I watched Will climb into the helicopter, the blades as they started to pick up speed. I had to shield my eyes, but I wouldn’t close them. I had to watch as they lifted off. For a few seconds more, I thought I could see Will’s face.
“We need to get to the boat,” Mattie said. “Can you walk at all? It looks pretty swollen…” She felt my ankle gently with her fingers and my breath made a sharp, hissing sound.
She shot me a glance and bit into her lip, thinking. Then, in a gutsy move, she took off her shirt and began to bind my ankle. I dug my hands into the sand, making fists as she wrapped it tight, wincing as she pulled the knot as gently as she could.
“Come on,” she encouraged, holding her hands out for mine. I caught them and held on as my head started to spin. “Let’s see if we can get you standing… just lean on me… try not to put any weight on that side…”
I swung my head back as she pulled and caught one last look at the chopper. It was only a tiny dot in the sky now. A dot… that was holding everyone…
I…
loved…
And I felt a strange tingling sensation in my hands and feet… a sort of numbness that was stealing through my veins. It felt as if I couldn’t keep my head from rolling on my neck… and Mattie’s hands were on me and I thought I could see Will smiling…
Like a vision in a mist… he seemed to be holding my heart and flying away… so far away…
“I want to go…,” I heard my own voice, like it came from a long way off… “Take me, too…” I felt sand underneath me and the sun on my face… And then there was nothing…
A sweet and gentle darkness covered me like a warm blanket.
“Miss Hollister…?”
I rolled my head toward the sound and felt the bed spin underneath me. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I felt hands on my body. There was the gentle puffing sound of a blood pressure cuff and pressure on my arm… “Welcome back,” the voice said.
I opened my eyes and tried to focus. Stethoscope… white jacket…
“You’re in the ER,” a woman said. Salt and pepper hair… friendly eyes… “I’m Dr. Kendricks. Your friend, Miss Wilder, brought you in.” She smiled kindly. “You’ve got a few dozen cuts and bruises, and an ankle that needs x-rays and likely a cast.” I watched her nod at the nurse next to her. “How do you feel?”
“My daughter,” I croaked. “Violet Hollister…”
“We’re working on finding which hospital they went to,” she answered gently. “Your friend told me the details… All we know right now is that she wasn’t admitted here,” She pushed a button that lifted the head of the bed and offered me a spoonful of ice chips. I could feel the melting cold liquid sliding down my parched throat and glanced at the IV tube in my arm. The doctor smiled reassuringly.
“You’re going to be fine,” she said, patting my hand. “It’s just routine. A few tests and some fluids to get you hydrated, that’s all. We need to get your blood sugar up a bit.” She smiled and her face wrinkled softly. “I know you’re worried,” she said, kindly. “And I can’t tell you not to be. I’m a mother, too, it comes with the job. But you’ll be able to take better care of Violet if you relax and let us take care of you.” She picked up her clipboard and made a note.
“As soon as all the tests are back, someone will take you to radiology. And we’ll get you out of the ER and into a room of your own.” She leaned down and gave me a little wink. “Not exactly protocol… but I think you could use a little privacy right now.” I squeezed her hand in gratitude.
“Mattie?” I asked weakly.
“She’s just outside the door,” the doctor said. “I’ll send her in. She can stay with you as long as you want.” She gave me an understanding smile. “If anyone gives you any trouble about it, you send them to me.”
38
Will
Even flying into the city seemed to take forever. And I felt more powerless than I’d ever felt in my life. All I could do was hold Angel’s child in my arms and pray.
But when we touched down on the hospital rooftop, I was left with only the prayers. I’d had the pilot radio in and half a dozen people were waiting. Violet was whisked out of my arms within seconds, and I could only watch as they strapped her onto a gurney, far too large for her slight body. They were moving fast and the elevator door started to close as they surrounded her.
“Wait!” I gripped the door, holding it open only long enough to slip inside. “She’s mine,” I said forcefully. “And I’m not leaving her.”
When the doors opened to the emergency room, the team flew into action. I stood my ground, but out of the way. In seconds, Violet was hooked up to tubes and machines. One young doctor came over to me.
“Her name’s Violet,” I said. “Violet Hollister. She hasn’t regained consciousness… we don’t know how long she might have been in the water… And she’s autistic…”
“Her vitals are strong,” he said confidently. He ran a hand over the shadow of bristles covering his jaw. “Are you the father?”
