“She’s fine for now. She’s holding her own. But I don’t want to take any chances.” He grabbed her other hand. “Come on, Julia. Stay strong. We’re almost there.”
The ride to the ambulance felt agonizingly slow. Grant counted her breaths, the heart monitor’s constant beeping giving him some measure of reassurance, though far too little.
He struggled to keep his emotions in check, trying to stay strong for her, but worry clouded his every thought.
When they finally arrived, the flurry of activity that surrounded his wife gave him hope but also made him anxious.
Kyle followed her into the back, informing him to wait in the waiting room until they’d stabilized her.
He sank into a chair, his nerves raw. Images of Julia’s pale, limp form as they took her away haunted him. Sierra and Alicia hurried into the waiting room.
“We can’t see her?” Alicia asked as Sierra wrapped an arm around his shoulders, sniffling.
“Kyle wants to get her…” He struggled to get the words out, his voice threatening to break. He cleared his throat. “He wants to get her stabilized.”
“Was she unstable when you got here?” The raw panic in Alicia’s voice mirrored the storm brewing inside him.
“No, no change. Still unconscious, but he was concerned about her heart and her breathing. But she was the same as when she left the house. Hopefully, that’s good.”
Alicia bobbed her head, biting her lower lip as she paced the floor in front of them.
“Family for Julia Harrington?” a nurse called.
Grant leapt from his seat and hurried toward her along with Sierra and Alicia. “You can–oh, umm, sorry, only two people–”
“I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars to let us all go,” Grant said.
“Uhhh, right this way.”
Alicia offered him a sideways glance as they followed the nurse back. “Thanks.”
“Of course. She’d want you back there.”
The nurse showed them into a private cubicle. Visions of Julia’s accident danced in his mind as he spotted her slight form in the bed. “How is she?”
Kyle monitored her vitals before he slid his eyes toward them. “She’s holding her own. I’m waiting on some test results to see what we’re dealing with here.”
“Any ideas?” Alicia asked.
Kyle puckered his lips as he glanced at the spikes marking her heartbeat. “Let’s see what the results show.”
Alicia took her sister’s hand in hers, her eyes filling with tears. “Come on, Juju. Hang in there.”
“I’m going to go call the lab and ask them for a rush on her bloodwork,” Kyle said, leaving her side.
Grant shuffled forward, his arm firmly around Sierra. They both took her hand, sandwiching it between theirs. “Feel better, Step-mommy. We need you.”
Alicia flicked a tear away as she glanced at them. “This must be…hard after the accident.”
“Yeah. I,” Grant said with a crack in his voice. “I hate this.”
“Yeah, ma-maybe it was best if I didn’t know the last time.” Alicia’s voice hitched as she stared down at her sister with tears spilling onto her cheeks.
Grant nodded as he did his best not to fall apart, trying to stay strong for both Julia and Sierra.
The monitor’s rhythmic beeping suddenly changed, a symphony of medical alerts that immediately set Grant’s nerves on edge.
A flurry of hospital staff descended on her. Kyle raced back inside, his eyes scanning the monitors.