Disclaimer: See Part 1.
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night part 2
Tanner MacKenzie when downstairs with her empty teapot and an armload of wet clothes and towels. "I hope the sheriff can find this mysterious 'Colonel' before it's too late," she mumbled to herself.
She busied herself with cleaning up her mess in the living room. After checking the door to make sure it was locked, she trotted back up the stairs. She peaked in to make sure Jonas was all right. His breathing was regular; always a good sign when one has a concussion. Tanner started down the hall when the phone rang. "I thought Travis said the phone lines were down?"
She picked up the extension on her bedside table. "Hello?"
"Doc? This is Sheriff Billings."
"Hello, Sheriff. Have you started looking for the missing colonel?"
"Yeah, Doc, we have. We found him too. He isn't in very good shape. Travis and I are going to bring him by your clinic. How's the other man?"
"He has a concussion. Other than that, he's fine. He's asleep in the guest room now."
"Your guest room, Doc? Running a motel now?"
"What else was I going to do with him? Make him sit on the porch?"
"Don't get testy, Doc. I'm just having a little fun. I know how you are with injured strays." The sheriff knew of Tanner's weakness for stray animals. That's part of the reason she became a vet in the first place.
"What kind of injuries does this colonel have?" She wanted to be ready for when they got to the house. She wasn't set up for an injured person. She could lose her license for treating people, but like Travis had said, she was the closest thing the town had at this point.
"I'm not sure, Doc. He's unconscious. I don't think anything major is broken, but he may have some internal bleeding. Oh, and he's got a gash on his head. Bleeding quite a bit too."
"How long do you think it will be before you get here?" If he did have internal bleeding, hopefully she could stabilize him so they could get him to a hospital. They should probably contact Cheyenne Mountain to see if they were missing a couple of their people. "Sheriff? The two men may be from Cheyenne Mountain. You might want to check to see if they're missing anyone."
"Good thinking, Doc. We should be at your place in about 10 minutes. See you then."
After hanging up, Tanner checked on Jonas one more time, and then decided it would be a good idea to change into some clothes. Throwing on a pair of faded jeans and an old rugby shirt, she ran downstairs to her clinic. Her 'clinic' was a few rooms at the back of the house. The town was small and she made a lot of house calls. Very rarely did she have any major emergencies. Surgery on a person was a lot different than surgery on a dog or cat. Sure, the internal organs were in the same general area, but the similarities ended there. Hopefully, the colonel's injures wouldn't be life threatening.
There was a pounding on the back door. She opened it too see Travis and Sheriff Billings with a blood-soaked man. "Bring him in. Put him on the table. Were you able to get through to Cheyenne Mountain, Sheriff?"
"No, Doc. The storm is still playing havoc with the phones. How's he look?"
Tanner did a quick exam of the prone form on the table. "Well, it doesn't look like anything is broken." She ran her hands lightly over the colonel's chest and abdomen. "No broken ribs. His belly is soft. That's a good sign."
"Why is that, Doc?" Travis asked.
"It means there isn't any internal bleeding. If he was bleeding internally, his belly would be hard." She pulled out her trusty flashlight and checked his eyes. "Pupils are equal and reactive to light. Another good sign." She then turned her attention to his scalp wound. "Here's where all the blood is coming from."
"It is bad, Doc?"
"Scalp wounds always look worse than they actually are." Tanner grabbed some gauze and pressed it onto the wound. After a few minutes, she peaked under it to see if the bleeding had slowed. It had. "Now, let's see had bad it is. Sheriff, would you hand me that bowl of water and that cloth? Thanks."
She gently washed away the blood. "It's not too deep, but he's going to need a few stitches." She looked at the two police officers. "Unless you two have suddenly become nurses, how about getting out of my way?"
"Grumpy as usual, eh, Doc?"
"How pleasant would you be, Sheriff, if you were forced out of bed in the middle of the night and had not one, but two, injured men dropped in your lap?"
"Well, Doc. I was awakened in the middle of the night and had two injured men dropped in my lap," the sheriff countered.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that," Tanner apologized. She didn't like getting out of bed in the middle of the night even though it was commonplace for a veterinarian. "Well, anyway, you're still in my way. Now move!"
"You going to be all right, Doc? I don't want to leave you with two strange men. They might be axe murders for all we know," Sheriff Billings asked.
"I'll be fine, Sheriff. You and Travis can be on your way. If they give me a hard time, I'll just neuter them," she joked.
Both men cringed. "Not funny, Doc. Not funny at all," Travis said, cringing again.
Tanner closed and locked the door behind them when they left. Turning back to her patient, she said, "Well, Colonel. Let's get you patched up."
After putting 10 stitches in Colonel O'Neill's head, she pulled out some smelling salts. "Let's see if I can wake you up enough to get you up to bed." Putting the small bottle under his nose, the results were instantaneous.
"What the hell?" Jack nearly sat up straight, but the stabbing pain in his head told him it wasn't a good idea.
"Take it easy, Colonel," came a woman's voice. "You've had a pretty good smack upside the head."
