Page 13 of Will & Patrick's Endless Honeymoon
“Oh, yeah. Right. Happy family indeed.” She laughs.
Patrick doesn’t argue but says, “Tom is bad news. Make up with Jax.” Then he heads down the corridor toward Kimberly and Kevin.
The ponytailed brunette nurse he yelled at earlier is back at the station. He wonders where Varun has scampered off to right when he needs him the most. “Get this man a room and schedule an emergency CT STAT.”
“But he hasn’t been through admitting or the ER, Dr. McCloud.”
“Why would we?” Kimberly says, eyes widening in offence. “My son-in-law is the head neurosurgeon in this hospital! The best of the best!”
Patrick wishes he could record her saying that and then turn back time to play it for her on the day they first met. “You heard her,” Patrick says to the nurse. “The best of the best.”
The nurse’s lips thin but she forces a smile.
“Get him in a room,” Patrick orders. “I’ll deal with the fallout.”
“Hospital procedure dictates—”
“I’m sure you know me well enough by now to know what you can do with hospital procedure.”
“But Varun—”
“You’re not Varun.”
She blanches. “Room 8-F is empty.”
“And now it’s not.”
Let the people in admitting pitch a fit. Let Don Knife tell him he has to follow the rules or get lightly slapped on the wrist. Let his other patients wait an hour for his attention even though it’s not fair.
Life’snot fair.
He has a Patterson to take care of.
He grips Kevin’s arm and steers him toward the room. Kevin’s face is pale and his grayish-green eyes are slightly dilated. He’s also docile as a deer, and obviously disoriented. The idiots should have called an ambulance.
“From what I can tell,” Kimberly starts once they’re in the room, “Kevin was bucked from a stallion he’s been training.” She helps Kevin sit on the bed.
Patrick presses his thumb and forefinger to his eyes. It’s almost like they’re children. “And you didn’t think to call 911?”
“They’d turn us over to just any doctor. He needsyou.”
Patrick stares at his mother-in-law. Kimberly’s laying it on a bit thick even for her. He’s not even supposed to treat relatives. Hospital procedure. Regardless, he examines Kevin carefully and asks him questions about the accident.
Kevin grimaces. “I was on Sunburst, my newest stallion. I’d taken him out to work on jumps. I don’t remember what happened. I just know I lost my seat.”
Patrick shines his penlight in Kevin’s eyes, making note of any evidence of injury. “Could be a concussion. We’ll know more after the CT.”
Kimberly nudges in closer. “I found him wandering up from the field with blood all over his face and neck.” Her hand finds her brother’s and grips hard. “I got him in the car and brought him straight to you.”
Patrick grunts. Does she want him to praise her for quick thinking? Uh, no. Her failure to call for an ambulance could have cost her brother his life.
Still, at this point, he can’t read her the riot act because he’s fairly sure Kevin’s going to be just fine. And if hedoesgive her an earful, just for the principle of the thing, she’ll probably panic, decide Kevin is dying, and start them down a whole path of drama-rama that Patrick just doesn’t have time for right now.
“I didn’t text Will about this yet,” Kimberly says. Then a gleam comes to her eye. “Will you do it?”
Patrick doesn’t know what’s up with her. There’s something going on, some convoluted plan, and he can’t put a finger on it. The Patterson-Molinaro family’s machinations are annoying and often ridiculous. “I have other patients,” he snaps. “Text him yourself.”
Kimberly frowns slightly, but then her lips quirk up at the corner. “Suit yourself.”
