Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
“Jordan!” The sound of gunfire had pulled her from the computer.
Autumn had jumped up and bolted outside with her weapon gripped in two hands, searching for the source of the threat.
Seeing the black car speeding away, she fired two rounds at the vehicle.
She thought she heard the metallic ping of bullet hitting metal.
Yet, she must have missed as the car disappeared.
She turned, scanning the area. Had Jordan been hit? When she spotted him lying on the ground in a heap, her heart lodged in her throat.
“Jordan!” Sprinting toward him, she almost cried out in relief when he groaned.
She holstered her weapon and raked her gaze over him, searching for blood.
Dropping to her knees beside him, she ran her hands over his torso but didn’t find a gunshot wound.
There wasn’t any blood that she could see on his arms or legs, either. “Where are you hit?”
He groaned again and rolled away from her. “Fell.” His voice was a harsh croak.
He fell? Glancing up, she noticed the beautiful dark brown horse standing in the corral with a saddle on his back. She dimly realized the gunfire had spooked the horse, causing Jordan to be thrown off.
A wave of guilt hit hard. This was her fault. She’d known it was only a matter of time until the shooter hurt Jordan. The only good news was that he hadn’t been shot. She put a hand on his shoulder. “Can you stand? If you can make it to the SUV, I’ll take you to the Canyon Creek Medical Center.”
“No hospital.” He pushed himself upright, lifting a hand to the back of his head. She leaned forward to look at the source of his pain. There wasn’t any blood matted in his hair, and she wasn’t sure if that was good or not. Head wounds could be serious.
“I insist.” She wasn’t going to risk ignoring a possible head injury. “Please, Jordan.”
He winced, pushed himself to his feet and staggered to the fence. The way he leaned over the top railing made her realize he was fighting the urge to be sick.
She’d had a concussion once from a tussle with a perp, so she knew how it felt. Blurred vision, nausea and a pounding headache were classic signs. And they shouldn’t be ignored.
“Jordan?” She crossed over to stand beside him, resting her hand on his back. “Are you okay?”
“Peachy.” His tone was laced with sarcasm.
“I’m sorry.” She felt terrible about his injury. “Can you make it to the car, or should I drive it over here?”
He hesitated, took a deep breath and glanced over to the driveway. “I’ll make it.”
The fact that he was going along with the plan to seek medical care was an indication that he felt worse than he’d let on. Slipping her arm around his waist, she said, “Lean on me.”
He didn’t lean on her as he walked slowly toward her SUV. She sensed each step made his head pound. When they finally reached the car, she opened the passenger’s side door. “Sit down. I’ll be back in a minute.”
With a grunt, he sat then shut his eyes. She closed the door, then hurried back to the house.
She’d need to make sure the dogs were okay before they left. She could bring Bear with her, but Cutie would have to stay behind.
She cared for the dogs, then headed out with Bear, quickly closing the door to prevent Cutie from coming, too. After getting Bear settled in his crate, she slid behind the wheel.
“Are you okay?” She glanced at Jordan with concern as she backed out of the driveway.
“Yep.” He didn’t look at her or say anything more. Just sat there with his eyes closed. His silence was disconcerting as she took the highway into town. Her SUV was equipped with a red-and-blue light bar across the top of her roof, and she flipped it on as she sped toward the medical center.
Thankfully, traffic was light. Jordan didn’t stir as she pulled up to the entrance to the emergency department.
“We’re here.” She slid out and ran around to his side. As she opened the door, she half expected him to fall out, but he didn’t.
Somehow, he managed to stand on his own two feet. Knowing Bear would be okay for a short while, she wrapped her arm around his waist and led him inside.
The nurse at the front desk took one look at Jordan and quickly gestured for them to follow her into a room. He sat heavily on the table as if grateful for the additional support.
“What happened?” The nurse’s name was Beth.
“Thrown from my horse,” Jordan said as Autumn helped remove his coat.
“He hit his head,” she added. “I don’t know if he has other internal injuries, too. No broken bones in his extremities, as he’s been able to stand and walk.”
“Okay, I’m sure the doctor will want to get a CT scan of his head, chest and pelvis.” Beth wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm as she spoke. “Can you tell me the date?”
Jordan frowned. “You mean today’s date?”
“Yes.” Beth put the stethoscope buds in her ears. “The month, day and year.”
