A Soldier's Promise (Crystal Lake Series Book 2) (2 page)

“There’s no one to call,” he said flatly. “Lexi and I are on our own.”

She swallowed hard and nodded, desperate to reassure him. “All right, but try not to worry. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

He didn’t let it go. “Promise me. If something happens, I want you to look after her. Don’t let strangers take her away. Promise!”

___________

Derek knew he probably sounded like a lunatic, but he didn’t care. The pain along the right side of his chest was bad, far worse than he’d let on, and after what the petite brunette nurse had said about the possible damage to his lung, he was very much afraid that, once they’d completed the scan, they’d whisk him off to surgery.

He’d downplayed his injuries because he didn’t want to stay overnight in the hospital, unless, of course, Lexi needed to be observed. No matter what, he was not going to leave his daughter. Lexi had already been through so much, more than any six-year-old should have to handle. With her mother dead and buried, she needed him now, more than ever.

If only he’d stopped for something to eat earlier, he wouldn’t have been driving through the intersection at the same moment as the idiot who’d run a red light, slamming into them.

“Daddy?”

He turned his head, hiding a wince, to look at his daughter. True to her word, the pretty nurse—what in the world was her name?—had gotten Lexi into a wheelchair and brought her over to the side of his gurney. He forced a broad, reassuring smile. “Hey Lexi, how are you feeling?”

Her solemn gaze didn’t waver from his. “Fine,” she whispered. “Can we leave now?”

If only they could. He’d been all set to leave without the scans until the nurse had mentioned the possibility of a cracked spine. At this point, he needed to know exactly what he was dealing with. Besides, he needed to be sure Lexi was all right, and if that meant getting a scan first, so his daughter could see it wouldn’t hurt, then that’s exactly what he’d do. He held his daughter’s gaze, holding his smile in place. “Afraid not, baby-doll, first we have to get checked out by the kitty-cat machine.” Lexi wasn’t easily distracted, especially when she wanted something. But that didn’t stop him from trying.

“I don’t want to stay here.” Lexi’s eyes, blue like his, revealed a hint of fear. “It’s scary.”

The pretty nurse, he couldn’t read her name on her ID badge because his vision was blurry, another tidbit he hadn’t fessed up to, came over. “Lexi, we need to make sure your daddy’s not seriously hurt. So we’re going to take him for a CT scan, but you can watch from behind the glass the whole time, all right?”

Lexi barely spared the nurse a glance. He wanted to apologize for his daughter’s behavior, but there was no point, since Lexi had no idea she was being rude.

“Okay, let’s go,” the woman said in a cheerful voice. She went behind Lexi’s wheelchair to push her forward, while his gurney was maneuvered by a tall guy who was likely some sort of orderly. When the gurney went over a bump, he had to clench his teeth against a surge of pain. He focused on the nurse, who was talking to Lexi.

“We’ll be finished with these scans in a half hour, Lexi,” she was saying in that same cheery tone. “See the clock on the wall up there? It’s seven o’clock in the evening. Do you know how to tell time?”

Derek was surprised when Lexi’s head moved in a barely discernible nod. His daughter was listening, even if she didn’t appear to be paying attention.

“The big hand is on the twelve, and we’ll be all finished before the big hand gets down to the six.”

Lexi glanced at the clock but said nothing more. The lack of response didn’t stop the nurse’s rather one-sided conversation, and he was grateful she didn’t pass judgment on his daughter the way so many others had.

The way Lexi’s grandparents had.

The CT scan didn’t take long, and as soon as they were finished looking into his head, he talked briefly to Lexi, reassuring her. Then he had to stay quiet until the rest of the scan was completed. When the scan was complete, he heard the nurse encouraging Lexi to take her turn.

His daughter, bless her stubborn heart, wasn’t too keen on the idea. When he saw Lexi’s wheelchair come closer, he turned his head toward her. “Lexi, we can’t leave until I know you’re safe and healthy. The kitty-cat machine doesn’t hurt. All you have to do is to close your eyes and let them take pictures. Once I know you’re fine, we’ll leave.”

