by Karly Morgan
“Look, I apologized already, so let it go. I can’t afford ta lose this job, and tellin’ my supervisor is gonna cost me that. Why are ya bein’ such a bitch anyway?” he fired back, a look of rage crossing his features.
After dealing with my father, Carver, and the lunatic earlier, this guy made me a little nervous but not overly intimidated. There were too many people around for him to attempt physically harming me, and I’d scream bloody murder if he tried.
“Ah, ya must be PMSin’.”
“First of all, my menstrual cycle is none of your concern. Second, if you don’t call your supervisor now, I’ll wheel myself over to that nurse’s station and ask them to call for me…” I paused as I craned my neck to see his name badge. “Curtis. And third of all, dealing with your supervisor will be the least of your concerns once my husband gets wind of how horribly you’ve taken care of me.”
I was fed up and unwilling to bow to yet another arrogant asshole of a man. I’d done that entirely too much of my life, and I was done with it. Kolton had shown me how wonderful a man could be, and I wasn’t about to tolerate being treated lesser than he treated me. Then Curtis’ smartass remark about PMSing hit me, I was about to go in to have an X-ray done on my ankle and I hadn’t found out if I was pregnant yet or not. My period was late, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. I’d had it happen more than a few times in the past when I’d been overly stressed out.
Before I could say anything to Curtis, however, he turned and marched down to the nurses’ station, tension rippling through his shoulders. He threw several seething glances over his shoulder at me until he reached his destination and picked up the phone over the counter. I watched to make sure he dialed and heard his voice come over the loudspeaker to call for his supervisor to come to our location.
The door to the X-ray room opened, another orderly wheeling someone out in a wheelchair. Neither the patient nor the orderly paid me any mind as they passed, and I was grateful. I didn’t know who to mention the possible pregnancy to before they put me in that room loaded with radiation. I was surprised they hadn’t asked me about that when I was down in the emergency room before they brought me up here. I knew another case had distracted them.
“Who do we have here?” a kind, middle-aged gentleman poked his head out and gave me a warm smile. “And why are ya waitin’ out here?”
“Uh, the orderly, Curtis, went to call his supervisor for me, and I didn’t want to wheel myself in there when I just realized there’s a possibility I’m pregnant,” I told him, nervously twisting my fingers in my lap.
“They didn’t ask ya about that downstairs?” he asked, confused, and I shook my head.
“I’m pretty sure they got sidetracked by a lady having a severe heart attack,” I said, shrugging my shoulders helplessly.
“That’s no excuse at all,” he replied, irritation making his voice sharper. “That’s not the kind of care we provide here at this hospital. I’ll make sure it gets reported for ya. Now let me call down there and find out how they wanna handle this new development before we proceed. Are ya okay right here for a few moments?”
“Yes. Thank you,” I told him gratefully as Curtis stalked back to me with an even older woman by his side who had a look on her face as if she already knew what I was about to tell her.
“Hello, my name is Mrs. Griffiths. Curtis said you asked to speak with me?” Her voice was more cultured than the thick country accents I’d become accustomed to in this area. I shook the hand she offered to me.
“My name is Mrs. Carissa Reed, and I’d like to file a complaint. Curtis here has been nothing but disrespectful, rude, and insensitive since I’ve been in his care,” I explained and went on to lay out the series of events since before he’d even helped me into the wheelchair to bring me up here.
She shot him multiple scathing looks but none of them seemed the least bit surprised. I wondered if he’d had complaints filed against him in the past for similar behavior.
“I see. I deeply apologize for Curtis’ behavior and promise you that appropriate actions will be taken,” she assured me and went on to explain to me how to file an official complaint on paper. “Give me just a few moments, and I’ll have another orderly sent over here to care for you. Curtis, meet me in my office.”
“Thank you,” I told her gratefully and ignored the daggers being thrown in my direction from Curtis’ eyes.
“Yes, ma’am,” Curtis mumbled, sent another scathing look my direction, and stalked off.
After making sure Curtis wasn’t going to return, she excused herself and went to page another orderly for me. She then returned to where I sat waiting for something to happen. At least I hadn’t thought about the excruciating pain radiating from my ankle for a few minutes.
“I have Cade coming to assist you from this point on. He’s a sweet guy and will make sure you’re all taken care of without any further trouble,” she assured me as she stood by my side.
“I appreciate that. I’m sorry for the trouble, but I felt someone needed to speak up, considering how many other women I watched him treat the same way just since he wheeled me out of the exam room downstairs,” I told her.
“It’s good that you did. Behavior like that is unacceptable, and we won’t tolerate it in this hospital. Not enough women stand up to men like that,” she said and gave me a half smile as she stared down the hall.
This woman almost reminded me of my mother with how rigid she held herself. Her clothes were pressed neatly and not a single wrinkle could be found, even though I was sure she’d had to have sat down at least once throughout the day, despite there being no evidence of her doing such. Not even a single hair dared to pop out of place on her head from the severely tight knot holding it at the base of her skull.
