nurse was putting a blood pressure cuff around his arm when Sara walked in.
Sara put her hand on Jeffrey’s forehead. His eyes opened slightly, but he did not seem to register her presence.
“What happened?” she asked.
Ellen handed Sara the chart, saying, “Buckshot to his leg. Nothing serious or they would’ve taken him to Augusta.”
Sara glanced down at the chart. Her eyes wouldn’t focus. She couldn’t even make out the columns.
“Sara?” Ellen said, her voice filled with compassion. She had worked in the Augusta emergency room most of her career. She was in semiretirement now, supplementing her pension by working nights at the Grant Medical Center. Sara had worked with her years ago, and the two women had a solid professional relationship built on mutual respect.
Ellen said, “He’s fine, really. The Demerol should knock him out soon. Most of his pain is coming from Hare digging around in his leg.”
“Hare?” Sara asked, feeling a little relief for the first time in the last twenty minutes. Her cousin Hareton was a general practitioner who sometimes filled in at the hospital. “Is he here?”
Ellen nodded, pumping the cuff’s bladder. She held up her finger for silence.
Jeffrey stirred, then slowly opened his eyes. When he recognized Sara, a slight smile crept across his lips.
Ellen released the blood pressure cuff, saying, “One-forty-five over ninety-two.”
Sara frowned, looking back at Jeffrey’s chart. The words finally started to make sense.
“I’ll go fetch Dr. Earnshaw,” Ellen said.
“Thanks,” Sara said, flipping the chart open. “When did you start on Coreg?” she asked. “How long have you had high blood pressure?”
Jeffrey smiled slyly. “Since you walked into the room.”
Sara skimmed the chart. “Fifty milligrams a day. You just switched from captopril? Why did you stop?” She got the answer in the chart. “ ‘Nonproductive cough prompted change,’ ” she read aloud.
Hare walked into the room, saying, “That’s common with ACE inhibitors.”
Sara ignored her cousin as he put his arm around her shoulders.
She asked Jeffrey, “Who are you seeing for this?”
“Lindley,” Jeffrey answered.
“Did you tell him about your father?” Sara snapped the chart closed. “I can’t believe he didn’t give you an inhaler. What’s your cholesterol like?”
“Sara.” Hare snatched the chart from her hands. “Shut up.”
Jeffrey laughed. “Thank you.”
Sara crossed her arms, anger welling up. She had been so worried on the drive over, expecting the worst, and now that she was here, Jeffrey was fine. She was inordinately relieved that he was okay, but for some reason she was feeling tricked by her emotions.
“Lookit,” Hare said, popping an X ray into the light box mounted on the wall. He gasped audibly, saying, “Oh my God, that’s the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Sara cut him with a look, turning the X ray right side up.
“Oh, thank God.” Hare sighed dramatically. When he saw she wasn’t enjoying his sideshow, he frowned. The thing that made Sara both love and hate her cousin was he seldom took things very seriously.
Hare said, “Missed his artery, missed his bone. Cut right through here on the inside.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Nothing bad at all.”
Sara ignored the evaluation, leaning closer to double-check Hare’s findings. Aside from the fact that her relationship with her cousin had always been riddled with fierce competition, she wanted to make sure for herself that nothing had been missed.
“Let’s turn you over on your left side,” Hare suggested to Jeffrey, waiting for Sara to help. Sara kept Jeffrey’s injured right leg stable as they turned him, offering, “This should help bring your blood pressure down a little. Are you due for your medication tonight?”
Jeffrey supplied, “I’m late on a few doses.”
“Late?” Sara felt her own blood pressure rise. “Are you an idiot?”
“I ran out,” Jeffrey mumbled.
“Ran out? You’re within walking distance of the pharmacy.” She leveled a deep frown at Jeffrey. “What were you thinking?”
“Sara?” Jeffrey interrupted. “Did you come all the way over here to yell at me?”
She did not have an answer.
Hare suggested, “Maybe she can give you a second opinion on whether or not you should go home tonight?”
“Ah.” Jeffrey’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “Well, since you’re giving a second opinion, Dr. Linton, I’ve been experiencing some tenderness in my groin. Do you mind taking a look?”
Sara offered a tight smile. “I could do a rectal exam.”
“It’s about time you got your turn.”
“Je-e-sus,” Hare groaned. “I’m gonna leave you two lovebirds alone.”
“Thanks, Hare,” Jeffrey called. Hare tossed a wave over his shoulder as he left the room.
“So,” Sara began, crossing her arms.
Jeffrey raised an eyebrow. “So?”
“What happened? Did