He could see the instant flare of protest in the nurse’s eyes at his rash promise, but he glared at her, silently threatening her not to contradict him. She pressed her lips together firmly but didn’t say anything.

Lexi finally agreed to the scan, and he watched protectively as the nurse allowed his daughter to climb down from the wheelchair and up onto the CT table by herself. He had to give the woman points for being astute—she seemed to instinctively know that Lexi wouldn’t tolerate being touched or carried by a stranger.

After the orderly came back to push his gurney out of the way, his nurse crossed over. She locked her gaze on his and spoke in a low tone. “Derek, the lower lobe of your right lung has collapsed. Dr. Allen needs to put a small catheter in between your ribs to re-inflate your lung.”

“Can he do that right here? Or do I have to go to the operating room?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“He can do that right here, but it’s going to hurt.” Her large chocolate-brown eyes held sympathy.

“Let’s get it done fast, then, before Lexi is out of the scanner.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” she confessed. When she leaned closer, her nametag came into focus. Julie. He remembered now, her name was Julie. The pretty name somehow fit her dainty frame and cheerful personality. “I need to prep the side of your chest, first, okay?”

“Go for it,” he said. “Just hurry.”

She hadn’t been kidding about the pain, but surprisingly, once the procedure was over, the fire in his chest felt better. The pain wasn’t gone, not by a long shot, but breathing was certainly was easier.

“Now just a quick X-ray of your arm and your chest to make sure your lung has re-inflated, and you’ll be set for a while,” Julie informed him.

“No other internal bleeding?” he asked. Even though he had no plans of staying, he wanted to know exactly what he was dealing with.

“You have a hard head, but luckily, no sign of intracranial bleeding, although you do have a small concussion. You also have two cracked ribs and a bruised spleen, but no other internal bleeding was found. And Lexi’s scan is complete too. Rick, our orderly, is bringing her back here momentarily. Her scan was completely clear. You and your daughter are very lucky to have escaped serious injury.”

“Great.” The relief was nearly overwhelming. Once he would have thanked God, but not anymore. Not that he thought God would listen to him anyway, considering the way he’d taken Lexi and bolted out of St. Louis in the dead of night. But no matter what, he wasn’t going to take Lexi back.

The urge to keep moving was strong. They couldn’t afford to stay in one place for too long.

He focused his gaze on Julie. “We are lucky, but we’re finished here. I suggest you get our discharge paperwork started, because we’re leaving as soon as possible.”

Chapter Two

Derek watched Julie’s brown eyes widen in horror. “What? You can’t leave, not with a chest catheter in place. We want to keep you overnight, to make sure your concussion doesn’t get worse.” Her distress was obvious. And maybe, if circumstances had been different, he might have considered staying.

But he needed to protect Lexi.

No matter what.

“I’m not staying here overnight.” Slowly, he sat upright on the gurney, mentally prepared this time for the pain slicing through his chest. He swung his legs over the side, hiding the stab of pain the best he could. “Since Lexi’s fine, we’re leaving. We missed dinner, and I’m sure she’s hungry.”

To his amazement, Julie planted her hands on her slim hips and stood directly in front of him, staring him down. “Oh, really? And how do you plan on leaving here? On wings? Because from what I heard of the crash, your vehicle isn’t drivable.”

He momentarily closed his eyes, belatedly remembering that inescapable fact. Okay, so they couldn’t drive off to another town, but that didn’t mean they had to stay at the hospital. He opened his eyes and focused on Julie. “Where’s the nearest motel?”

“Mr. Ryerson, the closest motel is in Crystal Lake, about ten miles away, but it’s the height of the tourist season, not to mention Friday night of a holiday weekend. Why don’t you just stay here at the hospital for one night? That way, we’ll know for sure you’re stable enough to leave.”

He shook his head. “No thanks. I know my rights—you can’t keep me here against my will. I need some clothes. And would you mind if I borrowed your phone? I’d like to call the motel, regardless. Maybe they had a cancellation.” The alternative—staying here—was almost too much to bear. He didn’t want Lexi to end up in the child welfare system, or worse, with her grandparents again. His daughter was staying with him, end of story.

