Page 51 of Stand By You
“I know,” Geneva said.
“We’ll have to wait until he comes home to ask him,” Travis said.
Geneva nodded and swallowed. “Of course.”
“I hate to break this up,” Simons said. “But the EMTs need to get Travis to the hospital. Who is going to ride with him?”
“I will,” Geneva and Jillian said at the same time.
“Only one can,” a paramedic said. “Usually a parent. Sorry, miss.”
Jillian nodded and allowed Geneva this once in a lifetime opportunity. “We’ll be following behind,” she told Travis as the paramedics transferred him to the gurney and rolled him out of the house.
“Thank you,” Geneva said, grasping Jillian’s hand briefly, then followed the paramedics to the waiting ambulance.
Jillian sighed and placed her hands in the prayer position one more time in front of her mouth and closed her eyes. “I hope I just did the right thing.”
“You did,” Nick said. “I know you wanted to be in that ambulance with him, but she is his mother.”
“I know,” Jillian said, “even if the courts don’t give her the right to be with him.”
“Let’s go,” Nick urged, and she turned with him to leave the house. “You’ll want to know what the ER docs say.”
“We’ll join you as soon as we swing by the police station to book Robert and Judy,” Simons said.
Jillian nodded and walked with Nick out to the Range Rover. Once she was inside, she took her cellphone from her pocket and called Mr. McGinty’s number. Unfortunately, the call went to voicemail.
“Nathan, it’s Jillian. We have Travis. He’s safe. Please call me,” she said, keeping the call brief.
When she hung up, she called Mrs. Hudson and gave her the news then settled back for the ride to Miami.
CHAPTER 17
“Why is it taking so long?”Jillian complained to Nick as they sat in the waiting room for someone to come out from the ER to give them an update on Travis. “If I’d known I wouldn’t have been allowed back with him, I never would have let Geneva ride in the ambulance. I’m the one with the power of attorney to sign for his medical treatment in his father’s absence.”
“But you didn’t tell them that when we arrived and you wanted to see them,” Nick reminded her.
“No, I didn’t want them to drag her out of there. She’s trying to reestablish a relationship with Travis, it wouldn’t have looked good,” Jillian explained. “But why can’t someone come out and tell us something?”
“They’re probably running some blood tests to make sure the sedative that was used to keep him asleep hasn’t done any damage,” Nick said, trying to calm her. “If we don’t hear something soon we’ll just have to pester the front desk staff again.”
She nodded and then laid her head back against his shoulder as they sat in companionable silence. She had just closed her eyes when her cellphone rang. Fishing it from her pocket she looked at the screen. “It’s Nathan!”
She stood, walking toward the sliding doors to go outside and have some privacy. “Hello.”
“Jillian, it’s Nathan. Abby and I have just landed at Miami International. It was a hell of a trip but thank God we’re back on US soil. How is Travis?”
“He’s in the ER at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, so they can check him out,” she said. “Geneva is with him.”
“Geneva?” Nathan sounded confused. “Why is she there?”
“It’s a long story and I’ll explain once you get here. But she asked to ride with him in the ambulance, and she was instrumental in us finding him.”
There was silence on the line before he spoke again. “I’m glad to hear that. We’ll be there soon, and we can talk.”
The call ended and she went back inside. Nick’s brows were raised in question when she reached him. “Well?”
“They just landed and will be coming from the airport,” she explained. “He was surprised that Geneva was here. Maybe I was wrong to let her have time with Travis.”
