8
“I’m so sorry, Derek. This is Emma.” She gripped the phone tighter. An emergency couldn’t be happening two hours into her new job. Who could have anticipated that an animal attack would be one of her first calls? Her heart rate sped and hampered her hearing. She needed to listen to Derek and process what he was saying. She had a job to do and do well. “Are you all right? How bad is the bite?”
“They’re taking me for stitches.” Derek sounded like a hysterical ten year old.
She waved Wade over to the desk and wrote on a notepad…. Derek. Dog bite. Her handwriting was a squiggly mess.
Wade’s head tilted backward as he jammed his cane into the tile. His cheeks bloated bigger than a chipmunk’s.
“I gotta go.” Derek’s tone needed a hug and a warm blanket. “They’re updating my tetanus shot.”
“Wait. Don’t hang up.” Not knowing the area, she needed to verify the location of the emergency room. “Where are you?” Some of Derek’s panic had seeped into her words. “We’ll come right there.”
Wade reached for the phone, but Derek rambled too fast for her to relinquish the receiver.
She scribbled the name of the hospital as the line went dead. Her feet itched to race out of the building, but her mind cautioned her to slow down and make a plan.
“I wanted to talk with him.” Wade scowled.
“He had to get off the phone. They were treating him.” She kept her voice void of emotion. She had grown up in retail, possessed a degree in business administration, and had managed a real estate office. Ron Runyard may have thought her foolish, but she was no fool. Customer relations ran in her bloodstream, and she would earn her pay. She could handle traumatized employees even if it wasn’t on Fran’s to-do list. “You should go to the emergency room. The wound sounds bad.”
Fran limped back in with her contagious smile. “I heard the phone. How was your first solo run?”
“Awful.” Wade shrugged into his company jacket.
Exceedingly awful. Good thing she knew her new boss was thinking about the dog attack, or she might be looking for a new job. She touched her silver tortoise charm and gave it a few strokes. Her grandmother had called Emma tough as a tortoise shell when she bestowed the gift. She’d need some of that strength with all the life changes coming her way.
Frowning, Fran eased into her desk chair. “What’s up?”
Wade rocked forward on his cane. “That dog Derek was talking about earlier bit him in the hand. He’s at the ER. I should go see him.” He flexed his fingers. “I’ll call a ride service.”
“No, you won’t.” Emma bounced out of her seat and grabbed her backpack and coat. “I’ll drive you. There’s strength in pairs.” They had Fran in the office for the rest of the day to run interference.
“Good idea.” Fran rose and balanced with a hand on the counter. “You can talk with our claims agent while Emma drives. Derek may need a ride home.” She reached and removed a key from a hook near the desk. “Here’s the keys to the brand new van. Courtesy of our insurance and Wade’s accident.” She gave Wade a sympathetic head tilt. “You two can break it in. It’s out in the lot by the garage.”
Emma accepted the keys and met Wade’s gaze. He looked like he needed another bowl of tin roof ice cream as he passed her in route to the door. “Does Derek have any immediate family close by that we can call?”
“He’s single, and his folks live in Georgia.” Wade rubbed his temples like a workman’s comp headache raged. His left hand trembled. Was his hand going to seize? Was he having flashbacks to his accident?
Lord, watch over Derek and Wade. Let me be of help in this terrible situation.
Turning abruptly, Wade halted. “We should pray.”
They agreed on something. Had he sensed her arrow prayer shooting toward the heavens? She stood between Wade and Fran and clasped her hands.
Fran bent at the waist, head down, in front of her computer.
“Father, please watch over Derek.” Wade’s voice frayed like her nerves. “Calm his fears and ease his pain. May the doctors and nurses skillfully treat his injury. Give him a full recovery. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
A chorus of amens followed Wade’s prayer.
Emma’s eyes tingled. How many prayers for healing had Wade prayed for himself during the weeks he was in the hospital and during his rehab? Hundreds? She would send petitions for Wade and Derek to God. She had judged Wade as a grump, but how would she act if her recovery had stalled and everyone around her enjoyed life as normal? She’d probably be grumpier than Wade.
Fran opened a drawer and pulled out a file. A tab told her it was Derek’s personnel folder. “You’ll need this.” Fran also typed on the keyboard. “I’m noting this dog attack on the customer file as we speak. I’ll update the incident cards and call Derek’s afternoon appointment. Did he drive the van to emergency or call an ambulance?”
