Adam's Promise Read online

  Once Liza had settled onto a chair with a cup of tea, Kate ventured back toward Adam’s room. The team still worked over him, but Kate saw his hand move, and her heart lifted. He was alive. For now.

  Freed from hiding her emotions, Kate allowed tears to roll down her cheeks. She brushed them away with her fingers and captured enough courage to go through the doorway. “Is he—”

  Robert Fletcher nodded. “You saved his life…again, Kate. He’s coming around.”

  She buried her face in her hands and wept while her prayer of thanksgiving soared to heaven. But questions still rocked her sense of relief. What had happened and why? Then another question struck her. Who?

  As she turned to go, Robert Fletcher called her name and she turned back.

  “I want to talk with you in a minute.”

  Kate pointed down the hallway. “I’ll be at the nurses’ station.” She left and hurried down the hallway, eyeing her patients’ rooms and making sure another nurse had taken over for her. She’d been so grateful when a new colleague had seen her distress and offered to help.

  Liza was standing by the doorway when she returned. “How is he?” Her pale face was blotched with fear.

  “Dr. Fletcher said he’s coming around. I think he’ll be okay.”

  “What happened?” Liza asked.

  Kate swallowed her confusion. “I don’t know. The doctor will be here in a minute. Maybe he can tell us.”

  Pulling herself together, Kate returned to her patients and carried on her duties until the doctor beckoned to her from a doorway to follow him. Instead of returning to the nurses’ station, he took her into the floor kitchen next door.

  “Kate, I don’t want Adam’s mother to hear this right now.”

  She felt her stomach recoil at his words. “What is it?”

  “As you know, Adam had a narcotic overdose. I need to talk to the nurse who cared for him today. Look at his chart.”

  Kate took the clipboard from Robert Fletcher’s hand and scanned the information. “He’s had two powerful injections in less than an hour. Who would do this?”

  The doctor shook his head. “Who is his nurse?”

  “Grace Roth. She’s worked here for years. I can’t believe she’d make a mistake.”

  “I need to talk with her. Would you ask her to come in?”

  Kate’s pulse raced as she left to find Grace.

  When she located Grace, the woman’s face paled, but she followed Kate to where Robert Fletcher was waiting.

  Kate left them alone and checked in with the nurse handling her patients, then hurried back to Adam’s room.

  Liza was already there, sitting beside her son, her hand covering his. Adam slept while one of Kate’s colleagues worked nearby checking his IV. Kate stood in the doorway until she finished, then came into the room.

  Liza looked at her with tear-filled eyes. “This is almost more than I can bear. I’ve asked the Lord to keep him safe, but—”

  “You have to trust God. I know it’s difficult and we don’t always understand His purpose.”

  Liza nodded. “I know. It’s just…” She lowered her head, letting the sobs flow freely.

  Kate gave in to her own grief. “I can’t imagine how this will serve anything good, but we only see through blinded eyes. One day we’ll understand.”

  But Kate wanted to understand today. She bent over Liza and pressed her cheek against the woman’s graying hair. Her usual rosy cheeks had paled, and anger swelled inside Kate. She agreed. Why would the Lord let this happen? What nurse had made such a horrible mistake?

  Her anger turned to guilt. If she’d been there for Adam…if she’d insisted on being his nurse, she would have caught the error before it happened. Who? Why? How? The questions burned in her mind.

  “He’ll be fine tomorrow,” she said, convincing herself as well as Liza. “He needs to sleep off the narcotics, and when he wakes he’ll be his old self.”

  “I don’t understand,” Liza whispered, her face pressed against her arm. Her voice was muted by her sleeve.

  Kate didn’t understand, either, and she struggled with the decision to stay with Adam and Liza or go to find Robert Fletcher.

  Her decision ended when the doctor appeared in the doorway. “There you are.”

  She stepped toward him. “I was checking on Adam. He’ll be okay.” She wasn’t sure if her words were a statement or a question.

  “I’m confident he’ll pull through this. You caught it in time. Otherwise…” His voice faded as he flagged her to his side and drew her outside. “We have a serious problem, Kate.”

