Page 25 of The Cowboy’s Secret Lover

Six

Faith scrolledthrough the findings from Erin’s most recent testing. As a nurse, she always sought the positive in each patient’s case. As she looked at the images, she found little to give her hope. Even if Kurt qualified for the national rodeo competition, and even if he won the million-dollar prize—surgery in a few months might not be enough to save Kurt’s daughter.

Erin no longer needed an ablation meant to regulate his heart. Her weak valve had collapsed and needed to be repaired—or possibly replaced. Nobody in Bear Creek had the expertise needed to perform the surgery. The town was just too small—it wasn’t like San Diego, where valve replacement was commonplace.

That meant that Erin would need to be transported to a larger city. Was the young woman strong enough to survive the trip?

Faith knew that she’d have to be honest with Kurt. His sadness would be overwhelming, and her chest constricted with a profound emotion he had yet to feel. She looked at an image of Erin’s heart again, and the valve that had collapsed.

Handing the computer back to the nurse on duty, Faith said, “Thanks, Steve. I need to make a call. If Kurt comes out, tell him I’ll be right back.”

“Sure thing,” said Steve.

Faith hustled from the critical care unit to a lounge reserved for medical staff. Several sofas, upholstered in pink and gray fabric, sat around the perimeter of the room. There was a table and chairs, a small refrigerator, and a window that overlooked the parking lot. At the time of night, it would be common to find an overworked residence sleeping on one of the couches. Thankfully, the room was empty tonight. Because what Faith was about to do wasn’t exactly ethical—and it definitely didn’t follow hospital protocol. More than that, it broke some rules—well, a lot of rules.

Hadn’t Aunt Milly told Faith that she’d always been a great follower of the rules? Is that why Faith stood in the middle of the room, staring at nothing? Was she petrified to break with protocol? And what was it that really left filled with worry.

Was it that Faith didn’t feel as if she could make a mistake? Was it because if she did, then others would know that she wasn’t perfect?

Yet, if Erin’s life was going to be saved then something drastic had to be done—the consequences be damned.

After fishing her phone from her purse, Faith pulled up the contact number for a cardiologist she worked with in California. As the phone began to ring, she realized that it was after 10:00 p.m. True, it was a little late. Then again, she wasn’t making a random call. Without the help of Dr. Ortega, Erin Crawford would die.

“Hello,” said Dr. Ortega, as she answered the phone. “Faith, is that you?”

“I’m sorry for calling so late,” she said. “But I have an emergency with a patient, and you’re the only one who can help…”

* * *

Faith spent almostthirty minutes on the phone with Dr. Ortega. The older woman listened as she described the case and best of all, promised to help. There were other obstacles to be overcome, for sure. But Faith had cleared the first hurdle. Placing the phone back in her bag, she returned to the critical care unit.

Steve looked up as the door open.

“Where’s Kurt?” she asked.

“He’s still back with his daughter,” he said.

“Any changes?”

“She’s still stable.”

Before she could ask anything else, Kurt came out of Erin’s room. “I heard your voice and figured I’d come out.”

To Faith, it looked like Kurt had aged a decade.

“How is she?” Faith asked.

“You tell me,” said Kurt. “You all are the nurses.”

They both turned to Steve. He had all the information. “The doctor has put her on a medication meant to keep her heartrate steady. It seems to be working, so that’s good news.”

“Is there bad news?” asked Kurt.

Steve shrugged. “It’s only available intravenously and has to be administered round the clock.”

“How long will the medication keep her stable?” Faith asked.

“As far as I can tell,” said Steve. “Her heartbeat will be regulated indefinitely. But that creates two problems.”