Blind Faith 2
Dan was standing on the porch watching the sun go down when Brent came charging back into the yard on George. "Dad, she's dead." He screamed.
Karla had gone out for a quiet ride with the boys and they had not come back. "Who's dead?" Dan asked. Karla was the only female of any species on the ride.
Karla. Cinco got scared and reared up. Karla fell off and she's bleeding all over the ground." Brent babbled hysterically.
"Call 911. Where is she?"
"On the upper trail. David is with her."
"Give me your horse."
Grateful for the lessons Karla had given them all on riding, Dan was on George in an instant and kicking him for the trail. For once George didn't object to a rider other than Brent. Dan would've shot him right then and there. Cinco came flying by him going back toward the barn and Dan just let him go. David was on his knees next to Karla talking to her when he got there. He practically fell out of the saddle getting to her. George moved off with his reins trailing and stood like he'd been taught.
"She's bleeding an awful lot, Dad. I tried to get it to stop, but it keeps coming." David wailed.
"Head wounds bleed a lot, David. Is it still bleeding?"
"Yes."
"That's a good sign. It means she's still alive. Give me your shirt."
David skinned out of his shirt and handed it to his father. "Is she going to be okay?"
"I hope so, son." Dan was praying he was right. His first aid medical training was going to come in useful. He took of his own shirt and laid it over her to keep her warm. She was out like a light, even with her riding helmet on. He pressed the Davids shirt over the wound as best he could. "Listen to me, David. Get on Orwell and go back to the house. You'll need to guide the ambulance driver back here as far as you can then bring them the rest of the way on foot."
"Okay. I'm sorry, Dad. I was playing with a branch and it scared Cinco."
"You didn't do anything wrong. Just don't worry about it now. Go!"
David leaped on his horse and took off like a cowboy. Dan was scared. Karla wasn't moving and she wasn't conscious. He opened her eyes, the pupils were uneven and dilated. She had a concussion. He wanted to straighten her arms and legs, but he was afraid to move her for fear of a spinal injury. "Karla, sweetheart, wake up. Can you hear me?" She was completely still. "You and your damned horses are going to be the death of me yet."
She didn't answer. He could hear the sounds of a siren in the distance. To his trained ear it was the ambulance. Karla gave out a soft grunt and twitched. He held her head still by the helmet. "Shhh, sweetheart, don't move." He said soothingly. "The ambulance will be here soon."
"D…Dan?"
"Yes, it's me. You fell off Cinco. You hit your head. The ambulance will be here any minute and we'll get you checked out."
"Cinco? Boys?"
"They're all fine. You are the only one who got hurt."
"Love you."
"I love you, too."
She slipped back into unconsciousness. He wasn't sure she'd heard him. He prayed that she had and that it wasn't the last conversation they ever had. The sand hills were deceiving about sounds but Dan heard Orwells hoof beats before he heard the men carrying the stretcher coming a respectful distance behind the gelding. David moved off to the side to sit on his horse beside George.
The ambulance attendants hustled over to Karla and began to check her vitals. One of them glanced at him. "Has she been unconscious the whole time?"
"No. She woke up for a few minutes. Her pupils are uneven and dilated, but she was making sense when she spoke."
"What happened?" he asked Dan.
"Her horse got scared and reared up and she fell off." David said, miserably. "It was my fault. I killed her. I didn't mean to, Dad." He began to cry.
Dan went to his son and pulled him off his horse into his arms. "You didn't kill her, David. She's alive. It's okay. It was an accident."
"Let's get an neck brace on her and call a chopper. I want her air lifted out of here now!"
Damn his training in objectivity, Dan turned to David. "Take the horses back to the house and stay there. Put all of them in the barn and lock them in. The helicopter will scare the hell out of them."
"But what about Karla?"
"She'll be going to the hospital where they can tell us more. Go back to the house and tell Brent to stay off the phone. Both of you. I'll be there as soon as I can."
He lifted David back on his horse and sent him out of the clearing. The medics had Karlas neck stabilized and were trying to get her onto a back board. They had discarded the shirts and Dan picked them up absently to keep them out of the way. She was pale and still. His bundle of dynamite was so still.
One of the paramedics was swearing at his cellphone. It wasn't getting a signal around the area. Dan handed his to the guy. "Mine gets out." He said.
"Thanks, Mr…."
"Captain Dan Ross, Major Case." He said absently.
The paramedics exchanged a look. "Who is this woman?"
"Sgt. Karla Wilkes. Major Case West."
The man on Dans phone dialed. "We need a chopper here now, officer down."
A chill ran up Dans spine. Two words that nearly always got to any officer who'd been shot or been near a shooting. It seemed like forever to him for the machine to make an appearance. The medics put a blanket over Karlas face to shield her from the blade backwash. They dropped a basket and between the men they lifted Karla into it and strapped her in.
She was hauled up into the chopper and it flew away. He turned and headed back for the house on the run with the bloody shirts still clutched in his hand. He beat the paramedics back and burst into the house. The boys were sitting wide eyed on the couch watching him. "Guys, call your Mom and tell her what's going on. She'll need to come out here and get you. I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I know something."
