Nora pulled out onto the road, her stomach grumbling as if she needed to be reminded she was hungry. “Fast food, here I come.” She patted her stomach. “Sorry, little baby, but Mama has to grab junk food now.” A few miles down the road, she flipped on her blinker to pull into the left lane. Bright lights appeared right in front of her, striking her eyes and blinding her for a moment.
Brakes squealed. Glass shattered. Metal crunched as if it were aluminum foil. Her seatbelt pulled tight against her chest.
“Oohh…”
An airbag burst open. Sharp pains radiated against her head and down the front of her body. Her world went black.
Chapter 10
“We’ll get back home soon, Des. Let’s see how Sandy’s doing. Nora might want some company.” Tristan peered into the back seat. “Don’t ya think? She’s been there all afternoon and evening with her mom.”
“Okay, Daddy, but I’m hungry. My other tooth is looser now.” Destiny bounced her foot against the seat in tune to the music. “Turn the radio up.”
“Not now. I tell ya what. We’ll stop up ahead. Maybe your second tooth will fall out when you eat.” Tristan slowed when traffic backed up. Flashing emergency lights lit up the area ahead. “Um, maybe not. Looks like a wreck up there or something going on. We’ll try another place.”
“French fries? This time, please. I can eat them in the truck.”
“I don’t know.” He didn’t want to be stuck in traffic, so he pulled off onto a side street. “We’ll go around this mess, Des. I’ll stop at that other place ahead. I could use some fries, too.”
“Daddy?”
“What is it, love?” He tried to pay attention and get around the back way but it seemed other traffic had been detoured ahead of him.
“Is it mean if I don’t like Nora’s mom? I’m sorry if it is.”
Oh, damn. He couldn’t say he blamed Destiny. She hadn’t seen much good from Sandy. Neither had he. To be honest, he didn’t like her much either. “We’ll let it go this time. There’s no law that says you have to like everybody.” Tristan followed the flow of traffic to another side street back to the highway.
He pulled up to the stop sign where the Sheriff’s Department had the road blocked off from the other direction. He had to wait a minute until the deputy indicated he could go. “Maybe traffic will be better on the way home. We’ll pull in this place instead.” Tristan ordered at the drive-thru and drove around to pick it up. He pulled into the last spot after getting the order. Handing hers back, he said, “I’m calling Nora to tell her about the hold up here in case she’s about ready to leave. Maybe she can meet us here if she’s leaving, and we’ll all go inside and eat.”
After dialing, he left a message when she didn’t answer. “Hey, sweetheart, don’t try to come home yet. There’s a big old mess on the highway over here by Joe’s Burgers. Just stay where ya are unless you want to meet us. If I don’t hear back from ya in a few minutes, we’ll be up.” After leaving the message he glanced back at his daughter. “Is it yummy?”
She nodded with a mouth full of food.
He ate part of his fries but set them aside. “I guess we’ll head up there.”
When he drove to the entrance, he had to wait because two rescue trucks sped down the highway, going toward the hospital. A sheriff’s car followed behind them. When it was clear, he pulled out and drove to the main entrance of the hospital. The lady working at the desk inside gave him Sandy’s room number. “Come on, Des. We have to take the elevator.” He took hold of her hand after a peek at his watch. “I’m surprised they let us in so late.” Tristan wiggled their hands. “Wow, lucky for you. French fries and an elevator ride all in the same day.”
“Dad, you’re funny.” With a big grin, she squeezed his hand.
“Ya got food stuck beside that loose tooth.” Checking room numbers, he said, “It’s right up here.” Tristan knelt before they got to the room. “Listen, we won’t stay long. I wanna make sure Nora’s doing okay—probably make her come home.”
“Alrighty, pokey Daddy.”
“I’m not pokey. Why ya always calling me pokey?” He walked into the room and Sandy rolled over onto her back.
Her eyes widened. “Tristan. What are you doing here? Is Nora okay?”
“Where is she?” His heart did a flip-flop in his chest. “She didn’t answer her phone. I thought she was still here.” Tristan’s throat tightened and he lifted his hand to the back of his neck, the muscles feeling tight.
