I dont think so. Deliberately Shae shifted her attention from the detectives hard persistent voice, LeFrenzs moans interspersing his belligerent replies. Handing the results to the surgeon, she gave him a rundown of the case, ending with, His count is high. Theres rebound tenderness in the upper quadrant and his BP is dropping, despite two transfusions. His liver may be bleeding.
The surgeons muttered curse was drowned out by the RNs voice. Blood pressures ninety.
Shae leaped back to the patients bedside, elbowing the detective out of the way. DuBois and Lyndstrom joined her, and the cubicle became a flurry of emergency maneuvers to save the patient from flat lining.
Lets get him upstairs. Lyndstrom and Shae helped Boyd shove the cart out of the room, the RN running alongside with the IV stands and infuser.
Wait a minute. Where are you taking him? The detective jogged after them to the elevator.
Surgery. Shae switched her attention to the intern, Sara Gonzalez. Stay with him for the duration, okay? The woman nodded.
LeFrenz. Frustration laced the detectives voice. Dammit, LeFrenz, do the right thing.
The elevator doors opened and the surgeon and intern stepped in, pushing the cart. The patient had gone silent, pale, his limbs shaking with shock. Shae threw up an arm to prevent the detective from following the patient even as the doors began to close. And when the man rounded on her angrily, she met his gaze with a steady one of her own.
Hes unconscious. You arent going to get anything more from him right now. She watched the man tuck away his frustration and fury with a control that looked as dangerous as it was deliberate. And when he turned the intensity of his focus on her, it was all she could do not to take a step back.
She had enough experience dealing with cops to last her a lifetime, but shed never met one like this. The gold shield he displayed didnt in any way mask his lethal air. Is he going to make it?
Since I dont have my crystal ball handy, I really couldnt say. Shae turned to walk away, but she didnt get more than a step before a hard grip on her elbow spun her back around.
In your professional opinion, Dr. his gaze dropped to her name tag before recapturing hers again ORiley, what are his chances?
Boyd DuBois passed them, turning to quiz Shae with raised brows. Aware that her reaction to the detective hadnt gone unnoticed, she forced a neutral tone. Im sorry. And she was. There was little she despised more than allowing her private life to splash over into the professional. Its been pretty wild today with the crash on Interstate 10. Most of the victims of the pileup had been transported here, straining both emergency-room personnel and surgery.
I heard about that. His gaze never left hers. His eyes were an unusual shade of dark jade, and every bit as unyielding. She imagined his penetrating stare was used to great advantage during interrogations.
The observation wasnt a comfortable one. Shae began walking toward the front desk, and Tremaine fell into step beside her. I really cant predict what LeFrenzs outcome will be. He lost a lot of blood and its a good bet theres still bleeding going on inside. His chances for surviving surgery depend on the path of the bullet and the extent of the internal damage.
How long before hes out of surgery?
Again she shrugged. Reaching the front desk, she sneaked a glance at her watch. Seven oclock. Technically she was due to go off shift, but there were still reports to be dictated and paperwork to sign off on. It could be four hours or more. Its hard to tell.
He gave a short nod, started to turn away. Ill be back then.
Youll be wasting your time. Shae didnt know what made her say it. She was more than ready to part ways with the enigmatic detective. But she couldnt shake the impression that hed recently been ill. He possessed a runners body, taut and lean, but his bordered on gaunt. No use losing sleep. From surgery, LeFrenz will go directly to a PACUpost-anesthetic-recovery unit. In all likelihood you wont be able to speak to him until tomorrow morning.
Dont worry. It was clear from his tone that hed misinterpreted the cause of her concern. Ill leave my rubber hose at home.
Its not him Im worried about. She made no effort to soften the bluntness of her words. You look like one of the walking wounded. We cant really spare an extra bed if you collapse during your all-night vigil.
Oddly her tart remark brought an almost smile to his lips, a softened expression that was as arresting as it was fleeting. Despite your underwhelming concern, Ill be back in a few hours. Maybe Ill see you then, Angel Eyes. He sauntered away, leaving her to burn over his use of LeFrenzs name for her.
Turning back to the desk, she snatched down the most recent patients chart, aware that DuBois was eyeing her.
You know, that guy looks familiar.
Yeah, well, hes a cop. They all look alike.
Her attempt at humor fell flat. Boyd continued to stare in the direction of the double doors Tremaine had disappeared through. No, I mean I think we worked on him not long ago. The E.R. resident stared into space, as if searching his memory. A month ago? No, more like two. Maybe it was when you were out on personal leave.
She flipped over a page on the chart, continued to make notations as if uninterested. In actuality every nerve was on alert. It was far more comfortable to attend to the reason for Tremaines visit here two months ago than on the reason for her leave at the same time. Whatd he present with?
DuBois had already given up trying to remember. He took down another chart and began to read through it. I dont recall. I wasnt primary. Arent you supposed to be going off duty?
Pretty soon, she answered vaguely. But it was another two hours before shed finished with the charting and dictation. And even then she couldnt force herself to head for the parking lot. Instead, she sat down in front of a computer, typing in a name.
Cade Tremaine.
The file unfolded slowly on the screen, and Shae leaned closer, scrolling down as she scanned it quickly before she stopped, paused to read more carefully. Minutes later she logged off, more shaken than she cared to admit.
She didnt know many men who took three bullets to the chest in the line of duty, only to be back on the job two short months later. Hed been dangerously close to death by the time hed arrived at the hospital, and his recovery must have depended on equal parts luck, science and sheer force of will. Even from the limited time shed spent with the detective, his tenacity was apparent. She could only assume hed browbeaten his physician into granting him a release without giving many details of the danger of the job he was returning to. From what shed witnessed today, it didnt appear as though hed allowed his condition to slow him down much.
It shouldnt matter. As she made her way to the parking lot, she tried, and failed, to convince herself of that. In all likelihood shed never see the detective again, and a flicker of relief accompanied the thought. What kind of person, after all, exhibited that kind of dedication to his job? A very determined man. Or a very driven one.
Either way, he seemed like an excellent man to avoid.
At dusk St. Judes had emptied of the usual tourist tours. In New Orleans cemeteries were notoriously unsafe at night. Row after row of white monuments provided endless hiding places for thieves and muggers waiting to pounce on the unwary. Only foolish or dangerous souls would take a chance and be caught there alone. The woman standing before the narrow gleaming tomb didnt fit either description.