Page 5 of Relentless
“Whoa there,” a man said, grabbing her arms to steady her.
Once she was certain she had a firm grip on her phone, she looked up. Then smiled. “Ash, how are you?” she asked, lifting on her toes to brush a kiss across his cheek.
Dr. Asher Warwick, Ethan’s older brother, smiled back, looking remarkably like his younger sibling. Then again, all the Warwick cousins—except the two girls—looked alike. “I’m fine,” he said. “Probably better than you are considering the trip you’ve had.” Without asking, he started leading her toward the rooms.
“How is he?” she asked.
“Good. Vitals are stable, no transfusion needed. By the way, that was some handy gauze you had.”
She grinned. It was. “Military grade. Left over from the assignment before last.” She wasn’t always assigned to areas with a military presence. But earlier in the year, she’d been in Haiti assisting in the aftermath of a significant hurricane. The island had been in chaos on all levels. And, at the request of the Haitian government, the US had sent troops to help maintain some sort of order.
“Any idea when it might be available to us civilians?” Asher asked.
She shook her head. “Your guess is as good as mine. But hopefully soon,” she answered. If she moved into private practice, she wouldn’t mind having access to it herself. “What’s the extent of the damage?” she asked. They pushed through a set of double doors, and Ash guided her down a hallway to their right.
“Muscle damage. Especially to the thigh. But no tendon or ligament damage,” he replied, coming to a halt outside a door.
“Is everyone here?”
He shook his head. “They were, but everyone except Chad and Sabina—and my parents—left twenty minutes ago. Although Ethan fell asleep, and I think those four went to grab coffee. Honestly, I think Chad needs a shot of whiskey more than coffee. But at least he has Sabina to keep him from falling down the rabbit hole of what-ifs.”
“The twins?” she asked. Charlotte and Josephine were Ethan and Asher’s much younger sisters. And the only two women among the ten Warwick cousins.
“We’ve been in touch with Charley, but she’s guiding a four-day camping trip and won’t be home until tomorrow. Joey is sitting with Gramps. He wanted to come, but we wanted to keep him out of the hospital. He’s fit and healthy…”
“But he’s ninety-one,” Kara said, agreeing with the family’s logic. Although she doubted the decision sat well with William Warwick. The man had survived years in politics—including two terms as president. The concept of slowing down wasn’t one he embraced. The last she’d heard, he sat on no fewer than four community boards. In addition to chairing the family foundation.
She peeked through the narrow window of the door. Ethan lay on a hospital bed with the back slightly raised. His eyes were closed, and his hands rested on his stomach. Instead of the shorts and T-shirt he’d had on at the scene, he wore a hospital gown. He either hadn’t bothered with a blanket or he’d kicked it off. From where she stood, she could see his bare feet and the bandage covering the injury to his calf.
“You can go in,” Asher said.
“I don’t want to disturb him,” she replied. And she didn’t. But she itched to get her hands on his chart and confirm for herself that he was okay.
“He specifically asked to have you brought in when you got here.”
“When are they going to release him?” she countered.
“A couple of hours. They got him imaged and stitched quickly. But since his injuries aren’t severe, they’re focusing on getting the others who came in from the accident settled. Once it quiets down, they’ll take care of discharging him.”
Once again, Kara glanced inside. Ethan hadn’t moved, but the chart hanging from the end of his bed called to her. With a quick glance at Asher, she reached for the knob and silently opened the door.
Without a word, he followed her in, gently closing the door behind them as she picked up the clipboard. It was old-school; most hospitals used computers these days. But emergency departments often still relied on the ease of being able to grab the paperwork and have a quick look.
As Asher said, his vitals were stable, and everything looked as it should. The depth of the lacerations concerned her, but more because she knew how much they’d hurt than because she thought there’d be any long-term damage.
“May I see the images?” she whispered.
Asher nodded and gestured her over to a computer perched on a stand. As Ethan’s brother, and not his doctor, he shouldn’t be accessing the record. Warwicks tended to be straight shooters, though, so she assumed he’d been given whatever permissions he needed.
A few seconds later, a series of CT images filled the screen. Asher moved aside, and she took over managing the mouse as she clicked through.
“No long-term damage,” Asher said.
Agreement hovered on the tip of her tongue when something caught her attention. Zooming in on an image of the thigh laceration, she looked closely. Then she clicked to another image and did the same thing.
“Kara?” Asher asked, obviously sensing her heightened interest.
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she clicked to one more image before switching back to the first one that had caught her attention. “There,” she said, pointing to a spot.