“She left a while ago.” Sandy raised the head of her bed. “I don’t know how long. I must’ve fallen asleep.” She brushed her fingers over her hair. Speaking to Destiny, she asked, “Hi, how are you? You’re growing.”
“Fine.” She pulled on her dad’s hand and pressed against his side.
“Listen, I gotta call Nora again. Reception sucks in this place.” Tristan removed his phone from his pocket. “We’re taking off, so I’ll call her from the lobby. I hope you start feeling better, Sandy.” He exited the room and hurried down the hall to the elevator.
“You’re not pokey now. You’re walking too fast for me.”
“Sorry, Des. I gotta get a hold of her.” In the lobby he called again. Still no answer. Dammit, where is she? He ushered Destiny out the door. “Come on, we’re heading back home.”
“Goody.” She ran to keep up with him.
He dialed his mom the second he got outside. “Mom, is Nora there?”
“No, honey, she’s not here.” She spoke above the rattle of pans in the sink. “What do you mean, is she here?”
Tristan tore through the parking lot toward his truck. “She’s not at the hospital, but she’s not answering her phone.”
“Well, now you weren’t answering yours earlier, so stop worrying. She’s probably at home. Maybe she’s in the shower after spending the day at the hospital.”
“You’re right. I’ll be there shortly. I’m leaving the hospital now.” He lifted Destiny into the backseat and helped her buckle. Rushing to the driver’s side, he dialed again. Tristan rammed his knee into the door. “Come on, Nora, answer!” He got in, pulled out and headed down the highway again. Traffic was slow but still moving with a lane open. He drove closer. Two flatbed tow trucks remained ahead. “Destiny, look the other way. There’s a wreck up here. I don’t know what happened, so don’t look.”
“But I want to—”
“No. Look out the other window. I mean it.” As he eased past the wreck he saw the remains of a head-on collision. The front of both cars were mangled. Damn, that don’t look good. “All right, we’re past it now. I’m sorry, but sometimes there are things nobody wants to see in an accident.”
Tristan played over in his minds-eye what he just saw. Two cars were head-to-head in the center lane. Each looked way too damaged for someone who should’ve been slowing down to make a left turn. From what he could tell from the back end of one car, it looked fairly new—maybe a Ford. He thought about that a moment trying to figure out what kind of car it was—not easy in the twisted state it was in now. The other appeared to be a jacked-up, old beater. Whatever happened, both cars were totaled. Wait. He grabbed his head. “Oh, shit! Sonofabitch.”
“Daddy! Bad words—”
He pulled off onto the side street, his chest heaving with deep breaths. Sandy’s car! His breath caught. At that moment his phone rang. Jaysus! Crimminy no… The words were forced out. “Hello.”
“Is this Tristan Carlson?”
My God. His throat instantly turned so dry he couldn’t swallow. “Y-yes, w-who is this?” He reached for his water bottle.
“There’s been an accident, sir.” No! No. The bottle fell from his hands. He turned the motor off and got out of his truck. This was all too familiar. He hated it—never wanted to hear those words again. “Wh-what happened?” He didn’t recognize his voice.
“It’s your wife, sir.”
“Where is she?” His heart beat so fast he couldn’t breathe. “How is she? Tell me!”<
br />
“You need to come to the hospital, Mr. Carlson.”
“How is she? Tell me.” He slammed his fist against the hood. No! His body trembled and he leaned against the truck in order to remain standing.
“They’ll inform you of everything when you get here.”
Good, God, no not this shit again. “I’m on my way. Tell me something now. Please.” Nothing. Quiet. The contents of his stomach rose to his throat. He hung up, bending forward ready to vomit. He’d been through this before.
“Not. Nora.” Not Nora. He slammed his fists against the hood. “God, not Nora.” It was all he could do to stay focused. His breath held in his chest, and he forced himself to breathe. Falling to his elbows on the frontend, he lowered his head to the cold metal.
Destiny rolled her window down. “Dad?”
