Page 57 of Defending A Promise
“Sort of. His little body is fighting and is focusing on keeping him alive. We actually want him resting so if he wants to stay out, I’m okay with it for now.” Reid says as another familiar face approaches us.
“Hey, I heard there may be injuries. There was blood?” Dr. Trevor Jacobs asks as he gives me a side hug. “Hey, Riley.”
I nod at him as Declan answers his question. “It wasn’t Nicholas’ blood.”
“Ah. Okay. It’s a good thing when you don’t need my services as a trauma surgeon.”
“Dr. Jacobs? They need you back in the OR,” a nurse calls over to Trevor.
He waves at her in acknowledgment. “Riley, duty calls, but if you need anything, have one of the nurses page me. I’ll be here all night. Okay? Anything.” Trevor hugs me sideways again as I nod.
“Thanks. I will.”
He shakes Declan’s hand as he walks away when another nurse approaches us. “Dr. Larson, here are the STAT labs for the Ashford boy.” She hands him a tablet as both Declan and I watch him read the report as we try to decipher whether or not what he’s reading is good or bad. I can’t tell. He must play a good hand of poker.
“Well, it looks like little Nicholas is fighting an infection of some sort. Probably something that’s been brewing for the last couple of days and probably something he caught at daycare. Those places can be a petri dish of a million things.”
The relief is instant and overwhelming as the tears of relief start to flow. “Thank god,” I whisper.
“I’m going to move him to the children’s ward in a couple of hours. I want to keep an eye on him here for now. Once he’s up there, I’ll transfer him to Dr. Parker Travino. You should know him. He went to school with us, too.”
Both Declan and I nod. “I remember him.” I say.
“Good. Well, he’s one of the best pediatric doctors in the state now, so you’ll be in good hands. I’m going to go finish my reports, but if you need something, I’ll be just inside that door,” he points behind the nurses’ station, “so just come get me. Okay?”
I nod as Declan answers, “Thanks Reid. For everything.”
“You bet.” He puts his arm on my shoulder, “He’s going to be okay, Riley. I promise.”
I look up at him and give him a small smile because it’s all I have left in me. Today has been so traumatic and exhausting. “Thank you, Reid.”
I’ve been sitting in this chair for over an hour, holding my son’s little hand as the beeping of the heart machine lets me know my boy is still okay. The constant beeping should irritate me, and on any other day, it probably would. But today, it’s very comforting.
Declan’s been by my side since the minute he arrived and I’m so grateful for him that my heart could explode. I love him so much for saving Nicholas today. I don’t know if I ever could express that to him. How do you tell someone how grateful you are for them saving your only child’s life? For being there for you when you didn’t know what to do. For everything. I don’t know if I ever will be able to.
My phone has been blowing up, but I’ve just let it go to voicemail. I don’t have the strength to talk to anyone right now. I feel like I’ve been awake for a week in the last twelve hours, but when Declan hands me my ringing phone, I know I need to take this call.
“Hi Mom,” I answer.
“Hi Sweetie. How’s it going?” she asks joyfully and I don’t want to crush her trip of a lifetime, but she needs to know what’s been happening… what is still happening. And… I want my mom.
I burst into tears as I tell her the whole story from the moment they left on Saturday until right now as I sit next to my unconscious son in the emergency room. I tell her about Declan, Bella, what’s happened to their home… everything. She has every right to yell at me for not calling sooner or lying to her the last time I talked to her, but instead she says only four words. “We’re on our way.”
The hospital has moved Nicholas to the children’s floor and it’s a lot more cheerful up here with the bright colors and happy graphics on the walls. The rooms are more comfortable, too. Nicholas’ room is a private one and there’s a pullout couch and a much more comfortable recliner to lie back in than the hard plastic chairs that are in the emergency room.
Declan’s been on and off the phone for hours. I have no idea who he’s talking to, but my phone has stopped ringing, so I’m supposing he’s handling everything for us.
My parents are in Scotland and fortunately were not on the cruise ship when they called. They are now making arrangements to get their stuff off the ship and get flights home. I suspect they won’t be back for another day or so.
Declan comes back into the room and sits down in the recliner next to me and Nicholas. I’ve climbed into bed with him so I can hold him.
“Your parents should be here in…” he looks at his watch, “about twelve hours.”
“What? How’d they manage that?”
“I called in a favor from a friend,” Declan says as he puts one hand on Nicholas’ foot and the other on my knee.
“Who?”
