Read Battlefield of the Heart Online
Authors: E. A. West
Battlefield of the Heart (7 page)
Josh glanced at him then met Cindy's gaze. He tilted his head toward Danny, and she moved to the chair beside Danny, speaking softly. “Hey, you okay?”
He looked down and shrugged. “Not really.”
“You want to talk about it?” She noticed Corbin and Josh continued their conversation, though they kept an eye on her and Danny.
He shook his head and shifted in his seat. She left him to his thoughts, praying it was the right thing to do. The group waiting for the gunshot victim started arguing about something, and Danny headed out of the waiting room. Cindy stood, remembering Lacey's instructions.
“Stick with him,” Josh said.
“I will.” She hurried into the hall and spotted Danny heading away from her. Picking up her pace, she caught up with him. “Where you going?”
He cast a quick glance in her direction. “Out.”
She matched his pace as he went to the hospital entrance. They passed through the sliding glass doors, and Danny walked several feet away, taking deep breaths of the cool night air. Cindy stayed with him as he headed for a low brick wall edging a flowerbed. He sat on the cement ledge along the top and dropped his head into his hands. She sat down beside him and spoke gently. “Hey, you'll be okay.”
He didn't give any sign that he heard her. How could she help him? She said a silent prayer for him, and then began talking about her history class. It was the most mundane thing she could think of, and she figured the non-threatening topic of human migration would help him relax.
She ran out of things to say about history and started telling him about an archaeology class she'd taken the previous semester. Ambulance arrivals punctuated her words, and Danny finally looked at her as she described some of the tools found in a Stone Age village in Europe. She finished her description as she waited for him to say something.
He surprised her by chuckling softly. “You have taken some really boring classes.”
“I thought that archaeology class was interesting,” Cindy said, relieved he seemed normal again.
“Have you ever studied psychology?”
“I've taken a couple of classes. Why?”
He looked out at the parking lot. “You remind me of this therapist I once met. He spent twenty minutes describing the life cycle of worms to get me to relax and talk to him. That has got to be the most mind-numbing thing I've ever listened to in my life.”
She laughed lightly. She must have learned more practical knowledge in those classes than she'd thought. “Did it have the desired effect?”
“Yeah.” Danny fell silent for a moment, and then he turned to her with an uncertain expression. “Do you know what you just witnessed?”
“Not really.”
He sighed and looked out at the parking lot again. “An anxiety attack and a flood of memories. Hospitals trigger them nearly every time I go in one for someone other than myself.”
She hesitated, but the worst that could happen was he told her it was none of her business. “Why do hospitals affect you like that?”
“Because of something that happened in Iraq.” He shifted his position so he faced her. “We'd heard rumors someone we were looking for was in that hospital. We went in and the place was pretty empty of patients.” He looked away as he spoke in a barely audible voice. “The guy next to me got hit in the leg. I got hit in the chest, but my body armor stopped the bullet. Others in our squad took down the gunmen. We found out later we'd been set up. They lured us there with fake information so they could kill us.”
Cindy laid her hand on his shoulder, stunned he'd told her something he apparently hadn't even admitted to Lacey. “You know that's not going to happen here.”
Danny turned to her, his eyes haunted. “That's what I keep telling myself, but it doesn't always work.”
She nodded and lowered her hand. Unsure of what to say, she remained silent. She figured he'd let her know if he wanted to talk.
They sat there a while longer, and then Danny sighed and stood. “We'd better go back in before Josh and Corbin worry too much.”
Cindy rose and fell into step beside him as he headed for the entrance. “Are you going to be okay?”
He flashed her a wry look. “If I'm not, at least now you know what'll happen and why.”
She smiled and prayed he'd be okay for the rest of the evening. She'd help again if he needed it, but she hated seeing him freak, as Lacey had put it. The poor guy had been through so much, and she doubted she'd heard even the beginning of it.