“We don’t know.” Wade shot Emma a glance as he held the door open to the garage. His expression wasn’t condescending or judging her actions. He resembled a friend in need of support and guidance.
Emma bit her lip. If they had People Peeps, they could have seen specifics about Derek’s interactions at the house and if anyone else had qualms about the dog. She had designed a brightly colored warning box in her software and ample space to time stamp past experiences. You could even drop in a photo of the pet. She’d mention the software when things settled down. When managing the office was a breeze.
“Let’s fire up that van,” she said in the parking lot.
Wade must have needed to say another prayer because a look of horror flashed across his face.
“You’ve never driven a van in Nashville traffic.”
Did he think she grew up in the sticks? Milwaukee counted as a large city. “It isn’t even noon.” She jingled the key chain. “Come on. I’ll do what I always do. Pray angels on my bumpers.”
“We’re going to need a legion.” He rushed toward an official lightning-bolt-insignia van.
Wade Donoven had a sense of humor? She grinned. “I’ll take all the help I can get. What else can go wrong on my first day?”
“You’re right.” A flicker of a smile buoyed his attitude. “Let me text Derek that we’re on our way.”
She hopped in the driver’s seat and breathed in the new vehicle smell of pristine plastic. The scent calmed her nerves. She could do this. Go visit a friend in need. With a new friend. Who happened to be her temporary boss.
From the passenger seat, Wade plugged in the address on the dashboard GPS. He pointed in the direction of the main road. “Take a right out of the lot.”
His commanding voice and settled demeanor gave her the confidence to drive in a strange city and tackle a workman’s compensation case.
She pulled out into traffic and glanced into her side mirror. A black SUV pulled from the curb and merged into her lane. It couldn’t be the same SUV that followed her in Milwaukee. Several people owned black cars. Linda drove one. Sam’s mom drove one. Annette drove one. But Annette had disappeared with Ron. A chill washed over her arms underneath her turtleneck. She adjusted her rearview to see if the SUV continued to follow. The mysterious car didn’t have a front license plate.
“Hey, watch!” Wade’s minor irritation broke through her delusions.
An alarm sounded as ‘brake’ flashed on the console above the steering wheel. Her heart bounced into her throat. She jammed on the brakes.
Wade jerked forward with a grunt.
“Sorry.” She checked the rearview. The black SUV turned onto a side street. Ten pounds of angst lifted from her shoulders.
She thanked God she hadn’t crashed Wade’s new van on her first day at work.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” Wade’s anxious bright blue eyes made her besieged heart do a flutter. A few of his gruff edges tumbled off.
“Yeah. My bad.” She bestowed a reassuring smile. “I should have checked the mirror before we left.” And my surroundings for the paparazzi.
“I’ve been jumpy since my accident.” He rested his head against the seat. “I prefer people to drive like a granny.”
“Understood.” Poor guy. She probably almost gave him a panic attack. “Granny driving coming up.”
When the signal changed, she eased on the gas and prayed for green lights all the way to the hospital. She had worried about the SUV for nothing. Nobody would think to look for her in Nashville. Right, Lord?
~*~
Wade closed his eyes. The van waited at a red light. They had three miles to travel on this stop and go road. Emma hadn’t triggered another brake warning since leaving the parking lot. Small victories mattered. Especially to his nerves. How much more tragedy could his family handle? Donoven and Sons was already down one man and depending on the severity of Derek’s injury, now two guys might not be making service calls. Cole had been concerned about their dad’s stress level before the dog attack. A workman’s compensation claim wouldn’t lighten the strain. He’d make sure to handle the brunt of the paperwork, so his dad didn’t overload.
Lord, I don’t know how much more my family can take. Why is all this happening to us? I can’t take much more. Please heal Derek swiftly. And I’m asking again for full healing for myself. How long is my recovery going to take? If I could drive, I could work double time and handle service calls. Just a thought. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
The van traveled through a major intersection. He tensed and dutifully checked left then right for drivers blowing the signal. He didn’t want to get T-boned ever again. He needed to get better. Had to get better. If only Jesus was listening to his prayers.
“I’m so sorry all this is happening with Derek.” Emma shot him a compassionate glance before returning her attention to traffic. “Unfortunately, I know what it’s like to try and keep a business going when you have an emergency. It happened to me a few years back. With my dad.”
