Page 24 of Kent's Honor
“He’s here.” Dixie took Elle’s hand as they rolled her out the front door and down the driveway. No way would she let go until Kent was by her side.
Kent skidded his motorcycle to a stop in the driveway. “What happened?” he asked with a harsh bite to his tone.
“Could be food poisoning or maybe appendicitis,” the EMT said. “But we won’t know until we get her to the hospital.”
Kent drew his lips into a harsh line as he curled his fingers around Dixie’s wrist. “I’ll take it from here,” he said, pushing her aside. “Daddy’s here, Buttercup. Everything is going to be okay.”
Dixie stopped dead in her tracks. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She hugged herself, trying to stop the convulsions she’d held at bay for the last thirty minutes. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when she’d been that scared. She covered her mouth as a guttural sob erupted in her throat.
The ambulance blipped the siren before taking off down the street, the cop car following behind.
Deep down, she knew this wasn’t her fault. However, she couldn’t help but feel responsible. Whatever happened to Elle, happened on Dixie’s watch and by the disappointed glare Kent had given her, he held her accountable. She glanced over her shoulder. She probably would have felt the same way if the tables were turned and it was her Nicky who had been in that ambulance.
She made her way back inside and started cleaning. That poor girl. There was vomit everywhere, and Dixie wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get the smell out.
“Mommy,” Nicky stood in front her, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Where’s Elle? She’s not in her bed.”
Dixie gathered up all the dirty towels and the clothes she’d been wearing when Elle had gotten sick, stuffing them in a laundry basket. She took Nicky by the hand and led him through the family room. Never in a million years would she ever think she’d want a washer and dryer in the kitchen, but hell, this worked. She took her phone out of her back pocket. Still no message from Kent on Elle’s condition. She kept telling herself no news was good news. Besides, it had only been about thirty minutes since the ambulance took her away.
“Climb up on the chair while I get you some cereal.”
He sucked on his quivering lower lip. “Did they both leave?”
“No, baby, not like you think.” She sat down next to Nicky, rubbing his back. “Elle got sick. Really sick and she had to go to the hospital.”
“Is Kent with her?”
Dixie nodded as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why don’t you draw Elle a picture, and we can drive over to the hospital later and see how she’s doing.”
Nicky nodded.
She poured him a bowl of cereal and set down some markers and a piece of paper. As soon as she finished the laundry, she’d head over to the hospital, even if she hadn’t heard anything from Kent.
7
Routine surgery.
There was nothing routine about having to slice open a child and remove their appendix.
Kent paced in the waiting room. It had been sixty-seven minutes since they took her into the operating room. They told him the surgery wouldn’t take longer than an hour as long as there were no complications.
The doors swished open and Kent snapped his head toward the sound, but it wasn’t the doctor and it wasn’t Dixie.
Where the fuck was she? Instinctively, he reached in his back pocket, but he’d left his phone in the station house. Didn’t matter. If she cared, she would have been minutes behind him. He took in a deep calming breath. She did have Nicky to deal with, but really, it had been two hours since he and Elle had arrived at the hospital.
“Mr. Carter?” A man in scrubs entered the waiting area. “I’m Josh. I was the nurse in with Elle during her surgery.”
“She’s out? How is she?” His pulse beat so fast he thought for sure he’d drop dead of a heart attack right there. He blinked, trying to clear the sudden double vision.
“She’s fine.” Josh rested a firm hand on Kent’s shoulder. “No complications and we’re expecting to be able to send her home tomorrow.”
That seemed soon, but then again, Kent had already gotten cleared for a week off, so he’d have no problem taking care of his little girl. “Can I see her?”
“You sure can. She’s still groggy and might fall asleep a lot over the next few hours.”
Kent willed his heart rate to settle down. He didn’t want Elle to see how shaken up he’d been. The stronger he appeared, the faster she’d heal. Well, that’s what he told himself.
“She did make one request of you, though.”
