“No hospital.” He pushed himself upright, lifting a hand to the back of his head. She leaned forward to look at the source of his pain. There wasn’t any blood matted in his hair, and she wasn’t sure if that was good or not. Head wounds could be serious.
“I insist.” She wasn’t going to risk ignoring a possible head injury. “Please, Jordan.”
He winced, pushed himself to his feet and staggered to the fence. The way he leaned over the top railing made her realize he was fighting the urge to be sick.
She’d had a concussion once from a tussle with a perp, so she knew how it felt. Blurred vision, nausea and a pounding headache were classic signs. And they shouldn’t be ignored.
“Jordan?” She crossed over to stand beside him, resting her hand on his back. “Are you okay?”
“Peachy.” His tone was laced with sarcasm.
“I’m sorry.” She felt terrible about his injury. “Can you make it to the car, or should I drive it over here?”
He hesitated, took a deep breath and glanced over to the driveway. “I’ll make it.”
The fact that he was going along with the plan to seek medical care was an indication that he felt worse than he’d let on. Slipping her arm around his waist, she said, “Lean on me.”
He didn’t lean on her as he walked slowly toward her SUV. She sensed each step made his head pound. When they finally reached the car, she opened the passenger’s side door. “Sit down. I’ll be back in a minute.”
With a grunt, he sat then shut his eyes. She closed the door, then hurried back to the house.
She’d need to make sure the dogs were okay before they left. She could bring Bear with her, but Cutie would have to stay behind.
She cared for the dogs, then headed out with Bear, quickly closing the door to prevent Cutie from coming, too. After getting Bear settled in his crate, she slid behind the wheel.
“Are you okay?” She glanced at Jordan with concern as she backed out of the driveway.
“Yep.” He didn’t look at her or say anything more. Just sat there with his eyes closed. His silence was disconcerting as she took the highway into town. Her SUV was equipped with a red-and-blue light bar across the top of her roof, and she flipped it on as she sped toward the medical center.
Thankfully, traffic was light. Jordan didn’t stir as she pulled up to the entrance to the emergency department.
“We’re here.” She slid out and ran around to his side. As she opened the door, she half expected him to fall out, but he didn’t.
Somehow, he managed to stand on his own two feet. Knowing Bear would be okay for a short while, she wrapped her arm around his waist and led him inside.
The nurse at the front desk took one look at Jordan and quickly gestured for them to follow her into a room. He sat heavily on the table as if grateful for the additional support.
“What happened?” The nurse’s name was Beth.
“Thrown from my horse,” Jordan said as Autumn helped remove his coat.
“He hit his head,” she added. “I don’t know if he has other internal injuries, too. No broken bones in his extremities, as he’s been able to stand and walk.”
“Okay, I’m sure the doctor will want to get a CT scan of his head, chest and pelvis.” Beth wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm as she spoke. “Can you tell me the date?”
Jordan frowned. “You mean today’s date?”
“Yes.” Beth put the stethoscope buds in her ears. “The month, day and year.”
Jordan answered correctly. After a few minutes of taking his vital signs, Beth used a small flashlight to peer at his eyes. When the nurse frowned, Autumn asked, “What is it?”
“One pupil is slightly larger than the other. I need you to lie down, okay?” After getting Jordan settled on the gurney, Beth stepped back. “I’m going to find the doctor.”
Autumn didn’t like the sound of that. Jordan frowned. “They better not be making a big deal out of nothing.”
“They wouldn’t do that.” She knew unequal pupils could be a sign of internal bleeding into the brain. She put a reassuring hand on Jordan’s arm. “I need to get Bear. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Okay.” He closed his eyes and turned his head toward the wall. Realizing the light was too bright, she found the light switch and turned it off.
