than four minutes.“ He was grim; nightmares were written on his face.
Allen knew it was only the beginning. The ones around him were strong in crises—people he could count on. They’d get through this. No matter what. “Let’s get ahead of this.“
Dr. Jacobson joined her after they’d freed Fin. Izzie hugged her friend quickly, then got back to work. She, Dr. Jacobson, and Jillian teamed up. Just as an ambulance jerked to a stop in front of their tent.
Izzie was ready when the paramedic threw open the flaps.
Drew Russell was a nice guy she’d gone out with on two dates before they’d decided they were too good of friends for anything more right now. Drew had pulled back after that—with a promise they might try again someday if the time was ever right. He had a lot to deal with involving his younger sisters and his mother, who were still struggling after the death of his father.
“Impalement injury to the right shoulder.” He yelled out the stats, then looked at Izzie. “Izzie, babe, it’s our Annie!”
Izzie met the gurney in transit.
There she was. Izzie’s closest friend in the world. The one person who had been there for everything bad that had ever happened to Izzie.
Annie’s blue eyes were closed. She was so still. Pale. A metal bar stuck out of her friend’s shoulder. Izzie could barely look away from it. “Annie, Annie, open your eyes right now.”
Annie’s eyes fluttered once but didn’t open.
A tall man hopped out of the ambulance next. Cherise stopped him. Izzie barely looked at him.
Dr. Jacobson shouldered Izzie aside. She almost lost her composure when she looked into his storm-gray eyes. “Izzie, can you work this, or do you need to move to the next tent? Decide now. Five seconds. We don’t have time to hesitate. We have six more ambulances pulling in within seconds.”
4
Allen knew what he was asking of her. These two were peas in a little pod, constantly together, from what he recalled. He’d noticed that before. The nurse Annie resembled his sister superficially from a distance.
Izzie, Annie, Fin, and Nikkie Jean were almost always together, even across shifts. Everyone knew that.
They still hadn’t found Nikkie Jean yet. He tried not to let the fear for her—probably his closest friend left in the world—stop him from doing what had to be done now.
Izzie pulled herself together right before his eyes. “Let’s do this. She’s O-positive and allergic to penicillin and naproxen.”
Allen looked at the paramedic. “Get her in the tent. We’ll get her stable and moved inside.“
Drew nodded. He and his partner wheeled Annie into a damned tent in the parking lot under borrowed flood lights.
Because it was the best they had to offer.
Damn it, Annie deserved better than this.
Allen scrubbed up using the antiseptic provided. Someone had brought packages of sterile gowns to each tent, thank the heavens. “Let’s get moving.“
Cherise held out a gown to him, ready as always.
He let her dress him quickly. By the time he was finished, Izzie had everything prepped. He checked her work—being a close friend of the patient could cause her to make a mistake. It never hurt to double-check.
She hadn’t made a mistake.
Extremely cool under pressure. Far stronger emotionally than she looked.
“Her pulse is weakening,“ Cherise warned.
“We need to figure out what kind of damage she’s sustained.“ Allen knew what Annie faced. “We won’t know until we get it out.“
They worked efficiently. Jillian joined them to assist. He was used to working with the redheaded nurse. Between them and Cherise, they were able to ensure Annie was stable. Stable enough to move her into the building and into his normal surgical department.
Eventually.
She’d have to wait her turn in line for the orderlies to relocate her.
When they were finished, he set the stitches in her pale skin. After it was finally over, he covered her himself to keep her warm.
Annie looked far younger than she was and so pale. She reminded him so much of his younger sister sometimes. Same color hair and similar eyes. Same shy, vulnerable manner.
Defenseless.
Hell, they were all defenseless against Mother Nature. He had no idea where his little sister was right now. He hadn’t been able to get ahold of Shelby yet.
Shelby and Nikkie Jean—the two women he cared about most in the world.
She was breathing steadily, and Allen was confident Annie would be fine.
It was time to move on to the next patient.
He took another look at Annie, as Izzie brushed her hair off her forehead and pressed her