"I put the horses in the barn. Even Cinco." Brent said.
"Good man. I don't care one tinkers damn about that psycho horse, but she does." He stopped a sob from overtaking him. He fought for breath. "She'd be proud of you, I know I am."
He took a minute to clutch them to him in a masculine hug. "I've got to get to the hospital. Will you be alright until your Mom gets here?"
"Sure we will, Dad. Todd is on his way. We called them when you were out there."
"You guys are getting to be too good for your old man." He said gruffly, kissing each one on the head.
He went in, got a fresh shirt and headed for the door. He reached for his phone and realized he'd left it with the paramedics. "Dad?" Brent called.
"Yes?"
"You have your shirt on inside out. Karla will want to see you looking presentable when she wakes up." He said.
"Thanks."
He took it off and turned it right side out and slipped it back on. She always hung his things on the line inside out so they didn't fade. It was one of her many tricks. Tears sprang to his eyes. He hurried to his car so the boys didn't see his fear. He got in, and started it. Looking down he was amazed. Karlas phone lay on the seat. The one he'd bought her when hers "accidentally" got crushed in a car door. She'd given him the evil eye, but he maintained it was just a freak accident.
He flipped the phone open and a picture came up on the screen. It was a picture of him that he'd never seen. He was smiling at the boys. He'd remembered the day it was taken. He'd worn a shirt he didn't like, because she'd picked it out for him. It was the only time he'd ever worn it. Come to think of it, that shirt wasn't even in his closet any more.
He scrolled down the screen to see the list of numbers. His cell was first, then his work, then her work, her captain, Bobby, Alex, Nancy and Todd, and other people he didn't know. He closed the phone with a snap. There was a giant pain in his heart. Karla could try the patience of a saint, but she was full of life and joy. She was his life, his joy, he didn't want to think about her being gone. He couldn't face that.
He went to the hospital and went into the ER. No sign of Karla was around. He went up to the nurses desk. "You had a patient flown in, Karla Wilkes?"
"Are you a relative?"
"I'm her captain." He said. It was a little white lie. She was always calling him her Dan or her captain.
The nurse checked her computer. "She's in with the doctor. You can go on back."
He didn't have to be told twice. He hurried back and looked around. She wasn't hard to spot. Hers were the only feet in there wearing cowboy boots. He tried to get inside, but one of the nurses stopped him. "You can't come in here, sir."
"I'm Captain Dan Ross, she's a police officer."
"I don't care if she's the Queen of England. The doctor needs you out here, out of the way."
He watched them buzz around her like bees. The dragon lady kept an eye on him. He saw Karlas legs twitch and then kick out. The nurses tried to grab a hold of her legs. That would only make her fight harder. He had to get in there. They wouldn't sedate her in her condition and she'd fight harder if they restrained her. He moved toward the door. The nurse intercepted him. He told her in his lowest, meanest voice. "Move!"
She took one look at his face and backed off. "Karla, you've got to lay still." One of the doctors was holding her shoulders down while she was struggling to get free.
She roared with anger and fought harder.
"Move. Let me in." Dan told them, elbowing them out of the way. "Karla, sweetheart, listen to me. Karla, shhh. It's Dan. Listen to my voice. I'm here, you're safe, no one is going to hurt you. Listen to me, love. You need to calm down. I'm here. You're safe."
He was gratified to find that she was listening to him. Her breath was coming in great gasps and sobs. "Dan?"
"I'm right here, darling. You're safe."
"I was dreaming. I was in a hospital and they were trying to strap me down."
"You are in a hospital, darling. You were hurt. You fell off Cinco, do you remember?"
"That lunk head shied at a leaf."
"Yes, he did. You fell off and hit your head. The doctors are trying to treat you."
"No, not doctors. I just want to go home. Take me home, Dan. Please."
"As soon as they look at you, I'll take you home."
"Promise?"
"I promise. Let the doctors take a look at you then we'll go home."
"Okay."
"Promise you'll let them look you over?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to move out of their way, but I won't go far."
"Don't let them cut my boots off."
"I'll take them off myself."
"Okay."
He moved down to her feet and removed first one boot then the other. She had on the favorite pair of socks that she liked and he didn't. They were hidden in her boots. Stubborn woman. He'd bought them for her and decided he didn't like them. He was going to take them back, but she'd liked them immediately and they disappeared so he couldn't take them back. He thought she'd gotten rid of them.
Karla was talking in monosyllables to the doctor. The doctor moved back and instructed the nurses to get her into a gown. He came down to speak to Dan. "She may have brain damage. I've ordered a head CT for her. She's pretty out of it. Does she always react to medical treatment this way?"
"She's terrified of doctors of any kind. She has trust issues." Dan admitted.
"I'll let the staff know. Does she have a medical file here at the hospital?"
"Yes, what there is of it."
"Is it possible that she could be pregnant?"
"It's possible, but not likely. She has some medical history of difficulty getting pregnant and having a miscarriage."
"I'll have a pregnancy test done. Are you her medical proxy?
"Yes."
