Finding Hope (Love's Compass Book 2)
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Authors: Melanie D. Snitker
Love’s Compass
Book Two
Finding Hope
Melanie D. Snitker
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Love’s Compass: Book Two
Finding Hope
By Melanie D. Snitker
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2015 Melanie D. Snitker
ISBN-10: B00YBBA2AC
For all of my readers who
have been touched by cancer.
Your strength, courage, and
determination is what makes
you a true hero.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the wonderful individuals who helped to make this book possible: Doug Snitker, Steph Dowlen, Sandy Crump, Denny Deady, and Ashlee Enz. Your input was invaluable and
I’m incredibly thankful for each of you!
Contents
Lexi Chandler replaced the lid on the can of coffee grounds. Her finger touched the switch that flipped the coffee maker on again. She watched long enough to see a layer of the dark fluid start to flow, covering the bottom of the glass pot.
Juan Ramirez, a resident on duty at the Kitner Memorial Hospital emergency room, breezed into the break room.
His shoulders sagged with relief as he grabbed a cup and leaned against the counter, all before the door swung closed again.
“As soon as I heard you’d come on shift, I finished stitching up Miss Wilkham’s hand and headed in here.” He said it all without averting his eyes from the liquid gold. He reminded Lexi of a vulture sitting on a tree, hunched over as he waited for his prey to wander into view.
She held back a smile and mustered a serious voice. “You’re just in time. I found a different brand of coffee to try. Hazelnut something.”
Ramirez’s gaze snapped to her face and he nearly dropped his cup in the process. If looks could kill, there would be a chalk outline of her body on the floor right now.
“I’m joking, Ramirez.”
He forced a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and turned back to the pot. She could have sworn he was analyzing it for clues about the contents. If she hadn’t been standing right there, he probably would have stuck his nose over the top for a whiff. “Don’t kid about the coffee, Chandler.”
Before it had filled halfway, Ramirez gave up waiting. He pulled the pot out and placed his cup underneath the stream, drops of brown splashing onto the white appliance.
The break room door opened again and Finnegan, one of the attending physicians, walked in. He wasted no time in pouring a cup of coffee from the pot waiting to be placed back on the stand.
“It’s good to have you back, Chandler.”
“It’s nice to know everyone appreciates me for my nursing skills.” Lexi’s words were laced with sarcasm. Truthfully, she didn’t mind that her coworkers preferred it when she made the coffee. In a world of twelve hour shifts and insanely busy days, her ability to make the best cup of coffee in the hospital gave her a degree of influence. It was difficult to not take advantage of that kind of control at times — especially when it meant giving Ramirez a panic attack over an imaginary change in coffee beans.
Finnegan took a swig from his mug and pointed a finger at her. “I have tickets for the game on Saturday if you’d like to go.”
Lexi suppressed a sigh. If she got a dollar for every time the man asked her out on a date, she could afford a steak dinner. “I’m not interested, Finnegan.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He winked at her on his way back out.
And trying and trying. Lexi rolled her eyes. He had perseverance, she’d give him that. He’d been asking her to go out with him for months, along with every other woman in the hospital sporting a pulse. He flashed that smile full of white teeth and women seemed to melt into a puddle. Not her. She preferred a man with a personality. A little class never hurt, either.
When Doctor Ramirez felt his cup was full enough, he replaced the pitcher and took a gulp. He winced when the hot liquid hit his throat, held the cup out to her with a nod, and took his leave.
Another satisfied customer.
Her prowess as a coffee barista was discovered entirely by chance. The nurse who usually started the coffee quit. In an attempt to help her coworkers, Lexi started out by following the directions on the back of the can. She listened to other nurses and doctors, heard their opinions about the flavor, and adjusted. Before she knew it, people were lining up for the stuff when she was on shift.
Lexi didn’t drink it herself. In her opinion, there was no amount of sugar that could make the brew palatable.
A smile on her face, Lexi stepped into the hallway. Kate, one of her fellow registered nurses, was shaking her head. “You make the rest of us look bad.”
