My brows drew down. I didn’t like her brushing off the idea of medical attention. If she weren’t pregnant, I might’ve let her off the hook, but we weren’t leaving here until she agreed to at least a basic evaluation.
“Talk to me, Lucky. Tell me what happened.”
Fresh tears filled her eyes before spilling over, and she choked out, “Papers.”
“Papers?” What the hell was she talking about?
Instead of Penny explaining, Jeremy spoke. “Um, I picked these up earlier.” He offered me a handful of loose papers along with a manilla envelope.
Frowning, I read the contents and saw fucking red.
Goddammit, that son of a bitch!
As much as I wanted to tear Jake limb from limb, I was more angry at myself.
I should have seen it coming. I fucking would have if I hadn’t been so hell-bent on putting my blinders on the minute we left Rust Canyon.
There was no hiding from this. I was a fool to think that was even an option.
“EMTs coming through!” A shout accompanied heavy footfalls as medics raced to the scene.
The sea of bodies parted to let them through, and when Penny saw them, she shook her head violently. “I-I said I’m f-fine!”
It would have been a hell of a lot more convincing if she hadn’t hiccupped her way through the four-word sentence.
Sensing her agitation, the two uniformed men slowed their approach.
“Hey, there.” One of them knelt beside us and placed a hand on his chest. “I’m Thomas. What’s your name?”
Penny glared daggers up at me. I knew she hated the fuss, but I wasn’t budging on this.
“Penny,” I answered for her.
Thomas’s eyes lifted to meet mine. “And you are?”
“Tripp. Her husband.”
He gave a firm nod. “Got it.” Assessing Penny visually, he elected to continue speaking to me since it would seem my wife wasn’t in the mood to cooperate. “Call we got through dispatch said something about a collapse? And that she’s pregnant?”
I swallowed roughly. “Yes. She’s a little shy of twelve weeks. I wasn’t here when it happened, but from what I gather, this was more of an emotionally induced collapse, but I still want her checked out.”
“Of course,” he agreed. “I’d feel the same way if it were my wife.”
Penny sniffled. “You have kids?”
A genuine smile split his face. “Yes, ma’am. Three of ’em under five with another on the way this fall.”
“Sounds hectic,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood in hopes it would soften Penny up enough to consent to a medical exam.
Thomas chuckled. “We have our hands full, that’s for sure. But our house is bursting with love, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.” Pausing, he shifted his attention to Penny. “It would set my mind at easeif you’d at least let us take your vitals. We can do it right here if you want. You wouldn’t even need to set foot inside the ambulance.”
Penny twisted her neck around to peek at me before answering, “Okay.”
Blowing out an exaggerated breath, Thomas pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead before flashing her a relieved grin. “Whew. You had me worried there for a minute.”
When he extended a hand, his partner passed over a black bag that served as their portable medical kit. Rifling through it, he pulled out a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff.
Placing the earbuds of the stethoscope into position, he asked, “Mind if I take a quick listen to your heart, Penny?”
