“Patient has a change in mental status. His pulse is elevated, and his BP is low. I think he has a bleed somewhere,” Coates said. “Call a trauma alert.”
“Hey, Harp, I didn’t know you were working, especially after yesterday. Doc, his pulse is seventy,” Mason said.
“His resting pulse is fifty,” Harper said.
Mason stared at her, questioning. Especially after she grabbed his hand.
They wheeled Kip into a treatment area. “Watch his left calf. We need to get him out of the uniform,” Coates said.
“Harper, is that you?” Kip smiled.
Harper leaned down. “How are you feeling, Big Security Guy?”
“Mike, this is Harper. Make sure…” He closed his eyes.
“Where’s the trauma team? I need a full panel, dip a urine, UA, Pan-CT. I need a second line and a unit of O-neg.” Coates grabbed a pair of sheers from Mason’s pocket and began cutting Kip’s tactical uniform free.
Harper hip-checked Mason and started a second large bore IV. As the clothing came free, blood flowed from a wound in his left shoulder.
“Open those lines. Get that unit of O negative going,” Coates yelled.
Harper tore open a trauma dressing and pressed hard on the wound. As the fluids flowed, Kip woke up again. “Hang in there,” she said.
“Harper, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he babbled.
“Kip, nice slow breaths,” Harper soothed while Mason applied oxygen.
Hunt Montgomery made his way into the trauma room. “Alright, people,” he snapped and took over.
Kyle wrapped an arm around her and walked her out. “Let Hunt do his thing. Logan is with Tally. She’s safe at Kip’s house. Until we know the status of any other bombs, she’s safe there. You did great today. Kip will be so proud of you.”
She swiped her face. “Kyle, I can’t lose Channy and Kip.”
“Hey, we won’t let that happen,” Kyle said. “Stay here. I need to make a couple of calls.”
Harper sat in the nurse’s lounge. “You and the boss, huh?” Mason asked.
“He’s my landlord,” she said. “My sister and I were lucky. He gave us a new lease. He was very nice about things.”
“She’s lying,” Brigitte said, her contempt for Harper visible. “No landlord does what he did yesterday—climbing a bridge and dragging her out before the car fell into the river. And nice? I doubt he’s in it to get laid. I think he’s trying to protect the business. You should have seen him tell Gabe Matin that Addy is dead. It was probably his fault. I’ll bet the car meant to hit him.”
“Are you still in high school?” Harper groused. Normally, she’d ignore her. She knew Brigitte was jealous of her nursing skills. But as she played the words back in her head, she paled. “Wait, Addy is dead?”
“Yup, car hit her right in front of the building,” Brigitte said coldly.
Harper ran out of the room, square into Josh Stone’s chest.
“Harper, it’s Josh. What’s wrong?” He held her in place. Brigitte walked out of the lounge, a smirk on her face.
“Let go of me.”
Mason followed. “Harper, she’s stirring crap up. You know her.”
“Tell me what happened?” Josh asked.
“Addy… Kip’s fault… business…” the halting words came out in a torrent of tears.
Josh still didn’t let go, managing to gently press her into the lobby and out the doors to the parking lot, where he sat her inside Kip’s Tahoe and pulled toward the back of the lot to keep her safe from another explosion.
