Kira’s heart quickened, pushing away the edges of fatigue. She grabbed a pair of protective gloves and pulled them on.
“Stab wound—left side,” one of the medics shouted, his voice steady but strained. Not Mack. This was one of the older paramedics. “Severe laceration, possible punctured lung. BP’s dropping.”
Her attention caught on the inmate’s face, his dark eyes on her for a second.
Alden Jenkins.
Thank You that it wasn’t Mack who responded. As an EMT, he’d have had to recuse himself if he knew the patient personally. None of them could work on someone they knew. It was far too dangerous.
Kira’s training kicked in. “Bay two. Get him on the monitor.”
Alden lay there, pale and gasping for breath. Blood soaked the bandage wrapped around his midsection, a dark, ominous red that contrasted sharply with his ashen skin and the orange jumpsuit.
“Sir, can you hear me?” Kira leaned closer, trying to capture his attention. His eyes fluttered open, revealing a flicker of stronger awareness, but it quickly faded. She could see the fear lurking behind his pain, a primal instinct begging for survival. “We’re going to help you. Just hang in there.”
Jenkins didn’t respond.
She grabbed the edge of the sheet. “Ready?”
The medics, the nurse, and even one of the corrections officers mirrored her movements. “Go.”
They transferred the patient to the hospital bed, and the medics wheeled out the gurney. Kira caught a glimpse of the corrections officers as her gaze darted from them to the monitors. His heart rate is plummeting. One of the corrections officers was a burly man with a tattoo snaking down his forearm below the dark blue of his uniform shirt. He stood with his arms crossed, his eyes scanning the room. The other officer, younger and visibly shaken, stood behind the nurse and watched the inmate with a mix of concern and detachment.
“What happened?” Kira started working on the bandage.
“Alden Jenkins,” the tattooed officer replied, his tone clipped. “The former mayor. Conspiracy to commit murder, fraud and other charges I can’t recall right now. I’m surprised you don’t know who he is. Figured everyone did.” He sniffed. “The judge deemed him a flight risk, so he’s with us awaiting trial.”
Kira didn’t need him or anyone else here to know of her personal connection. Not that she’d ever met Jenkins. “Okay, so what happened?”
“He got stabbed.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his tone and focused on the task at hand. “Let’s prep him for surgery. We need to stabilize him fast before we send him upstairs.” She looked at the nurse. “Call the OR. Tell them to get ready.”
The nurse rushed out of the bay. Kira worked with precision, her fingers moving deftly as she inserted an IV line. Her mind calculated the next steps even as chaos swirled around her and the patient moaned.
He was barely conscious now, his eyes fluttering open.
Hammer. Rowan. Was he across the other side of the hospital with no idea his stepfather was here? She wanted him to be the one to tell Mack that Jenkins was here. She should contact Luca and have him pass on the information. He’d know the best way to break the news.
She touched Alden’s shoulder and spoke, whether he could hear her or not. “Mr. Jenkins, we’re going to take you to surgery. I need you to fight.” Despite what he’d done, she believed that.
After all, everyone deserved a second chance. That meant he had to be around to accept it.
The younger corrections officer stepped forward, what remained of his bravado cracking. “Is he going to make it?”
Kira met his gaze, searching for the right words.
Barbara rushed back in. “We’re doing everything we can, but he’s in critical condition. We need to move quickly.”
The officer nodded, the weight of his job pressing down on him.
Barbara said, “They’re ready upstairs.”
Kira took a deep breath and motioned for the team to roll Jenkins to the elevator. As they wheeled him away, she knew this was more than just another trauma case. There was a story behind the blood. A life intertwined with choices that had led him here. And for the first time in a long while, she knew the people affected by the pain. The ones who would have to navigate the aftermath of what had happened.
The younger corrections officer glanced at her, and the elevator doors slid closed.
She whirled around and rushed to the locker room, digging her cell phone out and sending a text to Luca to come to the hospital if he wasn’t here, and find her in the emergency department so she could tell him something important. She didn’t want to tell him that Jenkins might not make it over text, but she needed him to come urgently.