Libby put her hands to her mouth, the words not coming. She was so relieved they were both safe. But what stunned her was the way her baby was looking out for Tom.
A door slammed, and a familiar figure stood behind her. A strong arm slid possessively over her shoulder, pulling her close to his chest and her breathing jump up a notch as her drenched body leaned into his.
“Don’t you ever listen, sweetheart?”
She could only shake her head as her eyes filled with tears. Her baby was safe. That’s all that mattered right now.
“We need to get him into Charleville Hospital.” Nathan held her close for a moment. “I’m just going to go check and make sure the roads are clear and not flooded before we leave.”
He let her go and ran to the house. Libby put her hand out and stroked Holly’s hair, just relieved to be able to touch her again.
“It’s okay, Mum.” Holly’s face was serious. “The doctors can fix it, you know.”
Tom opened his eyes.
“Sorry, Libby.” He groaned and screwed up his face in pain. “Didn’t mean to worry you like this.”
“Shh, Tom. Don’t talk. We need to get you fixed up before we do anything else. Nathan’s checking the roads, and then we can go. Lay back and rest.”
She turned as Nathan came running back, threw his hat on the seat beside him as he jumped into the truck. Libby shut the back door and went to climb in the front beside him. Looking over his shoulder, he spoke to Tom. “You okay, mate? Doc said he’ll be waiting for us. He’ll fix you up.”
“Let’s get this over and done with, then.”
Libby slammed the door and Nathan turned to her. “What are you doing?”
“If you think I’m staying here, you’re sadly mistaken,” she said. “This is my family, and I’m going with you.”
“Molly.” He wound down the window. “Look out for the boys. We’ll see you back here when we can.”
Nathan drove out of the yard, going slow so as not to jar Tom’s shoulder.
“The roads are clear for now, but the water is coming up fast.” He looked at Tom in the rearview mirror. “Doc Harvey is waiting for us. We may not be able to get back home if this water keeps coming up as fast as it is though.”
The water was coming up higher over both sides now, and the only clear patch was in the center of the road. The water almost topped their wheels, but none of it worried Libby. She took it in her stride now that she knew Tom, Holly and the were safe. It took them a long thirty-five minutes to get to the hospital. As Nathan drove through the red brick pillars of the old medical building, he slowed the vehicle and let out a large sigh.
Libby looked over at him and noticed the tight, white line around his mouth. Of course he’s anxious. He’d known Tom for most of his life while she was the new kid in town. Her heart went out to him. She realized she hadn’t even thanked him for finding them.
Before she could get her words out, he pulled up at the front door and leaned on the horn.
The door opened, and a man wearing blue scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck sprinted out in the rain to the truck. His tousled, gray hair and black-rimmed glasses gave him a serious look. Nathan got out and opened the door closest to Tom. Libby turned in her seat and watched as the doctor quickly assessed the older man.
“I’d like to give him some morphine before we move him, Nat.” The doctor held his fingers on Tom’s pulse. “The pain would be too much otherwise. I think you’re right about it being dislocated though. Hang on there, Tom, I’ll get you some pain relief and then get you inside.”
The doctor ran back inside and came out a moment later with a small, covered dish in his hands. Ripping open a sterile swab he wiped it over Tom’s wrist, he inserted a cannula and taped it down to hold it in place. Then he took a small bottle and needle from the tray and holding it up to the light, drew clear liquid down into the syringe. Next, he inserted the syringe into the cannula and deployed the plunger. While they watched on, he took a pen from his pocket, and wrote figures on the tape holding the needle in place and waited as the morphine took the edge off Tom’s pain.
“Ready to go, Tom?”
“Sure, Doc, when you’re ready.” Tom mumbled a few more words that got lost in the noise of the rain beating down on the roof.
Doc Harvey motioned to a nurse in the doorway who promptly came out to the vehicle with a gurney. With Nathan’s help, they shuffled Tom out of the car and onto the waiting stretcher. Libby followed with her arm around Holly while Nathan was by Tom’s side, helping the doctor guide the wheels over the rough road to the entrance of the ER.
Chapter 8
They whisked Tom through to the examining room, and Nathan showed Libby to a chair where he sat down beside her, his head leaning back on the wall. She rested with Holly on her knee, arms wrapped around her tight. Having everyone safe made her feel weak with relief. Tom wasn’t seriously hurt, and for that, she would be eternally grateful. Once his shoulder was put back in, he’d have to go easy but eventually he’d be as good as new.
Her body started to tremble, and she had trouble getting her breath. Libby was afraid she was going to pass out until she felt Holly move from her knee