Julie let out a heavy sigh. “It’s easy to see where your daughter gets her stubborn streak.”

He ignored the jab, keeping an eye on his daughter, who was staring at him with her usual unblinking gaze. “Lexi, we’re going to leave as soon as we sign off on some paperwork, okay?”

She gave another of her tiny nods.

“I have to let Dr. Allen know you’re planning to leave AMA,” Julie muttered. At his questioning glance, she added, “Against medical advice.”

Julie left, and he stayed sitting upright at the edge of the gurney, although he wanted nothing more than to lie back down, because now his head was throbbing in sync with his ribs.

“Daddy.” Lexi reached out and put her small hand on his bare knee. “You’re hurt.”

Sometimes he forgot just how smart his daughter was, when she hid behind her wall of silence. “Not that bad, baby-doll. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

The doctor came into the cubicle, a frown furrowed between his brows. “I hear you’re planning to leave AMA.”

“Look, Doc, I don’t have insurance, and with my daughter here depending on me, I can’t afford to stay. So cut me a little slack, would you? Surely it’s safe to discharge me.”

“Did you forget about the catheter we left between your ribs to keep your lung inflated?” the doctor asked dryly.

Well, yeah, maybe he had. He bit back a surge of impatience. “Okay, how long does the catheter need to stay in?” he asked. “As a former soldier, I know a little about field medicine. I’ll pull it out myself in a couple of days.”

The doctor scowled but then relented. “Look, I’ll agree to discharge you, but on the condition you come back tomorrow, so I can at least look you over one more time. If your lung is good, I’ll take the catheter out. No charge,” he added hastily when Derek opened his mouth to argue. “A free follow-up visit isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

Since Lexi was still watching him with her eerie, unblinking stare, he nodded in agreement, more for her benefit than his. “Sure Doc, no problem. Whatever you say.”

“Good.” The doctor stared at him for a moment, as if unsure whether or not to trust him. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours’ worth of narcotics, to hold you over until you can get the prescription filled. Julie will be back soon with your scripts and your discharge paperwork.”

He hoped she’d also bring scrubs and a phone, too. He nodded even though all this movement was making his head hurt worse, but he had no intention of giving them any reason to keep him here. If they knew how bad he really felt, they’d prevent him from putting one foot out the door.

Julie didn’t come back for a good ten minutes, and when she did, her smile was strained. “There’s a deputy who wants to see you before you leave.” She set a clean pair of scrubs on the gurney next to him. “Once you’re finished with the police, I’ll be back with my phone.”

Police? He froze, trying to think rationally. The last thing he wanted to do was to talk to the cops. What if they knew about Lexi and hauled him to jail? He didn’t have to talk to them, did he? Before he could say anything, Julie disappeared, and a cop strode in.

“Mr. Ryerson? My name is Deputy Thomas. How are you and your daughter feeling?” The deputy looked young, not even close to his thirty, and he found himself hoping that the guy’s youth might work in his favor.

“We’re fine. Just a bit bruised. What happened to the driver of the pickup truck?”

The deputy scowled. “He’s been arrested. I need to ask you a few questions so I can finish up the accident report.”

His gut tightened at the thought of answering a bunch of questions. How long before Claire’s parents found him? Did they already have an AMBER alert out for Lexi? No, surely not. He was Lexi’s legal guardian.

For now.

“I see from your registration that you’re from St. Louis, Missouri,” Deputy Thomas said. “Whatcha doing way up here in Crystal Lake, Wisconsin?”

He could feel beads of sweat rolling down his spine. “Taking a summer vacation with my daughter,” he answered easily. He sensed Lexi moving closer to him, and he put his arms around her slim shoulders. “Friend of mine recommended Crystal Lake.”

“Really? Who’s your friend?”

He swallowed hard. “Jake Strawn. He lives in Chicago, and he spent some time up here a few years ago.” Jake Strawn had been a soldier in his platoon, and he did live in Chicago. The rest was a slight stretch of the truth.