One Summer in Santa Fe - By Molly Evans Page 0,12

He wiped his tears with his hands, which were covered in scratches. “I tried to pull it off.”

Taylor assessed the man’s condition. Without medical equipment, he was limited as to what he could do. Basic first aid was about it. “That was a very brave thing to do, but it appears that the coyote got a piece of you, too.”

“What?”

Taylor pointed to the puncture wounds on the man’s hands and forearms. “It bit you, too.”

“Oh, no.” The man looked at his arms, apparently seeing the wounds for the first time. With wide eyes, he looked from Piper to Taylor and fainted.

Piper tried to catch him, but landed in a heap with the unconscious man. Reaching forward, Taylor lifted the man so Piper could scoot out from under him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and eased the man to a prone position.

“Yes. Do you think he’s just passed out?” she asked, and checked his pulse again. “His pulse is okay, but his color is ghastly.”

“I think he’s simply overcome with emotion. Some people react badly when they see their own blood. I’m going to call 911 and have him checked out. He’ll need treatment for the bite in any case, especially if the animal was rabid.” Taylor pulled his cell phone from his pocket and gave the necessary information. “They should be here in a few.”

“I feel so sorry for the guy,” she said, and looked at the mess that had once been the beloved Muffin. “Yuck. Do you think it’s really a rabid coyote or just a dog attack?”

“He was probably right. We have coyote attacks a few times a year here, and they are always rabid. Fish and Game Department keeps close tabs on rabies cases and want people to report it if they find suspicious animals.” He hoped that Piper was going to be okay and not frightened of being out in the desert. This was definitely an unexpected event at the park.

Piper looked around them as the night deepened, casting shadows where there had been none moments ago. “We aren’t in danger, are we? I mean, you don’t think it’ll come back, do you?”

Taylor glanced around. The coyote was probably long gone. “Don’t know. But keeping an eye out for a coyote heading toward us with bared teeth is probably a good idea.”

“Taylor!” She laughed despite the tense situation. “That’s awful.” But she glanced around anyway.

“Made you laugh, though.” And that was a wonderful sound.

“You certainly did.”

The man on the ground between them moaned and raised a hand to his head.

“Don’t try to move, sir,” Taylor said, and pressed a hand to his shoulder to keep him down. “An ambulance is on the way.”

“What for?” he asked, his voice sounding weaker than it had moments ago.

“Piper, can you go to the entrance and lead them over here?” Taylor asked, now not so sure the man was as stable as he appeared.

“Yes. I’ll be right back.” She stood. “I see the lights.”

In minutes she returned with the crew, carrying medical equipment. They hooked the man to the monitors, checked his blood pressure and watched his heart rhythm bounce across the screen.

“I’m Piper and this is Dr. Jenkins. What’s your name?” Piper asked, and patted his arm gently, her voice a soothing tone that even Taylor was responding to.

“Jesse. Jesse Farmer.”

“BP’s low,” a paramedic said.

Taylor watched the heart monitor, interpreting the rhythm. “Looks like he’s in third-degree heart block, too. No wonder he fainted.” Potentially not good. “Jesse, have you ever been told you have a heart condition?” He spoke to Jesse, but kept his eyes on the monitor.

“Once. But it went away.”

“Heart conditions don’t generally go away,” he said, knowing that many patients resisted the idea of their bodies failing. He would, too, he supposed. But ignoring medical advice and symptoms only led to disaster.

“My cardiologist said I need a pacemaker, but I didn’t like that idea.” Another paramedic placed an oxygen mask over Jesse’s face.

“Well, this incident tonight proves that you definitely need one. That means immediately. Boys, take him in. Have the external pacemaker on him and ready in case he loses his rhythm during transport.” Taylor helped them lift the stretcher while Piper reassured Jesse.

“What about Muffin?” Jesse cried, and gripped Piper’s arm.

“We’ll take care of Muffin,” Piper said, and patted Jesse on the arm. “You need to call your family as soon as you get to the hospital so someone can come be with you. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“Okay. Okay.” He lay back