“I’m fine. Thank you.”
John turned and locked his gaze on her with the same golden eyes as his son. “You’re a shit liar, girl. Only makes me like you more, though.” Sully’s father couldn’t know how his words impacted her. The back of her throat ached. How had he seen right through her when her own mother never knew when she was lying or telling the truth? “And if someone has treated the burn, I’ll be getting their medical license and filing a formal complaint because it looks like hell.”
The double doors to the ICU room opened and Bentley strode out. There was a smirk on his face and just like when they’d first been introduced, his eyes roamed her body before he crumpled up the water bottle he was holding and tossed it into the trash.
“Let’s get out of here. I’m hungry,” Bentley said looking at his mother and the trickle of unease she’d felt at leaving Sully’s side earlier returned tenfold.
Kelly’s eyes widened. “We just got here. If you’re hungry, go down to the cafeteria and get something.”
“I don’t want to eat the shit they feed the patients. Besides, we should take Sullivan’s fiancée to get something. She’s been stuck here for days.”
“No, I need to get back.” She stood up and began to turn. “It was nice meeting you all.”
“Whoa. What’s the hurry?” Bentley sidled in front of her. “You have to come out to lunch with us.” Sully’s brother crossed his arms over his chest.
“I appreciate the offer, but I need to get back to Sully.” Jane leaned away from Bentley, uncomfortable with the way he was eyeing her.
He rolled his eyes, and it struck her how different the two men were. “Trust me, I just saw him. He doesn’t know who the hell is in his room. He’s not going to miss you.”
“Bentley, enough,” Sully’s father snapped. “Go,” John said directing his gaze at her. “And make sure someone looks after that sunburn.”
She barely nodded before quickly crossing the room and pressing the buzzer for the double doors leading back into the ICU. It was only seconds before they opened, but the sense of urgency to get back to Sully was strong. Her stomach clenched as she rounded the corner and opened the door to his room. There was no sound and the monitor that had been continuously taking Sully’s vitals was dark. She rounded the bed and gaped at the cord lying limp on the floor. She immediately plugged it back into the wall and turned to look at Sully. She instantly recognized that something was wrong. He was pale and his breaths were a shallow wheeze. She slapped the red alarm on the wall and lifted his hospital gown. His respiratory rate was far too fast, and she could see the gaps in his ribs each time he tried to take a labored breath. A stampede of footfalls sounded outside the room.
“What’s going on?” Sully’s nurse was followed by two doctors.
“I just returned to the room to find his monitor unplugged and the patient in respiratory distress,” Jane reported, slipping back into the role of nurse. “He was previously on two liters of oxygen with a nasal cannula but has been breathing on his own since the MEDEVAC flight with a baseline oxygen saturation of ninety-six percent, which has dropped to eighty-four percent. Breathing is labored. Respiratory rate is elevated. He needs oxygen therapy immediately.”
The doctors and nurses swarmed around Sully’s bed, and she took a step back. What the hell had happened? She turned and went to the desk right outside the room.
“I need to know who was in room 628, aside from family,” she demanded. The same man who had been attending the desk glanced up sharply, then redirected his gaze to the computer, typing quickly.
“No medical personnel have been in there since rounds were done half an hour ago,” he told her.
There were so many events that could cause respiratory distress in a patient, especially one with sepsis. The infection alone could lead to respiratory failure. Sully was also on a lot of new medication, but if he was going to have a severe allergic reaction to any of them, she would have expected it shortly after they’d been introduced, not days later. His condition wasn’t the result of an accidental medical overdose as she’d personally checked all his medications and doses before they were administered. It was also possible that he’d experienced a heart attack or even a blood clot to his lungs, but that didn’t explain why his monitor had been unplugged.
There was no way someone could have accidentally tripped over the cord and unplugged the machine. It was on the other side of the room tucked up against the wall. Her heart washammering now, and a wave of queasiness made her insides lurch. She’d always had an overactive imagination, but all she could think of was someone had intentionally unplugged that cord. Jane walked back to the room and glanced in. Sully was still surrounded by medical professionals. Despite the hospital air-conditioning that had given her a constant chill, she suddenly felt like she was burning up. Someone had to know something. The flip-flops that she’d purchased with Red’s gift card slapped against the tile floor as she marched back out to the waiting room.
Sully’s mom immediately stood up. “Is everything okay? We weren’t expecting to see you again so soon.”
Her eyes were drawn toward Bentley. He had been the last person in the room. But what did he have to gain from hurting his brother?
“Did you unplug the machine monitoring your brother’s vitals?” Maybe she should have softened that statement, but she’d never been known for her finesse.
“What are you talking about?” Bentley snorted, but she didn’t miss the way his posture went rigid. “What machine?”
She advanced on him, stepping in closer. “The one making sure your brother doesn’t start to decline without someone noticing. The one that constantly beeps. The one at the side of the bed plugged into the wall.”
Bentley put his palms up and gave a dismissive laugh. “Do I look like hospital staff? Maybe you should ask them.” His eyes darted toward the exit, then back to her.
“It was on when I went into the room.” John held his arms tightly against his sides. “His vitals looked good.” Sully’s dad gave his son an assessing gaze, lips flattened into a thin line.
“Seriously? Why are you looking at me like that? I came here to see my brother. I would never do anything to hurt him. Maybe the staff had to switch the monitor out or something.”
“Is he all right?” Kelly put her hand on Jane’s arm.
“When I went back into the room he was in respiratory distress. No one had been alerted because his monitor was unplugged.” She wrapped her arms around her waist, then turned without another word and walked back into the ICU. Jane stood outside Sully’s room while the doctors and nurses helped stabilize his condition. She was debating going back to the waiting room when Dr. Bard, Sully’s surgeon walked out.
“How’s he doing?” The desperation in her voice was apparent, even to her own ears.
