For a moment Tara was so frozen with terror she couldn’t speak.

“Tara? You there?” Terry asked.

“I’m here,” she said, her voice quaking. “What happened?”

“Sam fell off a ladder. He’s got a bad cut on his head, but he’s alert and talking. I’ve already called 911, but I thought you’d want to know, too.”

“Thanks Terry, I’m on my way,” Tara hung up and sped over to the apartments, all the while praying that Sam wasn’t too badly injured.

When she arrived the ambulance was already there, but a crowd had gathered and she had to fight her way to the front. Finally she caught sight of Sam. The paramedics were working on him with Terry Bellefleur and a very frightened looking Coby and Lisa Fowler hovering nearby. Terry took Maya so Tara could kneel at Sam’s side. He seemed surprised to see her.

“Tara, what are you doing here?”

“I called her,” Terry said.

“Oh my God, what happened?” Tara asked, fighting back tears. Sam looked terrible: the hair at his left temple was matted with blood that trickled down his face to his collar.

“I was pruning trees when one of the limbs fell and knocked the ladder from under me.” Sam noticed the expression on her face and tried to comfort her. “I’m alright…it looks a lot worse than it is,” he said with a weak grin.

“I’m sorry ma’am but you need to move back,” one of the EMTs warned Tara.

“Hey man, that’s his family!” Terry snapped before she could reply.

“Okay, but I need you to stand out of the way so we can finish up and get him to the hospital.”

Tara nodded distractedly as she moved away and took Maya back from Terry, but she never took her eyes off Sam.

“What’s that for?” she cried out in sudden panic when she noticed him being fitted into a C spine collar.

“Don’t be alarmed,” one of the medics explained as they began strapping Sam to a backboard. “This is standard procedure whenever anyone takes a fall from this height. We like to stabilize the spine until we know what we’re dealing with.”

“Oh Jesus,” Tara moaned and finally started to cry. Sam wasn’t going to be paralyzed, was he? Terry placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Her phone rang; it was Lafayette.

“Tara, you sittin’ down, baby? I got something to tell you.”

“If it’s about Sam I’m here with him now,” she said.

“How is he?”

“I don’t know; he looks pretty banged up but we won’t know anything definite until he’s seen a doctor.”

One of the paramedics tapped her shoulder. “We’re taking him to the hospital now, Mrs. Merlotte. Did you want to ride with us?”

“No, I have the baby. I’ll be right behind you,” Tara told him, too distracted to notice the slip. She returned her attention to Lafayette. “I need to go; they’re taking Sam to the hospital.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Lafayette told her and rang off.

The drive to the hospital only took thirty minutes but it seemed like an eternity to Tara. She parked, grabbed Maya from her car seat, and practically ran into the building. Lafayette was already there; he must have given the engine of his sports car a real workout. They both headed straight for the desk.

“I’m looking for Sam Merlotte,” Tara told the clerk.

“Are you Tara?” She nodded. “He’s been asking for you; he’s in the third room on the right. You can go see him but the little one has to wait out here.”

“Go check on Sam, baby,” Lafayette said, taking Maya. “Me and Miss Thang’ll be okay till you get back.”

Tara made her way to the room the clerk had indicated. Sam was lying on a gurney, and she was surprised to see that he was alone with no one attending to him. He still wore the C spine collar, but his shirt had been cut off and now she could see a nasty-looking bruise on his left side that started at the middle of his chest disappeared into the waistband of his jeans. His left shoulder looked like a small melon. Sam’s eyes were closed and Tara couldn’t tell whether he was asleep or awake.

“Babe?” she said softly.

Sam opened his eyes and gave her a weak smile. “You came.”

“Of course I came,” Tara said, bending to kiss his forehead. She was careful to avoid the gash on his temple. “I just couldn’t ride in the ambulance because of Maya.”

“Where’s Maya now?” he asked.

“In the waiting room with Lafayette.” She took hold of his good hand. “Have you seen a doctor yet?”

“Briefly. She thinks I dislocated my shoulder and maybe fractured a couple of ribs. And I’m going to need stitches for this cut on my head.” He tried to make a joke. “I guess I don’t bounce.” He gave a weak laugh then checked himself, wincing sharply. Tara noticed instantly.

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Oh yeah. It even hurts to breathe.”

