Page 8 of Code Trauma (Extreme Measures #1.5)
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H olly returned to base, her heart heavy with the current status of their relationship, while Andy said he was going to talk to the sheriff and see if the man had made any progress in the case.
What was she going to do?
Pray he’d learned something from the situation and that she could trust him again?
Or keep her heart under lock and key and possibly miss finding joy again in being with Andy?
“Ugh. Lord, tell me what to do, please,” she whispered. “And if Andy and I are supposed to build a life together, give me the strength to overcome my doubts and hurt.”
When she got no clear answer to her plea, she sighed. She’d just have to keep praying about it and listening. God would let her know. For now, though, she turned her focus back to the other thing that wouldn’t stop bugging her.
Knowing a call could come in at any moment, Holly kept herself busy going back over every medical detail of what she’d done in flight. She even called the paramedics who’d worked on Liza Hollister and got their feedback and impressions of the woman’s physical state. They were both shocked to learn she’d died.
“So, it’s not just me,” she muttered, hanging up.
“What’s not just you?” Raina asked from her spot behind the stove.
So deep in her own musings, Holly hadn’t noticed her enter. “I talked to Carl and Nadine. They both thought Liza Hollister would make it.”
Raina stirred the spaghetti sauce then set the spoon aside. “Ever since you brought it up, I’ve been thinking about it. You’re right. We gave her the meds. We got the bleeding stopped. She woke up and was lucid. You ordered the Decadron. Seconds later, she went into cardiac arrest. Could it be as simple as she was allergic?”
“Her husband said she didn’t have any allergies.”
“So, it was a new one.”
“Yes. It’s possible.” Holly pursed her lips and shook her head. “It could have been anything, I guess. Maybe you and Penny are right and I just don’t want to accept the loss.”
“We’ve lost patients before,” Raina said. “And it’s hard, and we’re always sad about it, but you’re taking this harder than usual.”
“Yeah. I am.” She paused. “Well, going over and over it isn’t helping, so I guess I just need to wait until we get the results of the autopsy.”
“I noticed Andy was here earlier.”
“He was.”
“Are you going to forgive him?”
Holly paused. “Yes. I just don’t know if I can trust him again. Just because I forgive him doesn’t mean that I want to put myself back into the same situation.”
Raina nodded. “I understand that.”
“But I’m praying about it and working on finding peace no matter what the outcome is.”
“And I’ll join you in that prayer.”
“Thank you, Raina.” She had the best friends.
A knock on the door pulled her to her feet, and Dr. Kirkpatrick stepped inside. The frown on his face didn’t bode well. “What is it?” she asked.
He waved a folder at her. “Got the autopsy report.”
“And?”
“Cause of death is an overdose of epinephrine. Said no way was that an accident. I’m afraid I’m going to have to suspend you pending an investigation.”
* * *
Andy was sitting across from the sheriff when his phone pinged with a message from Holly.
Autopsy report came back. I’m suspended pending an investigation.
A groan slipped from him, and the sheriff looked up from the computer where he was watching the security footage from Holly’s townhome. “What is it?”
“Holly was just suspended.”
“For what?”
He read the next text. “The autopsy of Liza Hollister said she died from an overdose of epinephrine.”
The sheriff frowned. “They think Holly did it on purpose?”
“I don’t know what they think. I think someone’s framing her. Trying to prove her incompetent.”
“But ... if that’s the case,” the sheriff said, his words slow and thoughtful, “whether the intention was for someone to die or not, someone did. And that’s murder. Or at the very least manslaughter, depending on the circumstances.”
“Yeah.”
The sheriff eyed him. “If I were you, I wouldn’t leave her alone right now. Someone wants her out of that hospital bad—and it doesn’t look like they care if it’s in a car or a coffin.”