“I agree. I wish more women would take a stand against that behavior.” What I didn’t tell her was that until I’d met Kolton and Bonnie, I wouldn’t have had the courage to stand up against the Curtis’s of the world. I would’ve kept my mouth shut and head down, taking it because that’s what my father had taught me to do. That’s what my mother did on a daily basis. Women were second-class citizens and children were third-class in my father’s world.
“Mrs. Reed? I’m sorry that took so long,” the X-ray technician said as he stepped back into the hall. “I called downstairs and they want ya to come back down, do a pregnancy test, and then we’ll go from there. I apologize for the oversight and inconvenience this has caused for ya.”
“What’s going on?” Mrs. Griffiths asked, looking back and forth between us as if she missed something and it irritated her immensely.
“Ya called, ma’am?” a hulking man with the most beautiful ebony skin I’d ever seen and warm, chocolate eyes asked as he approached us.
“One-minute, Cade,” she said, holding up a finger in his direction. “What oversight?”
“Uh…they forgot to ask her if she’s pregnant down in the emergency room before sendin’ her up here for an X-ray on her ankle. She informed me there’s a possibility she is, so I called down ta see how they wanted ta proceed before we went any further up here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this?” she asked, turning to face me with an intimidating expression. I almost thought she was going to slap me the way my mother had.
“I told her I’d make sure it got reported. I didn’t expect to find ya already here with her,” he replied for me, obviously not affected by her commanding air.
“Who is the attending?” she asked him, dismissing me to my great relief but not the relief of my ankle or stomach that was somehow still demanding food, regardless of the traumatic ordeal I was enduring.
“Dr. Stanton,” he answered quickly, leaning against the doorframe.
“That’s not like him,” she muttered. “Don’t worry. This will be handled as well.”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and stalked off much the way Curtis had. You could feel the anger rippling off her and almost see it radiating like
heat waves from the pores in her body. Somebody—or several somebodies—were about to have an unpleasant day, from what I could tell.
“Uh…Mrs. Griffiths?” Cade called out behind her. She’d obviously forgotten to let him know I was his newest charge, but she completely ignored him before turning the corner.
“I think you’re now in charge of Mrs. Reed here,” the X-ray tech, who’s name I now saw was Tony, informed Cade with a grin. “She needs to be taken back down ta the emergency room for a test or two, and then she’ll be brought back up here to see me again.”
“Why the back and forth?” Cade asked in confusion as he moved behind my chair and unlocked the wheels.
“Not for me to say. Just get it done,” Tony said with a wink in my direction. “See ya soon. Hope ya get the answer ya want from that test.”
The problem was, I had no idea what I wanted the results to be. The idea of carrying Kolton’s baby thrilled me. A little person that shared both of our DNA would be a miracle. Yet the fear of my father or Carver harming the little one had me praying the test would turn out negative. I was so conflicted, wanting the test to come out both ways. I simply nodded my head as Cade turned me back toward the elevators and we were off.
“Nice ta meet ya, Mrs. Reed. My name’s Cade,” he introduced himself as he pushed me carefully through the halls.
“Nice to meet you too,” I forced out around the lump in my throat as I struggled with the weight crushing my shoulders.
Sensing my distraction, Cade didn’t force conversation. Instead, he pushed me quietly and asked for information from the nurses’ station and delivered me safely and without any problems to the exam room Curtis had picked me up in.
“I’ll be back for ya in a while. I told the nurse ta specifically call for me whenever they’re ready for ya ta go back up,” he told me with a soft smile, and I returned it the best I could, hoping it didn’t appear more as a grimace. With a brief nod, he exited the room, and I was alone for only a few moments before a nurse entered.
“I can’t believe ya weren’t asked if ya could be or were pregnant! A beautiful thing like ya are, of course they shoulda known ta ask,” she spoke fast as she bounced around the room. “Can ya make it ta the bathroom with help or should we use a bed pan?”
“I think I can make it with crutches,” I told her, not wanting anyone else in the room with me as I relieved myself into a cup. Just the act alone without anyone present was humiliating enough.
“Now don’t be shy. I’ve seen a lot more in these rooms than a pretty girl peein’ into a cup. I’m not riskin’ ya fallin’ and hurtin’ yourself worse because ya were too embarrassed ta accept a little help,” she insisted, and I groaned. She moved to my side and helped me up onto my one good foot, wrapping my arm around her shoulders so I could lean on her as we made our way slowly to the bathroom.
“You’re doin’ great! We’re almost there,” she encouraged, which made me even more irritated. Her cheerfulness while dealing with such awful pain made me want to say something snarky to wipe her smile away, but I reined myself in. She was a lot better than Curtis was.
When we finally reached the bathroom, she helped me over to the toilet and slid my panties down while I leaned on the wall with one hand and held the hospital gown up with the other. Then she aided my balance as I lowered myself to sitting on the seat.
“May I have a few moments of privacy?” I asked when she made no move to leave me alone.
“I’ll be right outside the door,” she finally conceded after looking like a gaping fish as she debated with herself as to whether it would be safe to step out.
“Thank you,” I responded, relief flooding through me as the door clicked shut behind her.