"Where am I and how did I get here?" Jack didn't like surprises. He just wanted answers. "Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Tanner MacKenzie. I'm a veterinarian and you are in my clinic. You were in a car accident. Do you remember what happened?"
"I was driving up a logging road to a cabin. It started to pour down rain and the road got slippery. I couldn't see. Something, a deer maybe, jumped out in front of the car and I swerved and went over the bank. Wait. Where's Jonas? There was somebody else in the car with me!" Jack was starting to remember.
"Take it easy. Jonas is fine. He's asleep upstairs. Speaking of which, I should go back up and check on him."
"Was he hurt?"
"He has a concussion, but it isn't serious. He just needs some rest. How are you feeling? Any nausea or dizziness?"
"Just one hell of a headache," came the grumpy response.
"I need to call you something other than Colonel. What's your name?"
"Jack O'Neill, Colonel, USAF," came the response.
"We need to get you out of those wet clothes. Come with me. You can sleep in the other spare bedroom." She led him upstairs. "Are you stationed at Cheyenne Mountain?"
"What gave it away?"
"It's the closest military base. When the storm is over, hopefully we can contact them and let your CO know that you two are all right."
"Wait a minute. Didn't you say you were a veterinarian?"
"Yes, I did. You were injured and I'm the closest doctor of any sort there is for about 50 miles. The storm has washed out several of the main roads and most of the back roads. There wasn't any way to get you to a hospital. Just be glad neither one of you was seriously injured." Tanner stopped outside the guest room. She quickly checked to see if Jonas was all right and then made her way over to the dresser. She pulled another pair of pajamas out and quietly walked out of the room.
"Jonas is doing just fine. He should be better in the morning. You look like you could use some sleep too. Come on."
Jack followed Tanner down the hall. She stopped at another door, opened it, and turned on the bedside lamp. "Come on, Colonel. Get out of those wet clothes. You can put these on." She handed him the pajamas.
"Your husband's?" he asked.
"Never married. They belong to one of my many brothers. You never know when one of them is going to show up. Now, quit stalling. Start taking off you clothes. I'll get you some towels." She gently pushed Jack into the bathroom, reached into the linen closet and pulled out some more towels. After handing the towels to him, she walked out into the hall and pulled the door shut behind her. "Let me know when you're done."
After Jack had dried off and changed into the pajamas, he opened the door and walked into the spare bedroom. Tanner was busy turning down the bed. "I should let you do all my shopping for me. These are a perfect fit," he joked.
"Comes from years of experience and seven older brothers," she retorted. "Now get in bed."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good night, Colonel."
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night part 2
Tanner MacKenzie when downstairs with her empty teapot and an armload of wet clothes and towels. "I hope the sheriff can find this mysterious 'Colonel' before it's too late," she mumbled to herself.
She busied herself with cleaning up her mess in the living room. After checking the door to make sure it was locked, she trotted back up the stairs. She peaked in to make sure Jonas was all right. His breathing was regular; always a good sign when one has a concussion. Tanner started down the hall when the phone rang. "I thought Travis said the phone lines were down?"
She picked up the extension on her bedside table. "Hello?"
"Doc? This is Sheriff Billings."
"Hello, Sheriff. Have you started looking for the missing colonel?"
"Yeah, Doc, we have. We found him too. He isn't in very good shape. Travis and I are going to bring him by your clinic. How's the other man?"
"He has a concussion. Other than that, he's fine. He's asleep in the guest room now."
"Your guest room, Doc? Running a motel now?"
"What else was I going to do with him? Make him sit on the porch?"
"Don't get testy, Doc. I'm just having a little fun. I know how you are with injured strays." The sheriff knew of Tanner's weakness for stray animals. That's part of the reason she became a vet in the first place.
"What kind of injuries does this colonel have?" She wanted to be ready for when they got to the house. She wasn't set up for an injured person. She could lose her license for treating people, but like Travis had said, she was the closest thing the town had at this point.
"I'm not sure, Doc. He's unconscious. I don't think anything major is broken, but he may have some internal bleeding. Oh, and he's got a gash on his head. Bleeding quite a bit too."
"How long do you think it will be before you get here?" If he did have internal bleeding, hopefully she could stabilize him so they could get him to a hospital. They should probably contact Cheyenne Mountain to see if they were missing a couple of their people. "Sheriff? The two men may be from Cheyenne Mountain. You might want to check to see if they're missing anyone."
"Good thinking, Doc. We should be at your place in about 10 minutes. See you then."
After hanging up, Tanner checked on Jonas one more time, and then decided it would be a good idea to change into some clothes. Throwing on a pair of faded jeans and an old rugby shirt, she ran downstairs to her clinic. Her 'clinic' was a few rooms at the back of the house. The town was small and she made a lot of house calls. Very rarely did she have any major emergencies. Surgery on a person was a lot different than surgery on a dog or cat. Sure, the internal organs were in the same general area, but the similarities ended there. Hopefully, the colonel's injures wouldn't be life threatening.