  His grave look numbed her. “I know, but…what did Grace say?”

  “Grace knew nothing about this.”

  Bewildered, Kate couldn’t respond.

  “This wasn’t an accident.”

  Kate’s hand flew to her heart to hold back its thudding. “What do you mean?”

  “A doctor called the nurses’ desk and said to give Adam an additional 2 cc’s of Demerol directly into his IV. Grace was off the floor, so the nurse on duty followed the doctor’s orders.”

  Kate’s mind whirred with confusion. “Who? What doctor would do that?”

  “The nurse said Dr. Fletcher had called in the order.”

  “Dr. Fletcher? You?” Kate’s legs trembled and she fell against the wall to brace herself.

  “It wasn’t me, Kate. Someone used my name. She’s new and didn’t know my voice.”

  “Another doctor?”

  “Not necessarily. It could be anyone with a knowledge of medicine.”

  She searched his face, hoping he had an explanation for the mix-up. His expression seemed as dire and shocked as she felt.

  “I talked to the hospital director. He’s notifying the police.”

  “Police? What does this mean?” Kate covered her face with her hands, already knowing the answer to the question.

  Someone had tried to kill Adam.

  Chapter Eleven

  After a sleepless morning, Kate hurried along the corridor and came to a halt before she reached Adam’s door. A police officer sat outside. The reality smacked her in the solar plexus. Her memory reeled with the reality from yesterday. Someone wanted to harm Adam.

  What had he done to trigger such hatred? Was the murder attempt connected with the crime in Venezuela? It all seemed too far-fetched, but Kate could find no other answers.

  She nodded at the young officer and walked through the doorway. Her shift didn’t start until evening, but she had come back early, too riled by the incident to rest.

  The privacy curtain was drawn, but she saw feet move below it and knew someone was inside. She pushed past the cloth, her mind conjuring more problems…more evil. Instead, she faced Dr. Fletcher. His quick look let her know he felt on edge, as well.

  “How is he?” Kate asked, moving toward the bed.

  “He’s still sleeping and probably will most of the day. It’s not a coma, but we need to keep an eye on him.” He gestured toward the IV bag hanging from a pole. “I have him on glucose and thiamine now, and we’re continuing a small dose of Naloxone.”

  “Any complications?” Kate’s chest tightened, waiting for the physician’s response.

  “No results yet from the blood tests. Hopefully not, but you never know with an overdose. Naturally we need to watch the liver and kidneys.” Robert Fletcher checked his pulse, then listened to Adam’s heart.

  She nodded, knowing those organs were at the highest risk.

  “I’ll order an EKG, too,” the doctor said, adjusting the IV drip.

  Kate pulled her fingers through her hair and leaned against the bed rail. “I don’t understand. Why Adam? I didn’t think he had any enemies.”

  He shrugged. “Must be some nut. Why do people do any of the crazy things they do?”

  Kate sank into a nearby chair. “I see the police have a guard in the corridor.”

  He nodded. “Sad, isn’t it? We had the police swarming here all last night. You saw
them.”

  “I left early, but I did see them. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t concentrate.”

  “I know it’s difficult. We’ll all feel better when we find out who did this…or how it happened.” He turned to face her. “I’m afraid to even speculate.”

  Kate massaged her face. Her head ached, her eyes burned.

  Robert Fletcher moved toward the doorway. “Are you working?”

  “Not today, but I’m on tonight. Right now I’m just keeping an eye on him. Tomorrow’s my day off.”

  “Good. You need some rest, too.”

  “I know I need a break…but I’m sure I’ll hang around the hospital anyway.”

  She saw the stress in Robert Fletcher’s face. “I’m glad you’re here, Kate. Keep an eye on him. Try to rouse him if you can. We don’t want him slipping into a coma.”

  “I’ll be right here.”

  He slid past the curtain while Kate rose and moved the chair closer to Adam’s bed.

  She leaned her head back, her mind rutted in sorrow and frustration. How could evil have penetrated her world so deeply? Venezuela. Here at home, where she should feel safe. Vance Memorial, where doctors and nurses saved lives. A place of safety turned into a place of peril. How much longer would it last?