Oh, no! “I’ll be right there, Des.” No, please no. My baby. He dialed his phone without realizing until his mom answered. “Mom.” His heart raced and he couldn’t breathe. “There’s been…an accident. I’m losing it really quick here. Nora. I don’t know anything yet. I just got the call. They won’t tell me anything.” He stopped to catch his breath. “I gotta get to the hospital.”
“Tell me where, son. I’ll be right there.”
“Same one Sandy’s in.” His hand pressed against his forehead. “I passed the wreck on the way to the hospital but took a detour. I came back that way. Mom, the cars are mangled! Mangled, dammit.”
“I’ll be there. Take a deep breath, Tristan. Listen to me! Get it together or you won’t make it to the hospital yourself. Tristan?”
“Okay. I have to go. I have to go. Mom, I have to go!” Tristan dropped his phone to the hood. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, drying them the best he could. In his truck, he leaned his head against the headrest. He swallowed hard realizing he had to shift into father mode. “We have to go back to the hospital. Grandma will be there soon.” Glancing back, he pulled out. At the next stop he took the side roads back to the highway. His gut churned. Twisted.
“Why, dad? Are you okay? You sound different. We just left. I don’t wanna go back.”
“We have to. Destiny. This is the time I need you to be a big girl for me. I’ll tell you why as soon as I can. Please, just hush and give me a minute.”
“Daddy, I’m scared. Why?” She cried—loud. Screamed, “What happened? Is Nora hurt?”
“Destiny! Des.” Tristan clenched the steering wheel. Give me strength. “That was Nora in the accident back there. I don’t know anything yet.” He peeked in the rear view mirror. “Please be strong for me, honey. I need you to be strong for me.”
“You’re crying. Is Nora dead like my real mommy?” She burst into heavy sobs.
Oh, my God. “I can’t talk right now. We have to get there.” His child’s pain killed him. He wanted to be supportive while she cried, but he needed support. I have to get there. Have to get there. When he pulled into the parking lot at the emergency room, he unhooked Destiny and carried her inside.
“My wife was brought in. I have to see her. Nora Carlson. A car accident.”
“Just a minute, please.” She glanced at Destiny, who still cried. “Do you have someone coming for your child?”
“Yes, but I can’t wait.” He released Destiny to the floor. She held him as tight as she could.
The nurse called someone and told him it’d only be a minute. A doctor came out and glanced at Destiny. Tristan knelt. “Honey, you have to wait here for a minute. Grandma will be here soon, real soon.” He pointed to a chair. “Go sit right there.”
“No, Daddy. Don’t leave me.” She clung to him with both arms.
There was no expression on the doctor’s face whatsoever to give anything away.
“Listen to me, sweetheart. Only for a few minutes. I have to go to the back.” He held her face. “This is the time you need to be big.”
She shook her head no. “I’m not big!”
He picked her up and hugged her. “Take me to my wife, please. My baby?”
They went through the doors to a conference room. “I’ll put a chair outside the door for your daughter,” the doctor said. He went inside and dragged a chair out of the room, pushing it against the wall beside the door.
Tristan lowered her to the chair. He demanded that Destiny stay. “I’ll be right inside. Right here.”
She folded her arms across her chest and stared at the floor.
The doctor closed the door behind him but leaned against it for what seemed an eternity. Silence.
Tristan’s heart shattered. His breath held. He couldn’t swallow, but let the words out, “Tell me the truth.”
“Your wife is alive. We’re giving her oxygen to help her breathe better. Three ribs are broken. She’s unconscious. She has a concussion, but I expect this to be temporary and for her to wake up.” The doctor perused his chart.
He held his breath, terrified to ask…to know… Tristan dropped to a chair. “My baby?”
“Your wife’s head hit the side window; therefore, we had to put in sutures. Expect to see bruising on her face. We’re keeping close watch on the fetal monitor. Your wife is bleeding and we’re concerned about that. We’ll be doing more tests on your wife and daughter.”
“Daughter?” Both of his hands went to his head. “I’m having another daughter?” Tristan stared at the floor. A baby girl. He tried to keep his eyes dry but was unsuccessful.
