Chapter 35
By the time the ambulance pulled up to the entrance to the Emergency room, Remington was fit to be tied. He slammed the car into park and raced across the parking lot to follow the stretcher Laura was now strapped on. He could hear her groaning with each bump but he couldn't get close fast enough. He managed to catch up to her as they wheeled her down a hall toward the awaiting medical team.
"Laura? Laura, look at me," he tried to command but she wasn't listening. Her hands were over her eyes and she groaned again. Remington grabbed the Paramedic, demanding, "What happened? She was fine before she got into that ambulance."
The paramedic stuttered, "She… she… said she was nauseous. She probably has a concussion… she must have hit her head pretty hard."
Turning his attention back to her, he took her hand in his. "Laura, love, I need you to look at me," he said quieter.
Laura's head was pounding - not from hitting her head but hormones, stress and the sirens in the ambulance, not to mention the constant rocking of the vehicle - creating the perfect storm for nausea. "Rem, my head hurts. The lights are too bright. Can we turn them off? Please?" Laura asked through gritted teeth.
"Mrs. Steele, I need you to open your eyes for me," the ER doctor said as he stood over her. Laura squinted but slowly opened her eyes, trying to use her hand to shield the light shining in her face. The doctor used a small light to check her pupil reactiveness. "Good news, her pupils are not dilated nor are they different sizes. Mrs. Steele, where does your head hurt? Can you show me?"
Laura moved her hand in the direction of the cut on the side of her head.
The doctor nodded, "Good, good. She's following directions easily, no confusion. Now, does it hurt anywhere else?"
Laura's patience had worn thin. "My head hurts from the noise and where that cut must be. I don't think I actually hit my head but dammit I don't care anymore. Just get this stitched so I can go home," she snapped. "And get these damn lights out of my eyes," she added.
Remington rubbed his hand across his mouth nervously. He knew Laura must be in pain, she never snapped like that otherwise. "Doctor, can you give her something to help ease her discomfort? My wife seems to be a bit… testy… because of the pain," he asked tentatively.
The doctor looked at Laura then at Remington. He turned to Laura first and said, "Mrs. Steele, I need to talk to your husband for a moment but I will return shortly with some pain medicine for you before they stitch that cut, all right?"
Laura pressed her lips together, her hand across her eye, just nodded.
"Mr. Steele, may I speak with you over here?" The doctor indicated an area closer to the main station. Remington followed, hands in his pockets. "Mr. Steele, I need to ask you a few questions regarding your wife's health. I'm not sure she is in the best position to answer these now given her current state."
Remington chuckled, "Yes, my wife can be a handful when distressed. What can I answer for you, Doctor?"
The doctor looked at the paper in front of him, "Are you aware of any reasons I cannot administer a pain reliever at this time?"
"No," Remington answered.
"Does your wife have any allergies you are aware of?" he asked.
"Just seasonal but I don't think that applies in this case, so no," Remington said.
"Is there any possibility your wife could be pregnant?" the doctor asked.
"Ah, no, definitely not," Remington stated.
"You're sure?" the doctor asked again.
"Yes, sir, most definitely," Remington confirmed.
"When was your wife's last menstrual cycle? The first day… or approximate if you're not sure," the doctor asked.
"Today. She is also on birth control pills," Remington stated, feeling relieved they had been open about it.
"Do you know what brand by any chance? Not that it will change my decision, it's just good information for her records," the doctor was writing on the clipboard.
"Brand? No sir, the packaging was light blue in color, circular shaped, if that helps," Remington recalled. Laura had left the pack on the sink that morning.
"Very good. Now, I'd like to give her a small dose of injectable sumatriptan. It will help with the headache as well as any nausea she may be experiencing. I don't believe she has a concussion, from what I can see. There is no swelling around the cut on her head to lead me to believe she actually hit her head. In her case, I would say the stress of what happened, combined with hormones from her menstrual cycle and the trauma from the cut is what is leading up to this pain she is experiencing. The injection may make her sleepy, however we also need to administer some local anesthesia to stitch the area. Do you understand everything I have explained, Mr. Steele?" the doctor said.
"Yes, yes, sir. I understand completely," Remington was relieved Laura wasn't hurt worse. "The young man that came in with us, Pace Magee."
"I'll have his attending update you on his status," the doctor informed him. "I'll get that injection for your wife now. Do you wish to be present while we stitch that cut?"