Lexi shrugged. “It’s not my fault I’m the only one in this place that can make a decent cup of coffee. It’s a gift.”
“Mmm hmm. Speaking of gifts, we’re having a baby shower for Celeste during her shift a week from today. I saw you were scheduled to work then, too. Think you can make it?”
Lexi tried to picture the calendar in her mind. “I should be able to. What’s the plan?”
Kate held up a hand. “I’m handling the cake and decorations. All the nurses are pitching in to buy her the stroller set she wants on her registry. Wren is collecting the money. We’re aiming for twenty-five dollars per person if you can swing it.”
The subject of their conversation appeared at the end of the hall. Celeste’s brightly-colored scrubs covered in butterflies were hard to miss. Especially when they covered a protruding belly.
“We have a six-year-old boy in room four. He’s experiencing respiratory distress — they just arrived.”
Lexi nodded. “Thanks, Celeste. I’ve got it.” She put a hand on Kate’s shoulder. “That should be doable. I’ll get my share to Wren tomorrow.”
Kate gave her a nod and Lexi jogged down the hall.
Lexi was good with kids. She had a knack for helping them feel at ease in a situation that was anything but pleasant. It was because of that skill she was often requested to help evaluate pediatric patients brought in to the ER.
The moment she entered the exam room, she picked up the chart and glanced at it. The boy – Cade — wore a shirt with Darth Vader on it. She observed him a moment as a woman she assumed to be his mother kept an arm around his shoulder.
He was propped up on the hospital bed and each breath he took was a struggle. His nose flared and his stomach caved in on inhalation. He was having an asthma attack and they needed to get it under control.
“Hey, Cade. I’m Nurse Lexi. Are you having a tough time breathing today?”
The boy nodded, his eyes wide. His lips were not as pink as they should have been.
The woman lovingly ruffled Cade’s hair, her eyes relaying the worry she felt while she kept her voice calm and collected. “When the rescue inhaler didn’t work, I brought him right in.”
“Moms always know best. It’s a good thing you did, Mrs. Lewis.”
Lexi put an oxygen monitor on Cade’s pointer finger. A glance at the numbers confirmed her suspicion. “Well, Mrs. Lewis, oxygen levels are lower than we like to see. Is Cade allergic to anything?”
“Dogs. But he hasn’t been around any lately that I know of.”
Lexi jotted down a few notes. “We’re going to get him started on a breathing treatment right away. We’ll get this under control in no time.” She picked up the oxygen mask and turned to her young patient. “Meanwhile, I want you to put this on until I get back.” His eyes widened and he shook his head. “Trust me, Cade. It’s like the mask Darth Vader wears.” She made exaggerated breathing sounds and mustered her deepest voice. “‘Luke, I am your father.’”
Cade rewarded her with a weak smile and she placed the mask over his mouth and nose.
She turned to his mother. “I’ll be right back with that breathing treatment.”
“Thank you.”
~
Lance Davenport leaned his chair back on two legs. He surveyed the hospital cafeteria, keeping his eyes on the double doors.
He wasn’t sure of Lexi’s schedule, but he knew she was working today. Since the cafeteria always served Mexican food on Wednesdays, she’d show up for lunch sooner or later. The woman loved her tacos.
Another five minutes passed before she appeared. She strode into the room, her purple scrubs matching several others in the room. She pushed some of her short hair behind a delicate ear. Her hair was nearly black — it’d been like that since they were kids. Dark as molasses.
Lexi picked up a tray and advanced towards the taco bar. By the time she’d gotten to the register, he was waiting, holding a twenty out to the cashier.
Lexi’s brown eyes swung to his. “Lance, you’re about the last person I expected to see here.” She nodded towards his hand holding the change. “Thank you.”
Lance followed her to a table and took the chair opposite her. “Not a problem.”
“What’s up?”