The doctor stared at his chart. “You didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
Tristan shook his head. “I don’t mind.” My baby girl. “Can I see my wife?”
“What about your little girl?”
“My mom should be here. Might be here now. If someone could check, she’s probably out there. If not, she’s going with me. I have to see my wife.”
“I’ll make sure to do that right now.” He wrote on the chart. “Let me go get your mom, then I’ll take you to your wife. When is your baby due, Mr. Carlson?”
“Five, six weeks. Seven…I don’t remember.” Tristan grabbed his coat sleeve. “Save my family…”
“We’re doing that.”
When the doctor left, Tristan went into the hall and lifted Destiny into his arms. “I’m sorry I had to do that, honey.”
Her big blue eyes were filled with tears. “Is M-mama okay?” Destiny’s words came out jittery between sobs.
Tristan could barely breathe. He was still sick. “She’s okay right now, but she was hurt real bad.” Why’d I tell her that? Tristan held her on his lap, hugging her tight. “Just pray for Nora and our baby, sweetheart.” He leaned his cheek against the top of her head. “I want you to go home with Grandma later.”
“I wanna stay with all of you. Please, Daddy.”
“We’ll see what Grandma says. She’ll probably want to stay anyway.” The doctor returned with Judy. Jase followed behind. Tristan just about lost it again upon seeing them. Destiny slid off his lap and hugged her Grandma. Jase picked her up. “You guys go. I got her.”
Tristan took hold of Destiny’s leg as Jase held her. “You stay with Uncle Jase, honey. I’ll come back when I can.” His voice quavered. “You go home with him when he’s ready. Give me a kiss.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. He made eye contact with Jase, a forlorn look on his face he hadn’t seen since Rachel died. Tristan thanked Jase before turning back to the doctor. “Let’s go.”
When the doctor pointed out her room, Judy took his arm. “You go in. I’ll wait out here.”
He nodded, still having a difficult time breathing, and entered. Her head was bandaged, her eyes closed. A bruise shadowed one side of her face. Those long, beautiful lashes were fanned out against her cheeks. He kissed her forehead, then her lips. He observed more bruising on her chest. “I’m here, honey. I love you.” His hand went to the baby, waiting to feel her kick, or any movement to let him know she was alive in there. He closed his eyes after feeling a tiny kick or elbow nudge. Maybe nothing more than a slight shift in position, but
it was something. There you are, baby girl. Thank you.
Reaching for a chair, Tristan scooted it up to her bed. He took her hand, so warm to his touch. Even her fingers were bruised. His gut clenched. Observing the monitors, the readings indicated her blood pressure was very high. The baby’s heartbeat was not its normal high like he had seen at doctor visits. His body shuddered. If they had to take her now, they probably could, but she’d be so small. Her. He could proudly say her instead of the baby. But he wouldn’t tell Nora he knew.
“Please be all right, sweetheart. Wake up.” He lowered his head to the bed. Unbelievable. How did this happen? How had the accident happened? The door opened and a nurse entered.
“Mr. Carlson? We’re taking good care of your family.” She went around the bed to check her IV, and explained the fetal monitor readings to him.
He swiped his fingers over his eyes, paying attention as she explained. When she finished, he asked, “Do you know how the accident happened?”
“No, I’m sorry. The sheriff would like to talk to you. I’ll give you some time with your wife before I call him.”
When the nurse left, Tristan touched Nora’s face with one hand and leaned forward to kiss her. He remained above her, observing her beauty for a moment before sitting back down. He stretched his legs out, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
An aide came in to check vitals. When finished, she wrote her name on the whiteboard on the wall. “Hi there, I’ll be on duty tonight, or until your wife is moved into a room. I’ll be back later.”
Tristan gathered strength to speak. “My mom’s out there somewhere. It’s okay if she comes in now.”
The young girl nodded. “Ah, the lady outside the door. I’ll get her. What’s her name?”
“Judy Carlson.” Tristan sat forward, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I want to know how the accident happened.”
Tristan's Destiny, Bonus Book #1.5 Page 12