Mia and I have known each other since her twin brother, Brandon, and I became friends. She left Liberty for a short while to go to school to become a nurse but she and her husband moved back, both working for Liberty Regional Health.
“I’ll get an update and if I can bring you back there, I will. But you have got to let the doctors do their jobs. We have other patients from the accident that need our attention as well so give us the space and time we need to take care of everyone and I’ll personally come get you as soon as I hear something.”
“Why aren’t you the one working on her? Aren’t you head nurse or something like that? I don’t want someone straight out of nursing school. You’re the best so you need to go take over,” I plead with her.
“Nik, I promise that everyone who is working on Ashley right now is excellent at their jobs. Now, do you want me to get an update or not?” she asks, her arms crossed over her petite frame. Her size doesn’t match her personality. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and even though I’d feel better knowing she was in the room with Ashley, I’m glad she’s at least here. I also know that she’ll take care of me in the process. Keeping me in the loop.
“Fine. Just… if you see anything off…”
“I’ll step in,” she promises.
So many promises. So many assurances. So many ‘she’s going to be fine’ or ‘she’ll be okay’.
Honestly, if I hear any of those words again, I’ll freak out on someone. I don’t want her to be only fine or okay. I don’t want empty promises and assurances. I want to know for a fact that Ashley and the baby are going to be perfect and healthy and in my arms soon. I want to wake up from this nightmare and go back to thirty minutes ago when she was just on her way to my house with a paper bag full of takeout and a plan to spend the evening together.
None of their words matter until I see Ashley for myself.
It’s not lost on me that I can’t see Ashley until the doctors have done their work.
I know this, but it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to be in this stupid ass waiting area rather than next to her bed, holding her hand, seeing firsthand that she’s going to walk out of here just as flawless as she always is.
Before Mia walks through the double doors leading to the emergency room, she spins on her heel and tells me something I already know. “Her family needs to be informed. Can you do that?”
“Yeah.”
She gives me a long look, somehow understanding that it’s the last thing I want to do for fear of Grace and Samuel showing up.
As soon as she’s disappeared through the doors, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call the one person I have in my contacts.
“Hey, man. She okay?” Grant answers.
“From the shit show at the restaurant earlier? No. But that doesn’t even hold a candle to what happened after. I’ve got some bad news.”
“Fuck. What now?”
“She was in an accident. I need you to bring Lucy here. Get her parents, too.”
He asks quietly, “Is she…”
“She’s fine, for lack of a better word. Banged up pretty good. They think she’s going to be okay but it wasn’t good. Figured I’d better let them know what happened. Lucy still in town here?”
“Yeah, I think she was heading home but there was an accident… oh, fuck me. She said there was a bad accident in the middle of town and traffic was re-routed because of how bad it was.”
“It wasn’t good,” I tell him, feeling sick to my stomach. “Listen. I need you to call Lucy, okay? Call Ashley’s parents. Tell them to come to Liberty Regional Health. She’s awake and no major injuries but she’s scared and will want her family here.”
“Shit. Yeah. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Lucy will get there first,” he warns me.
“That’s fine. Just as long as Grace keeps her distance. It won’t do Ash any good if I get into a yelling match with her sister.”
“What the hell happened today?”
“Later. I got more important things to worry about now.”
“Right. See you soon. Need anything?”
“Just for Ashley and our son to be more than okay.”
We hang up and I pace around, wondering if I should call my sister, too. I don’t want to worry her or Dean, but I know that if I don’t let them know what happened, I’ll never hear the end of it.
Figuring the phone call to Dean would be quicker, I call him and give him the high level of what happened. “I’ll call Josie. Want us down there?”
“You think you can keep her away?”
“Probably not,” he admits, “but I’ll do my best if that’s what you need.”
“I won’t be good company and honestly, I just want to be in the room with her. I hate this feeling. I’m helpless.”
“Being there is doing more than you realize. Just hang tight and be strong for your girl.”
Before hanging up, he tells me he’s praying for us and he’ll head to the hospital with Josie after bringing baby Jay to his mom’s house.
And I’m back to pacing.
What is taking them so long? If she’s not seriously injured, nothing should take this much time, right? I feel like I’m about to come out of my skin waiting.
The front desk attendant gives me a sympathetic smile that I don’t return. I don’t want her sympathy. I don’t need it.
“She’s going to be fine,” I tell myself then repeat it three more times for good measure.
Just as I’m saying it for the fourth time, the doors to the ER open and Lucy comes charging in with Grace hot on her heels.
“No,” I tell Grace. “Not a fucking chance. Get out of here.”
Lucy places a hand on my arm. “Nik, calm down.”
“You were there while she spewed that fucking garbage. If she hadn’t, then Ashley would have been sitting at the restaurant with you two rather than on the road so some out of control maniac could almost fucking kill her!” I shout, my chest rising and falling. If it were possible, fire would be shooting out of my eyes right now.
Grace, for the first time since I’ve met her, is quiet, not arguing, not defending herself. But she’s also not apologizing or saying it isn’t true.
“Nik,” Lucy pleads. “Let’s focus on Ashley.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” I ask her, redirecting my rage. “Where was your focus on Ashley when this piece of work was telling her she wasn’t fit to be a mother and telling her she wanted to adopt my baby?”
“That’s not…” Grace says, interrupting me.
“That’s not, what? Accurate? Because unless my girl is a liar, which I know for a fact that she is not, that’s exactly what happened. I don’t give a shit what your misguided intentions were, that shit will not happen again.”
“Nik?” Mia calls my name.
I spin around, completely forgetting about the wicked sister and her little shadow who can’t stand up for the good sister.
“What’s the word?”
“She’s going to be completely fine.”
“Oh, thank God,” I blow out a breath. “And the baby?”