The Switch (22 page)

The call to the home where a woman had been beaten made Danny nervous, as such calls often did. The police arrived on scene and went in first to verify that the home was safe, then the firefighters and paramedics went in with their equipment. Some of the guys grumbled that they had to wait to see the patient, especially since it sounded as if the injuries were serious, but Danny had no intention of flouting protocol. They couldn’t help the patient if they had to fight off an attacker.

They found a woman in her forties with spiky apple-red hair, and multiple cuts and bruises on her face. Her eye was already swelling shut and she hugged her right arm to her, which had a disfigurement in the lower half, indicating a break. “Hey, my name is Danny, can you tell me where you hurt the worst?” he asked as he knelt by the woman’s side.

“My arm, my stomach.” She didn’t mention her face, so the abdominal pain must have been severe.
 

Danny did a quick head-to-toe assessment, finding a flail chest indicating broken ribs on the right side, abdominal pain, though there was no swelling there yet, and bruises all along the woman’s back and shoulders in addition to the things he saw when he first walked in. James started an IV while Danny did the assessment and one of the other guys took the woman’s blood pressure on her lower leg, since they couldn’t do anything with the broken arm. A fourth guy prepared splinting equipment and they got ready to load her on the gurney.

When Danny heard the back door open behind him, he turned away from the patient to see who it was. A tall, bald guy in his thirties, covered in tattoos and with a mean smile, grabbed Danny’s shoulder and twisted him back. “What do you think you’re doing? Get away from her.” Then he pulled back his other arm and popped Danny in the face with his fist.

The patient screamed, one of the firefighters called out a warning a little too late, and pain blossomed on Danny’s cheek.

The impact was like running into a brick wall and Danny saw his vision go dark for a moment before the light started to creep back. He felt the hand on his shoulder move away as some of the guys grabbed the attacker and pulled him off. There was noise and commotion, but when Danny’s vision returned, he saw one officer sitting on the attacker and cuffing him, reciting the Miranda rights.

“You okay?” James asked from the other side of the patient. “You’ve got a gash.”

Danny gingerly touched his cheek and his fingers came back wet with blood. He didn’t think he’d pass out, so he brushed James’ worry off. “I’ll live. Let’s get out to the rig.”

In three minutes they had the patient loaded and headed for the ambulance. As Danny climbed into the back with the patient, he thought if Tia had been looking an excuse to worry about him getting hurt on the job, this should do it for her. He’d been lucky the guy hadn’t used a knife instead of his fist.

That was not a pleasant thought.

When they arrived at the hospital, the duty nurse took one look at Danny, grabbed his arm and led him to another exam room. “What happened to you?”

“I’m fine. I just ran into a guy’s fist.” Danny tried to smile her concern away, but it hurt the cut on his cheek.

“I figured that out. What were you doing fighting?’

“I wasn’t fighting. I got sucker punched.” He winced as the nurse used an alcohol wipe to dab at his cheek. It stung white hot. “Really, I can clean that up back at the station.”

“You could, but you won’t. The guy must have been wearing a ring; you’ve got a cut on your cheek. It’s going to need stitches.”

“James mentioned it, but it didn’t bleed much, so I didn’t worry about it.” He could feel the cheek swelling and his face still throbbed.

“Numbness is your friend right now.” She grabbed a pen light and checked his eyes. “Concussion, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Can’t be. I’m fine.” But now the adrenaline from the call was wearing off, he felt a tad woozy.

“You’re not fine, Mr. Macho.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Why is it the paramedics think they’re invincible?”

Danny sighed. No way would the captain let him go back to work today.

When Stu stuck his head into the room and got the update from the nurse, he confirmed Danny’s fears. “Take the rest of the shift off. James already called your girlfriend to pick you up.”

Danny eyed the doctor as he entered, picked up the syringe with lidocaine in it to numb his cheek. “Great. Perfect. I love freaking her out.” He closed his eyes as the doctor drew closer with the needle. It was one thing to put an IV in someone else’s vein; it was something else entirely to have someone sticking one in your cheek. Still, he gritted his teeth and put up with the quick sting. It was nothing compared to what he would endure if Tia couldn’t handle his injury.

* * *

Tia grimaced as she pulled to a stop in the hospital parking lot. James hadn’t given her many details, just that Danny was going to be okay, but he was attacked on a call and was being treated. The thought that he could have been shot, could be dead or seriously injured had made her heart clench. She’d called Nichole to sit with the girls, who were already in bed.

She crossed the parking lot in long strides, anxious to see Danny for herself, to know he was all right. She couldn’t imagine what her life would be like without him, how she would have coped these past months without his support and listening ear. This had been a revelation, though she’d been telling herself that the love she’d felt creeping closer wasn’t that strong, that she could still back away.

Now knew she couldn’t.

The ER was busy, but the doctor Tia and Danny had spoken with months earlier stood at the counter.

“Hi,” Tia came to a stop a few feet from the doctor. “I’m here to pick up Danny Tullis.”

