Page 45 of Her Tempting Protector

She looked back down at Shada.

“Are you with me?” she asked. “Shada?”

She looked around and saw that once again Cullen was changing Adam’s diaper on the tailgate of the truck, so she took the time to examine her patient’s incision.

She sucked in a deep breath as she pulled away the bloody bandage.

“Ahhhhhh,” Shada wailed.

“I know, little Mama,” Carys said soothingly in Arabic. “I need to examine you. You have been so brave. You are such a good mother to your children.”

“It hurts, Doctor,” Shada moaned through gritted teeth. “Am I going to die?”

“Absolutely not. You are going to be alive to see your son’s children.”

Carys looked at the woman’s inflamed incision. The only good thing was that her abdomen wasn’t swollen. She dug into the makeshift medical kit and pulled out the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. When she took her vitals, it confirmed what she’d been thinking, the woman was in bad shape. Bad. Shape. Along with the morphine, she’d been administering strong antibiotics, but in this crap environment, of course the surgical sight was infected, heck, for all she knew it could be chorioamnionitis, but without a lab to test, she was totally in the dark.

“Doctor,” Shada grabbed her hand, her grip surprisingly tight. “If I die you must get my children to my mother’s uncle. I wrote down his name and gave it to Leila. She will be able to explain to him who I was. I am begging you, will you give me your word that you will take them to Egypt? Their father is evil. Please promise me.”

“You’re not going to die,” Carys said fiercely.

“It is in Allah’s hands. Please promise me.” Tears began to track down her anguished face.

Carys didn’t know if this uncle even existed, so she couldn’t in good conscience say that she could get the kids to him. So she promised what she could.

“I will protect your children, Shada.”

“You are a good woman.”

“Not so good, because I am about to make you take a walk.” Carys smiled gently.

“I get to relieve myself?” Shada said hopefully.

“Yes, but this will be painful. It would be easier if we could have Mr. Lyons assist you, just to get in and out of the truck, that is all.”

Shada bit her lip, her discomfort was clear. “Is he a married man?” she asked.

Carys abhorred lying, but she considered it so that Shada would feel more comfortable, but she couldn’t do it. “No, he is a bachelor, but he is an honorable man. He is a leader and he has been very good with your son.”

Shada started to shake her head, but before she could say anything, Carys interrupted her. “Right now, he is once again changing your son’s diaper, and he will probably start singing to him again so he will go to sleep.”

“He has sung to my son?”

“Yes,” Carys nodded.

“Okay, I will allow him to help me.”

Carys smiled. “I will see if he is done cleaning up Adam.” She left the backseat and went around to the truck bed where Cullen was holding Adam on his shoulder.

“I’ll put him down in his nest in the front,” Cullen said.

“So, you heard?”

He nodded. “How painful is this going to be? As bad as when you’re pressing down on her abdomen?”

“About the same. I’m worried about her. She’s clammy and her blood pressure is low. The good news is that she is alert.”

“She has you as a doctor, it’ll be fine.”