Ready To Love Again
Read Ready To Love Again Online
Authors: Annalyse Knight
Ready to Love Again
By
Annalyse Knight
First published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop, 2014
Copyright © Annalyse Knight, 2014
The right of Annalyse Knight to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the
Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
All characters and events in this Book – even those sharing the same name as (or based on) real people – are entirely fictional. No person, brand, or corporation mentioned in this Book should be taken to have endorsed this Book nor should the events surrounding them be considered in any way factual.
This Book is a work of fiction and should be read as such.
The Writer’s Coffee Shop
(Australia)
PO Box 447 Cherrybrook NSW 2126
(USA)
PO Box 2116 Waxahachie TX 75168
Paperback ISBN- 978-1-61213-321-8
E-book ISBN- 978-1-61213-322-5
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the US Congress Library.
Cover Images: © depositphotos.com / ArchManStocker, © depositphotos.com / avgustino, © depositphotos.com / wolterke
Cover Design: Niina Cord / http://niinascoverdesign.weebly.com/
www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/aknight
Dedication
To my children, Daniel, Emily, and Rebekah.
Chapter 1
“Dr. Blue-Eyes,” Sadie sang in her Mary Poppins-like voice. “You’re needed in the ER. They’ve been paging you for the last five minutes.”
Dr. Chase O’Donnell pulled his pager off his belt as he came out of the exam room, eyeing it with weary contempt when he realized the battery was dead. He took the chart he’d taken from Pediatrics and tossed it on the nurses’ station when he passed.
“Can you take care of this for me?” he asked, ignoring Sadie’s teasing.
The white-haired nurse picked up the chart. She pointed a plump finger in his direction and winked with a mischievous smile. “Anything for you,
Dr. Blue
.”
He rolled his eyes and turned around to look at her while walking backward. “You’re a big tease, Sadie.”
Sadie sniggered and waved him away. Chase had heard the name Dr. Blue muttered in the halls even before his colleagues confirmed that it was the nurses’ nickname for him. When Sadie caught wind of it, she’d shut them down and told them if she heard it again, she’d write them up. Of course, it didn’t stop her from teasing him relentlessly herself.
Chase rounded the corner to the emergency room and came face-to-face with the head nurse on duty. Julie was a stern-looking woman in her mid-forties. Her dark red hair was pulled back in a tight twist and seemed to fit the perpetual scowl on her face. Despite her demeanor, Chase appreciated her attention to detail. She’d saved his ass on more than one occasion after he returned to work following his leave of absence. He put up with her abrupt attitude because she was thorough and got the job done. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit that he was a little intimidated by her, too.
“Dr. O’Donnell,” Julie greeted him. “We have a twenty-five-year-old female en route in hypovolemic shock with extensive injuries to her upper body and head from a motor vehicle collision. She’s losing large amounts of blood through lacerations to her neck. A witness managed to slow the flow before paramedics arrived. She’s unresponsive. Blood pressure is seventy over forty-five and falling. Heart rate one twenty-seven.”
He nodded. It would be a miracle if she made it to the hospital alive.
“How soon?” Chase asked.
“ETA is two minutes.”
Chase turned to see Dr. Lee burst out of the trauma room. “We’re getting the OR ready,” Lee said when he brushed past Chase. “Everything should be in place by the time we’ve evaluated her injuries.”
A siren echoed through the canyon as they stepped out onto the dock and waited for the ambulance to make its appearance through the cypress trees of Skyline Forest. Chase looked out over the treetops and took in the scenic beauty of the Monterey Peninsula. Living in California was a gift, but it was rare for him to get a chance to appreciate the beauty that surrounded him. He took in the small amount of tranquility he could before the ambulance arrived and the chaos of his profession broke his reverie.
Everyone jumped into action to fulfill their roles in attempting to save the life of the patient. Chase’s blood pumped through his veins, and the adrenaline rush put him on high alert.
Every reflex and sense sharpened when they pulled the woman out of the ambulance and wheeled her into the trauma room. Chase stood behind Julie and let the trauma team evaluate her injuries while he mentally assessed the damage himself. Dr. Lee barked out orders while he examined the woman on the table. Stepping closer, Chase took note of the pink, frothy sputum coming up the tube before the nurse suctioned it out. Pulmonary hemorrhage.
He loathed the helpless feeling that overcame him while they continued to try to stop the bleeding. This was the part of his job he hated—waiting. It would be amazing if they got her on the operating table before she coded. Chase closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus on what he needed to do when they wheeled her into the OR. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep away the memories.