  She focused on Adam. She’d always admired his handsome face, the classic line of his jaw and his full mouth. Once again, he seemed so lifeless…empty. Her heart broke with the vision.

  “Adam.” She gave his arm a nudge.

  His head moved a fraction.

  “Let’s talk. We have to think this thing through. Who’s out to do evil…and why?”

  His eyes remained closed.

  But she would persist. She wouldn’t allow him to slip into a coma. The world needed his talent.

  And Kate needed…a friend.

  Adam awakened feeling as if he’d been on a two-week drinking binge…and he didn’t drink. His mouth felt like cotton, and the room spun when he lifted his head for water. He looked toward his door and saw it was closed. He wasn’t sure what day it was…or what had happened.

  He dropped his head against the pillow and hit the nurse’s call button. The last he remembered was feeling peculiar. Nothing after that…except a vague recollection of his mother wearing something green that seemed like waves rolling toward him.

  “Yes?” the voice said.

  “Ish…” He tried to work his mouth again. “Ish K-Kate…?” He gave up. His words slipped around without control, like marbles on ice.

  He watched the doorway, hoping Kate would hear his plea and come to his rescue. Why did he feel so rotten?

  Adam tried to focus on the wall calendar, but the numbers and letters blurred, melting into alien shapes. He concentrated. July 16? He forced his head forward. Yes. Sixteen. A Friday. He twisted toward the window. Daylight. He barely remembered yesterday. He’d been so ill.

  Footsteps pulled his attention to the doorway. His anticipation rose, but when the figure came through, his heart sank.

  “Adam, we need to talk,” Sam said.

  “Whass hap-pened? Ish…” He shifted his tongue, then gave up.

  “You had an overdose of narcotics.”

  The words flitted through Adam’s head. Had he heard Sam correctly? “Overdose?”

  “Demerol, I think.”

  Adam motioned toward the water carafe.

  Sam sloshed some liquid into a paper cup and handed it to him with a straw. “Dry?”

  He nodded as he drew in the soothing moisture. “When did thish hap-pen?”

  Sam grinned. “Sounds like you’ve had one too many.” His face grew serious. “And I guess you did. A couple of cc’s too many.”

  “But how?”

  Sam squirmed and looked away.

  Adam tried to raise himself, but the room spiraled and he sank against the mattress. “Jush tell me.”

  “Someone wanted to kill you.”

  The sentence bounced into his mind one word at a time, and Adam struggled to connect the thought and line up each word in a neat mental row. Kill him? He steered his gaze toward Sam. Was he kidding?

  Sam’s serious expression answered his question.

  Adam rubbed his hand over his face, wanting to feel alive, but he didn’t. When he lifted his arm to gesture, he noticed the IV. Would it ever end?

  The door opened again, and Kate came through, bringing sunshine into Adam’s dreary day. Kate would explain. She would tell him it was all a mistake…or a poor joke.

  Her gaze drifted to Sam, then to Adam. “How are you?”

  “Don’t ashk.”

  Concern rose beneath her faint smile. “You look rotten.” She motioned to the doorway. “I see there’s still an officer outside.”

  “It’s his cousin,” Sam said.

  Adam pushed his fingers against his eyes. “Brendan—Uncle Joe and Aunt Fiona’s son?”

  “Yes. We’re not taking any more chances,” Sam said. “Someone will be out there as long as it takes.”

  Kate dropped her shoulder bag on the end of the bed. “You’re here bright and early.”

  “Adam and I have some business,” he said.

  “Do you think he can even think right now?”

  Adam enjoyed seeing her protectiveness. A nurse’s prerogative, but he wondered if it were more than that.

  Sam shook his head. “Sorry. Time is of the essence. The investigation needs Adam’s input.”

  “I thought you weren’t on the case,” Kate said as she sat on the edge of Adam’s bed.

  “I am now.”

  “If I have to think, would you help me up?” Adam asked, motioning to Kate.

