Page 4 of Shocking Sapphires
“Yes,” I answered, trying to infuse the single word with the overwhelming gratitude I felt for the woman that was no doubt destined to be my future sister-in-law.
She nodded and started to turn away. When she faltered, I tried to see what was wrong. She was staring at the crashed vehicle as the high-pitched screech of a saw pierced the air.
When the noise from the saw silenced, I heard Dani ask in a bewildered voice, “Is that Grant Chandler?”
Instantly, I wondered if I was in the midst of some strange, hair-raising dream. There was no way the biggest movie star in the entire world had just been racing down the main street of our little town before nearly mowing us over and crashing into the local chiropractic office.
Just as I was convincing myself that I must have misheard, I heard my brother’s deep voice rumble in answer to Dani’s question, “The one and only.”
3
Molly
My belly roiled as the ambulance raced to the hospital. So many thoughts churned in my jumbled mind…Was the baby hurt? Had Grant Chandler actually been the driver of that car? Was he injured? Were we currently driving too fast on the still-slick roads? Was the baby’s ambulance travelling this fast?
That last thought made my stomach lurch. The kind-eyed E.M.T. asked if I was going to vomit, but I stared at the ambulance’s ceiling and managed to swallow the bile back down. The last thing we needed was to crash on the way to the hospital. I could only hope that the driver of the baby’s ambulance was taking more care.
Somehow, we made it safely to the emergency room. As I was being lowered from the ambulance, my only concern was for the baby that had so quickly squirmed his way into my heart.
“The baby?” I asked frantically as I tried, but failed, to look around for him.
“He’s in good hands, ma’am,” my trusty E.M.T. assured me before he began efficiently relaying my status to the medical professionals in blue scrubs that surrounded my stretcher.
I felt like shouting at them that they didn’t need to worry about me, but that there was a baby who needed their attention. Instead, I squeezed my eyes shut, silently praying that they knew what they were doing and had the situation under control.
Once I was rolled into a curtained bay area, the short doctor gave me a reassuring smile before saying, “Sounds like you’ve had a rough time, but don’t worry, we’ll get you taken care of.”
“Is the baby okay?” I asked her frantically, even though I knew she couldn’t possibly know the answer.
Her kind brown gaze darted to a young nurse, who had been assisting with my assessment. Evidently understanding the silent request, the woman quickly offered, “I’ll go find out.”
Her rubber-soled shoes quickly squeaked out of the area. I stared at the square, white ceiling tiles, trying to hold back my fearful tears, as the doctor checked me out. I did my best to accurately answer her questions, but I wanted nothing more than to run out of here, find that sweet child, and make sure he was getting the care he needed.
It seemed like an interminable wait, but was probably only a few minutes before the nurse came back to our area. The doctor had just finished my initial assessment and announced that I seemed to be fine, other than some minor cuts and bruises, but that she wanted to monitor me for 24-hours to make sure no internal issues arose.
My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets as I stared at the nurse, willing her to say that the baby wasn’t injured. Seeming to sense my desperation, she quickly assured me, “He’s okay.”
The air whooshed out of my lungs as the overwhelming relief surged through my veins. The nurse gave me a warm smile as she came to stand beside my bed. The doctor seemed curious, too, as she wrapped her stethoscope around her neck and awaited a more thorough update from the nurse.
“They are still checking him out upstairs, but the initial review looks very promising. Rumor has it that you shielded him from the oncoming vehicle with your own body.”
My cheeks heated at the warm gaze she gave me. I turned my lips up into a half-smile, but tried to downplay my role by saying, “Anyone would have done the same thing.”
My doctor shook her head as she said, “To have that quick of a reaction to protect a child is instinctual for some, but not everyone has it.” She beamed down at me as she continued, “That is a sign of mother’s love at its finest.”
The urge arose to correct her, but I did feel a mothering type of love for the infant, so I remained silent.
“Would you like to go up and see him?” the nurse asked me. Seeming to catch herself, she quickly darted her gaze at the doctor before saying, “If it’s okay with Dr. Bailey.”
I didn’t care if the doctor approved. I wanted to go see with my own eyes that the child was as healthy as could be expected under the circumstances. Nodding a little too vehemently, I said, “Yes. Oh, please, yes.”
The doctor chuckled before saying, “I think that will be fine, but keep it quick.”
The warning was aimed at the nurse––likely because she sensed that I wouldn’t have the willpower to leave the baby.
My head throbbed from the over-exuberant nodding, but I didn’t give any indication of it because I didn’t want them to shut down my visit.
After telling me she would check in on me later, the doctor scurried out of the curtain-walled room. Within moments of her departure, two large orderlies appeared to help get me into a wheelchair.
