“Jermaine got in the way trying to get out of the way,” I started.“Stab wound from a shank.Now he has a sucking chest wound and probably a hemothorax.”I removed the shirts I had balled up to control the bleeding and immediately Jermaine started breathing easier, confirming the suspected lung injury.
I snagged a pair of trauma shears that shouldn’t be near my reach and started cutting off Jermaine’s shirt.I needed to get to the wound.
Nadine moved to Jermaine’s side, using sterile water to wash the site carefully so we could see the wound underneath the blood.Once cleaned, I examined the wound as best I could.
Dr.Martinez handed me a pair of gloves.“I called for an air ambulance, but this guy’s going to need immediate intervention.”
“You got a chest tube kit?”I glanced at Dr.Martinez while Nadine placed an occlusive dressing over the wound to keep air from rushing into Jermaine’s chest cavity with every breath he took.Too much air trapped between the lungs and the chest cavity would compress the lungs and be even more deadly than the current situation.
“I do.You realize you can’t legally do this.Right?”
“I’m more than happy to assist you, Dr.Martinez.”
“And you know very well you’re way the fuck more qualified to do this procedure than I am,” she snapped.“Just do it.But if you fuck this up, I will totally throw you under the Goddamned bus.”
I snorted.“No, you won’t.”
“Don’t test me, Pain.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”I stepped back out of the way as Nadine and Dr.Martinez prepped the area while I washed my hands and put on a clean shirt.This was what we did.It felt so much like an ER I could almost make myself believe the last few years had been a bad dream.Except the ER came with its own set of problems I tried to avoid at all costs.The inappropriate humor in that department had kind of offended me at one time.The energy in Emergency Room was vastly different from Surgical Departments.If I ever saw any of my old colleagues again, I’d have to apologize.Or something.
Thirty minutes later, I had the chest tube inserted and Jermaine was visibly looking better.From what I heard, the helicopter was here but still trying to make it through security.Such was life in prison with a medical emergency.
“I can’t offer you much, man,” Jermaine said, grabbing my hand in his, “but I’ll have your back as long as we’re in the same facility.”
“Just look after Chuck when you get back.”
“Yeah.Poor kid don’t stand a chance.”
I stepped back as the flight team came in and swiftly took over.Dr.Martinez filled them in and took over and I moved back to my little area to change my clothes -- again -- and wash my hands.
“Dr.Raven?”
I turned at the sound of Nadine’s soft voice.She sounded hesitant, but the fact that she’d approached me at all told me it was important.“Thanks for your help earlier, Nadine.”I smiled at her over my shoulder as I put on an orange top over my white T-shirt.“What can I help you with?”
She blushed and ducked her head.This side of Nadine always made me smile.She was so like the girl I’d observed five years ago.Out there, when she had to interact with anyone on a professional level, she was all business and confidence.I could already tell she was a good nurse, but today had proven to me exactly how competent and capable she was.
“I just wanted to say thank you.Dr.Martinez could have done that procedure, but she didn’t want to.She says it’s not fair to think we can do procedures on prisoners if we’re not a hundred percent confident in our own abilities.”She lowered her gaze.“I like that she thinks that way.Not all the staff here do.”
Instantly, I was on alert.I knew Grayson was guilty as sin of multiple things -- I was taking care of him -- but if he’d threatened or hurt Nadine, I’d kill the motherfucker in front of God and everyone as a warning not to fuck with my woman…
Fuck.
Fuck!
I was so Goddamned fucked as to not even be fucking believed.
Guess Knuckles was right after all.And I’d have to make sure that fucker, Roberts, knew to warn everyone off.
“What do you mean, Nadine?Has someone threatened or hurt you?”
She immediately shook her head.“No.Not me.”
“I know about Grayson,” I said without further discussion.“What I want to know is, has he threatened you?I know he intimidates you.Saw it the first day I was here.”
“Yeah.He does.But no.He’s never threatened me.I feel threatened sometimes, but he’s never said or done anything overt.I think it’s a warning to keep my mouth shut about his extraactivitieshere.”
I turned slowly, careful not to get in her personal space, even though I really wanted to.Not to intimidate her or even to drive home a point.I wanted in her personal space because I had a right to be.I wanted her to welcome me, to expect that I’d pull her close when I was near.And, Christ!Now that those thoughts were in my head, I knew I’d never be free of them.
