Tristan lay staring at the ceiling in stunned silence as Claire ordered her to have dinner with her. “Umm, okay. What can I bring?”
“Nothing. Just you and your appetite. See you tomorrow ... bye.”
She hung up the phone with an ear-to-ear grin. “Now, that is how you take the bullheaded Tristan by the horns,” Claire stated triumphantly.
The dial tone startled Tristan as she lay there with the phone still pressed to her ear. Many women had asked her out, but that was the first time she had ever been commanded to dinner. A smile broke across her face, envisioning the blonde dressed as a drill sergeant. “Well, Ralph, I’ve been ordered to dinner. I guess I better heed the order, or she may make me do pushups.”
The following morning, Claire marched down the hall and entered the dispatch center feeling like she was truly in charge.
When she noticed that Tristan was already in her office, her insides turned to Jell-O and began to quiver as she approached her office. In the presence of the woman she desired, Claire felt her courage slip away and felt like a nervous teenager with a powerful crush.
Tristan glanced up from the reports she had begun her day reviewing and saluted Claire as she walked in. The smile she was rewarded with made Tristan’s stomach flutter. She was torn from her feelings when one of the dispatchers came running into her office.
“Tristan, we have a situation on one of the boats. One of the face wires broke free of the tow and caught a deckhand across the arm.
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He’s bleeding pretty badly, and Chuck is on the phone with the captain now.”
Tristan jumped up from her desk and walked briskly to where Chuck was trying to tell the captain what to do for the deckhand until the ambulance arrived. She calmly placed her hands on the dispatcher’s shoulder and whispered into his ear to put the call on speaker phone. Chuck complied, and the room was filled with the captain’s nervous chatter.
“I think they need to put a tourniquet on that arm. He is bleeding all over the deck, and his color doesn’t look too good.” Chuck glanced up and shook his head and looked to Tristan for confirmation.
“Bill, let’s try some things before you do that. If you put a tourniquet on, he is going to lose everything below it. Let’s do what we can to save his arm and go with the tourniquet as a last resort,” Tristan said as she stood behind Chuck.
Claire heard the commotion and watched as everyone in the room gathered around the cubicles. She could see the intense concentration on Tristan’s face as she spoke. “Where is he hurt?”
“He’s on the deck of the barge,” the captain replied, nearly shouting.
“No, Bill, where on his arm is he cut?” Tristan asked again as Claire walked over to hear more of the conversation.
“Oh, it’s on his lower forearm,” the flustered captain replied.
“First, you need to apply direct pressure to the wound with clean bandages.”
“See if you can get someone to put pressure on the brachial artery. That will help reduce the blood flow,” Chuck added.
“What the hell is a brachial?” the captain asked in exasperation.
The cries of the injured man could be heard in the background.
Chuck rubbed his hands over his face. “You can put pressure on the brachial artery by digging your fingers into his upper arm until you feel the bone. Have someone try that now while one of the guys holds pressure on the wound.”
Tristan leaned down and whispered into Chuck’s ear. “Bill is freaking out. He can’t think straight right now, and even though he has had the same training as we have, you are going to have to talk him through this.”
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“The blood has stopped spurting,” the captain shouted back into the phone. The cries of the wounded man grew louder as his co-workers put pressure on his injured extremity.
“Y’all are doing good then. Keep holding that artery and keep pressure on the wound. See if you can find something to prop his feet up on, keeping his legs elevated above his body. That will stave off shock until the ambulance can get there,” Chuck coached as Tristan stood behind him, quietly telling the rest of the dispatchers to make the proper notifications when such an incident occurred.
“The ambulance is on the levee, and the fleet boat is getting ready to bring the crew out to us now,” the captain informed them as his voice began to calm.
“Good, keep doing what you’re doing until they get there. How does his color look now?”
“He’s still pretty pale, but he’s not thrashing around as much.
He’s getting tired, Chuck.”
“I’m going to stay on the phone with you until the ambulance crew arrives. Keep doing what you’re doing. I know he’s hurting, but it’s all we can do until help comes.”
Tristan patted Chuck on the shoulders and gave him a pleased smile. “Good job,” she whispered and stepped into the neighboring cubicle and called Cameron Hughes. “Mr. Hughes, are you aware of the emergency situation we are having on the motor vessel Achilles?” She paused as Cameron hit her with a barrage of questions. “The paramedics will be boarding the boat in a minute. We are on the phone with the captain now, and for the moment, they have the situation under control. I’ll advise you as soon as I know what hospital they will be transporting him to.”
Tristan answered a few more questions and returned to stand beside Chuck as he hung up the phone, now that the ambulance crew had arrived.
“Excellent job, Chuck. Let’s step outside and smoke a cigarette.”
Then, she addressed the rest of the crew coordinators. “Please wait to notify the injured crewman’s family until we know what hospital he will be transported to. If his family lives out of town, please make all the arrangements to fly them over.
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“Claire, will you personally oversee his family’s travel arrangements? Regardless of the cost, get them here as quickly as you can.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. We will take care of it all as soon as we find out where he lives and who will be coming,” Claire assured Tristan as she took Chuck out for a much-needed break.
Once the deckhand was en route to the hospital, Claire and her staff got to work. They made arrangements for the young man’s wife and parents to be flown into the Baton Rouge airport. When Tristan and Chuck returned, Claire gave her the flight arrangements, pleased that her staff produced so quickly.
“Would you come into my office when you get a moment? I’ve got to call Mr. Hughes and give him this information, then I need to talk to you for a minute.”
When Claire saw that Tristan had finished the call, she joined her in the office. “Claire, I’m really looking forward to dinner tonight, but I need to be at the airport when this man’s family arrives. Do you want to do this another night, or will you be willing to have a late dinner?”
“As much as I would like to spend the evening with you, I understand that you have work to do. Why don’t you call me when you leave them, and if you’re hungry, I will be happy to feed you.
If you’re tired, we will make it another night.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me. I’m going to the hospital now.
I’ll call you later this evening.” Tristan gathered her things as she made a hasty retreat from the dispatch center.
Claire watched Tristan as she walked out. Even though Claire had grown to respect and admire Tristan in such a short time, her desire for the statuesque beauty drove her to distraction. Never had she met such a captivating woman who dominated her every thought. No one person had ever evoked the feelings of lust and desire as this woman had in such a short time. Claire silently prayed she would have the strength to rein in her raging libido, lest she ruin the budding relationship.