What did she mean? His emotional energy circled the drain. Listening to her babble wasn’t on his schedule. He feigned interest. Maybe she wouldn’t share much. “Do you have many dog bites in a candle store?” His comment bordered on being rude, but his words garnered a laugh from his driver.
“Good one.” Her smile remained. “You never know. It could happen with so many service animals.” She adjusted her hands on the steering wheel. The ten and two positions met at midnight. “Actually, my dad had a heart attack while I was in college.” She leaned toward the windshield.
A cool stream of adrenaline streaked through his veins. Didn’t she realize that if the air bag deployed, it would slam against her chest? He had faded bruises to prove the power on impact. He cleared his throat. “Could you sit back. Maybe a little.”
“Uh, sure. We don’t need me banged up.” She glanced at his cane. “Anyway, I don’t know how I kept going to classes while managing Home ScentSations. My mom had to take care of my dad, so I worked nights and closed down the shop.”
A dose of conviction weighed on his conscience distracting him from his own problems and her driving skills. “I’m sorry to hear about that.”
Her eyebrows raised as she cast another glance in his direction. “We should set up a quarter jar for the word sorry .
He laughed at the silliness of her suggestion. Her joke overflowed with painful truth. “How’d you get through it all?”
“The simple answer?” She braked for a stoplight. “God. I prayed to Him constantly. My church family prayed and brought meals to my parents. Friends helped out where they could. Sam was amazing.”
He’d heard that adjective attached to Sam’s name previously. His brother had reconnected with the family since he started dating Sam. Church was part of Cole’s life again as well. It had always been part of Wade’s life. That was one reason he couldn’t understand why God was slow to fully heal him. “Sam seems nice.”
“When I closed the store at night and inventoried boxes, Sam cleaned my apartment and did my wash. It’s incredible how much brighter life looks when your bathroom is clean, and you have laundered underwear. Oops. TMI.” Her big brown eyes grew wider.
She had the most expressive eyes he had ever seen. Their brilliance hit him like a floodlight. Scrubbing a hand over his jaw, he hid his grin. He could relate to being dependent on others. His parents had seen to his needs during his recovery. He hadn’t thought much about clean boxer briefs.
The GPS warned of a right turn in eight-hundred feet.
“How’s your dad doing now?” Getting back to pre-accident normal was Wade’s constant prayer.
Emma changed lanes. “Physically, he’s fine, but spiritually.” Her mouth pulled to the side. “He hasn’t asked Jesus into his heart. Not even after being healed. I pray for him every day. My mom, too. They won’t even open the Bible I gave them. It’s been a long road, and I’m still walking it.”
“I’m sor—”
“Boy, do we need that jar.” She smiled even though what she shared had been riddled with sadness.
He sympathized with her burden. He’d pray daily for his parents if they didn’t know Jesus as their Lord.
“You know how God answers prayers?” She side-eyed him, commanding a beat of silence. “Yes. No. And wait.”
And wait some more.
“Wisdom from my old Sunday school teacher.” Biting her lip, she slowed for a stoplight.
At thirty-two years of age, he wasn’t old, and he’d never taught kids the Bible, but he had heard that truth. “I remembered that wisdom during my recovery. Guess I’m in the waiting period.” Which had lingered far too long. He had a business to run and an insurance deductible to recoup. What if he never got back to one hundred percent? How would the company function then?
The hospital’s towering complex came into view as the GPS announced they were approaching their destination. Emma followed the arrows toward the emergency department. A car reversed out of its spot near the main entrance.
Emma stopped and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been praying for you since December.”
He stared at his leg where his cane rested against his jeans. She’d prayed for him, and he hadn’t bothered to utter one petition about her employment woes. He hadn’t even thanked God for the office help. The Holy Spirit thumped his skull. “Thank you.” He cleared his throat.
“You’re welcome. It’s the least and the best that I can do.”
She pulled into the parking spot and turned off the engine.
A similar van was parked diagonal across two spots near the emergency doors. Derek had driven himself to the ER. Derek may be doing better than Wade feared if he could drive. A ray of hopefulness cut through the dread of going into another medical facility.
Emma grasped the door handle. “Today, I’ve been praying for Derek’s healing and that it comes quickly.”
“I think we both need a fast yes to that prayer.” He gathered the insurance papers from the office.
She gazed at him all serious and calm like he imagined a soldier looked before he parachuted out of a plane. “Ready, boss?”