"I'll need you to step over to the nurses desk and fill out the papers then while we treat her."
"Call me if she gets upset." Dan said.
"I think we'll be okay from here." The doctor said calmly. "If we need to sedate her, I'll prescribe something that wouldn't have adverse effects on a baby."
Dan went out to the nurses desk and began filling out the paperwork. He was halfway through when a disheveled nurse hurried into the room. "Are you with Karla Wilkes?"
"Yes."
"She's holding the staff at bay with a chair. We can't get close to her to administer a sedative. She could be making things worse."
Dan hurried after the nurse. "Is she talking?"
"She's babbling on about not being taken her again. Is she…does she think we're aliens or something?"
"She's a police officer. She was abducted and she must be having flashbacks." He said more sharply than he intended to.
"Sorry, I had no idea." The nurse said.
Dan handed her the clipboard and moved into the room with all the noise. "Back off, everyone." Dan said in his best commanding officer voice. He approached his fiancé with confidence. "Karla? Sweetheart, it's me. It's Dan."
She looked at him, but she was keeping an eye on the rest of them. "Dan? What are you doing here? Watch out so they don't get you too. I don't think I can help you. I don't feel well."
"That's because you fell off of Cinco and hit your head. Sweetheart, these are not the kidnappers, these are medical people, they're here to help you. You're in a hospital."
"Nope. They're trying to trick me. You're trying to trick me. You're not my Dan. My Dan wears suits. You're trying to hurt me so you can hurt him. You're not going to do that. I won't let you!"
"Honey, I know I wear suits a lot, but I do have other clothes, remember? You threatened to hide my suits if I didn't at least wear jeans once in a while. And if I'm not Dan Ross then how did I know about Cinco? Does anyone else know about him?"
"No."
"I'm here. I swear it's me. Let me take the chair from you. It must be heavy." He eased forward and took it from her. She resisted for a minute then let him take it. He moved it off to the side and put his arm around her shoulders. The medical staff started to close in and she cringed back. He motioned them back. "Come sit down. Let them treat you. I won't leave you."
She buried her face in his neck and let him lead her over to the table. He sat her down and one of the nurses came over and injected her with a syringe. She kept her face against him and jerked at the sensation but didn't react otherwise. Within seconds she was sagging over, out like a light. He helped them lay her down and position her for the CT scan.
"We didn't realize she was a police officer." One of the techs told Dan.
"She was off duty, so you had no way of knowing."
"You can stand outside the door while we do this." One of the techs said to him. "She should stay out for the entire procedure, but strange things can happen with head wounds."
Dan went outside while they did the test. In a few minutes they called him back in. They had taken her off the table and put her on a stretcher. They wheeled her back to the ER and let him stay with her. Nearly two hours later the doctor came in. Karla was showing signs of coming around. "How's she doing?" he asked the doctor.
"I've read the reports. She has a pretty severe lump on her head, a mild concussion but there's very little brain swelling. She must have strong bones. I'd like to keep her overnight for observation, but in order to do that I think I'd have to keep her sedated and I don't want to do that. Are you going to be home with her tonight?"
"Yes."
"I don't normally do this, but I need her to be calm without sedation. The only way someone with phobias this severe can do that is at home. I'm willing to send her home with you to take care of her if you wake her every two hours to check for coherence, if there's any nausea or vomiting bring her in immediately and bring her back tomorrow for a check up."
Karla moaned and thrashed her feet in the bed. Dan touched her shoulder and she relaxed again. The doctor noted this. "She's exceptionally sensitive, isn't she?" he asked.
"Amazingly so and stubborn as the day is long." Dan admitted wryly.
"They say stubbornness turned inside out is determination. You should get her to see someone about her phobias. In her line of work, doctors are a necessity."
"She'd appreciate the sentiment, I'm sure."
"But she won't take it, will she?"
"No."
"I have her record. She is more than a little paranoid about doctors, and hospitals. It's well documented in her chart. What's not documented is why."
"I have no idea. When can I take her home?"
"I'm going to have her wound tended and then you can take her home as soon as she's awake and coherent."
"Thank you, Doctor."
The nurse came in and carefully cleaned her head wound and taped a bandage over it. Karla woke up during this procedure and jerked away from the woman. "It's okay, she's bandaging your head." Dan told her. Her hand reached for his. He caught it and held it until the woman had finished.
"Where am I? I feel like crap." She asked.
"You're in the hospital. You had a fall from Cinco. Do you remember that?"
"Cinco. The boys. Are they alright?"
"They're fine. You gave us quite a scare, I can tell you that."
"And Cinco is….?"
"Going to be dog food and glue." Dan growled, scowling. Seeing Karlas confusion he relented. "He's fine. The boys took care of the horses before we came here."
"You drove carefully, didn't you?"
"Always. I had to get safely to you."
"We didn't come together?"
"No, you came by helicopter."
"No."
"Yes."
"Damn."
"What's the matter?"
"My first and only helicopter ride and I don't remember it."
"Karla." He scolded exasperated.
She smiled at him and closed her eyes. "When can I go home?"
TBC