One Summerhill Day (The Summerhill Series Book 1) (2 page)

His brother disappeared.

“Tell me the truth, Officer,” the women said to him in a quiet, musical voice. “I’m a nurse. I can handle it. There’s definitely major blood loss. Will I make it? It’s okay if I don’t.”

Ryan’s eyebrows rose as he caught her gaze. Had she really just said that?

Damn, it was exactly what he would say in this situation.

Chapter Two

“What’s your name, Miss?”

“Caitlyn McCabe.” He hadn’t answered her question. Was she going to die? Didn’t matter if she did, did it? No one would miss her. Her husband wouldn’t have to deal with the divorce. Everything would be his. She scowled as the implications of her death crossed her mind. Like hell would she give him everything after what he did to her. She would fight.

“Caitlyn, are you allergic to any medicines?”

“No.”

“Are you taking any medications?”

“No.”

“Where are you from? You’re going to have to go to the hospital for treatment. Is there a family member I can call?”

She flinched as the officer retied the tourniquet on her leg a bit tighter. That one small movement brought the pain in her leg to the forefront of her mind in a very big way.

“Hurts pretty bad, huh?”

She nodded, afraid to open her mouth lest she scream in the poor policeman’s ear.

“So, your family? Husband? Mother? Father?”

She shook her head.

He scowled at her. “Try not to move your neck.”

She could tell he didn’t believe her. Well, it was true. Her parents were both dead.

“Where do you live?”

She didn’t respond, unsure of what to say. How could she even answer that? She had left her husband in Pennsylvania; her aunt in Buffalo was dead. Where
did
she live? She gripped his arm tighter as if he were the only thing holding her together, keeping her alive. Her mind felt cloudy, which couldn’t be good. She was experiencing oxygen deprivation. Was it from losing so much blood? She glanced at the officer’s hands wrapped tight around her leg, gripping her so hard it hurt.

“Don’t look at the blood. You’ll be all right. The ambulance will be here soon.”

“There’s too much,” she whispered, clutching his arm in her hand. She closed her eyes, hoping to blot out the pain. If she could just take a little nap, everything would be better when she woke up.

A voice echoed in her ear, strong and commanding. “Don’t close your eyes. Stay with me, Caitlyn. I need you to stay with me. You’re not going to die.”

She opened her eyes again just to let him know she was still conscious. “My leg. It hurts really bad. There’s something sticking out of it. My leg.”

“The bleeding is slowing. There’s a tourniquet and I’m applying pressure. Don’t worry about your leg. Where do you live, Cait?”

“I’m going to lose my leg, aren’t I? My toes are tingling. There’s too much blood.”

“No, you’re
not
going to lose your leg. Not if I have anything to do with it.”

He was shouting at her and she didn’t understand the expression in his face, like he was angry about something. Another police officer appeared next to her window with a blanket. Officer Ramsay covered her with it and the warmth made her sigh. She closed her eyes again.

“Stop worrying about her leg, Ryan,” the second officer said in an undertone.

“I can’t let her lose it. The ambulance will be here soon and she’ll be fine.”

“And she’ll be fine if she loses it.”

“No, she won’t. That’s why we can’t let it happen.”

She couldn’t understand why they were arguing about it. Why should they care about her leg?

“Caitlyn!” A sharp voice forced her to open her eyes again. “You need to stay awake.” Officer Ramsay turned to address the man by the window. “I got her name, but she can’t tell me where she’s from.”

Both of the men turned to look at her, and she noticed a similarity. “Are you brothers?”

“Yeah. Jake’s my younger brother,” Ryan said. “What kind of nurse are you?”

“Emergency room, RN.”

“Around here?” Jake asked.

“No.” She closed her eyes again. Tired, she was just so tired.

“Caitlyn!” Ryan bellowed.

She whispered something, but he mustn’t have heard because he said, “What? I can’t hear you. Say it again.”

He leaned his ear down next to her lips. “Bossy,” she whispered, her lips feeling dry from dehydration. “You’re very bossy.”

Jake laughed. “I like her. Hey, Caitlin, when you’re better, you want to go out?”

“Like hell.” Ryan gave his brother a long stare that was hard to interpret. “She’s not for you.”

Sirens could be heard in the distance. She hoped they would get here soon, because she was very cold. The two officers kept talking, but she couldn’t understand either one of them anymore. She closed her eyes again.

“Caitlyn!”

Her eyes flew open. “But I’m cold. Please let me sleep.” The sirens rang and rang until she wanted to shut them off. Finally they stopped, and she closed her eyes again.

The last thing she heard was Officer Ramsay’s voice. “Tell them to hurry up. We don’t have all night.” He didn’t sound the least bit happy.

***

Ryan Ramsay stood outside the Summerhill Memorial Hospital’s triage room, waiting to talk to his sister, Mallory. Ryan had a large family, which was very convenient whenever he needed information about anything going on in the city of Summerhill.

After she processed the last patient, Mallory motioned him forward. “What’s up, Ryan? Tough night?”

“No tougher than yours, I’m sure.”

“I don’t know about that. I’m working the night shift, so it makes sense that I’m still on the clock, but you were supposed to be done at eleven and it’s two a.m.”

True, it had been a busy night. He shrugged. “The calls kept coming and we didn’t have the manpower. You’d clock the extra hours in my situation.”

Mallory nodded. “True. What can I do for you?”

“I want to see the woman who came in with the puncture in her thigh, MVA around eleven. How’s she doing?”

“You know I can’t tell you that…or did you forget HIPAA laws prevent me from giving out any of her personal information?” Mallory scowled at him. By the book Mallory, he’d always called her.

