Page 1 of Savage Peril

Chapter 1

Only three weeks ago, Lori Waters had lost her father. His death had been unexpected, and she hadn’t recovered from the shock. On the flight home from Houston, she fought to process recent events. It was difficult to believe that her father wouldn’t be at the clinic, that she would have to manage alone.

Lori stared at the untouched apple juice and bag of peanuts on her tray table. Her loss of appetite was to be expected during the grieving period. Yet she wondered if food would look good anytime soon. The joy seemed to have drained from her existence, along with her father’s life.

The flight attendant leaned in, offering a pillow to a fellow passenger. A man across the aisle stretched out his leg. A woman made her way to the lavatory. To Lori, it all seemed a bit unreal, as though events transpired without meaning.

Robert Waters had died at the age of fifty-seven, and that was so unfair. He had been a remarkable physician and dedicated to his career. He had been a vibrant man, a loving father, and would be sorely missed. He had established the pain clinic where Lori had joined him after she graduated medical school.

Over the years, Waters Pain Clinic had flourished in Santa Monica. Lori’s father had aided a multitude of patients to deal with pain. Providing relief to those who suffered from that affliction had become her passion as well.

The medical conference in Houston had gone by in a blur. Robert Waters had been scheduled to speak about experimental pain relief methods that showed promise. Lori had attended in his place and managed to give the talk. She must have done okay, as the audience applauded. But she didn’t remember exactly what she’d said.

Feeling numb, Lori looked out the window. The flight from Houston to Los Angeles was three hours, so she had plenty of time to think. Her father’s death nagged at her, as though something was amiss—other than the inconceivable loss.

Lori should have prevented her father’s untimely demise. Although that was purely wishful thinking. He had died suddenly, and Lori wasn’t sure if that could have been avoided. Her conscience wouldn’t let her put the guilt aside, even though she had been assured there had been no failure on her part.

Many strong emotions refused to subside. Lori’s anger was paramount, often more potent than her grief. It shouldn’t have happened. Her father should have lived many more years, yet he was ripped away without warning.

Those who were close to Lori had tried to reassure her that there was nothing she could have done. Yet the distress over the loss remained, every bit as upsetting as the day she had been told of the tragedy. Her father was gone, so Lori had to face that.

For some reason, it wasn’t that simple. There was something about it that Lori couldn’t resolve in her mind or her heart. Maybe it would take more time, that was all. Yet she doubted the grief would fade in the foreseeable future.

Lori felt so alone. Only five years before, she’d lost her mother to multiple sclerosis, after living with pain for far too long. Her mother, Anna, had been the reason for the pain clinic. In his desperation to provide relief to his beloved wife, Robert Waters had established the clinic and made the latest techniques available.

At one point, it had all seemed so hopeful. Her mother’s pain was under control and her life expectancy was good. Yet she had died, long before Lori was prepared to lose her. And now, her father was gone too. Her younger brother was the only immediate family she had left, and he was irresponsible and immature, so of little comfort.

The flight attendant walked down the aisle collecting trash in a bag. Lori handed over her unopened items and put the tray table up. She had barely noticed the couple sitting next to her, or other passengers, for that matter. Immersed in grief, little else drew her attention.

Lori closed her eyes then leaned her head against the seatback. She tried to focus on the future, on the increased responsibility that had fallen on her shoulders. Yet it all seemed overwhelming, since she would face running the clinic alone. She had been very close to her father and had relied on him in her career.

The flight attendant said over the loudspeaker, “If there is a doctor on board, please come to the galley immediately.”

Instantly alert, Lori got out of her seat and made her way by the two passengers seated next to her. Once in the aisle, she responded to the call. There would be only one reason for such an announcement. The crew needed assistance with an inflight emergency.

Crews were onboard to see to the passengers’ comfort and safety, but they were not medically trained. It didn’t happen often, but Lori or her father had assisted before when a crisis occurred. So far, the incidents had been controllable, and no one had died.

The pilot might choose to land the plane if a passenger was in a life-threatening condition. That could prove impossible on international flights, and Lori had once stabilized a woman with severe diabetic symptoms until the plane could land.

Lori was a professional, so her focus was on the patient, her own issues irrelevant now. She hoped it wasn’t anything too serious. After sweeping back the curtain, she stepped inside to take in the scene. There was a man in his forties lying on a pad on the floor with his shoes off.

“Are you a doctor?” the flight attendant said.

“Yes, I run the Waters Pain Clinic.” Lori didn’t have time to talk. It was clear the man was in anaphylactic shock. His skin was pale; his lips and eyelids were swollen. He appeared to have trouble breathing.

“This is Marco Bacci,” the flight attendant said.

Lori was already on the floor beside him. “Marco, I’m going to help you,” Lori said. The man nodded but seemed unable to speak. Most likely, his throat was swollen.

“Bring me the EpiPen,” Lori said, since she could use it to quickly treat the severe allergic reaction.

“We don’t have one,” the flight attendant said. “I’ll get the advanced life-support kit.” She reached in a cupboard and pulled out the kit.

There wasn’t much time. Such a reaction could be due to food, drugs, bee sting, or other allergens. It didn’t matter. The anaphylaxis was severe and potentially life-threating. She guessed the cause had been the ingestion of food, since that would result in a slower progression of the allergic reaction.

Lori couldn’t say how long she had. Once the anaphylaxis peaked, it could turn deadly in less than fifteen minutes. She rummaged through the kit. Thankfully, she found epinephrine and a syringe. “You’ll have to help me,” she said to the flight attendant.

The flight attendant knelt beside her.

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