“Oh, yes. I remember you. Danny’s in room four.” She gestured down the hall. “Go on down. He should be ready to leave soon.”

“Thanks.” Tia turned, sucked in a breath to steal herself for anything and strode into the room.

Danny lay on the bed, a bruise growing on his cheek, a set of stitches taped up across the cheekbone. His eyes were closed, his face a bit paler than usual—or was that her imagination? She wasn’t sure. Her fingers trembling, she reached out and slid her hand into his upturned palm.

His eyes flashed open and a smile spread across his face.

“Hey, there,” she said, reassured by his smile. “James called me. He didn’t tell me you’d have a shiner. Any other injuries?” She fought to keep her voice light and teasing, pushing back the worries that rose inside her when she thought of him getting hurt at work.

“Just my pride. The guy sucker punched me.” He sounded far more put out that he hadn’t seen it coming than over the fact that he was hurt.

She reached out, ran her thumb along his jaw, then leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss to his bruise. “I’m told kissing things make them better.”

“In that case, I hurt right here.” He tapped his lips.

She smiled, bussed her mouth over his, and pulled back to look at him again, playing with his hair with her free hand.

“I actually hoped for a little more than that.” He gave her an exaggerated look of disappointment.

“Well, if they hurt, I didn’t want to make them worse.”

“Your kiss helped; I think another one would make a big difference.”

She laughed, loving this man more every minute. “You’re such a guy.”

“Guilty as charged.” He took her hand from his hair and pressed a kiss to her palm.

Tingles spread up her spine and her heart flopped over. “How long until they cut you loose?”

“Should be soon.”

A woman in green scrubs walked in. “Soon means now. If I can get a signature here,” she handed a clipboard to Danny.

He took it, signed. “I didn’t check myself into the ER, you know. Someone dragged me into here and whipped me into submission. I think I deserve a discount.”

“Don’t worry; the department is picking it up.” She waved her free hand. “Wounded in the line of duty and all that.”

He brightened. “Do I get paid disability?”

The woman laughed. “Dream on. Unless your concussion is
much
worse than we expect, you’ll be good to go by the time your next shift starts. More or less.”

“More or less?” Tia asked, concerned.

The nurse turned to Tia. “There are sometimes residual problems from concussion that last for months, but his isn’t bad, so they would be mild and short-lived. Don’t worry about it.” She glanced back at Danny, though she continued to speak to Tia. “You can take Prince Charming home, now. He shouldn’t be alone tonight. Someone needs to check on him every couple of hours.”

That was problematic since Tia needed to get home to the girls. “Thanks, I’ll see to it.”
Somehow.

Danny grabbed his jacket, which was slung over a chair in the corner. “Now there’s an idea I can get behind.”

“Me waking you up every two hours?”

“Me waking to your beautiful face.” Now he was upright he took her shoulder and slid in for a real kiss hello, causing her to lean against him, just grateful he was okay. “Too bad we’ll have to make alternate arrangements,” he told her when he moved away.

“Yeah.” They exited the hospital and climbed into her car.

“What do you want to do about your car?” she asked as she pulled onto the road. “It’s still at work, right?”

“Yeah, but it’ll keep overnight. I’ll get someone to pick me up and take me back to the station tomorrow. Maybe after you get off work?”

Tia smiled. She’d like that. It seemed their lives were becoming ever-more intertwined. She wondered for a moment what it would be like to marry Danny, to make a family together, and she was comforted to find she could see it.

She took him to his apartment, fussed over him, made sure he had what he needed, lingered over several kisses, then promised to call every couple of hours to check on him.

It had been so long since Tia had visited Dr. Losee that she’d lost hope of hearing back, so her call was a surprise.

“Hi, this is Dr. Angela Losee.” The doctor greeted after verifying with whom she spoke. “I’ve been thinking about what you said when you visited me and I just found the scrapbook I told you about. I thought you might like to see it.”

Tia gave the cake batter bowl one last scrape and banged the spoon on the side of the cake pan. “Yes, I’d love to come by. When would be convenient?”

When she hung up a few minutes later, Tia called Nichole and made arrangements for the girls Wednesday evening. Maybe this was another dead end, but there must be something in that scrapbook, or the doctor wouldn’t have bothered to call. She told herself this was true, hoped it was. She didn’t think she could handle another dead end.

* * *

Dr. Losee lived in a three-story home over the border into Kansas.
 
It didn’t take long to find the home: brick, Victorian, though in this part of town, Tia doubted it was anywhere near a hundred year old, never mind from the 1800s. It had stained glass windows over the doors and half circles of stained-glass over the windows. A warm glow diffused through the colored curtains making the windows shine like jewels in the darkness. It was still too early for crocuses, but Tia imagined the bright buds would show soon in the flower beds.

The doctor opened the door seconds after Tia rang the bell, as if she’d been standing nearby, anxious. Her friendly smile reassured. “Hello, Tia. Come on in. Would you care for anything to drink?”

