“Thank you,” I said softly.
“We should probably get you inside. I’m sorry I don’t have an umbrella,” he said sheepishly. “But here, take my jacket.”
Such a gentleman, I thought to myself.
He helped hold it over my head as we rushed toward the emergency room doors. Once I was safe inside, I wrapped my arms around myself again. The air conditioning was running full force. Graham laid his jacket over my shoulders, surrounding me in the warmth.
“Sorry it’s wet, but it’s better than nothing, I suppose.”
I smiled at him. “Thank you. Again.” I chuckled. “I seem to be saying that a lot today.”
We walked over to the front desk, and I signed in. Graham stayed by my side. I needed to tell the nurse I was pregnant, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything with Graham standing next to me.
Thankfully, she said, “Let’s take you on back.”
“Thanks for the ride, Graham,” I said, turning to him. “I can take it from here.”
I followed the nurse back into a small cubicle where she took my vitals and asked about what happened. I finally muttered the words I’d been keeping quiet for so long.
“I’m pregnant.”
“How far along are you?” she asked, nonplussed by the revelation that seemed so stark to me.
“About a month.”
“We’ll check on you and the baby,” the nurse said with a friendly smile that put me at ease. “And make sure you’re both doing okay.”
She led me to a room and left me alone. I curled up underneath the hospital blanket and tried to sleep, but the tiredness from earlier was long gone. The beeping of machines and the hustle and bustle of the hospital ramped up my anxiety again.
What if something had happened to the baby, I wondered? I would have never dreamt of having a child at this time in my life, before I finished my education, but now that it was my reality, I couldn’t imagine losing the baby. Even if I had to be a single mother, I would make it work. My dad would never support me, and I might have to be on the run my entire life, but I would do whatever it took to keep my child safe and give him or her a good life.
I rested my hand on my belly and prayed.
Ooo000ooo
“Good news, Ms. Bianchi,” the doctor said as he strolled into the room. “Looks like everything is fine. Your x-rays came back normal, nothing was broken, no concussion. You’re incredibly lucky, young lady.”
The doctor was an older, balding man with a friendly smile. He took a seat near me, his hands clasped in front of him as if waiting for my questions.
“Thank you, I feel very lucky.” And I did. I knew that it was a miracle I was alive. Without Graham’s help, I would have washed away with my car. “What about the baby?”
“It’s still very early in your pregnancy, but from the tests, everything still looks to be fine. I’d suggest following up with your obstetrician and keeping an eye on your bundle, but everything looks normal on my end.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Thinking about the incident, the doctor was right – there’d been no impact on my body. I hadn’t hit anything. Graham got me out of there swiftly and easily. I didn’t even have a bruise on my body nor a single ache or pain.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll be sure to follow up with my doctor, of course, but I feel much better.”
“As you should, Ms, Bianchi. I think everything will be just fine,” he said with a kind smile. “Let me get your discharge paperwork taken care of, and you’ll be set to go home.”
I closed my eyes and rested against the pillow. I could go home, he’d said. But truthfully, I had no home anymore. Not as long as my father was going to treat me as chattel.
A few moments later, the nurse came in and released me. I was walking out of the hospital doors, preparing to call an Uber, when a voice called out to me from the waiting area.
“Emilia, wait up.”
I stopped and turned to find Graham rushing toward me. He had waited for me. It had been hours since they first took me back, and yet he’d waited.
“What did they say? They wouldn’t give me any info since I’m not kin,” he said. “I was worried.”
“I’m good. Everything looks fine. I don’t even have a scratch on me, thanks to you,” I told him, smiling thankfully.
He gave me an adorable cock-eyed grin. “I’m glad I could be of service.”
I felt like I was falling into the depths of his eyes for a second, completely forgetting everything going on around me until my phone buzzed telling me that my Uber was on the way.
Graham glanced down at my phone with me and his smile quickly faded. “Nope. No way you’re taking an Uber. Cancel that and let me give you a ride home.”
I bit my lip as I stared at the phone. “I can’t, Graham.”
“What do you mean, you can’t? If there’s a fee, I’ll cover it for you, but the last thing you need is to ride home alone with a stranger right now.”
“No, I mean I can’t go home. I don’t live in Liberty,” I said. I turned my eyes up to meet his gaze.
He nodded. “So you’re staying at the hotel? I’d rather you not be alone—”
“I’m staying with a friend,” I said quickly. Liv was still on her honeymoon, but she hid a spare key on her property, and even though I hadn’t been able to reach her, she’d told me her place was always open for me. That’s why she’d left the key and told me about it.
“Well then, I’ll give you a ride to your friend’s place,” he said. “Go ahead and cancel that.”
My finger hesitated over the cancel button, but only for a second. I hit the button and turned to Graham. “Alright. It’s done. I’ll let you give me a ride home.”
“Good,” he said, motioning for me to follow him to his truck.
The rain had stopped for the time being. Water dripped down from the overhang and everything was soaked. A section of the parking lot was completely flooded. The sky was still murky and grey, and the smell of rain was in the air. The storm may have passed temporarily, but I knew, before long, we’d be ravaged by it again.
In a way, it felt like a perfect metaphor for my life. For now, I’d rest at Liv’s, but only for the night. Antonio and my father would know to look in Liberty. It wasn’t really hiding, staying at my best friend’s place. But I also had to figure out how to get a rental car without using my debit card, which was likely shut down as soon as my father realized I was gone anyway.
I knew that it might feel calm at the moment, but the storm was approaching. I just hoped I’d be able to find cover before everything went to shit.
Graham
“Where is it— It’s gotta be here somewhere.” Emmy was digging around in the rocks making up the walkway to a gorgeous two-story home.
“What are you looking for exactly? Maybe I can help you.” I scratched my beard as I watched her, bent over and picking up each stone one-by-one before tossing it aside.
She’d told me goodbye in the truck, but I’d waited to watch her go inside. I wasn’t about to just leave her, not knowing if she was safe or if her friends were even home. The place looked empty to me.