It was really true what they said about having to pee in a cup. My bladder went into complete lockdown, refusing to release even a single drop as I sat there, holding the cup between my legs. It felt like months of sitting there, willing myself to release the fluid that would give me the answers I desperately needed both for Kolton and me, as well as for the doctor to know how to proceed with treating my ankle. It was until, out of sheer desperation, I leaned over and twisted the knob to turn on the water in the sink that I finally managed what I had been beginning to think was the impossible.
“Ya doin’ all right in there?” the nurse called inside for the zillionth time since she’d left me alone.
“I’m great,” I replied as I managed to clean myself up, stand, and hop over to the sink to wash my hands. “Come on in.”
“Ya were supposed ta call me before standin’ so I could help ya,” she chided me as she appeared at my side.
“I managed,” I retorted, barely restraining the eye roll I wanted to issue. I knew she was only doing her job, but I seriously needed some kind of pain medication for my ankle soon.
She ushered me back to the bed, got me comfortable, and whisked out of the room with the cup containing the answer to the most important question consuming me right now with a quick, “We’ll know if you’re pregnant within the next few minutes. Hang tight.”
I wanted to scream in frustration, wishing I’d just bought the pregnancy test and taken it from the market the other day when we’d been there. Who knew how long it would take for them to come back and clue me in as to what the results were. After how badly things had been handled since my arrival, I wasn’t holding out high hopes that it would be quickly. Imagine my surprise when the nurse and doctor both returned within fifteen minutes.
“I apologize for what happened earlier. Your test results are back, and it seems that you’re in the clear. You’re not pregnant,” Dr. Stanton reported, and I felt instantly saddened by the news.
I guess I’d been hoping for a positive result, whether I’d realized it or not. From Kolton’s reaction when I’d told him of the possibility of me carrying our child because we hadn’t used protection, he’d be just as disappointed. The doctor went on to order my X-rays and whatever else he had to say, but I’d tuned him out completely as I thought of delivering the test results to my husband.
I also wondered if he’d insist on trying again soon or if I should find a local doctor to start birth control. I didn’t even notice when Dr. Stanton and the nurse left, I was so lost in my thoughts. In fact, the only things I could focus on were the emptiness I felt deep inside and Kolton. The rest of my visit to the ER passed in a blur.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kolton
There was a huge commotion as I reentered the ER waiting room. I saw nurses swarming a new patient on a gurney as they hurried them back to one of the exam rooms, which confused me, since I hadn’t seen any ambulances or paramedics arrive with a new admission from my vantage point in the lot. I’d forgotten all about the trip I was supposed to make to the cafeteria for Carissa with my planning on how to eject her father and Carver from our lives for good.
I moved farther inside, planning on heading straight to the nurses’ station for an update on Carissa, when Sheriff Donovan stepped in front of me looking pale and scared.
“What’s goin’ on?” I asked, an unspeakable fear beginning in my belly and spreading through my limbs quickly. “Has there been any news? Is Carissa okay?”
“Ya might wanna take a seat, son,” he suggested gently, and I knew then it had nothing to do with Carissa by the look on his face and his concerned, shaken demeanor. I even felt his hand shaking when he placed it on my shoulder to prevent me from rushing back to find out what was going on.
“Just tell me,” I bit out, barely holding myself in check. I had my fists balled by my sides, ready to knock the man on his ass if he didn’t either start giving me some answers or get out of my way so someone else could.
“Your mama had a heart attack. I left the room for just a few moments ta call Wylie for an update on their search for your wife’s attacker and processin’ the scene of her assault, and when I came back, she was lyin’ on the floor, grippin’ her chest, white as a goddamn ghost,” he informed me as gently as
he could. I could see the sympathy he felt for me, as well as the worry of what my next move would be.
I stumbled, the shock, worry, and grief hitting me in the chest like a battering ram as the news began to truly sink in. “Did they say if she’d be okay?” I finally asked after he’d guided me to a chair and I sat down before I landed on my ass.
“They didn’t say much of nothin’ ta me. I only knew it was a heart attack ‘cause I seen it before. I got her help as fast as I could, and it was a good thing she was already here and not at home. I gave them all the info I had for her, but they’re gonna need ya ta pull it together and give them the rest such as insurance,” Sheriff Donovan told me, trying to pull me out of my daze.
First Carissa, now my mama. Both of the women I loved whole-heartedly were back in that ER being cared for while I sat out here on my ass unable to lift a finger to help either of them. I only thought I’d felt impotent before. This was a whole new level of helplessness and despair than any I’d experienced before.
“Yeah. I’ll handle it,” I replied quietly, staring off at the wall, trying to process what a shitty day it had turned out to be after beginning so wonderfully waking up in Carissa’s arms and seeing her bright smile when I opened my eyes, followed by another fantastic round of sex. I’d gone from feeling like the world was a beautiful place to the pits of hell in a few short hours. “Have ya called Caleb yet?”
“Not yet. Ya came in before I could, and even if ya hadn’t, I felt ya oughta know before he did, seein’ as you’re her family,” Donovan stated, and I shook my head.
“Caleb is as much family to her as I am, and ya damn well know it,” I declared, pulling out my phone to make the call. The sheriff’s hand landed on mine to stop me, and I glared at him.