Northern Rebel Daring in the Dark - By Jennifer Labrecque Page 0,24
were no casualties.”
“Have you ever been married?”
“Nope. I never answered that particular call of duty. You?”
“Call of duty. Do you think of everything in military terms?”
“Pretty much. Conditioning.” Was she avoiding the question? “So, do you have an ex floating around somewhere?”
“Nope. I’ve had other priorities.”
“Such as?” It wasn’t a challenge, as much as curiosity. Not that every woman he’d dated had been marriage-oriented, but there was something different about Delphi. She just didn’t seem to fall into any neat categorization.
“Hold that thought. I want a piece of cake.”
“How about you snag me a piece, too, and I’ll recon two glasses of punch?”
“It’s a deal. I’m parched.”
She didn’t look parched at all. She looked lush and vibrant—flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes, full lips, ripe breasts teasing at the top of her sundress.
Lars gave in to temptation and pulled her to him, kissing her hard and fast. Her eyes were wide as he released her.
“Sorry. I...” He trailed off, for once finding himself at a loss for words.
She ran the tip of her tongue along her lower lip. “No apology necessary, Marine.”
He was one second away from suggesting they skip out and create their own private festivities when a situation developed at the front of the room. Lars didn’t even have to look to know.
The only thing that surprised him was how long it had taken.
* * *
THE CRASH STARTLED Delphi out of her stupor of desire—that was really the only way to describe it. It also threw her immediately into medical mode. In the back of her head, as she hurried toward the crash, she wondered at Lars’s muttered comment. He was surprised it had taken so long.
Delphi moved quickly through the crowd. Thank goodness people had enough sense to get out of her way. Janie Reinhardt lay crumpled on the floor amid overturned chairs, a rumpled tablecloth and spilled table contents. Delphi quickly scanned the room for Skye and Nelson but didn’t see either one of them.
Lars’s mom’s color was good, Delphi noted as she leaned down. Normal, not clammy and sweaty.
Visual stimuli? Delphi waved her hand in front of the woman’s face. No response.
Auditory stimuli? “Dr. Reinhardt? Jane? Can you hear me?” No response.
Delphi checked her pulse. It was a little accelerated, but not bad.
The room was eerily quiet considering how many people were packed in. Jane still appeared unconscious. There was really nothing she could do now—she didn’t want to move her in case of a head or spinal injury.
Pain stimuli. Placing her knuckles midway on Jane’s sternum, Delphi rubbed.
Jane Reinhardt nearly howled as she slapped at Delphi’s hand. “Are you trying to kill me?”
Okay, the patient was no longer unconscious. “No, ma’am. I was checking your response to stimuli. And I see you’re conscious now.”
Jane’s attitude mellowed and she looked around in bewilderment. “What happened?”
Murmurs rippled through the group.
“You passed out. Has this kind of thing happened before?”
“Oh, dear. I suppose the excitement was simply too much. It happens sometimes when I get too excited.”
Jane began to sit up and Delphi gently but firmly restrained her with a hand to her shoulder. “Let me check you out before you try to move.”
She did a brief, but thorough, exam on the older woman’s reflexes and visual responses. She checked Jane’s head for any obvious concussive swelling. There was also no blood anywhere. Everything seemed in order. In fact, Delphi was a bit surprised Jane didn’t exhibit any bruising or swelling considering her fall and the items she’d taken down with her. She was one lucky lady.
“I think you’re fine. Do you hurt anywhere? Any blurred vision, dizziness or nausea?”
“Well, of course I hurt,” Jane snapped. “I fell.”
Delphi let the comments roll off of her. She had plenty of experience with difficult patients. “Is it just a general soreness or one area specifically?”
Delphi saw the exact moment when Jane bit back a caustic comment and switched to pathos. “I’m sorry, it’s just a general soreness.” She glanced pointedly at the debris surrounding her. “But then I guess I took a pretty hard fall.”
Delphi kept an impassive, professional smile on her face as she slipped one arm behind Jane’s back for support, and grasped her under the elbow with her other hand. “Let’s just go slow getting up.”
Jane tried, and even though Delphi had her firmly, she sank back to the floor. Oddly, she actually exerted pressure against Delphi’s arm to return to the floor.
“I think perhaps a couple of the men might be able to help me better. I