Saved by the Rancher

chapter Forty-Four


JENNA WOKE IN the emergency room, people all around her. Someone was cutting off her clothes and a man next to her issued orders with machine-gun rapid-fire precision. He said something about an X-ray and she panicked. She grabbed his coat and yanked, despite the pain in her hands. He leaned down and she whispered, “Baby.”

“What did you say? Can you say it again?”

She took a deep breath, and although it hurt her throat and ribs, she said, “Baby.”

The doctor locked eyes with Jenna and she nodded yes.

“No X-ray. Let’s get an ultrasound machine in here,” he ordered a nurse, who rushed to get the machine. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything is fine. I’ll give you something for the pain, but it won’t hurt the baby. Do you know if you have any broken bones?”

Jenna couldn’t even attempt to speak again. She shook her head no and her heavy eyelids drooped. The doctor barked more orders, but she drifted off into blissful numbness.



SAM JOINED CALEB, Summer, Lily, and Jack in the waiting room after he spoke to the sheriff about finding David Merrick.

“What did the doctor say?” Sam whispered to Caleb.

“Jack’s waiting for an update. The emergency room people have been very closed-mouthed so far.”

“The sheriff contacted Merrick’s lawyers,” Sam explained. “They’re already spinning things, saying Merrick is on his honeymoon and Jenna is trying to cause trouble for her ex, jealous of his new wife, shit like that. If David has a solid alibi, it’ll be the same story, her word against his.”

“Lily saw him,” Summer volunteered.

“Who’s going to take the word of a three-year-old?” Jack frowned and shrugged at his little niece. He believed her, but he wouldn’t put her through that kind of scrutiny. Furious, Jack wanted Merrick found, so he could kill him.

“When will they give us word on Jenna?” Summer asked, worried.

Jack wouldn’t be okay until he saw Jenna, and the doctors told him she would make it. “They won’t say, and they won’t let me see her. Something about a complication they weren’t expecting when she came in. Covered in mud, dirt, and blood, I couldn’t tell how bad she was hurt. God only knows what he did to her out in the woods.”

“They’ll clean and patch her up, and then they’ll let you see her,” Sam assured him. Jack wasn’t so sure he believed Jenna’s wounds wouldn’t be severe, if not life-threatening.

The doctor came into the waiting room a few minutes later. Jack closed the distance in two long strides. He introduced himself, but before he could get any further the doctor spoke to Summer.

“I’m Doctor Weber. I know you’re all anxious to hear what I have to say about Jenna. She’s very upset at the moment, and I need some answers so I can calm her down. Are you Lily?” he asked Summer.

“I’m Lily.”

“Jenna’s asking for you. She’s very concerned. Would you like to go see her? Maybe she’ll respond to treatment better if she sees you.” Addressing the group, he added, “I’ve never seen anyone in Jenna’s condition so determined to find out about another person. She wakes up agitated and demanding answers.”

“I’ll go see her. Is she really sick? Did you give her a pokey shot?” Lily asked with a deep frown.

“I’m afraid I gave her several pokey shots to help make her better.”

“Did you give her a lollipop for the shots?”

“No, but I’ll try to find one for her,” he said, unable to ignore Lily’s earnest question.

“Okay,” Lily said, satisfied.

Doctor Weber bent down in front of Lily and spoke directly to her. “I don’t want you to be scared, but when you see Jenna, she might look different than you remember. She was hurt very badly, and she has some cuts and bruises. Do you understand?”

“Yeah. Does she look like she did when she came to stay with Uncle Jack?”

The doctor gave Jack a questioning, worried glance at hearing Jenna had suffered similar injuries in the past. “She looks bad, and I don’t want you to be afraid. Jenna is very upset and wants to know that you’re safe. Okay?”

“Okay.” Lily needed some reassurance and glanced up at her Mom and Dad. They nodded their encouragement. Jack felt much the same as the doctor. It might not be a good idea for Lily to see Jenna, but Jenna needed to see Lily to put her mind at ease.

“I’m not sure about this one,” Doctor Weber said. “Does anyone know about a ring?”

“I have the ring,” Jack said, relieved he could give that back to her. “The paramedics were concerned about her swollen hands, so we pried it off her in the ambulance.”

“She wants it back. In fact, she’s quite adamant about getting it back.”

“I’ll be sure to give it to her as soon as you let me see her. How is she? What kind of damage did he do to her?”

Summer grabbed Lily and walked down to the nurse’s station away from the doctor and his evaluation of Jenna’s injuries.

“She’s severely dehydrated. We’re giving her IV fluids, and she should recover from that quickly. She’s got two severe lacerations along her ribs on her left side that took quite a few stitches to close up. She has a gash on the back of her head, which also required several stitches. The head injury resulted in a severe concussion and a cracked skull. I don’t know how she’s survived that injury out in the woods overnight in the cold. Those are her worst injuries. Other than that, she has bruises and cuts all over. The bruises and abrasions around her throat are particularly severe. She’s in a lot of pain.”

“You’ve given her something for the pain though, right?” Jack didn’t want Jenna to suffer anymore. He couldn’t stand to think of her enduring any more pain.

“Acetaminophen. She simply refused anything more. She’s very strong and seems to be enduring the pain. I have to go by her wishes.”

“Why won’t she take anything? Can’t you put it in her IV? Take the pain away. That’s your job!”

Undeterred by Jack’s outburst, the doctor simply answered, “I have to go with what she wants. Maybe once you talk to her, you’ll understand. You can go in and see her now. She’s extremely tired and might not wake up, but I think it would do her a world of good to see Lily and the rest of you.

“Also, she needs rest, so only two visitors at a time and for a few minutes only. We’ve cleaned her up and bandaged all the wounds. You may want to warn Lily again before bringing her in.”

“Thanks, Doc. Is there anything else we should know? I feel like you’re holding something back.” He just wasn’t sure what it was, or why.

“She’ll have to tell you the rest, doctor-patient confidentiality. She’ll need to stay here for a few days, at least until we’re sure her concussion is healed.”

The doctor left the waiting room, onto his next patient, leaving Jack confused about the things he hadn’t said. Patient confidentiality. Bullshit. Jack needed to know what wasn’t said.