The Perfect Plan [The Men of Treasure Cove 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (18 page)

She was pissed, and no amount of warning was going to stop her until she beat the crap out of her brothers. They deserved to have their skulls knocked together.

Another crack.

“Lillian! Stop!” her brother James shouted and moved toward her. Something in his voice stilled her movements, but she ignored him and kept walking.

It was then that reality reared its ugly head as she heard the loud, constant cracking of the ice. Stopping where she stood, she looked up at each of the worried men before her, her husbands, running fast and trying to get to her, her brothers right behind them with the same worried expression on their faces.

“Oh God!” someone shouted, but it was too late.

Lilly felt herself sinking, and soon, a coldness she had never experienced engulfed her.

* * * *

Jacks made it to the watery hole first and dove into the frigid water right after her. Searching the frozen, murky pond, he grabbed onto the lifeless hand in front of him and headed for the opening. Coming up for air, he pulled her close to him as several hands reached for them.

“Hurry, we have to get her warm!” Orin said, picking her up and running for the house.

All bickering conversation was halted when he kicked in the front door.

“Get the heating blankets! Hurry!” he shouted as he headed for his bedroom.

Jacks and Davis moved like a fire was set under their asses, grabbing everything they could think they would need. Throwing items at her bothers, they rushed around the house, gathering blankets, heating pads, alcohol, and most importantly, the frost bite kits.

They all entered the room to find Lilly blue.

Jacks stopped dead in his tracks. Davis gaped in horror. “Hurry, we have to warm her!” Orin shouted as he quickly stripped off all his clothing. He then proceeded to remove her dress and underwear. With the help of Davis, they pulled back the bed covers, and soon Orin and Lilly were huddled together. “Fuck, she is cold. Hurry, Jacks. She’s cold as ice.”

“What can we do?” the one called Georgie asked, holding his sister’s hand.

“Get the hell out of my way. You guys have done enough,” Jacks shouted, and then he looked around the room at her brothers. He knew they were concerned and for some reason, Jacks couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. “Here, plug this in,” Jacks ordered the one closest to him, handing him the cord to the blanket.

“We can’t put this directly on her. There has to be a barrier,” Jacks said, covering Lilly and Orin. He then placed the heating blanket on top of them. “We have to warm her slowly. If she warms too fast, it can cause cardiac arrest. Davis, see if you can get through to Doc. I am gonna need his help when I start her IV.”

“What else can we do?”

“There is going to be several people showing up soon, along with your parents. Entertain them,” Orin stated, moving closer to Lilly.

“You can’t be serious. We don’t know how to entertain people. Shit, man, generally people see us coming and run the other way,” JJ replied in shock.

“Not my problem. Go now!” Orin ordered and watched as the majority of her brothers left the room.

Jacks moved swiftly, checking her vitals. He wasn’t happy with her heart rate. It was too slow. His mind was swirling with what needed to be done. There was a specific plan that needed to be adhered to. One wrong move and Lilly would die. First thing was getting her out of the water. Second was placing her in a dry environment. Third was the slow, rigorous process of warming her up, and that was what he concentrated on now.

Davis came back into the room shaking his head. “Doc’s on his way. We’re on our own ’til he gets here. Here, I brought these,” he said, handing Jacks heated hot water bottles.

Jacks instantly dropped them. “We can’t use those. Never apply direct heat like a hot water bottle or heating pad. I need the warm packs in the medicine cabinet. I can apply them to her neck, chest wall, and groin area. I have to avoid the arms and legs, because the heat will force cold blood back to her heart, lungs, and brain, causing a drop in the core body temperature that can be fatal,” he spouted off as if he was recalling something important.

“I can get them!” Georgie shouted, leaving the room in search of the bathroom.

Both Davis and Orin never interrupted him. They let Jacks work this through. This was his specialty. A licensed medic and volunteer emergency EMT, he’d trained for this for years, but never had to use his training. Jacks was good at what he did, and now was the time to prove that.

