Page 21 of The Me I Left Behind

Everything would be her fault. Everything.

But she supposed it was.

It always was.

Her stomach knotted, anxiety balled up underneath her breastbone and pressed on her lungs, constricting her breathing. If she stood, she might pass out.

No, she couldn’t do that. She had to be strong.

Anticipating all the unknowns was useless.

Focus on Carol now, everything else later.

She abruptly stood and glared again toward the sign-in desk and the staff sitting behind it.

A woman in scrubs stepped from behind the counter and into the waiting room. “Mrs. Oliver?”

She’d watched her earlier as she approached from a hallway behind the desk, reviewed some paperwork on a clipboard, then conferred with a nurse staring at a computer screen.

Maggie stepped forward. “Yes? I’m Maggie Oliver.”

“Carol’s mother?” She spoke with a slight accent—one Maggie couldn’t put a finger on.

“Yes.”

“Would you like to see her?”

“Of course! I’ve been waiting. How is she?”

The woman halted slightly and turned toward her. “No one has spoken with you yet?”

Maggie shook her head. “No! No one.”

“I apologize for that. I’m Dr. Kendall.” She pronounced it like “ken-doll” and Maggie almost snickered. “Let’s keep walking and I’ll fill you in.”

Jamaican. She sounds Jamaican.

She and Max had vacationed on the island once when Carol was little.

Maggie strode alongside the fast-walking doctor.

“The accident caused the air bag to deploy, so Carol has suffered some facial trauma—some cuts and bruises, particularly around her eyes. She is complaining of a headache, which is normal given the circumstances, and says her neck hurts, so perhaps there is minor whiplash. We have examined her thoroughly, of course. She’s lucky because air bags can cause a lot of damage, but she was wearing her seatbelt.”

“And that helped?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Good girl.” Maggie sighed. “I’m glad she wore the seatbelt.”

Dr. “Ken Doll” nodded. “Yes. Apparently, the other car ran the light. Carol was not at fault. But talk to the police about that later.”

“She’s not unconscious or anything. Is she?”

“Oh no. In fact, she’s alert and quite vocal.”

Maggie smiled, imagining she would be. “Are those her only injuries?”

The doctor stopped and turned. “She threw her right arm up before the air bag deployed, so there is a slight sprain. An X-ray showed no fracture. She’ll go home with a sling. Other than the bruises and facial lacerations, she’s fared well.”

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