“Will you shut up and get out of the car?” she said with a laugh. “You, Mr. Control Freak, will not dictate this night.”
Chase’s eyes snapped open, and his heart accelerated. He ground his teeth together to control the onslaught of emotions that washed over him. This was not the time or the place to reflect on the past. He was brought back to the present when Dr. Lee rattled off the scope of his patient’s injuries.
Chase glanced down at the woman on the table. The ashen hue of her skin forced another unwanted memory on him, but he quickly blocked it from his mind. The beep of the heart monitor accelerated as her heart rate increased. He watched while the blood pressure monitor steadily dropped.
Damn it.
“You’re losing her!” he yelled over the methodical preparations.
The alert of the heart monitor registering a flatline brought an immediate halt to their course as everyone raced to respond to the code. A crash cart was wheeled from the corner of the room, and Dr. Lee ordered the administration of epinephrine to try to stimulate the patient’s heart.
“I can’t get a pressure,” Julie said. The machines connected to the woman confirmed what they already knew. She’d been too far gone.
The room fell still while they gave the woman they’d been unable to save a moment of silence. “Call it,” Chase said to Dr. Lee.
“Does anyone have any objections to calling the code?” Dr. Lee asked. When no one challenged his decision, he let out a long sigh and looked down at the patient. “Time of death, 12:17.”
He gave Chase a halfhearted nod in acknowledgment as he ripped off his gloves, then ran his hand through his graying hair. The weariness and frustration in his eyes was something Chase understood. Dr. Lee couldn’t have done anything more, but that never stopped the disappointment and guilt that came with this part of the job.
“I’ll inform the family. Go take a break,” Chase whispered. Dr. Lee nodded, placed a hand on his Chase’s shoulder, then walked out.
Chase looked down at the woman and shook his head. Twenty-five years old. It was too soon for her life to end. He picked up her hand and eyed the simple gold band wrapped around her slender finger. She was someone’s wife. He wondered if she had children.
She had long blond hair.
Like Terri’s.
Chase’s heart stuttered at the memory of his wife. He knew how this woman’s husband would feel when he realized she hadn’t made it.
A nurse popped her head in the room. “Dr. O’Donnell?”
How long have I been standing here?
“Mr. Allen’s waiting in the Family Conference Room.”
Chase nodded, dismissing the nurse before he tried to prepare himself for the task at hand. He yanked off his gloves and threw them away. Emotions burned at the back of his eyes, and he pushed them back, determined not to let his own grief get in the way of doing his job. Forcing his hand through his hair, he dreaded the moment that would change this family’s life forever. Walking toward the room, he knew that no matter how he delivered the news it would still be painful. The only thing he could do was offer compassion while keeping his own emotions in check.
~*~
Chase looked at the clock on his phone before he dialed.
“Hello?”
“Hey, my beautiful sister. I’m just now leaving the hospital. Do you want me to pick something up for dinner?”
“Nope. Daniel’s coming over, so I have it covered.”
“Okay, I’ll be home in about fifteen.”
Chase heard Anthony giggle in the background before he hung up, and he smiled to himself at the sound of his carefree nine-year-old son. Terri used to call him her little heartbreaker. A memory flashed through Chase’s mind of Terri sitting on the balcony of their home, cuddling Tony in a blanket while she read to him.
A solitary tear slid down Chase’s cheek, and he swiped it away, annoyed that after three years it still hurt. He needed to get through the evening. After he’d played his role as a father, he could surrender to the despair of the day.
He pulled into the driveway and took a moment to admire his home before he climbed out of his car. The house was beautiful but was second to the view it held. The property sat on a small cliff edge that overlooked Carmel Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Surrounded by Monterey cypress trees, the house blended well with the environment and gave him plenty of privacy from the neighbors. On the outside, it looked like a small cottage, but it was one of the larger homes in the neighborhood.
Terri loved this place.
She’d put all her free time into making it a home. Raised flowerbeds made from Carmel stone surrounded the teak deck. She loved the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Francisco, so she had him plant cherry trees against the fence. Chase took a deep breath and inhaled their sweet fragrance while he made his way across the patio. Terri had decorated the interior with local artists’ paintings and sculptures, giving the rooms a modern look with a hint of ocean-side charm. He opened the French doors off the back patio and went inside, smelling something delicious.