Remington thought for a moment. "I need to be sure young master Pace is faring well so if it's possible I will be there, otherwise, my wife will understand," he decided.
"I'll have his attending find you as soon as possible then," the doctor extended his hand to Remington. They shook firmly before the doctor wandered off. Remington walked back toward Laura's bed, awaiting Pace's doctor.
Christian had separated from Remington the moment the car was parked, choosing to stay with Pace. While Remington was with Laura's doctor, Pace was being wheeled to X-Ray where his wrist and ribs were going to be analyzed. Pace appeared to be in good spirits even though he was in pain. They talked and laughed, waiting for his doctor to return with his results.
After only a few minutes, the doctor returned, x rays in hand. "Well, son, your wrist is definitely broken here and here," he pointed to two spots on the film. "Good news is they'll heal fast. Breaks like this usually do. Your ribs are just bruised. You're very lucky. I'll have the tech come in and set that wrist for you. He can tape your ribs too if that helps. Those will just need time to heal."
"Thank you, Doctor. Whatever you think is best," Pace replied, relieved it wasn't worse.
After the doctor walked away, Pace turned to Christian. "Sarah is going to be so angry with me. We can't afford a hospital bill like this, not now," he said sadly.
Christian looked at his friend and said, "She'd be angrier if you didn't come home at all. I'm sure the hospital will let you work something out."
Outside the room, Remington was listening to their conversation. The doctor had found him before bringing the x rays to Pace. He informed Remington of Pace's injuries before he walked away. Laura was still waiting for the local anesthesia to take effect, so Remington had gone in search of Pace and Christian. He needed to be sure they were fine.
Listening to them talk, Remington made a decision. He knocked lightly on the door of the room to get Pace and Christian's attention. Stepping inside, two heads turned in his direction.
"Mr. Steele," Christian said.
"My Lord," Pace lowered his eyes, unable to make eye contact with Remington. He still felt as though he had failed his promise to keep Laura safe.
"How are you feeling, Pace? Are you in a lot of pain?" Remington asked.
"No, sir, not too bad, as long as I don't move too much," Pace admitted.
"I'm quite familiar with that feeling. Had my own ribs bruised a few times although not from a collapsing tunnel," Remington said lightly, trying to get Pace to relax. He could see how tense Pace was. Remington decided he needed to take a different tactic.
"Pace, I want to thank you," Remington began.
"Thank me? My Lord, I don't understand. What do you need to thank me for?" Pace asked, confused.
"If it weren't for you, my wife, Mrs. Steele, would have been trapped in that mine. That man, O'Leary, would be dead and any chance we had of nailing McDonough would have been gone. Without you, many other lives could have been lost by that poison we just got off the street," Remington put his hand on Pace's shoulder.
"But, Mr. Steele…. Mrs. Steele… her head… I didn't keep her safe… I promised you I would," Pace tried to convince him he had failed.
Remington laughed, really confusing both Pace and Christian. "That scratch on her head? I've seen Mrs. Steele take harder hits than that. Do you know she once fell off the 5th floor of a building into a bush with nary an injury?"
Pace and Christian stared at Remington, eyes wide. "Really? But how?" Christian asked.
"You'll have to ask her yourself when she's feeling better. Right now, I'm sure she isn't too happy to indulge in any storytelling," Remington said. From down the hall he could hear her, verbalizing her discomfort with the nurse.
"I'm telling you, I can feel that!" Laura was yelling.
"I must take my leave and attend to Mrs. Steele for the moment. Pace, I just want you to know you'll have no medical bills from this. As a simple repayment for all you've done," Remington said as he began to leave the room. As a side note, he turned back to Christian, "Christian, we may be here for a while longer, why don't you go back to the campsite and your boarding house to collect your things. You won't need to go back there again. Have one of the waiting officers bring you back to get your car. I'll be sure Pace gets home from here."
Christian looked at Pace first, then Remington, asking"Are you sure? I need this job, sir. I help my family out with their bills as much as I can."
Remington nodded, "You'll have a job waiting for you at Ashford Castle if you want it. Both of you. We're working on a benefits plan as well."
Christian stood up quickly, hugging Remington. He stepped back when he realized what he was doing. Looking at Pace, he said, "I'll see you tomorrow, bring your stuff by. Sarah's going to need you to herself tonight." He practically ran out of the room.
Pace didn't know what to say but for the moment, it didn't matter. Laura could be heard yelling at the nurse down the hall again which set Remington off running in her direction.