Her two simple words would have rankled his nerves hours before. Now, her short sentence became a rallying cry from a teammate. He’d misjudged Emma and had been kind of a jerk. After their conversation, he had a better understanding why God might have placed her on his team. She knew firsthand what it was like to have your work-life balance go totally off the rails. She’d also been praying for him for almost two months. He’d say a few prayers for her to get her life back on track.
“Ready.”
He opened his door and steadied himself for what awaited in the ER. He was pretty sure he wasn’t ready for weeks with whirlwind Emma.
~*~
A splattering of raindrops pelted Wade as he hobbled toward the emergency entrance, cane in hand. At least it was raining and not snowing. He was tired of gloomy weather and the gloom in his life. Emma walked by his side, holding an umbrella. He was the boss and co-owner of the family business and his sense of duty and empathy for his employees called for him to support Derek. Soon he’d get back to the life he had before the crash even if it meant limping into the future.
The glass doors opened and bathed his body with a warm blast of stale air. A faint aroma of disinfectant had images of hospital rooms filling his brain. He gripped his cane tighter. He wasn’t going backward, only forward, away from doctors and sterile exam rooms. This wasn’t about him.
A young receptionist in cat-themed scrubs opened an acrylic-glass window. “May I help you?”
Wade licked his lips. The events of the morning jumbled on his tongue. “One of my employees, a Derek Sullivan, was attacked by a dog. He drove here. I see our van in the lot.” He pointed to the insignia on his jacket. “I’d like to see him if I could.” He indicated Emma. “She’s our new office manager.” Hopefully all the pertinent paperwork was in the folder Fran had given him because Emma was in training.
The young lady scanned the computer screen. “I’ll call back for permission to see if one of you can visit him.” She dialed the phone. “Do you have his insurance information. It’s incomplete.”
“Right here.” He held the file folder so she could see it. His damp palm had caused a wave in the paper.
As the receptionist talked on the phone, Emma tugged on the straps of her backpack. “I’ll wait out here by the snack machine. I can call Fran and let her know that we arrived and that Derek’s van is here.”
He appreciated the help. His parents complained about the cell reception when he was hospitalized. Walls in the treatment areas tended to be Wi-Fi killers.
“Find out who Fran has notified.” His poor dad didn’t need distractions while working a two-man job.
Emma scanned the waiting room. “Will do.” She gave him one of those smiles that said she didn’t envy the task ahead of him. “I’ll be praying for you.”
“Thanks.” God was being bombarded lately with petitions labeled “Donoven Family.”
After getting consent from Derek, the receptionist buzzed him through the doors. He passed glass rooms with curtains blocking the view inside. A chill swept over his flesh. Hospitals did amazing work, but it was never pain-free.
A nurse in black scrubs with a pink stethoscope approached. Her uniform contrasted with the bright fluorescent lighting overhead. “Here to see Mr. Sullivan?”
“You’re good.” He tried to crack a grin.
She smiled. “It’s the logo.” She squinted at his name. “Wade.” Her expression sobered. “Mr. Sullivan is in room four. He was going into shock when he arrived, so we gave him medication to calm him down. Don’t worry. He signed his life away while he was with it.”
Black scrubs, whose nametag read Maddie, ushered him down the hallway past a large desk area. “The hand lacerations were deep. We’ve called a hand surgeon. She should arrive shortly.”
Great. Derek wouldn’t be at work tomorrow, and the hand surgery bills wouldn’t be cheap. With all the talk about hands, his left one throbbed. He needed another round of Emma’s acupressure. “Will they do the surgery here? Or at another hospital?”
Maddie stopped in front of room four. “Right here and the patient will need someone to drive him home.” She surveyed his cane. Had his gait rivaled an old man’s?
Employees at Donoven and Sons couldn’t stitch a wound, but they could drive Derek home. Now that Emma was on board, they had extra help. He hated to give Cole credit for pushing the idea to hire her, but Wade had signed off on the official hiring.
“The company’s got it covered. We take care of our workers.” He blinked at the garish canned fixtures in the ceiling.
Lord, help me be a comfort to Derek. You know how much I hate hospitals. May Derek be stitched and released soon.
Maddie opened a sliding door and whirled the curtain open. She skirted around the bed to an IV machine.
Derek lay on the bed. His man bun had exploded all over the pillowcase. Eyes closed, he sported an IV in one hand and had the other hand perched on a cloth covered riser. Blood-red lines marred his palm.
