Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 99967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
But we’re busy, and I’m thrown right into the middle of my duties as soon as I set foot in the unit.
“Baby Matthew needs to be fed,” Amy tells me with a smile. “And I’m heading into bay 6.”
I nod and set off to see how Baby Matthew’s doing. He came in the other day, so tiny and sweet. His is another situation where his parents aren’t able to come in for every feeding, so we take care of it when they can’t be here.
“Hey there, little guy.” I spend time with the preemie, change his diaper and give him a bottle, rocking him in the chair as he sucks and stares up at me with bright blue eyes. “You’re pretty darn cute.”
That’s the only quiet moment of the night because after that, I have to be on hand for delivery of a sick baby, and then I have to cover lunch breaks for my staff.
It’s almost midnight when I come up for air and check my phone, smiling when I see a text from Blake that came in an hour ago.
Blake: Miss you, baby. How’s work?
Me: I miss you, too. It’s been busy up here tonight. Is it a full moon?
Slipping my phone in my pocket, I walk into little Oliver’s room to check on him. His mom is asleep in the chair next to him, and I let her rest as I check his monitors. It’s almost time for a blood draw on the little man, so I turn to get some supplies for that when I’m suddenly hit across the side of the head and slammed into a cart, knocking the breath from me.
“Stay away from my kid!”
Fuck, the pain. My entire right side throbs from where I hit the cart, and I’m dizzy and disoriented from being hit in the head.
“No!” I think that’s Oliver’s mom yelling out right before I take another hit to the face and then a kick in the side. “Stop! Help!”
I hear running feet and more yelling, but shit, my side hurts.
Someone—another dad?—grabs the man who shouldn’t even be here, holding him against the wall with his arms pulled behind his back, and then security comes running in to restrain him and haul him away.
“I’m so sorry,” the baby’s mom says. “He promised he wouldn’t lose it again.”
“He’s not welcome here,” I tell her, trying to climb to my feet. “If you let him in again, you’re both out for good. I’m pressing assault charges against him.”
“Oh, please—”
“You won’t talk me out of this.”
Shit, I’m so achy. But I’m not on the verge of a panic attack. This was so different from before. I’m just good and pissed off now.
And fuck, do I hurt.
“Amy,” I say as the fellow nurse helps me get my balance. “I need you to get me down to the ER.”
She frowns but doesn’t ask any questions as she loops her arm through mine.
“Do you need a wheelchair?”
“No. Just take it slow. I’m a little dizzy from that knock to the head.”
“Your lip is bleeding,” she says. “Dr. Blackwell will freak out.”
“Yeah, well, this is the least of his worries.” I walk slow, my right hip and side absolutely killing me, but I’m most worried about the baby.
God, let my little raspberry be okay.
Chapter Thirty-Two
BLAKE
There will be moments in my life that are seared into my brain and haunt me until my dying breath.
One of them will be seeing Harper hobble into my ER with a black eye and a split lip, her hair in disarray, and her blue scrub top torn at the sleeve.
“Jesus, baby,” I rush over to her and lift her in my arms, but she winces and cries out in pain.
“Christ, that hurts,” she says, a tear falling down her cheek. “The right side is probably bruised pretty bad. Hip, too.”
“Fuck.” Two nurses rush after me as I get her on a gurney in a room, and we immediately start working on her, but Harper holds her hands up, stopping us.
“Everyone out,” she barks, her pain-filled eyes holding mine. “I need to talk to you alone.”
“Let us get you—”
“No.” She closes her eyes with a wince, and it takes everything in me not to reach for her. I need to help my girl. “You don’t have my consent to touch me until after I talk with you alone.”
Unease slithers through my core, but I nod at the nurses. “Out. Close the door.”
Harper shifts on the bed, wincing again, and it’s killing me.
“Baby, let me help you.”
“Oh, I plan to. Get over here.”
I rush to her side and take her offered hand, bringing it to my lips. “What happened?”
“Fucking pissed-off dad happened. Motherfucker hit me from behind, threw me into a cart, and I fell to the floor. My right side is a mess, but Blake, we need to talk.”