Jordan answered correctly. After a few minutes of taking his vital signs, Beth used a small flashlight to peer at his eyes. When the nurse frowned, Autumn asked, “What is it?”
“One pupil is slightly larger than the other. I need you to lie down, okay?” After getting Jordan settled on the gurney, Beth stepped back. “I’m going to find the doctor.”
Autumn didn’t like the sound of that. Jordan frowned. “They better not be making a big deal out of nothing.”
“They wouldn’t do that.” She knew unequal pupils could be a sign of internal bleeding into the brain. She put a reassuring hand on Jordan’s arm. “I need to get Bear. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Okay.” He closed his eyes and turned his head toward the wall. Realizing the light was too bright, she found the light switch and turned it off.
Outside, she climbed back into the SUV and found a parking spot.
Then she released the back hatch for Bear.
Because they’d be in a public place, she put her K-9 on a leash.
He looked up at her as if questioning why it was needed.
She bent and stroked his fur. “Look on the bright side. Cutie isn’t here to bother you. ”
Bear’s tail swooshed back and forth as she led him inside. When she found Jordan’s room, an older physician in a long white coat was examining him.
Hovering in the doorway, she listened as the doctor and nurse discussed the plan. She felt a little guilty over invading Jordan’s privacy, but he didn’t have anyone else she could call to be there for him. She decided it was better for her to be in the loop.
“I’ll order those CT scans.” The doctor looked down at Jordan. “Depending on those results, we may keep you here overnight for observation.”
“I can’t stay.” Jordan stared up at him. “I have livestock to care for.”
“If you are discharged home, it will be on bed rest,” the doctor said firmly. “Find someone else to do the chores. Trust me, your head injury will heal faster if you follow orders.”
“I’ll help.” Autumn entered the room with Bear at her side. “My name is Autumn Riley, and I’m an officer with the Canyon Creek Police Department. I’ll watch over Jordan and help take care of the ranch.”
“Good.” The doctor seemed satisfied with that.
She forced a smile. Okay, so maybe she’d never done a ranch chore in her life and had no idea what she’d just agreed to do. Feeding the horses and giving them fresh water? Maybe cleaning their stalls? How hard could it be?
Then again, the horse that had unseated Jordan had looked huge. And it occurred to her that he still had the saddle strapped to his back. She swallowed hard at the idea of taking it off.
It would be okay. She was determined to do her part in helping Jordan get through this.
Jordan shot her a look that indicated he knew full well she had no clue how to care for the livestock, but she didn’t back down. He could give her instructions. She’d manage.
An orderly entered the room, giving Bear a curious glance.
None of the hospital staff seemed upset by the dog’s presence.
If anything, Bear had a calming effect on people.
“My name is Ethan.” The orderly began disconnecting Jordan from the heart monitor mounted over his bed.
“I’m here to take you to Radiology for your CT scan. ”
Jordan grunted his assent. Not that he had much of a choice. Autumn stood off to the side with Bear to give Ethan room to maneuver the gurney out of the room. When Jordan was gone, she sank into the hard plastic guest chair and buried her face in her hands. She’d never felt so helpless.
All she could do now was pray.
* * *
His head had never hurt this bad in his entire life. Jordan battled the urge to throw up as the orderly wheeled him through the hallway. He had to close his eyes because the movement and seeing things flash by his line of sight only made him feel worse.
Was the orderly in a hurry for some reason? Jordan wanted to tell the guy whose name he couldn’t remember to slow down. But he was afraid he’d lose his breakfast if he opened his mouth to say the words.
When they finally reached their destination, he relaxed. Until the staff told him to move off the gurney and onto the narrow table.
The slightest movement intensified his headache. He relaxed when he was given a doughnut-shaped pillow. It felt better to have less pressure on the goose egg on the back of his head.
Despite how the table beneath him moved, Jordan fell asleep during the scan. It was only when he was told to move from the table to the gurney that he realized the testing was finished.
Jordan didn’t want to stay in the hospital overnight. He found himself praying the head injury wasn’t bad enough that the doctor would refuse to discharge him.
Would God listen to his prayers? He wasn’t sure and wished he’d asked Autumn more about her faith prior to this.
Praying didn’t come naturally. He did his best, though, and hoped it was good enough.
Lord Jesus, please heal my injuries and help guide us to this person who seeks to do harm. Amen.