Handle With Care Read Online Free Page B

Warriors, giving the program some much-needed publicity.
    But this didn’t make him a hero, that’s for damn sure. Truth was, he rarely slept more than a few hours at a time, scared of his own nightmares and random nighttime sounds, like a dog barking across the street. He was more coward than hero.
    “Got a call, Shane.” Rick Turner, colleague and friend, poked his head around the corner. “If you can stop preening long enough, we need to help some bugger that fell off a ladder after he touched a live electrical wire.”
    “Crap.” Shane set aside the textbook he was reading. “What’s worse? Getting electrocuted or breaking your back?”
    “Let’s hope the correct answer is ‘none of the above.’”

    Shane and Rick arrived on the scene within minutes and found the forty-year-old handyman sprawled on the floor, next to the massive chandelier he’d attempted to install. The homeowner had called EMS as soon as the man fell from the ladder.
    They assessed the situation upon entering. The injured man had no obvious external head injury and attempted to sit up. Shane approached, while Rick brought out the backboard they’d use to transport the victim.
    Shane knelt beside the man as Rick positioned the backboard. “How’re you feeling?” he asked. There was no apparent physical injury, but the man was pale and had difficulty breathing. “I need to see if you’ve suffered an electric shock. Any numbness, impaired vision, loss of consciousness?”
    While Shane asked questions, he and Rick maneuvered the man onto the backboard. Rick applied a cervical collar to keep the man’s head in position. The injured man’s eye had turned black, which indicated head trauma.
    The homeowner and his wife, both elderly, were standing next to the dining room doorway, clearly distraught. “His name is Dave Fisher,” the homeowner said, “and he’s been awake the whole time. Said his arm was numb and he can’t see clearly.”
    “We’ll take good care of him,” Rick replied as they carefully carried the unlucky carpenter toward the door.
    Shane and Rick secured the patient in the back of the ambulance, and then Rick got in the driver’s seat. The trip was less than ten minutes, but Dave Fisher went into respiratory arrest, and Shane had to initiate CPR before they reached the hospital.

    Lauren returned from her coffee break and overheard two of the nurses talking about the new medic. It seemed everyone else had been aware of his comings and goings, except her.
    “He has the dreamiest eyes,” said Margaret Hornsby, a curvy woman with red, shoulder-length hair. She sighed and touched her well-endowed chest.
    “Who has?” Lauren asked, as if she didn’t know.
    “Shane Dawson. He was here a few minutes ago, dropping off a patient, and I swear, my heart nearly stopped.” She fanned herself. “He asked me some questions in the oh-so-nicest way, and when he smiled, I damn near came in my pants.”
    “Margaret!” Lauren tried not to look shocked. She knew all about Margaret’s dating habits and how she met strange men in bars. She didn’t approve, but neither did she want to be a prude.
    “Well, it’s true.” Margaret’s face was flushed. “I think he’s sweet and sexy.”
    Trish, a pretty brunette, grinned. “Not only does he have bedroom eyes and a dreamy smile, but the cutest tush.”
    “Really?” Lauren pasted on a smile and put her hands on her hips. “Well, I’m sure we could sit and chat about his charms all day, but don’t you ladies have anything better to do?” She sugar-coated her voice. “I’m sure you must have some patients to take care of. The last I looked, this was a hospital.”
    Margaret rolled her eyes. “Come on, Dr. Reynolds. He’s only been here for a couple of weeks, but he’s a darling to everyone. He remembers the nurses’ names and their children’s too. How can you not love a guy like that?”
    “Okay. I get it. He’s the sensitive type, not the modern-day alpha