Chapter 23
Jasher
Jasher had just landed on Planet Irony. Under what other circumstances in life would Jasher Hotchkiss be expected to operate on the spine of Cade Calhoun—a man who hated him with a venomous passion and carried a grudge like it had been welded to his soul?
“First we will need both an x-ray and a CT scan.” Jasher shifted into automatic work-mode. “We need to know what we’re dealing with, whether it’s mere broken bones or a more complex injury with leaking spinal fluid.”
“Yes, doctor.”
This hospital only had one x-ray machine, and Barry was already lined up for it. Time compressed—for both the men. He turned to Liza, the paramedic. “I thought I heard dispatch say only teenagers were involved in the wreck. I’m surprised to see Cade Calhoun here.”
“This was a separate incident. Bad timing, but he was thrown by a bull in a field near the accident. We wedged him onto the floor of the ambulance on a stretcher.”
Rodeo practice! Jasher muttered a word he shouldn’t say in polite company. “Good work, Liza.”
“Gave me a chance to come in and see you, Dr. H.” She winked at him. “And it’s Lisa.” Her hips swayed as she left.
Jasher glanced toward Sage, who stared at a clipboard, her jaw working.
So, the flirtatious paramedic bothered her? Interesting.
“I don’t know what the x-ray will tell us about Cade Calhoun.” Jasher furrowed his brow. “But surgery is inevitable, whether it’s done here or whether we transport him to Reedsville for it.” It depended on the severity and the imminent threat to Cade’s life.
“Yes, doctor.” Sage didn’t look up. “I’ll prepare to administer an anesthetic.”
He reached for Sage, resting his hand on her forearm. It was warm, as always. “It’s a delicate case, as you know.”
“For many reasons, doctor.” Sage’s gaze locked on his. “I get it.”
Yes, she did get it. As always. “It will be easier with you at my side.” Like everything.
“I will be there, doctor.” Sage blinked and it went straight through him, a combination of desire and respect and aching for connection with her on every level. Could it be love?
The big L. He’d always had a thing for her. No question. But was it now growing big enough to be the real deal?
Jasher couldn’t push away that last thought: everything would be easier with her at my side. He wanted this woman to come with him to Reedsville. To work in the knee clinic with him.
Would she find it dull, after the rush of emergency medicine?
Then, a more insidious question hit him: would Jasher find a knee clinic dull after this?
No time to contemplate. There were more patients rolling in, and Jasher had a potentially complex and tricky surgery to prep for.
Sage left to set up her equipment in the O-R, and Jasher exited the ER doors to pace the hallways of the in-patient wing. Walking would help him think. Spinal injuries were delicate—far more involved than knees. Jasher had only observed a handful of them during his training. He’d never performed one. Did he want his first spinal surgery to be on a man who despised him? And who Jasher would rather never see again?
No. Obviously. For all the reasons.
Could Jasher even do it? Not just the spinal surgery, but also could he perform a surgery on Cade Calhoun at all? If the surgery didn’t go well, and Calhoun found out later that Jasher had been the surgeon, well …
With a spinal injury, a patient had a very good chance of losing use of both legs, possibly also both arms—depending on the location of the injury and its severity.
Cade could lose a second career at Jasher’s hand if Jasher chose to operate.
Sending him away was by far the better choice, but with the sole chopper in the region already gone—who knew why—Jasher might not have a choice.
While two patients were being x-rayed, for the next forty minutes, Jasher hunkered down in the medical library of the hospital, where he pored over both print and online articles describing surgical techniques in various spinal break situations—as well as how to avert crises when the cord itself was compromised.
The more time passed, the more Jasher needed Cade Calhoun to be on the next transport to the spinal center in Reedsville. Or maybe even be flown out from there to somewhere more specialized in an even larger city with more experienced surgeons.