak and thready. BP is 80 over 55. Transporting now, with ETA in five minutes."
Kacie attempted to twist out of the grasp of the police officer as she watched Peter being loaded into the ambulance.
The EMT beside her said quietly, "You have just been in a very serious car accident. I really think it would be best if you agree to let us care for you. You could be seriously injured and not know it. We can transport you to the hospital in the other ambulance. There's no room for you in the one taking your husband."
"I'm not hurt. I know I'm not," Kacie insisted desperately. "Just take me to my husband! I need to see my husband!"
"All right, Ma'am. We'll take care of you. Lie down on this gurney." The EMT assisted Kacie, and a second attendant came over and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Kacie's arm. A blanket was tucked up over her, and she was strapped down before being loaded into the ambulance. Lights flashing, the emergency vehicle sped off down the street, leaving behind the carnage of glass and metal.
****End of Flashback****
Kermit tightened his embrace as her shaking
continued. "Peter was in shock at the scene. And-and
they had to bag him, because he wasn't breathing on his
own. He's-he's in surgery now. They have to fix his lung
and ribs, and-and s-see if-if there's any other damage to
his chest or h-his h-heart..." Her voice faded away with a
moan and she clutched the detective's shirt with both
hands, burying her face against his solid presence.
"Dammit! Why didn't I trade that stupid car in a long
time ago for one that had air bags?"
He patted her back and spoke with more reassurance than he felt. "Come on, Kacie. Peter's tough. He'll be all right."
"I want to believe that. I do." She clung to him desperately. "But I've worked these surgeries. I've seen all the things that can go wrong. Oh, God, Kermit, if he dies..."
"Hey-hey-hey. None of that kinda talk." Kermit stroked her hair and noted that he could detect the faint sparkle of glass powder in it. "Are you hurt, Kacie?"
"Just bruises and a few cuts. I got banged around a little. If-if Peter hadn't been such a good driver, that truck would've killed me."
"How come you're here all alone, Kace? Wasn't there someone here at the hospital who could've been with you while you waited?"
"I-I-I haven't been sitting here all that long. The ER wouldn't let me out until they ran a bunch of tests on me. Someone sticks their head in from time to time. But it's not the same as having your own family with you."
"Where is everybody? I can't believe Caine or the Blaisdells aren't here with you."
"Dad and Lo Si are still in China. Paul and Annie went somewhere for the weekend. I couldn't find anybody. The only other place I could think to call was the precinct." She swallowed thickly and whispered, "I'm so glad you're here."
They sat in silence for some time until a tall figure in the doorway caught their attention.
Kacie stiffened in Kermit's embrace and pushed out of his grasp. Slowly rising to her feet, she stepped toward Dr. McClanahan, eyes asking the question she was unable to vocalize.
"Surgery went very well, Kacie. Internal injuries were limited to the punctured lung and broken ribs. Your husband was a very lucky young man."
Kermit caught her just as her knees buckled, and she covered her face with her hands. Supporting her in strong arms, he looked at the doctor and asked hoarsely, "Can we see him?"
McClanahan shook his head firmly. "I'm sorry, but I have to say 'no'. Not until tomorrow."
Kacie looked up and argued in an anguished voice, "I have to see him! I have to stay with him."
Steeling his emotions against the pleading blue eyes before him, the doctor continued his report. "Because of the damage to the chest wall, and the punctured lung, I've had to put Peter on a ventilator. Given his past record as a patient, I have him sedated enough to keep him completely knocked out. I don't want him thrashing around fighting the machine. He'll be in ICU for about ten days, until his lung and those ribs heal enough to suit me."
"But why can't I see him? I won't get in the way, I promise."
McClanahan started to shake his head again, but paused as a calculating expression spread over his face. "I'll give you ten minutes with him, on two conditions."
"Anything. I'll do anything you say."
"I have your word?"
"Anything. I don't care what it is."
"Then you'll agree to let me admit you for observation tonight, and you'll allow me to give you a sedative to help you sleep."
"But I don't need --"
"Take it or leave it," the doctor said flatly. "I won't allow you to get into the kind of condition you did the last time Peter was hospitalized."
"All right. All RIGHT!" she snapped, eyes blazing. She forced her anger to fade as quickly as it had flamed. {If I make him mad, he won't let me see Peter.} Calming herself as much as possible, she said quietly, "Just let me see him. Please."
Kermit waited outside Peter's room in the ICU ward and watched through the window as McClanahan and Kacie neared the bed. {Dammit, Peter. Do you know what it does to people to see you hooked up to a thousand different machines?}
Kacie approached the still, pale figure slowly. Careful to avoid all the wires and lines, she moved haltingly to Peter's side, tenderly brushing the hair back from his face and kissing his forehead. She reached for his hand and held the limp fingers tightly as she spoke in his ear. "You're going to get well, Sweetheart. Do you hear me? Because I won't let you go. Not now. Not ever. And don't you be worrying about me. I'm fine. I wasn't hurt at all, because you saved me. I'll be here, Honey. Every single second they'll let me."
McClanahan cleared his throat meaningfully.
Kacie flashed him a look of annoyance and returned her attention to Peter. Tears came to her eyes as she gently ran her fingers through the hair at his temple. "I have to go now, Peter, but I'll be back tomorrow. I love you." She kissed his forehead again and turned to leave, giving a last imploring look to McClanahan.
The doctor simply pointed at the door. Tears shimmered in her eyes, and her head dropped, but she didn't argue.
McClanahan stayed behind to make some notations on the chart at the foot of Peter's bed, and conferred briefly with the ICU nurse.
Kacie had no more than left the room when she made an abrupt about-face and attempted to re-enter it. Kermit solidly blocked her way and thwarted her efforts.
"Let me in there, Kermit," she demanded.
"Sorry, Kiddo. No can do. Doctor's orders."
"Let me in there, Kermit. I can't leave him like that. I have to be with him to make sure he's all right. I have to!"
She collapsed against him, weeping helplessly. "We were supposed to be out on a date tonight," she sobbed. "This was our first evening together in ages! It wasn't supposed to be like this!"
He patted her back comfortingly and murmured, "Go ahead and cry, Babe. Just let it out." {Please, God, let this be the last time she has to go through this!}