They returned to the waiting room to find more people sitting in the padded wooden chairs and Corbin looking worried. Josh ran his gaze over Danny and Cindy as they sat down, and Danny raised his eyebrows. “Have you heard anything yet?”
“Yeah, they're having to triage the surgeries thanks to really bad luck and not enough ORs or surgeons,” Corbin said with a sigh.
“Monique's been shoved to the bottom of the list because she's in the best shape,” Josh added. “They don't know how long it'll be until they get to her.”
“That reeks.” Danny glanced around the room. “How many people do they have ahead of her?”
“Four.” Corbin cast a glare at the group for the gunshot victim. “My baby's sick and in pain, and they're making her wait because of morons who can't drive and think the best way to solve an argument is with a semi-automatic. There should be a law that says stupidity gets you put on the bottom of a triage list regardless of how much blood you're losing.”
“At least one of the people ahead of your wife is an innocent bystander,” Josh said quietly.
Corbin groaned and leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees. “I know. I'm just frustrated and worried about Monique.”
“They've got her on heavy-duty antibiotics and painkillers,” Josh said, laying a hand on Corbin's back. “They're also monitoring her closely. If she gets much worse, she'll get pushed up the list. She'll be okay, man.”
“I just wish they'd cut that appendix out of her before it ruptures. She's sick enough without all that junk hitting her bloodstream.”
“They'll get it out of her as soon as they can. Try to relax.”
Corbin nodded but didn't say anything. Cindy could see how hard it was for him to be patient with his wife so sick. She wanted to offer him some kind of comfort, but she knew nothing she said would help. All she could do was be there, pray, and help Danny stay calm enough to give his friend moral support.
****
The surgeon finally came out to talk to Corbin sometime after three. Cindy watched the tension leave Corbin's shoulders as he listened to the doctor, and she breathed a prayer of thanks. He wouldn't relax if it were anything but good news.
The doctor left the waiting room, and Corbin returned to his seat. “She's out of surgery and doing fine. The operation was a little more complicated than they anticipated, but the doc says she came through with flying colors. They're getting ready to take her up to a room now.”
“Are they going to let you see her tonight?” Danny asked.
“Yeah, the doc said I can see her for a few minutes before I go home.” Corbin stood and stretched. “You guys can go upstairs with me or leave. It's up to you. I appreciate you staying here as long as you did.”
Josh spoke as he rose from his chair. “I'll stay until you're ready to leave.”
“Me, too.” Danny glanced at Cindy. “Unless you want to go back to the dorm now.”
She shook her head, unwilling to leave before the others. “I'll hang around here until the rest of you are ready to go.”
She and Danny joined Corbin and Josh as they headed into the hall. Corbin fell into step with Cindy as they walked toward the elevator.
“You know, I didn't expect you to stick around this long.”
She gave him a tired smile. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn't hang out at a hospital 'til after three in the morning?”
“The sane kind?” Josh said with a laugh. “Corbin's right, though. I'm not sure any of us expected you to stick around.”
“You just don't know me well enough, apparently. Staying at the hospital for hours when a friend's wife is having surgery is part of who I am. So is offering babysitting for free, if said friend needs it.”
Corbin reached out and pushed the call button for the elevator. “Said friend appreciates the offer, but Lacey's got it covered for the moment. And Monique's parents will be here tomorrow⦠later today⦠however you want to say it.”
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. Corbin pressed the button for the third floor, and the group leaned on the walls as the elevator started moving. Cindy couldn't remember the last time she'd been so tired, but she'd made a commitment to stay however long these guys needed her. From the looks of them, they were just as exhausted as she was. The caffeine in the coffee in the surgical waiting room had long since stopped having an effect.
A quick stop at the nurses' station let them know Monique hadn't arrived yet, so they went to the waiting room. Corbin leaned against the wall by the door; Josh sprawled on a couch. Cindy curled up in a chair only marginally more comfortable than the ones downstairs, and Danny stretched out on the other couch. It seemed like an eternity before someone came to tell Corbin his wife was in her room. He followed the nurse into the hall, but the rest of them didn't move.
