Eleanor braced her feet on the floor and rolled her head, trying to let some of her anxiety ebb. Wes amazed her. He seemed undaunted. She followed his lead to drink.
“Oh God, so good,” he moaned. As the water flowed into her mouth, it made an undeniable sucking sound. Wes waited for her to finish drinking and gave his listeners a good show.
“Wes, I’m too tired,” Eleanor said, her eyes searching everywhere around them.
“Baby, you took good care of me. How’s that soft tummy feeling?” He pulled back the covers and let Eleanor get into the full bed.
"Just tired.” Eleanor yawned for real.
Wes searched the room from corner to corner and ceiling to floor. He lifted the curtain rod from its brackets and unscrewed a finial. A small device resembling a hearing aid popped into his hand. He returned the rod to its place and showed Eleanor the bug. She nodded.
He slid into the bed beside her. “Goodnight, baby.” He turned off the light.
Eleanor slept soundly from exhaustion. Loud banging on the door made her jump out of her skin. Wes tore off his t-shirt and jeans and went to the door wearing only boxers. He was alert. She wondered if he’d slept at all.
“What’s going on?”
Eleanor’s brother Weaver was at the door in a frenzy. “It’s Tripp. He’s caught in a bear trap.”
“Where is he?” Wes dragged on his shirt and his jeans.
“In the delivery area,” Weaver yelled.
“C’mon, baby, let’s show them what a great team we make,” Wes said.
Eleanor fought back the panic. Pete and Tuck spent time with her, teaching her how to start an IV, administer medication and how to deliver a baby. They also refreshed her CPR and advanced first aid.
“Okay.” She put on clothing and followed her brother and Wes.Follow what Wes does.
Eleanor’s parents and her brothers and sisters-in-law, except for Desi and Tara, surrounded the bed. Tripp was writhing and crying when they arrived. “Get it together, Tripp,” Eleanor said.
“Get me that bag. Lindy, dig in the bag. I need supplies—a tourniquet, IV setup and fluids, pain meds, Quik Clot if you have it, bandages and sutures,” Wes demanded.
Nurse Frey ran in with the large Army medic bag. Eleanor opened it and grabbed gloves and an IV setup, going to work. Her Belinda persona helped her tamp down her panic. She heard Pete’s voice in her head.
Step by step, she went through the technique as she told Tripp, “Crybaby, stop moaning. Those women give birth quieter than you.”
Wes auto-injected morphine into Tripp’s thigh after he tied a tourniquet above the wound. “I need some strong men here. Weaver and General, I need you to pull on either side of the trap as I lift Tripp’s leg free. Ready, one, two, three.” Wes freed Tripp’s mangled ankle.
“Am I gonna lose my foot?” Tripp groaned.
“If you don’t stop whining, you will. Tripp, let us think,” Eleanor barked.
Wes took a bottle of saline and washed down the wound to get a better look. Tripp’s size and his boot saved him from breaking bones, but he tore a lot of tissue. “He needs a lot of stitching and major antibiotics. Stitching blood vessels is out of my skill set. That trap was rusty; he’ll need a tetanus shot too.”
“Stop the bleeding. Bandage him up. Weaver, take your brother to the hospital. They see hunting accidents all the time. Tripp, you say nothing about how good Wes took care of you. You tell them your momma did it,” Dinah said.
Tripp’s lip wobbled. “Yes, Momma.”
Wes applied a pressure bandage to Tripp’s lower leg and ankle. He marked the tourniquet with the application time and sent them on their way.
Eleanor was cleaning up the mess and went to the sink to wash her hands. George, the man who’d savagely beaten her when she carried Birdie, walked in. “Look who is back.”
“Hi, George.” Eleanor hoped she kept her fear out of her tone.
“Who’s he?” George crossed his arms across his chest.
“Wes. Nice to meet you.” He stopped what he was doing and wrapped his arms around Eleanor, planting a juicy kiss on her mouth.
