Trauma Plan
Praise for
Trauma Plan
and Candace Calvert
“Candace Calvert has crafted another gut-grabbing medical thriller.
Trauma Plan
kept me engrossed from beginning to end as I immersed myself in the characters’ lives, felt their pain, and rejoiced in their victories. The faith message was clear, the medical traumas heart-stopping, and the romance heart melting. I loved everything about the story, especially little Hobo and his two-wheeled cart. A great read and one for your keeper shelf.”
—
L
YNETTE
E
ASON,
award-winning, bestselling author of the Women of Justice series
“Candace Calvert paints an exciting story on a canvas she knows very well—the world of medicine and the people who inhabit it.
Trauma Plan
is a novel that will grip your heart and keep you turning pages.”
—
R
ICHARD
L
.
M
ABRY,
MD
,
author of the Prescription for Trouble series
“Spine-tingling suspense and a power-packed shot of adrenaline heat up Candace Calvert’s
Trauma Plan
. Calvert’s tight writing and well-developed characters made for a story I could not stop reading.
Trauma Plan
doesn’t disappoint, so grab your parachute and take a dive into an amazing story packed with solid characters, including Calvert’s Rx for great fiction—a heartthrob hero!”
—
R
ONIE
K
ENDIG,
author of the Discarded Hero series
“[
Critical Care
] flows well and keeps the reader’s attention. . . . Characters find not only psychological healing, but also spiritual renewal.”
—
C
HRISTIAN
R
ETAILING
“If you need an infusion of hospital drama,
Code Triage
is just the prescription.”
—
I
RENE
H
ANNON,
bestselling author of the Heroes of Quantico series
“Good-bye,
ER
. Hello,
Critical Care
! Candace Calvert delivers a wonderful medical romance that peeks inside the doors of an ER to discover a cast of real-life characters who learn to love and live and discover God’s truths, all in the high-stress world of medicine. If you like
ER
and
House
, you’ll love Logan and Claire and their friends at Sierra Mercy. Give me another dose, and soon!”
—
S
USAN
M
AY
W
ARREN,
award-winning author of
Happily Ever After
and
The Shadow of Your Smile
“[In
Disaster Status
] Candace Calvert succeeded in thrilling me, chilling me, and filling me with awe and respect for ER trauma.”
—
D
I
A
NN
M
ILLS,
author of the Call of Duty series
“
Code Triage
is an adrenaline high, ripped from today’s headlines, with enough romantic tension to spike your pulse.”
—
J
ULIE
L
ESSMAN,
award-winning author of the Daughters of Boston series
Visit Tyndale online at
www.tyndale.com
.
Visit Candace Calvert’s website at
www.candacecalvert.com
.
TYNDALE
and Tyndale’s quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Trauma Plan
Copyright © 2012 by Candace Calvert. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of woman © sunemotion/Corbis. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of man taken by Stephen Vosloo. Copyright © by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph of skyline copyright © Brandon K. Watts. All rights reserved.
Author photograph copyright © 2011 by Ocean Images. All rights reserved.
Designed by Stephen Vosloo
Edited by Sarah Mason
Published in association with the literary agency of Natasha Kern Literary Agency, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, White Salmon, WA 98672.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible,
New International Version
,
®
NIV
.
®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
www.zondervan.com
.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Calvert, Candace, date.
Trauma plan / Candace Calvert.
p. cm. — (Grace Medical ; 1)
ISBN 978-1-4143-6111-6 (sc)
1. Nurses—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3603.A4463T73 2012
813'.6—dc23 2011047421
For my husband, Andy, a fifth-generation Texan and my real-life hero
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue
About the Author
An Interview with Candace Calvert
Discussion Guide
Acknowledgments
Heartfelt appreciation to:
Literary agent Natasha Kern—you are a true blessing.
The entire Tyndale House publishing team, especially editors Jan Stob and Sarah Mason—you are amazing.
Critique partner Nancy Herriman—talented author, dear friend.
My son, Bret MacKinnon—for love and encouragement and for his expert advice on the mountain bike scene.
Fellow nursing, medical, fire, rescue, law enforcement, and chaplaincy personnel—you are true heroes.
The Texas hill country city of Boerne and especially St. Helena’s church—you will always have a special place in my heart.
My family and dear friends—love for you infuses every book.
And with special appreciation to my loyal readers—you are a joy, and it is an honor to offer you stories of hope.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
P
SALM 56:3
1
“Man on fire!”
What?
Jackson Travis hurled his Army duffel to the floor and charged out the clinic door, his mountain boots pounding the splintered wooden porch. He squinted into the April sun; the parking area was swarming with people. A car swerved toward the San Antonio Street curb, brakes screeching. He vaulted over the porch rail as honks joined a rising barrage of screams and shouts.
“Someone’s burning up—quick, film it!”
Jack bolted toward the crowd, clenching his teeth against a whiff of smoke and singed hair—far too reminiscent of his weeks in Kandahar. There was a terrified howl and he pressed forward, impeded immediately by a teenager in a knit cap who wedged in front of him to raise a cell phone overhead.
“Stand back,” Jack ordered, familiar anger prickling. He gave the kid two seconds to comply before shoving his shoulder into him. “Let me get by!”
“I called 911,” an older African American woman told him, tugging at Jack’s uniform sleeve as he passed. “Fire department’s coming, sir.”
“Good . . . thanks,” Jack huffed, breaking through the crowd at last. It had been no exaggeration—an elderly man’s clothing was on fire. “Hold still! Don’t move!”
“Please, God . . . help me!” the man begged, flames licking at his stringy, unkempt hair. He staggered backward, wild-eyed, waved his arms, then lost his balance and sat down hard.