“Damn, you like to throw your title around, don’t you, Mal? I’m not part of the healthcare team. Being an RN doesn’t mean you have to act like a guard all the time. I found her first, and I’m the one who put pressure on her wound. I need to know if she’s going to lose the leg.”

“You were the first on the scene?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you know anything about her family?” Mallory punched the keyboard of her computer, checking for information.

“No. I think she was too weak from the blood loss. She just kept shaking her head no when I asked her about them.”

“Hmmm.” Mallory rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she stared at the screen. “She’s awfully young to have no family.”

“Please just tell me how she is.”

“I can’t. You know I can only give information to certain family members, plus she has a restriction.”

“Well, I have her belongings and I want to bring them to her.”

“Give them to me.” She held her hands out.

“No, I don’t think so. I am the officer involved. I can only release her belongings directly to her. How do I know you’ll give them to her?”

“I’m your sister, for God’s sake. What do you think I’ll do with them?”

“Give me clearance, Mal. I want to hand them to her. I was the officer who kept her from bleeding to death. This one’s important to me.”

Mallory stared at him. “Fine, she has a restriction on her chart, but it isn’t you, so I’ll show you where she is.”

Ryan smiled at her. “Thanks. Can we go now so I can get home for some shut-eye?”

“Follow me.” Mallory traipsed over to the swinging doors at the end of the waiting room, glaring at him as she pushed it open.

Most patients in the emergency room were cared for in curtained areas, but there were a couple of private rooms. He was pleased to see Caitlyn had been given one. There was a window in the wall of the room she’d been given, but at least he could close the door so his sister wouldn’t have to listen in on their conversation.

For some reason, he hadn’t been able to get Caitlyn McCabe out of his mind. He wasn’t sure why she was affecting him this way—if it was her piercing blue eyes, her injuries, or what she’d said, but he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t at least come check on her.

Mallory waved at him on her way out. Caitlyn was resting, her eyes closed, her head turned away from the doorway. He moved around the bed so he could get a good look at her. She was serenely beautiful in the glow of the hallway lights, even with the multiple scratches from the shattered glass of her car windshield on her strong cheekbones. The light coming in through the window reflected off her golden strands. Her hair wasn’t short or long, but in between, just below chin length. The silky strands lay on the pillow behind her, begging for him to run his fingers through them. It had been a long time—too damn long—but why was this woman the one who moved him? He refused to stare at her lips. Somehow, he knew that temptation would be too much.

He took a step closer and her eyes flew open. Jumping back, he cringed at how this probably looked to her. The last thing she needed to feel right now was threatened. Clearing his throat, he plunged ahead. “Caitlyn?”

“Yes?” She followed him with her gaze, and suddenly recognition set in; he could see it on her face.

“Officer Ramsay? Is that it?”

“Yes.” He gave her his best smile, one he didn’t flash often. “You have a good memory.”

“Thank you for helping me in my car. You’re just about the only thing I remember after the crash.” She smiled, then waited for him to speak.

“I brought some of your things, Ms. McCabe. I found your purse, a laptop case and a small bag in the back seat of the car. I left the boxes alone. I figured there might be some personal things you could use. Your other suitcases were left in the trunk of the car and you can retrieve them along with the boxes when you’re released from the hospital.”

He placed her purse in a drawer in the nightstand and her laptop case on the bedside table. The small suitcase he set in the patient closet.

“Thank you so much, Officer.”

“Ryan, please call me Ryan.” As soon as he closed the closet door, he returned to her bedside. “Feeling better?”

“Yes. They removed the chunk of metal from my leg and stitched me up. As you can see, they’re loading me with fluids as well.” She nodded toward the IV pole. “I’ll be here a night or two, I lost quite a bit of blood, and I may need a transfusion. Thank you for trying to keep my blood loss to a minimum.”

“Ask for medicine. You shouldn’t have to deal with the pain.”

She laughed. “Oh, I did, and that’s why I have a smile on my face. Vicodin, thank goodness. Thank you for returning my purse and my laptop. I was worried about them.”

“You’re welcome.” He paused, gathering his thoughts before he spoke. “Can I be of assistance in any other way? You said you don’t have a family. Is that true or was it just the shock talking?”

Caitlyn sighed. “No, it’s true. My father died when I was younger and my mother passed a few years ago. No siblings, unfortunately.”

“Well, I have more than enough to go around, if you ever want any. Twelve of us at last count.”

“Twelve?” Her eyes widened.

“Yep. Five siblings and six step-siblings.”

“Wow, you’re so lucky. I’ve always wanted a sister.”

“I have a few I would be happy to give you, no lie.”

They both laughed, but he could tell she was tiring. He reached over and covered her hand on top of the blankets with his, wrapping his warmth around her. “Good luck to you. If you ever need anything, call me or stop by the station house and ask for me. When you’re ready to pick up your car, I’d be glad to help you.”

“Thank you, Officer Ramsay. I think I’d like to rest again for now.”

He was about to release her hand, but at the last minute he held on instead. For some reason, he didn’t want to let go of her. Who was she, really? He forced himself to place her hand on the blanket, nod and walk out of the room.

Walking away from her felt wrong, just wrong.

When he grabbed the door handle, he heard his name, so he turned back to her.

“Officer Ramsay, you limp.”

Caitlyn gave him a puzzled look as she stared at his leg, the same way everyone stared at his leg. She would get that familiar pitying look in her eyes next, the look he hated.

“Yes, I do.” He wasn’t about to explain his injury to her.

“Oh.” She smiled at him. “You have a previous injury?”

He nodded, waiting for that look to come into her gaze.

“Then we have something in common—” her face lit up, “—don’t we?”

He was stunned, because there was still no pity in her eyes. That was a first. Caitlyn McCabe was different.