“No, thank you.” Tia took the offered seat on the sofa and folded her hands on her lap so they wouldn’t shake and she wouldn’t fidget. “Thank you for calling. I had given up on hearing from you.”

“I knew I had this scrapbook sitting around somewhere. It took a while to unearth. I’ve been busy.” Dr. Losee sat beside her.

“I’m sure you have. I appreciate you keeping me in mind and working me into your schedule.”
Get on with it, lady
. Tia didn’t want to appear too anxious, to rush her hostess, especially when Dr. Losee was doing a favor, but she wanted the details so she could move on with anything that looked promising.

As if she read Tia’s mind, Dr. Losee reached for a vinyl binder. “This is from my daughter’s birth.”

She began flipping past pictures of her growing belly. Then they came to a page of baby shower photos. “The girls at work threw a bash for me at the hospital. It was a total surprise when they caught me in the staff room after my shift.” She began pointing to the women in the photos, giving their names, which were listed to the side and the department where they worked. “Lois Millward worked in OB for a few months. I think she had moved on to another department by the time you were born, but you could check. And Glena Parry only worked there part time; she filled in when there were holes in the schedule. I think she had another job somewhere else.”

“Wait, Glena Parry?” Tia looked more closely at the picture and smiled when she saw the snapshot of the young woman. “She’s my grandmother. I didn’t know she worked at the hospital. She spent so many years at the nursing home. She only retired a few years ago. And she’s enjoying her free time.”

“That’s nice. I liked your grandmother a lot. She had a tough time, what with her husband’s death when she was still so young, and being a single mother.”

Tia nodded. She understood what that was like, though she was much younger than her grandmother had been, and was starting to think maybe she was done being really alone. Perhaps, in the not-so-distant future, she might have someone coming home to her at the end of a work shift. The thought made her smile.

Dr. Losee moved on to the next woman on the page, and Tia scribbled down names as they went. They flipped through the rest of the book and she managed to add one or two more people she could look into.

“I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me,” Tia said as she stood fifteen minutes after she arrived.

“You’re welcome. I hope you find your answers.” Dr. Losee offered her hand.

“Thanks.” Tia shook with the doctor and let herself out. Her mind whirled. The doctor had provided updates on name changes and moves if she knew them, but it was pitifully little to go on. Maybe, Tia thought, she should go to her grandma and see what she remembered.

* * *

Glena welcomed Tia with open arms when she showed up on the doorstep a while later.

“Hi, Grandma. How are you doing this evening?” Tia asked, giving her grandma a big squeeze.

“Just fine, child. Come on in. I wasn’t expectin’ you tonight.”

Tia stepped into the warm, cozy room. “I know. I’ve been out taking care of errands and was headed home. Your place was on the way, more or less.” Less mostly. “And I thought I’d pop by to see how you are.”

“I’m doin’ fine.” Glena sat in her customary brown lounger. “These old bones aren’t as spry as they used to be.”

“Are you kidding?” Tia teased. “You could dance circles around me.”

Glena’s laugh was deep and throaty. “How are things goin’ for you?’

“We’re doing well.” She took a deep breath. The last time she’d brought the subject up, Glena hadn’t been happy, but she needed the information. “Actually, I spoke with a doctor a few minutes ago. She said you knew each other when you did temp work at the hospital, Dr. Losee.”

Glena paused for a moment, considering, then nodded. “Really? I remember her. Sweet woman. She has a daughter about your age.”

Though Tia was nervous and a little upset that her grandma had been keeping this all a secret when she might have helped find the answers sooner, there was no point agitating Glena, so she tread carefully. “So she said. We looked at a scrapbook of her pregnancy and birth, her daughter’s first year or so.”

“That’s nice, but why’d you go see her?”

Nervous, but not willing to back down when she finally had something to go on, Tia pushed on. “I’ve been wondering who else worked at the hospital when I was born. Specifically in labor and delivery.”

“Honey,” she shook her head, disapproval on her face. “Haven’t I told you it’s a waste of time?”

Glena’s insistence on that point bothered Tia. She wasn’t able to keep the irritation out of her voice. “Yes, and I suppose that’s why you never mentioned that you did temp work there.” She twisted her fingers in her lap. “Why didn’t you say something? You know how important this is to me.”

Glena waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t work there very long. Just a few months, and not very often, neither. It was one of those passin’ things. I needed a little extra money for somethin’ and the hospital needed some help. I barely remember it.” She adjusted herself in the chair and crossed her ankles. “Now, you tell me how everythin’ else is goin’. I want to hear all about those little girls of yours, and that hunky man you brought by. When you gonna marry that boy, anyway?”

Tia seethed over the omission, but after a moment she managed to rein in her disappointment and anger at Glena’s response. She was an old woman and completely set in her ways. If she didn’t want to talk about it, there was nothing Tia could do about it.

Tia decided she wasn’t going to get anything useful out of her grandmother and set it aside for now. She kicked off her shoes so she could fold one leg under her in her chair. Might as well settle in for a nice chat. She’d try again in a few weeks if the information she’d learned that day didn’t lead anywhere.