“When she wakes and is not vomiting, I can give her warm, nonalcoholic drinks. Handle her gently. Don’t massage or rub her, because a person with hypothermia is at risk of cardiac arrest. I have to be gentle. I have to be gentle. Do not rush. This is not a race. It’s a marathon,” Jacks muttered, moving quickly around the room. “Davis, I need the saline solution. I am also going to need the warmer in the barn. Can you go get it and bring it in here? I need to warm up the IV fluids. I have to warm her slowly, internally as well as externally. Orin, you cannot leave her side. She needs your body heat.”

“I’m not going anywhere, brother. You just do your thing,” Orin said softly, pulling Lilly closer into him. Orin shivered as he moved closer to her. She was freezing and suffering because he was too stubborn and proud to listen to her. Orin tried not to think of his selfishness, but the faults were piling up too quick to dismiss them.

“Jacks, what can we expect? She wasn’t under too long, right?” Orin asked.

“It doesn’t matter. She was under long enough, and she wasn’t dressed properly to warn off the cold. She might as well have been wearing a bathing suit. When you are exposed to cold temperatures or to cool, damp environments for any amount of time, your body’s control mechanisms can’t keep your body temperature normal, and hypothermia can result. Hypothermia happens when your internal body temperature is less than 95°F, with gradual symptoms such as shivering, slurred speech, slow breathing, cold, pale skin, loss of coordination, fatigue, lethargy, or apathy. Children and elderly people have a higher risk of developing hypothermia. But Lilly is no child, and she is not elderly. She is strong and fit. If we can get her core temperature back up slowly, she has a chance. We have to look out for signs of labored breathing and irregular heart rate,” Jacks said, putting together the mobile IV stand quickly. Grabbing two thermometers, he approached the bed.

“I need your help, Orin. I have to check her core temperature. Roll her toward you. I will do the rectal temp first,” Jacks ordered, and Orin did as he was told.

Orin watched as Jacks inserted the anal thermometer into Lilly and looked at his watch, counting. When the time was ready, Jacks removed the instrument and read the temperature. Frowning, he helped roll Lilly on her back. Inserting the oral thermometer, he waited until he heard the beep and then removed it also. He never said a word, just wrote down the information on a clipboard and grabbed his stethoscope. After listening to her heart beat for a minute, he wrote that information down also. Jacks then proceeded to listen to her lungs and stomach. After he was satisfied, he pulled up the spare chair that Orin kept in the corner and began taking notes.

“Did you hear a heartbeat?” Orin asked, stroking his wife’s colorless face.

“Her heart rate is slow, but good,” Jacks replied, writing notes.

“Not her heart, the baby’s?”

“What baby?” several voices at once.

Orin and Jacks turned to see all of Lilly’s brothers standing near the doorway, wanting answers.

“She’s pregnant. Almost twelve weeks,” Jacks answered.

“Oh God!”

“Mom is going to kill us!”

“Lilly is going to kill us!”

Jacks watched as her brothers surrounded the bed. Their expressions turned from horror to happiness.

“We’re gonna be uncles,” one whispered reverently.

“A nephew,” another said softly.

“We can take him hunting.”

“And fishing.”

“I can teach him chess.”

“And how to ride a horse.”

“I can teach him about girls.”

“You come near my child and I’ll sic my husbands on you,” Lilly said, stirring and slowly opening her eyes. Jacks stared at his wife and smiled.

Lilly lay cocooned on the couch, wrapped in blankets as Doc Jenkins checked her temperature and pulse. Though she told the older man she was fine, it was because of her insistent husbands that he was looking her over.

In the meantime, Lilly stared at her six brothers all lined up in order of birth, as their mother ripped them all new assholes. Oh, watching Iris Campbell get her mad on was something to see, and Lilly just hoped that she would turn out just like her.

