SEIZED, A Romantic Suspense Novella Read Free Page B

love.
     
    “You ready to count?” Karen asked, pulling Judy out of her momentary reverie.
    “Sure.” She pulled out her pen and the count sheet to do the preoperative surgical count of instruments, suture needles and cloth sponges known as laps, while the surgeons draped the patient and adjusted the surgical lights with the sterile light handles.
    “Let’s move it, people. This man’s lost enough blood. Let’s not let him lose his leg, too,” Dr. Hodges said, holding out his hand for the scalpel from Karen and staring pointedly at Judy as if she were the cause of the man’s injury by following protocol.
    Well, he could just get his tighty-whities in a knot all he wanted, she had one more thing to do before Karen would hand him the knife. Judy grabbed the chart and flipped to the surgical consent and looked at the patient’s name band to confirm. “This is Gregory J. Klein—”
    “We all know who this is, Nurse Edgars,” Hodges rudely interrupted. “Everyone in the state of Ohio knows Senator Klein’s son. We need to start the case. Knife. Now.”
    He held out his hand expectantly, but Karen ignored him.
    Judy narrowed her eyes at the surgeon. “Karen will give you the knife after we complete the timeout, Dr. Hodges, per hospital policy. If you didn’t interrupt, she’d have handed it to you already.” She took a deep breath and started again. “Gregory J. Klein, no known allergies, for repair of gunshot wound to right upper thigh, site confirmed and marked. Patient received antibiotics just now and no other medical complications noted. Is this agreed by everyone?”
    Dr. Smith, Karen and Bill, the nurse anesthetist, all agreed. Finally, Hodges held out his hand once more and said, “Yes, now may I have the knife before the patient dies on the table?”
    Karen slipped the knife into his hand.
    “That policy is so needless when we can see the injury,” Hodges complained as he made the incision near the bullet wound on the patient’s thigh.
    Judy called out the surgery start time and met Karen’s gaze across the OR table. They were thinking the same thing. Arrogant surgeons ignoring policy was how patients ended up with the wrong leg amputated.
    “I need saline, when you have a chance,” Karen said, giving Judy something to focus her aggravation on other than Hodges’ back.
    “Got it,” she said and stepped out the OR door into the hallway. Snagging a bottle of saline from the blanket and fluid warmer, she hurried back to the OR, nearly stumbling over the mop and bucket of the housekeeping orderly.
    He caught her by the elbows. “Careful, Ms. Judy.”
    “Didn’t see you there, Paul.” She smiled as he released her. “Busy night tonight. Did they call you in, too?”
    “Sort of was on my way in, anyway.”
    Judy paused for a moment, watching him saunter slowly down the hall. Something wasn’t quite right with him. Then she noticed his attire. “Paul, you forgot your OR hat and boot covers.”
    “I’ll get right on that,” he said, turning toward the exit doors where they were stored.
    She shook off the odd feeling that he wasn’t his usual self today. Normally, Paul was quiet and courteous, almost to the point of being part of the scenery. Later, she’d have a talk and see if there was something wrong at home, but right now, she needed to get back in her case before Hodges blew his last fuse.
***
    “Hemostat,” Hodges said, holding out his hand expectantly.
    Karen slapped an instrument into his hand, her gaze meeting Judy’s over the table then she looked at the clock. Judy knew what she meant.
    Twenty minutes to midnight. They’d been at this for nearly two hours and the surgeon still wasn’t near closing.
    Hodges loved to teach the residents as he worked. Problem was the man couldn’t talk and stitch at the same time. He also loved the sound of his own voice. Apparently the bullet had torn through the Sartorius and Rectus Femoris muscles, narrowly missing the femoral artery,