Wade understood why hospitals liked white linens, but the scarlet-colored lacerations looked horrific against the sheet. The top of Wade’s hand itched as if Derek’s IV poked his vein. He swallowed saliva that tasted like vomit.
“Hey, Derek.” Fake happiness dulled his greeting.
Derek’s eyes fluttered open. “Wade. My man.” A goofy smile brightened Derek’s face. “You came. Flew right over.”
The only one flying right now rested in the hospital bed.
“We came after you called Emma. How are you doing?”
“Emma.” Derek sank deeper into the pillows and let out a gust of air. “She’s so nice. And pretty. She’s a real keeper.”
Wade shifted his weight. “She sure is.” He needed to comfort Derek and find out about the incident, not sing Emma’s praises. He paid Emma to manage the office and thinking about the way she looked wasn’t professional. “The nurse says they’re sending over a surgeon.”
Maddie cut behind Wade and wrote vitals on a whiteboard.
Rolling his head side to side, Derek sighed. “I almost made it. Heading to the van when that dog burst past its owner. I hopped in the van. When I went to close the door…it latched onto my hand.”
“You did everything right.” He kicked himself that the office had no record of that dog. He should have paid more attention to Derek’s concerns even though Fran and Emma searched for information.
Nurse Maddie crossed her arms and leaned against the counter by the sink. “We notified animal control due to the injury. The animal has to be watched for illness.” Her penetrating stare clenched his gut.
He hadn’t even thought of rabies. Please Lord, protect Derek.
“Good idea.” He nodded at Maddie. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Maddie checked her watch and headed toward the sliding door. “The surgeon should be here momentarily.”
The sooner this day ended, the better. “Thank you for taking care of Derek.”
“My pleasure.” Maddie swung the curtain closed.
“She’s so nice.” Derek scanned the checkerboard ceiling as if he counted leaping unicorns.
Wade relaxed knowing that all females today in Derek’s estimation were nice and worthy of praise. He didn’t care to hear anymore gushing over Emma. He and Derek needed to respect employee boundaries.
Wade shuffled over toward the IV monitor and pulled up a chair by the side of the bed.
“Is there anyone I can call for you? Your mom or dad, or someone local?”
“Hmmm.” Derek’s eyes closed.
Maddie peeked around the curtain and fluttered a pink piece of paper. “Mr. Sullivan’s emergency contact called back. She’s leaving work and coming on over. We tried to reach her since the patient was in shock when he arrived.”
Wade stood. A blessing had occurred among the trials. He could have taken Derek home to Donoven central, but with Emma staying at his parents’ house, that may have caused more issues. “Who’d you call?”
“A neighbor.” Maddie glanced at the note. “Says she lives next door. Kelly’s her name.”
“I’ll stay until she arrives and make sure Derek’s okay.”
“Suit yourself.” The nurse inspected Derek’s hand.
A middle-aged woman in a white coat entered. She relocated the glasses from her head to her nose and studied Derek’s lacerations. “Looks like I found the right patient.”
After introductions and an explanation of the procedure, Wade headed toward the sliding door.
“Hey, man,” Derek said. “Could you pray real quick?”
“Sure, I’d be happy to.” His heartbeat raced as sweat beaded on his lip. Derek didn’t realize some of Wade’s prayers were falling on deaf ears. God seemed to be sending them through the shredder.
The surgeon shifted away from the bed. Wade rested his right hand on Derek’s leg.
“Dear Lord, please take care of Derek. Watch over the surgeon and bless her abilities. Heal my friend fast and well. And please protect others from the dog. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Thanks, dude.”
Wade gave a thumbs-up sign and excused himself to the waiting area. His stomach rumbled as he retraced his steps down the tiled hallway. Why did hospitals have to look so stark? Relief flowed through his veins as he hit the electronic door switch.
The throb in his leg and the events of the morning made him want to dive into his own bed. One without rails.
He strode carefully into an empty waiting area. Where was Emma?
“Are you looking for the short brunette in the green shirt?” the receptionist asked through the window.
He swiveled on his cane. “Yeah.”
“She went to the cafeteria to get you lunch.” Her gaze found the wall clock. “She should be back soon.”
“Thanks.” He smiled as Derek’s words echoed through his brain. She’s so nice. He rubbed his chin. He actually agreed. His temporary office manager was supportive and on the ball, but they weren’t becoming best friends or anything more. Their relationship was solely business.