Page 64 of Vanishing Legacy
The team worked in perfect unison. They moved quickly to stabilize the patient. Cash was focused, his mind working at lightning speed as he made incisions and worked to repair the damage done by the bullets.
They finished, and Cash was handed the chart of their next case. His eyes fell on the patient’s name. An icy cold knot formed in his chest. “Luis Trejo.” The chart burned in his hands. Or maybe that was his imagination.
“Is everything okay, Doctor?”
“No, it’s not.” He thrust the chart at Brooke. “I can’t operate on him. Get another surgeon in here, now.”
“But Dr. Thomas, you’re the only one?—”
“I can’t do it, Brooke. I…I…he tried to…no. You have to get someone else.”
Brooke nodded and ran from the room to find another surgeon.
Cash walked into the OR where a team prepped Trejo for surgery. He stood at a distance and stared at the man lying on the operating table in front of him.
Luis Trejo. The man behind the attempted kidnapping of Penny. The man responsible for gun and drug trafficking. If he was here, where was Bailey? He had to find out if she was okay.
Despite his years of experience as a trauma surgeon, Cash struggled to process the situation. This was the second time in his career that he couldn’t operate on a patient due to emotional ties. The impact of the decision weighed heavily on his shoulders. Calling in another surgeon could have dire consequences if Trejo took a turn for the worse. But Cash wouldn’t touch the man unless he crashed. Then he’d do everything in his power to save Trejo’s life.
He might not tell Alana she was right about the danger that lurked everywhere, but he understood it better. Right now, that danger was right in front of him, lying on his operating table.
Cash handed the surgery off to another doctor and took over a patient with multiple GSWs. After an hour, Cash emerged from the OR and sucked in a deep breath of sterile air. Juliette was waiting in the lounge. “I thought I told Alana I didn’t need a bodyguard today.”
“I’m just taking orders.”
“Never leave a sailor behind?”
She tilted her head. “Something like that.”
“In our case, that doesn’t apply to the men’s room. I’ll be right back.” In the locker room, he pulled out his phone and called Alana. “Hey, how’s it going there?”
“We’re coloring. You sound tired. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s crazy here. A lot has happened, but I can’t talk long. I was thinking about what you said last night, and I had an idea.”
“I’m all ears.”
Cash started pacing. “I’m gonna have another patient any minute, so I’m laying it all out there unfiltered, okay?”
“Okay.” He could hear the hesitation in her voice. Maybe he should do this in person, but something in him didn’t want to wait.
“The gang violence in Savannah is out of control, and I’m sick of seeing so many kids in my OR because of it. I’m thinkin’ about investing in Atlas’s gym. Starting a program like the one you attended. Creating a safe haven for high-risk youth. A place to learn discipline and a way to channel their anger into something positive.” He heard his name over the intercom and groaned. “Look, I gotta run. Sorry to dump that on you, but pray about it and let’s talk tonight.”
“Yeah. Of course. I’ll do that.”
“Good. Oh, and Alana?”
“Yes?”
“I can’t wait to see you.” They said goodbye and disconnected.
He bounced on the balls of his feet and pumped a fist in the air. The program wouldn’t be an easy task. The gang violence was much bigger than just one gym, and there were countless obstacles to overcome. But he could make a real difference in his community. He could save lives beyond the walls of the OR.
Four hours and three operations later, Cash was finally ready to go home. The shift had been brutal, but at least all three wounded officers would recover from their injuries.
As he walked down the hallway with Juliette, Brooke stopped him. “Hey, that patient. The one you handed off. I’m sorry, but he…didn’t make it.”
Juliette sank back to give them the privacy needed to discuss patients.