We both stuck our helmets on and stepped inside. I had to. A person’s life depended on it and that’s why they had hired me at TLC. Even though my job was investigating medical insurance fraud, I was a nurse first.
And always would be.
Not to mention I’d be alert for murder clues too.
Sky was a hell of a pilot, was all I could think, as we landed safely on the roof of the hospital, where a group stood waiting with the patient we had to transport to a larger trauma center.
They worked quickly and in such a synchronized way that I felt much calmer and safer at the job, especially when I looked into the pale blue eyes of the woman on the stretcher. She couldn’t have been older than her early twenties. Her coloring was cyanotic and those lovely blue eyes were quite glassy.
Didn’t look good at all.
I said a silent prayer and she started to mumble something. I couldn’t hear much with the helmet on and the blades of the helicopter whirring, but I did make out “my kids.”
It didn’t matter what she said, how many kids she had, how old they were. I was bound and determined to get this mother to wherever she needed to go as safely as she needed to go.
So I put all my reservations out of my head.
“You really are one hell of a pilot,” I said to Sky after we landed, unloaded our patient at the destination hospital and got back inside the helicopter.
Nicky strapped himself into his seat and shut his eyes. “I had a late night, you guys.”
Sky shook his head. “Night, buddy.” He turned to me. “Thanks. I try. Isn’t too hard really, though, when you love your job.”
And I could tell he did. We took off and while I was now able to watch the scenery below, Sky’s voice came over the earphones in my helmet.
“You did good, Pauline.”
I smiled and nodded, giving him the thumbs-up.
He chuckled in my ears and maneuvered the helicopter as if we were in a video game.
I laughed, but my insides didn’t find it too funny. When I waved at Sky to calm down, he did.
“How long have you been doing this, Sky?” I thought he’d fly safer and straighter if I kept him busy in conversation.
He chuckled. “Three years with TLC. I used to fly with a hospital out in Phoenix for a few years before that.”
“Oh, what brought you to Connecticut?” Suddenly I sounded interested. Maybe it was the altitude, although, yeah, I knew we weren’t much higher than the power lines (at least I hoped we were higher than the power lines). Maybe it was because Sky was a real looker and a decent pilot to boot. Or, maybe he’d say something that would help my case, or cast suspicion on himself.
I sighed. Anything was possible, and right about now I needed anything to get this case moving-so I wouldn’t have to lie to Fabio again.
Lies always seemed to jump up and bite me in a not-so-pleasant spot.
Sky seemed to hesitate, but at the same time there was a gust of wind that had us shaking. I’d hesitate too. No, I’d land this sucker in the nearest field so the wind wouldn’t blow us into any power lines. Then he said, “Came here for a change and to be with someone special. Didn’t work out though.”
Even through the noise of the helicopter, I could hear him sigh and hear the pain in his voice.
A woman.
Sky had moved nearly across the country for a woman and he was still single and obviously alone. Lonely, maybe.
“Sorry.”
He waved a hand at me, and I worried he needed that hand to fly. “No need to be. Wasn’t meant to last.” He chuckled. “No big deal. I’ve met several since that one, and will meet a hell of a lot more. You always live here?”
I groaned. “Does it show?”
He laughed.
I told him my entire life story, and before I knew it, we were sitting on the helipad at TLC. “Nice, smooth landing,” I said.
Sky nodded at me and got up and nudged Nicky, who woke up and appeared to be rather clearheaded. If I took a quick nap, I was groggy for days. I envied him.
“We need to fill out our paperwork, Pauline,” Nicky said.
“Sure. Later, Sky.” We nodded at each other and I followed Nicky into the lounge, where I got a hot tea, he a coffee. In a few minutes our paperwork was done, and I wondered if the woman Sky had come here to be with had anything to do with TLC.
The entire trip took so long I hadn’t realized that I’d missed lunch. Now I was famished. No one could leave the lounge area since they were all waiting for calls. I wondered where ER Dano and Jagger were. Maybe together sitting on the southern side of town-talking about me! Yikes!
No. No way.
“I’m going to get something to eat. Doesn’t anyone want anything?” I asked the gang, but they all declined since they were used to bringing their own food. Since I was still on orientation, I felt certain that I could leave, so I went to tell Lilla I would be gone.
“To where, chéri?” Her desk was neatly cleaned off. Lilla was a heck of a worker. Just like her mom. Hopefully the powers that be wouldn’t throw her back across the border. I was fairly certain someone had pulled some strings so she could work here.
Fabio? Jagger? Her mom?
“I’m going to…hmm. Not sure.” Half of the day was shot, although the flight was rewarding in the fact that we got the patient safely to her destination, and I’d given her meds on time and without any problems. Now I had to work on my “second” job. I looked at Lilla. “The hospital cafeteria has a chicken Caesar salad to die for.”
Her dark eyes widened. “Oh, chéri, bad choice of words,” she said, grabbed her purse from her desk and took my arm. “You drive. I have to redo my makeup, and we need to stop at your place so I can borrow some scrubs or something for a disguise.”
With that Lilla and I set off to my place, and then to “lunch” in the hospital-only floors below comatose Pansy Sterling.
Hmm…
Fifteen
Lilla, dressed in my white lab coat with my stethoscope draped over her shoulder, and I eyed each other and then our empty Caesar salad dishes. For some reason, I knew, just knew we were thinking the same thing.
“So, how do we get in to see her?” I said.
Looking very much like a doctor and sporting my old hospital employee ID-which my friend Sara in Human Resources arranged for me to keep as a souvenir from Saint Greg’s Hospital, where I’d worked-Lilla winked at me and we stood and took our trays to the conveyor belt. My heart started to race.
We could get a huge break in my case-and I’d be doing it without Jagger!
That alone was reason enough to be there.
Although, to be honest with myself, I knew Jagger was keeping up behind the scenes with Sergeant Shatley about the stabbings and as much as he could find out about the fraud.
I “borrowed” Miles’s ID badge and wore it backwards as if it’d turned around on its own. Although Lilla didn’t look like my picture-unfortunately, that is-I figured no one would be looking that closely at the ID badge. As evidenced by all the males in the cafeteria, they’d all be looking at Lilla’s face and other more important parts and not checking her ID. Besides, she acted so nonchalant, no one seemed suspicious.
A few people recognized me though, so I claimed I was there doing part-time float-pool work, so they couldn’t connect me with any unit. Each time I acted as if I were in a hurry so there’d be little chitchat with old coworkers. Damn. I was getting better and better at this stuff.
I said a silent prayer that we could get in to see Pansy and she would be out of her coma enough to give us some information. Well, I wished she’d be out permanently for her own good.