Page 70 of Shameless
“Water, please.” I tried to sit up and Spencer used the buttons to raise the back of the bed and then adjusted the pillows to help prop me up before grabbing the water pitcher off the rolling tray and filling a cup with water. I took a sip of the cool liquid from a straw and it instantly soothed my throat. “Do you know anything about the accident?”
Spencer sat in the chair beside my bed. “The police didn’t tell us much other than an apparent drunk driver ran a red light and hit your vehicle on Blake’s side.”
“How bad is he really?” Since Aimee was out of the room, I hoped Spencer would be honest with me if they had more details on Blake’s condition.
“We really don’t know,” she answered. “But he’ll pull through.”
“I hope you’re right.” I frowned.
“Me too.”
A moment later, Aimee walked in with a nurse. “Hello, Sarah. I’m going to check your vitals, and Dr. Ames is on her way.”
“I’ll step out into the hall with Aimee. Do you need anything?” Spencer asked.
I shook my head. “I’m okay. Thank you.”
She left, and the nurse did as she said and entered the data into the computer. A few minutes later, a woman in a white doctor’s coat entered.
“Good afternoon, Sarah. I’m Dr. Ames. How are you feeling?”
“Surprisingly, not too bad.”
“That’s the morphine.” She looked at the computer, and then turned back to me.
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“So, we wanted to admit you to make sure that the baby was okay—”
“Baby?” I blinked.
The doctor paused. “You didn’t know?” My eyes widened and I slowly shook my head. “When you were brought into the ED, we ran blood tests to determine if you were pregnant or not before we worked on you.”
I stared at her, not sure what to say. Blake and I had used condoms every time we’d had sex. How was I pregnant? Was one defective and we didn’t know? Had one broken and we hadn’t realized? I knew they weren’t 100% effective, but hearing I was pregnant threw me for a loop.
“But like I was saying, everything seems fine with your pregnancy. There’s no internal bleeding and your vitals are perfect. We only kept you for observation, so let me get your discharge papers going and we can get you out of here. You should expect some aches and a little pain, but we’ll prescribe you a non-opioid to help that is safe for you and your baby. We don’t want you on the morphine any longer since you are doing so well.”
“Okay. Can I see my boyfriend.”
“Yes, of course. I can have a nurse take you to ICU.”
“Can I stay with him?”
She cupped my shoulder. “I think that can be arranged.”
* * *
Once I was discharged,a nurse helped me into a wheelchair and took me to Blake’s room. He was lying in bed, hooked up to several machines and had a breathing tube in his mouth. My heart ached as I took in the man I loved. He was always strong to me, but now he looked fragile, as though the slightest touch could shatter him into a million pieces. His head was wrapped in a white bandage, and cuts and bruises covered his face and every inch of skin I could see of his neck and arms.
“You can sit here,” the nurse said as she scooted a chair next to Blake’s bed. “I’ll need to take the wheelchair back.”
“Yes, of course.”
She helped me transfer seats. “Can I get you anything before I leave?”
“I’m okay, thank you.”
“I’ll ask the nurse to order a lunch tray for you. You probably don't feel like eating, but you should. For you and the baby.”