Her father sat in the recliner, just nodding and agreeing with everything her mother was saying, and occasionally, Lilly would hear a “yep” and “uh-huh” being muttered from his lips. Lilly had to give her father credit. He sure knew when to bite his tongue and shut up, but when her mother rounded on her father and started yelling at him, well, that was another story.

Her father sat straight up and allowed his wife to say her piece, but when she was done, he just smiled, and Lilly watched as her mother stood ramrod straight, for his eyes were gleaming some sort of retribution. But the way her mother’s face blushed, she knew it wasn’t going to be that bad, and maybe even fun.

“Well, my dear. Your temperature is fine, and your pulse is normal. Other than the cold dip in the water, I don’t think anything’s wrong, but I want you to come into the office on Monday so I can be sure. Understand?” Doc Jenkins said, putting his stethoscope away.

“She’ll be there, doc,” Davis said, grabbing her hand and kissing her palm.

“Glad to hear it. Now, unless my medical expertise is needed anymore, I’m gonna go grab something to drink and enjoy this little party.”

“Got your drink already ready, Doc,” Orin said, walking over to him and handing him the tumbler.

“I’ll take one of those, too, son,” James Campbell said, getting to his feet.”And I would appreciate if my daughter would introduce me to her husbands.”

Lilly looked at her father and smiled. She waited until Orin returned with her father’s drink before she said anything. With his drink in his hand, she began the introductions. “Dad, this Orin, Davis, and Jacks McDaniel, my husbands.”

She grinned as each of her husbands shook her father’s hand, and when they were done, she wanted to laugh as each of them sighed in relief.

“Boys, get over here. Meet your sister’s new husbands,” James Campbell bellowed loudly.

“Uh, Mr. Campbell, if it’s all right with you, we can forgo those introductions,” Davis muttered softly.

“What’s wrong, son? They’re harmless.” James Campbell smiled.

“Harmless as a five-hundred-pound bear,” Orin whispered softly.

“And the bite to match,” Jacks added, rubbing his jaw.

“And don’t you forget it! You hurt my baby girl and I’ll send these boys after ya. Boys, get over here and be respectful.” James laughed, slapping Orin on his back as he walked away.

Orin, Davis, and Jacks stood their ground as Lilly’s brothers grinned, making their way toward them.

“I’m James Jacob Campbell, and I can skin a deer in under five minutes,” the hulk of a man said as way of introduction.

“I’m Samuel David Campbell, and I can shoot a moving target at over fifteen hundred feet away,” the next one said.

“I’m Robert Michael Campbell, and I’m real good with my Bowie knife. Never leave home without it,” he said, straight-faced.

“I’m Thomas Andrew Campbell. I love spiders. Collect all kinds, but mainly the poisonous ones.” He grinned devilishly.

“I’m George Colin Campbell. I can cook anything and make it tasty.”

“And I’m William Benjamin Campbell, but you can call me Billy.” He smiled.

“What? No hidden threats, no specialties?” Orin asked, amazed that one of Lilly’s brothers just might be a decent man.

“Oh, I have my talents, but Ma doesn’t like me talkin’ about them in public. She says it ain’t proper.” Billy smiled and walked away.

Sighing, and relieved that they survived the introductions, they joined their wife on the couch and tried desperately to enjoy the rest of the party.

Orin watched as the rest of their guests showed up and was happy that the party turned out better than he could have ever imagined. He was happy that Lilly’s father was okay with his only daughter marrying three cowboys, and when her father made the announcement that he was gonna be a granddaddy come late summer, well, Orin just knew that everything was gonna be okay.

Finally, after so many plans, one that he planned had finally worked. Okay, maybe not exactly as he had planned, but the Christmas Eve party was big success, and finally everyone knew.

Looking forward to the future, he knew there were going to be many more parties of celebrations and such, and he couldn’t wait, as long as Lilly was with them and happy. He smiled and watched as his lovely wife mingled and laughed with their friends and her family as if all was right within her world, as it should be.

“What’s that look for, brother?” Davis said, walking up next to him.