He watched her take a bite of refried beans. “Can’t a friend come by and say hello?”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
He chuckled. They may have known each other since he was in the third grade, but it was Tuck, her younger brother, who’d been Lance’s best friend. In fact, Tuck was like a brother to him. That alone had saved Lance’s sanity more times than he could count while living in a household with four sisters.
Lexi was two years older than Lance. As kids, he’d admired her. She had a heart for helping others and exuded confidence in everything she did. Throw in her ready smile, long arms, and the graceful way she moved, it was no wonder every boy in school had had a crush on her.
Lance had been no exception.
The woman had only gotten prettier over the years. Long, dark lashes framed eyes that had a knack for recognizing the needs of people around her. But it was her smile that had the power to light up a room.
“Okay, you got me. I came with a reason. Do I need to bring anything to Tuck and Laurie’s welcome home party?”
His best friend had gotten married the weekend before. The new couple were away on their honeymoon. A week at a ranch in the mountains. It was not a typical honeymoon destination, but it fit both of them well.
The Chandler family had a welcome home party planned for them Sunday evening and Lance was invited. He attended a lot of the family gatherings. Normally, he didn’t think twice about them. He was out of his element on this one, though. This was his first friend to have gotten married, and he wasn’t sure what to expect.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be a simple pizza party. No gifts or anything special. Bring sodas if you want to.”
“I can do that.” He thought about how Lexi always chose tea over carbonated drinks. “I’ll bring a jug of iced tea, too.”
Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she smiled. “I appreciate that. Did you already eat?”
Lance’s eyes followed hers to the empty table space in front of him. “Yeah, earlier. I didn’t want to miss you.”
Her fork stalled on its way to her mouth. “How long were you waiting?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be there right at five. Can’t wait to see them. It feels like forever.”
“It sure does. I imagine even more so for you after the last couple of months. How’s your father doing?”
Lance’s thoughts drifted to Peter Davenport. A strong man who had done carpentry work all of his life, Peter had spent many hours showing Lance how to build things. After three generations, there were a lot of memories attached to his dad’s workshop.
While Peter always supported Lance’s decision to be a police officer, there had been some disappointment when he didn’t take over the family business.
And then, in moments, everything changed. His mom, Vera, had called. His dad had had a stroke.
He survived, but the weakness on one side of his body had rendered him unable to work.
Lance’s world changed that day, too. He wasn’t about to let the family business fade to a memory.
A week after his father’s stroke, Lance gave his resignation at the police department. Two weeks later, he became the new owner of Davenport Carpentry.
“Dad’s okay. Therapy is helping him a lot. He’s frustrated. He’s never been one to sit around and do nothing. It’s driving us all crazy.”
“I’ll bet. He’s lucky he has his family to support him. How’s the change to carpenter working for you?”
Lance shrugged. “I always enjoyed the work, but figured I could make more of a difference as a cop. I’m adjusting. We all are.”
Lexi tossed her napkin on the table and chuckled. “Tuck is adapting, too. The stories he tells us about his new partner. I think he misses you daily.”
His deep voice blended with her feminine one as they laughed together. “He may be afraid to tell me too much so I don’t feel guilted into going back.”
“You might be right.” With a glance at the clock, she stood. “I need to get back.”
Lance followed suit and took her tray for her. “Busy day?”
“It usually is in the ER. It’s not be-held-at-knife-point busy, but it keeps me hopping.”
He returned her bright smile as his mind raced back six months. He and Tuck were working on a case involving the woman who was now Tuck’s new bride. Laurie had been stalked by a man searching for information she’d photographed. He stabbed her, but Laurie got a shot off. Later, the man ended up at the ER needing stitches and pain medication. The man found out Lexi had called it in and held her hostage with a knife.
It’d taken every ounce of strength Lance possessed to watch Tuck go through those doors and try to talk the man down while he waited outside.
Thank God the siblings had subdued the guy before he injured Lexi.
Lance called out to her as she started to walk away. “Don’t work too hard. I’ll see you on Sunday.”
She looked over her shoulder, that dark hair caressing her jawline. “Sounds good. Thanks again for lunch.”
“Anytime.”