Carbs & Cadavers by J. B. Stanley

Author:J. B. Stanley [Stanley, J. B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery, Humour
ISBN: 9780738709130
Goodreads: 604535
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Published: 2006-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

James drove his Bronco as fast as he could down the dark, slick roads of Quincy’s Gap, heading for the Shenandoah Valley Memorial Hospital. Back on the rainy slopes, he had hesitated to move Whitney, but after listening to what sounded like awfully shallow breaths, James checked her neck for any obvious breaks or injuries and loaded her into the Bronco. He could reach the hospital in the same amount of time it would take the paramedics to arrive at the scene.

At the moment, James was questioning the wisdom of his actions. He knew nothing about medicine and was filled with fear that he had caused Whitney more harm than good. After wrapping her in a woolen blanket and laying her as gently as a wounded bird in the back seat, her shallow breathing developed a liquid sound that bothered James immensely. His focus was torn between the road and the nearly inaudible sounds of life coming from the seat behind him.

Once the Bronco reached the highway, James was able to pick up speed. A luminescent moon broke through a collection of spidery clouds and momentarily illuminated the shadowed horizon. James used the eerie moonlight to dial 9-1-1 on his cell phone. He alerted the dispatcher that he would be arriving at Shenandoah Memorial with a seriously injured woman within ten minutes.

“Can you identify the extent of her injuries, sir?” the dispatcher asked calmly.

“No, but her breathing is funny—it sounds wet—and her color isn’t good. She’s way too pale.”

“Does she respond when you speak to her?”

James shook his head and then remembered that he was on the phone. “No,” he spoke so low that it was almost a whisper. “She can’t hear me.”

He was greatly relieved to see a team standing by as he pulled up to a screeching halt in front of the red Emergency doors. Two male nurses whisked Whitney onto a gurney and rolled her into the recesses of the hospital before James could even close the Bronco’s back door.

“I’ll just park!” he feebly called after one of the nurses and drove into the parking garage. As he pulled into a space in the nearly empty facility, his hands began to shake. Staring at them as if they were foreign objects, he noticed traces of wet dirt mixed with dried blood on his fingers. It was apparent that the shock of finding Whitney had finally set in. Without thinking about what time it was, James pulled out his cell phone again and dialed the only number his distressed brain could concentrate on.

“Hello?” a voice croaked.

“Lucy? It’s James. I’m sorry to call so late. I . . . I just . . .”

James could hear Lucy sit up in bed. Next, he heard the switch of a lamp being turned on. “James? What is it?” Lucy’s voice seeped into James’s ear like a balm and he immediately felt himself clinging to her like a lifeline.

“Something awful has happened.” He paused, letting his emotions take charge of his words. “Could you come be with me? I need a .

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