There was a pounding on the back door. She opened it too see Travis and Sheriff Billings with a blood-soaked man. "Bring him in. Put him on the table. Were you able to get through to Cheyenne Mountain, Sheriff?"
"No, Doc. The storm is still playing havoc with the phones. How's he look?"
Tanner did a quick exam of the prone form on the table. "Well, it doesn't look like anything is broken." She ran her hands lightly over the colonel's chest and abdomen. "No broken ribs. His belly is soft. That's a good sign."
"Why is that, Doc?" Travis asked.
"It means there isn't any internal bleeding. If he was bleeding internally, his belly would be hard." She pulled out her trusty flashlight and checked his eyes. "Pupils are equal and reactive to light. Another good sign." She then turned her attention to his scalp wound. "Here's where all the blood is coming from."
"It is bad, Doc?"
"Scalp wounds always look worse than they actually are." Tanner grabbed some gauze and pressed it onto the wound. After a few minutes, she peaked under it to see if the bleeding had slowed. It had. "Now, let's see had bad it is. Sheriff, would you hand me that bowl of water and that cloth? Thanks."
She gently washed away the blood. "It's not too deep, but he's going to need a few stitches." She looked at the two police officers. "Unless you two have suddenly become nurses, how about getting out of my way?"
"Grumpy as usual, eh, Doc?"
"How pleasant would you be, Sheriff, if you were forced out of bed in the middle of the night and had not one, but two, injured men dropped in your lap?"
"Well, Doc. I was awakened in the middle of the night and had two injured men dropped in my lap," the sheriff countered.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that," Tanner apologized. She didn't like getting out of bed in the middle of the night even though it was commonplace for a veterinarian. "Well, anyway, you're still in my way. Now move!"
"You going to be all right, Doc? I don't want to leave you with two strange men. They might be axe murders for all we know," Sheriff Billings asked.
"I'll be fine, Sheriff. You and Travis can be on your way. If they give me a hard time, I'll just neuter them," she joked.
Both men cringed. "Not funny, Doc. Not funny at all," Travis said, cringing again.
Tanner closed and locked the door behind them when they left. Turning back to her patient, she said, "Well, Colonel. Let's get you patched up."
After putting 10 stitches in Colonel O'Neill's head, she pulled out some smelling salts. "Let's see if I can wake you up enough to get you up to bed." Putting the small bottle under his nose, the results were instantaneous.
"What the hell?" Jack nearly sat up straight, but the stabbing pain in his head told him it wasn't a good idea.
"Take it easy, Colonel," came a woman's voice. "You've had a pretty good smack upside the head."
"Where am I and how did I get here?" Jack didn't like surprises. He just wanted answers. "Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Tanner MacKenzie. I'm a veterinarian and you are in my clinic. You were in a car accident. Do you remember what happened?"
"I was driving up a logging road to a cabin. It started to pour down rain and the road got slippery. I couldn't see. Something, a deer maybe, jumped out in front of the car and I swerved and went over the bank. Wait. Where's Jonas? There was somebody else in the car with me!" Jack was starting to remember.
"Take it easy. Jonas is fine. He's asleep upstairs. Speaking of which, I should go back up and check on him."
"Was he hurt?"
"He has a concussion, but it isn't serious. He just needs some rest. How are you feeling? Any nausea or dizziness?"
"Just one hell of a headache," came the grumpy response.
"I need to call you something other than Colonel. What's your name?"
"Jack O'Neill, Colonel, USAF," came the response.
"We need to get you out of those wet clothes. Come with me. You can sleep in the other spare bedroom." She led him upstairs. "Are you stationed at Cheyenne Mountain?"
"What gave it away?"
"It's the closest military base. When the storm is over, hopefully we can contact them and let your CO know that you two are all right."
"Wait a minute. Didn't you say you were a veterinarian?"
"Yes, I did. You were injured and I'm the closest doctor of any sort there is for about 50 miles. The storm has washed out several of the main roads and most of the back roads. There wasn't any way to get you to a hospital. Just be glad neither one of you was seriously injured." Tanner stopped outside the guest room. She quickly checked to see if Jonas was all right and then made her way over to the dresser. She pulled another pair of pajamas out and quietly walked out of the room.
"Jonas is doing just fine. He should be better in the morning. You look like you could use some sleep too. Come on."
Jack followed Tanner down the hall. She stopped at another door, opened it, and turned on the bedside lamp. "Come on, Colonel. Get out of those wet clothes. You can put these on." She handed him the pajamas.
"Your husband's?" he asked.
"Never married. They belong to one of my many brothers. You never know when one of them is going to show up. Now, quit stalling. Start taking off you clothes. I'll get you some towels." She gently pushed Jack into the bathroom, reached into the linen closet and pulled out some more towels. After handing the towels to him, she walked out into the hall and pulled the door shut behind her. "Let me know when you're done."
After Jack had dried off and changed into the pajamas, he opened the door and walked into the spare bedroom. Tanner was busy turning down the bed. "I should let you do all my shopping for me. These are a perfect fit," he joked.
"Comes from years of experience and seven older brothers," she retorted. "Now get in bed."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good night, Colonel."