Debra Webb - Tremors

Damn. His entire body hardened. What was wrong with him? He didn’t usually go gaga over any dame. Not this kind of gaga anyway. He didn’t mind a serious case of lust—hell, he appreciated the hot, tingly feelings. The searing release that good, hot sex brought could only be called incredible. But this case of lust had stuck with him far longer than it should have. Lust was supposed to wear off after a few thorough sessions in the sack.

What the hell was the problem here?

He refused to consider the other four-letter word that tried to pop into his mind. The only L word he liked being acquainted with was l-u-s-t. Fast and furious and red-hot. That’s the way he liked his short-term relationships, if he could call them relationships.

It was best for all concerned.

Plenty of physical pleasure without the emotional entanglements.

Lisa should be glad. He’d done her a favor.

Joe pulled into the emergency entrance of the hospital. As he’d anticipated, the place was buzzing with activity. He parked in the only remaining slot, which thankfully put them within a few feet of the entrance.

“This isn’t necessary,” Lisa insisted, breaking her long silence. “The doctors and nurses will be busy with real emergencies.” She turned to him with a plea in those baby blues that twisted his gut all over again. “Just take me to the clinic. I need to check on the animals.”

“I’m sure your pal Greg has everything under control.” He made the statement with a little more sarcasm than he’d intended. There was something about Greg Seaborn that irked the hell out of Joe.

Climbing out of the truck, he hurried to the passenger side. Lisa didn’t waste time arguing further. The man was completely hardheaded. She slid out when he opened her door, noting achy muscles for the first time. The little wave of dizziness had also set off a throbbing in her skull.

Maybe Joe was right. As he led the way through the chaos of the waiting area, she gently kneaded the right side of her head. She had herself a dandy lump. Made sense, now that she thought about it. She’d obviously been unconscious for a time after the earthquake hit. Considering the dizziness and the downright awful feeling in her stomach, a concussion was quite possible.

She wasn’t sure how Joe managed the feat, but the next thing she knew, she was being hustled into a treatment room. The nurse promptly told Joe he would have to wait in the lobby.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Joe said, smoothly countering the nurse’s instructions, his charming voice as silky as ever. “You see, this patient is my responsibility.”

Lisa resisted the urge to roll her eyes, especially considering that her entire skull was now pulsing on the verge of one hell of a headache.

The nurse looked from Joe to Lisa and back. “Well, in that case, you can wait in the corridor outside the room.”

Joe smiled widely for the flustered nurse. “Yes, ma’am.”

The smile he directed at Lisa before slipping out the door melted every ounce of irritation she’d managed to dredge up on the way here. How did he do that?

“You just relax, Ms. Malloy. The doctor will be in shortly.” The nurse moved on to her next patient. How many others were there? Lisa didn’t want to consider how many lives might be lost…how many injuries there were.

She reclined on the treatment table, thankful that she could lie still and close her eyes. She didn’t want to think about the damage the earthquake had done to Courage Bay, or how many of the animals at her clinic had been injured. She didn’t want to think at all right now.

As the nurse said, the doctor came in quickly and put her through a typical screening. He, too, worried there might be a mild concussion.

“Let’s send you up to radiology,” Dr. Winslow concluded. “Just to make sure there are no surprises.”

Lisa tensed, chewing her lower lip. She couldn’t ignore the possibility—not now. The risk was too great. “This may be a false alarm…” Her heart all but halted in her chest as she blurted in a near whisper, “There’s a chance I could be pregnant.”

For the space of two beats she held her breath, wanting desperately to snatch back the words. But there was no going back now. The idea that Joe stood right outside that door made her pulse skip.

The doctor smiled. “Let’s get some blood work, then.”

Lisa relaxed marginally. Okay. She would soon know. She needed to know. She’d put off finding out for too long.

Dr. Winslow moved on to other patients, and within moments of his departure, a lab tech arrived to take the necessary sample. To keep her mind off her own reality, she asked about other patients. According to the tech, the E.R. had been filled with people involved in automobile accidents related to the quake and others who’d been rescued from office buildings and homes. Lisa took some solace in the fact that there had been no fatalities reported as yet. She silently thanked God for looking out for Courage Bay’s citizens.

The lab tech assured her that results would be back stat, but Lisa waited what passed like a lifetime for Dr. Winslow to return to the treatment room with the final word. Joe still waited in the corridor. Suddenly Lisa felt very tired. The nurse had popped back in with something for her headache. She had assured Lisa that it was safe to take the pain medication. Lisa understood what she meant. Safe, regardless of the test results.

Oh, God. If she was…

The clues had been there for the past two weeks. But Lisa felt certain she’d been in deep denial.

“Well, Ms. Malloy,” Dr. Winslow said as the door closed behind him when he entered the treatment room at last, “I’ve got your results.”

“Lisa,” she insisted. Though she and Brad Winslow didn’t know each other well, they’d met once or twice. His wife, Emily, had been thrilled when he’d brought her by the clinic to pick out a dog from among the ones Lisa had up for adoption. Every child needed a pet, and Emily and Brad wanted their baby to grow up with a dog.

He managed a half smile. “Lisa.” A slight blush rose from his crisp white collar. “Based on your screening, I’m certain there’s a mild concussion, but unless your symptoms worsen, we’ll forgo an X ray or scan for now. However, I would prefer that someone stay the night with you to monitor symptoms. If there is even the slightest change for the worse, I need you back here ASAP. I don’t have to tell you that any kind of skull fracture is very serious business.”

Lisa nodded. She knew very well what he meant.

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