She shook her head. “We just need to get to the hospital. It’ll be fine. I’m sure.”
Except she didn’t sound sure, and she had a subtle tremor running through her. Her skin was cool. Haven drove like a man on a mission and broke every speed limit between here and Willow Brook, and I didn’t care. We knew every state trooper in this part of Alaska. Even if they stopped us, they’d have escorted us the rest of the way.
When we arrived at the hospital, Adele didn’t even argue when I lifted her into my arms to carry her inside. That twisted something in my chest. She would usually argue about that.
Inside, I was relieved to see Holly on duty at the nurses’ station in the emergency department. She was a good friend, and her husband, Nate, was a pilot we knew well.
“What’s going on?” Holly asked, swiftly ushering us into an exam room.
Thankfully, the hospital was quiet for now. Within moments, she had Adele settled and was taking vitals. As she listened to Adele’s heart, she didn’t flinch or panic. Instead, she held Adele’s gaze.
“Medical trauma,” Holly said simply.
Adele nodded jerkily. In a second, I realized this wasn’t just a heart issue. This was her years of bouncing in and out of surgeries and feeling helpless. A panic attack layered on top of a health scare. I’d never wanted to fix something for someone more in my life.
Chapter Thirty-Two
COLE
Needle, thread, and heartstrings
After a doctor briefly came in to check on Adele and signed off on everything Holly outlined, Holly was calmly typing information into a laptop and asking Adele about her allergies. I was sitting beside the hospital bed, holding Adele’s hand. She was gripping mine so hard, it felt as if she thought she might fall off a cliff if she let go.
“Everything’s in our system,” Holly was saying calmly. “I was just confirming.”
Adele licked her lips. “It’s the same system where I see my doctor in Anchorage, right?”
“Yep. We’re going to get you a dose of amiodarone to stabilize your heart rhythm and some lorazepam for the panic. Do you know if that helps when you’re having a panic attack?”
Adele nodded. Holly stepped over to wet a cloth in the sink and gently pressed it to Adele’s forehead, then rolled another damp cloth along the back of Adele’s neck.
“This should help bring you down,” Holly said softly, “but I still want to give you medication. You’ve had a lot of medical interventions. The cold compress might help ease the burst of panic, but we need to get you fully through this. Is there anyone you want me to call?”
“My sister,” Adele said.
“Okay. Who’s your sister?”
“It’s Dr. Rowan Jacks.”
“Oh! The cardiologist in Anchorage?” Holly’s brows hitched high.
“Uh-huh.”
“Is she your doctor?”
“No, but she’s my emergency contact.”
“Okay. Your sister’s awesome. She’s a work friend. Sometimes I cover shifts in Anchorage, and obviously we deal with her on cardiology cases. She’s good people.”
“She is,” Adele agreed.
“Do you want me to call her right now?” Holly asked.
Adele nodded. When her eyes lifted to mine, I wanted to scoop her up and hold her again, even though I was already there holding her hand and doing everything I could not to completely fall apart myself.
Haven was still in the room, and of course, Holly. We had an audience, but I didn’t care.
“She’s starting to calm down,” Holly said. “Are you okay with IVs?”
