Page 12 of Unforgettable
Her eyes locked onto his. Fear reflected in their depths.
It was then he realized the beauty of her eyes. Their soft amber hue drew him in like an ambient, precious stone. They cast a spell on him, and he couldn’t look away. Her cheeks were no longer pale, but like porcelain and lightly flushed despite the bruising and swelling caused by the trauma she recently endured.
He looked at the nurse to break the spell before continuing.
“Let me explain about your hand and surgery, okay, while I check the incised area and change your dressing. I promise to be gentle,” he smiled warmly.”
He pulled a chair close to her bedside before continuing.
The nurse moved to his side, nodded and smiled as Brew began his task.
Randi felt comforted by the concern the nurse exuded.
“Were you there during my surgery,” she asked her.
Nurse Torres shook her head slowly and replied.
“I’m not a surgical nurse, Ms. Caleb,” she answered, “but a NP … nurse practitioner. My specialty is Critical Care here in the ICU.”
Randi directed her attention back to the doctor.
“She’s one of our best. You’re in good hands,” he assured.
“Will I be able to use my hand?”
He held her gaze. There was no reassurance he could give for one hundred percent as much as he wanted.
He began his explanation slowly, clearly, in a language shewould understand, leaning forward attentively as he spoke. He felt compelled to demonstrate … to touch her as he explained. He removed the rest of her bandages as he began, handing them to the nurse to discard.
“Miss Caleb, there was severe damage to two main arteries. “
He placed his point finger on the spot he wanted to address and continued. “The radial artery is located here, along the thumb-side of your forearm and runs from the elbow crease down to your wrist. “
She shivered at the softness of his touch and mindlessly caught her lower lip between her teeth. She immediately noticed the beautiful turquois ring he wore on his left hand.
My God, he’s so handsome, her inner voice yowled.
She couldn’t look away. She knew he had Native blood flowing through his veins from the strength and symmetry of his prominent, high cheekbones, his aquiline nose, his eyes wide-set and piercing black like his hair … and his hair, hung free and long below his shoulders. His jawline was well-defined with lips that were seductively full and tempting.
I must paint him, her thought acclaimed.
She remembered reading that turquoise jewelry represented a true sacred connection with the sky, water, and earth and also symbolized protection, health, and spiritual power. The band was wide and gold. engraved with feathers. The stone was square, blue-green in color and speckled with a gold luster.
He noticed the intensity with which her eyes devoured andstudied him and, and he cleared his throat .
“The ulnar artery is a major vessel that supplies blood to your forearm and hand. It passes into the hand here, then divides, and branches off into the fingers for circulation. It was severed here at this crucial juncture where the branching begins,” he continued. “Luckily, we were successful at restoring the blood flow by suturing the severed radial artery back together. The ulnar was severely damaged so, we took a healthy vein from your upper right thigh to bridge the gap and grafted it, which made it possible to save your hand and make it viable.”
Closely he examined the area around the incision and nodded with satisfaction.
“Just some slight redness which is expected. Everything is looking good.”
Slowly she pulled her hand away as tears misted her eyes, and her lips began to quiver.
Viable, her mind repeated.That meant what …workable… usable?
“How viable?”
He paused, choosing his words carefully and as honestly as he could, enough so, to still offer some semblance of hope.