  She rose and pulled away the blankets, then helped him to shift his weight forward.

  He inched his legs over the edge, and Kate put her arm around his shoulder and helped him sit.

  “Thanks,” Adam said. “I’m really woozy.”

  “That’s to be expected.” Sam pulled a small notebook from his pocket and a pen. “You can both help me.”

  Kate settled beside Adam again. He could smell the scent of her shampoo, citrus and herbs…and a sweetness that pulled at his heartstrings. Perfume, he thought. Something exotic. The aroma took him back to Venezuela, and he saw Kate again in the shadow of the chinaberry tree, the sun spreading its colors against her hair.

  “Adam?”

  Adam jolted from his reverie.

  Sam gave him an odd look, then posed his pen. “Tell me again who was at the clinic with you in Santa Maria de Flores. I know Valenti was there.”

  Kate shifted beside him. “Dr. Gordon Reese, surgeon. Dr. Dan Eckerd. He’s in pediatrics. Dr. Rana Sahir. She’s in cardiology.”

  “Did the last two doctors come back with you?” he asked Kate.

  “Not on the plane with us. The next day, I think.”

  Sam took notes. “Is that it?”

  Adam felt himself sway as exhaustion rolled over him. “Technicians. Lab. X-ray.” He realized his speech had improved.

  “And we had three doctors from another Colorado Springs hospital,” Kate said.

  “Names?”

  Kate rattled off the names. “But you don’t think anyone we know—”

  Sam’s gaze pinned her. “We check every lead.” He shifted his coat lapel to put away the pen, then paused. “The other day you mentioned a woman that worked with you at the clinic.”

  “Carmen Clemente. She lives in Santa Maria de Flores. She cleaned and did odd jobs, translated when we got stumped.”

  He jotted her name into the notebook. “I wonder if she has connections here.”

  “Connections?” Adam was thrown by the comment.

  “The Diablo Syndicate.”

  “A crime syndicate?” Kate asked.

  “Why couldn’t it have a connection with Venezuela? Diablo sounds Spanish to me,” Sam said.

  Kate frowned. “It’s Spanish, but that’s a little far-fetched.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” Sam said.

 
“What else do you need from me?” Adam asked.

  Kate did a double take. “You’re not slurring your words, Adam.”

  “My head’s not spinning as much.”

  “So much is up in the air, Adam. We need you to remember. Are you prodding yourself? Are you trying? We really need—”

  “Don’t you think I want to remember as much as you want me to, Sam?” Adam massaged his jaw with his hands, his face riddled with frustration.

  “I’m sorry. We’re all frustrated. I’m sure you are, too.”

  “I understand. It’s…” Adam shook his head and stopped as if he had nothing more to add.

  Sam rose. “Listen, I’ll let you rest, but I’ll tell you what else I really need to know.” He turned to Kate. “You were the one who got to Adam first in Venezuela. I need to go over details. Sound by sound. Movement by movement. There might be something we’re missing that’ll help us.”

  “When do you want to talk?” she asked.

  “How about now? We could go for a coffee and let Adam rest.”

  “Now’s not good. I have a meeting at the Galilee Women’s Shelter.”

  “Lunch tomorrow? How about the Stagecoach Café? Adam’s aunt Fiona owns the place.”

  Kate grinned. “The famous apple pie?”

  “You got it.” Sam slid his hand in his pocket and stepped toward the door. “What’s going on at the shelter?”

  “I’m helping with a fund-raiser with Adam’s mother. It’s some kind of auction.”

  “Art?” Adam asked.

  Kate shrugged. “I don’t know the details.”

  Sam slipped off his jacket and tossed it over his shoulder. “Probably one of those white elephant things. People auctioning off their junk.”

  “One person’s junk is another person’s treasure,” Kate said.

  “That’s true enough.” Sam raised his hand. “See you tomorrow at noon.”

  Kate stood and watched him go. If he weren’t so abrupt and all about the case, he’d be a hunk. Still, Kate sensed he had Adam’s good at heart and a job to do.

  “What did you think of Sam?” Adam asked.