Colton Holiday Lockdown by C.J. Miller

Author:C.J. Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-11-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Gemma dropped the phone and raced to the virus wing. With quaking fingers she dressed in her protective suit, hating she was losing precious seconds. Her patients had been stable when she checked them a few minutes ago. Had she been distracted and missed a critical symptom? Too tired to be sharp? She had spoken with Jessica and hadn’t noticed anything.

She had promised Jessica she would be okay and Gemma could not break a promise to a friend.

Finally in her gear, she entered the virus wing through the double door enclosure. Dr. Rand was in Jessica’s room.

“Patient has low oxygen levels. Her lips were blue when I came in,” Dr. Rand said.

“Did the oxygen sensor alarm?” Gemma asked, wondering how long Jessica had been lacking oxygen.

“Her pulse ox wasn’t on her toe. It was on the floor,” Dr. Rand said. “It’s lucky I was here. I decided to look in on every patient, otherwise...”

He didn’t need to finish his statement.

He was holding an oxygen mask over Jessica’s face and Gemma took it from him. Had she knocked her friend’s sensor off her foot? That wasn’t like her. Had she made a mistake that would cost her friend her life?

* * *

Gemma was raw and shaken when she exited the virus wing. Dr. Rand had stabilized Jessica and Jessica had woken for a time. Her vitals were stable and she didn’t appear to have suffered any severe neurological impacts from her oxygen deprivation, but time would tell.

They would keep Jessica under close watch for the next forty-eight hours. Gemma had to call Tom and let him know what had happened, but she needed someone to talk to first. She had gone over and over the time she had spent with her friend and she remembered checking the monitors. Had she bumped one on her way out? Pulled a cord free? Missed an alarm? Had the ventilation system misfired?

Rafe’s office door was unlocked and his office was vacant. She sat at his desk and lifted the phone receiver. She could call her brothers. She could call Anand. But she wanted to talk to Rafe. He answered his cell on the first ring.

“Strange receiving a call from my office,” Rafe said.

At the sound of his voice, she felt tears spill down her cheeks. “Everyone is okay now, but something bad happened to Jessica.”

“Tell me,” Rafe said.

She explained about her rounds and what Dr. Rand had found when he’d gone in for his follow-ups. “Thankfully, Dr. Rand was there. What if I had reported no issues? Would Jessica have suffocated in her room?”

“You are a good nurse. I am glad Dr. Rand was there too, but this is not your fault. Jessica could have kicked the sensor off. She could have had a seizure and the sensor disengaged.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Gemma said. Could the Dead River virus have caused the oxygen deprivation? They hadn’t seen the symptom in any of their other patients yet.

“It’s hard caring for friends and family.

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