“Is he awake?” Kristi appeared wearing blue scrubs, a wide smile on her face. “Welcome back. I am so happy you’re still with us. Are you in pain?”
He nodded.
“I’ll be right back.”
Samantha stayed with him. “They got the bullet out, along with some fabric from your shirt. The bullet nicked a small artery. That’s why you lost so much blood.”
“The posterior humeral circumflex artery,” Kristi said from the other side of the curtain. “We had to give you six units of blood.”
“They said that your carrying me, going down the ladder to the ice tunnel, and fighting with thatbastarddid more damage and made the bleeding worse.”
Kristi ducked inside the curtain, injected something into his IV. “You had also developed an infection, so you’re getting IV antibiotics for that. Luckily for you, you had the best medical team at the South Pole at your side.”
Samantha rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile on her lips. “That’s theonlymedical team at the South Pole.”
“But, hey, we’re top-notch. Decker’s a trauma surgeon. I’m an ER nurse. I have to say, I never thought I’d be treating GSWs—gunshot wounds—here.”
The pain in Thor’s shoulder began to fade. “Thank you, Kristi—for all of it.”
“You’re welcome. Now that you’re awake, maybe you can tell Samantha to get back into bed. She’s been sitting at your side all morning, so I made her wear a wool hat. She’s still a little hypothermic. Hardin or Delaney or whoever he was fractured her cheek, so she’ll be our guest for another day or so. You are both lucky to be alive.”
It touched Thor to think that Samantha cared enough to sit by his side, but she needed to heal, too. “How do you feel?”
“Now that you’re awake, I’m fine.”
“Liar.” Kristi put a pulse oximeter on Thor’s right forefinger.
“Okay, so my cheek hurts. I’ve got a perpetual headache. My fingers are all tingly, and I can’t seem to stay warm.”
That didn’t sound good to Thor. “You should do what Kristi tells you to do.”
“See? You’re a smart man, Thor. Do what the RN tells you to do.”
“I’m fine. Besides, every time I fall asleep, I have nightmares.”
“Aw, sweetie. I’m so sorry.” Kristi rested her hand on Samantha’s shoulder. “But that’s why God invented sedatives.”
“He injected me with that midazolam. I don’t want to feel helpless again.”
“Fair enough.” Kristi turned to Thor. “Do you want me to let Malik and Lev know you’re awake?”
“I want a few minutes alone with Samantha first.”
Kristi nodded. “I’ll be out here charting and pretending I can’t hear you.”
Samantha looked down at him, tears filling her blue eyes. “I was so afraid I’d lost you. I … I care about you, Thor.”
Maybe it was the morphine, but he heard the words she’d intended buthadn’tspoken. They struck something tender inside him, unleashing emotions he’d never felt for a woman. “I care about you, too,skat. I’m so happy to see your face. I thought it was over for me. I just wanted to stay alive long enough for Jones and Segal to reach you.”
A tear slid down one cheek. “I would never have gotten over it if you’d died. I would never be able to forgive myself.”
“None of this was your fault—or Patty’s.”
She nodded, but the anguish on her face remained.
“I’m sorry about the nightmares.” He knew from personal experience how rough bad dreams could be. He reached up with his good hand, brushed a strand of blond hair off her bruised and swollen cheek. “I should have kept you safe. I should have—”
“You almostdiedsaving my life.” She turned her head, kissed his palm. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.”