When Corbin returned, he released a weary sigh. “She's sleeping peacefully. Let's get out of here.”
Everyone slowly rose. Cindy was ready to fall asleep where she stood. A glance at a clock on the wall let her know it was a little after four. She'd been awake for over twenty hours. Just the thought made her even more tired.
As they headed out of the hospital, Corbin spoke. “Do you guys want to crash at my house for what's left of the night since it's closer than campus? That way you don't have to drive quite as far.”
“Sounds good to me,” Josh said.
Danny turned to Cindy. “I'll leave it up to you.”
She shrugged. “I'm too tired to care. If you don't want to drive back to campus and walk three-quarters of a mile or so from the freshman lot to the dorm, I say we accept the offer.”
“That description is enough to convince me I don't want to go back to the dorm tonight.” He shifted his gaze to Corbin. “Looks like you get two more guests.”
“Fine by me. I'll dig out blankets and pillows when we get there, then you're on your own to find a place to sleep.”
They split up in the parking lot. Five minutes later, Danny pulled up to the curb in front of a small two-story house. Josh parked behind them, and Corbin pulled into the drive. After Corbin let them into the house, he disappeared upstairs and returned a couple of minutes later with a stack of pillows and blankets, which he dropped on one end of the tan L-shaped sectional in the living room.
“Feel free to sleep however late you want,” he said as he turned toward the stairs. He paused at the base and pointed to a hall leading toward the back of the house. “Cindy, the bathroom's the first door on the right. Kitchen's at the end of the hall. If any of you want breakfast when you get up, go ahead and eat whatever you can find.”
He went upstairs, and Josh handed out pillows and blankets. Danny took the recliner by a bookcase, and Cindy kicked off her sneakers and laid her cell phone on the floor beside them before stretching out on one side of the L-shaped sectional. Josh followed her example and took the other side as she settled under the soft blanket.
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Cindy slowly opened her eyes to Corbin's living room, and then remembered it was Friday. She had a class at eight. Retrieving her cell phone from the floor, she turned it on to check the time. Ten thirty. Then her phone's battery gave out.
“Well, shoot.”
Josh stirred at the other end of the sectional. “What's wrong?”
“I missed my class.” She sat up and stretched, noticing Danny had vanished. Her roommate's paranoia came to mind. “Do you think Corbin would mind if I borrow his phone to call my roommate? My cell just died, and she's probably convinced I'm dead in a ditch somewhere since I didn't go back to the dorm last night.”
“He won't mind. There's a phone on the wall just inside the kitchen door.”
“Thanks.”
She headed down the hall and drew in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of fresh coffee. Danny sat at the kitchen table, a steaming mug in front of him. He looked remarkably alert given the late night, and she gave him a questioning look. “How long have you been awake?”
He checked the clock on the microwave. “About an hour. Why?”
“Just curious.” She spotted the phone and lifted the receiver. “I need to let my paranoid roommate know I didn't actually get lost.”
“You want some coffee?” he asked as she dialed.
She gave him a smile. “Sure.”
He poured her a cup as Leann picked up. After Cindy assured her roommate she was alive and well and would be back on campus at some point, she hung up and accepted the mug Danny held out. “Thanks.”
Josh entered the kitchen and headed for the coffeepot. “Corbin still sleeping?”
“No, he's in the shower.” Danny returned to his seat at the table. “He said he was going to grab a bite to eat, then head for the hospital.”
Josh nodded, pouring a mug of coffee. “Has anyone talked to Lacey this morning?”
“Yeah, Corbin called her.” Danny took a sip of his coffee as Cindy sat down across from him. “She's going to take Delario up to the hospital this afternoon to see his mom. Corbin talked to him and explained about Monique having to stay there for a couple of days.”
Josh set his mug on the table then pulled out a chair and dropped onto it. “I bet that was interesting. I can't imagine explaining emergency surgery to a five-year-old.”