“Jesus. Have they given you anything for it?”

“Not yet.”

“Why the hell not?” Tara snapped, holding on to her temper with some difficulty. She was still ticked that no one had come in to check on Sam during the time she’d been there. What kind of hospital left a patient alone and in agony?

“They’re busy…”

“They could at least give you a freaking Tylenol! I’m going to find out what the hold up is.”

“Don’t…” Sam started, but she was already out the door. She reappeared a few minutes later accompanied by an orderly.

“Mr. Merlotte, I’m here to take you up to x-ray.”

“Can’t you give him anything for pain?” Tara asked as the orderly wheeled Sam into the hallway.

“I can’t, but I’ll check with the doctor.”

“Please do. Can I go with him for the x-rays?” They had paused outside a bank of elevators.

“Sorry ma’am, but it’s patients only. There’s no waiting area.”

“Okay, I’ll just wait down here.” The orderly nodded. She turned her attention back to Sam. “Send someone for me as soon as you get back.”

“You should probably go ahead and leave,” Sam protested. “I’m gonna be here a while.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I know you’re okay,” Tara said.

“But Tara…”

“But Tara nothing. I want to hear what the doctor has to say, plus you’re going to need a ride home. You might as well cut the macho crap because I’m staying right here,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“Yes ma’am,” he said, secretly grateful that she’d chosen to stay with him.

The elevator finally chimed its arrival.

“See you soon,” Tara said, gently kissing Sam’s forehead before heading back to the ER waiting area.

“That your wife?” the orderly asked as he wheeled Sam into the elevator.

“Unfortunately no.”

“Well she sure acted like a wife. You should have heard her at the front desk, demanding to know why nobody was taking care of you.” He chuckled. “You better hold on to that one.”

Sam grinned despite his pain. “Believe me, I plan to.”

**********

It was nearly three hours before Tara saw Sam again, but he looked much better. He’d been cleaned up and was now dressed in a hospital gown and scrub pants. His head had been stitched and his left arm was fitted into an immobilizer. There was an IV in his arm and he appeared to be in a drug-induced fog; apparently he’d finally been given pain medication.

The doctor, a petite South Asian woman in her 40s, was going over his chart. She looked up and smiled when Tara entered.

“Ms. Thornton? Pleased to meet you. I’m Dr. Ayesha Qureshi,” she said extending her hand with a warm smile.

Tara shook her hand and took a seat in the proffered chair.

“I apologize for the long wait, but a major traffic accident came in and we were all rushed off our feet.” She seated herself and put on a pair of reading glasses.

“Since he listed you as the one to contact in case of an emergency, I assume you’ll be caring for him while he recovers?”

“That’s right.”

“Well he’s a little groggy because we had to sedate him to reduce that shoulder; and he’ll be that way for a few hours. Right now I’d like to go over a few things with you to ensure a complete recovery.” Dr. Qureshi looked at Sam. “He suffered a second-degree shoulder separation and three bruised ribs. I also had to put five sutures in his left temple, but thankfully there was no concussion.”

“Good lord,” Tara whispered.

“Actually his injuries are quite minor considering the height he fell from. But he’s going to be out of commission a while. He needs to keep that left arm completely immobile for three weeks, so no driving, operating heavy machinery, or anything else that requires both hands. And no strenuous activities like repetitive bending or heavy lifting for least two or three months.”

Sam, whom Tara had assumed was asleep, took exception to this. “I can’t be out of commission that long; I have businesses to run.” he protested.

“Sir, you’ll only injure yourself further if you don’t follow my orders.” Dr. Qureshi said severely.

“But…” Sam started, then a look from Tara cut him off.

“I’ll make sure he follows your orders to the letter,” Tara assured her.

Dr. Qureshi smiled. “He needs to schedule an MRI within the next week or so to check for any nerve or tissue damage, and a follow-up appointment with his doctor. The sedative I gave him should keep the pain at bay for the next few hours.” She handed Tara a couple of prescriptions. “He can take these for pain as needed so long as he doesn’t exceed four doses a day. The nurse will give you instructions on how to care for his shoulder and ribs.”

“Anything else I need to know?” Tara asked.

“No, I think that’s everything. If you follow the nurse’s instructions, make sure gets plenty of rest the first couple of days, and takes things easy for the next few weeks he should make a full recovery.”

*********