“I’m responsible for her,” I said without hesitation. “Whatever she needs, whatever it takes… You do it,” I said. “I made a promise to her mother…”
He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and looked me at me squarely. “I’ve got a daughter at home, too,” he said. “Violet will get the best care there is. We’ll do some tests, see how she responds. I can have someone bring you a cup of coffee if you’d like, but I think it’s probably best if you stay close.” I felt my heart seize… “Because she knows your voice,” he said soothingly, and she may be more likely to respond to you. I’ll bring you some paperwork to fill out… and there’s a phone here you can use…” He looked at me. “Is there anyone you need to call?”
“Her mother, Angelina,” I said, feeling my first true hint of panic. “But there’s no way to reach her…
and she doesn’t know where to find us...”
I called almost every fucking hospital in the city, and no one had seen her. A beautiful young mother looking for her daughter. The thought of her out there, frightened and having to search the city for her own child was almost unbearable. I sat next to Violet, one hand holding hers, the other still holding the phone. A nurse brought in a cup of thin-looking coffee and sat it down with a shy smile.
“Taylor-Pick Memorial, how can I direct your call?” The woman’s voice sounded tired.
“I’m looking for a young woman, possibly with a broken ankle. Angelina Hollister, blonde with blue eyes who’s looking for her daughter, Violet.” The words were coming rapid-fire. “There was an accident and we were split up. She might have come in sometime in the last hour, or maybe called in…”
“One moment, please.”
I spent five long minutes listening to tinny music in one ear and the steady beeps of Violet’s heart monitor in the other. For a split second, I thought I felt the tiniest of movements in her little fingers…
“Sir,” the woman’s voice came back, “There’s no one in the waiting area who fits your description… and no record of any calls…” I could hear computer keys clicking in the background. “But I’ve got an Angelina Hollister in admitting…”
I let go of Violet’s hand and dug my fingers into the phone. “Admitting?” My mind was racing… relief that I’d found her… churning fear in my gut. “For a broken ankle? What’s happened to her? Why would she need to be admitted…?” I was on my feet now.
“I’m sorry, sir. Hospital policy doesn’t allow me to…”
I cut her off. “This woman is the love of my life…
and she trusted me with the life of her only child.” I could hear anger and fear and desperation in my own voice. “Right now, they’re separated, and neither one can live without the other. I don’t give a damn about your policy. You tell me what’s happened to her.”
I heard a frantic flutter of keystrokes. “All the information I have is that she’s been assigned a private room and is waiting on tests.” The girl’s voic
e lowered an octave. “Ankle injury and loss of consciousness,” she said under her breath. “That’s all I know.”
I managed to murmur my thanks before I hung up. My gaze drifted to Violet’s face. Her lips were pink again… the color back in her cheeks. All we could do was wait for her to open her eyes…
And everything inside me demanded I go to her mother’s side. Violet was stable and in good hands. And for all I knew, Angelina’s life could be in danger. She needed to know her child was alive, and I needed to hold her in my arms and tell her so. But I’d promised I wouldn’t leave Violet to wake up alone. I looked at the little girl and felt a war of conflicting needs battling in my chest…
And for the very first time, I realized that I truly knew… what it meant to be a father.
“What the hell, Will…?” I spun around at the sound of his voice.
“I was finishing rounds and heard you landed a damned helicopter on the roof…” Harry stood in the doorway, sleeves rolled back and concern creasing his face. “This is the child, isn’t it? The one you came to me about…?”
“Christ, Harry,” I gripped him to my chest for a fast second. “She is,” I said. “I’ll explain everything… but not now. There isn’t time.” I gripped his hand. “There was an accident. Her mother’s in another hospital. Just tell me you can stay with Violet. There isn’t anyone else in the world I can trust her with now. And you fucking call me if she so much as…”
“Go,” he said, his eyes telling me he understood. One father to another… “Find her, tell her daughter’s perfectly stable.” He glanced at the monitor and gave me a reassuring nod. “She needs to know.” And in a second, I was gone. To find one half of my heart…
only to discover I was leaving the whole other half behind.
39
Angelina
I could tell by the look on her face Mattie hadn’t found them. I leaned back, nauseated by the scent of disinfectant and felt hot tears of frustration building behind my eyes.
“There are still a few more to try,” she said, sitting down on the side of my bed. “A few won’t give out names… but it’s not that big of a city. There’re only so many places they could be.” She pushed a bowl of crackers closer. “They said you’ll feel better if you get something in your stomach,” she said in a motherly tone. “You know damned well Will’s looking just as hard as we are.” She smiled, looking tiny in her borrowed shirt, and straightened my blanket.
“Sorry to intrude,” a voice came along with a tap on the doorframe. A round, middle-aged nurse in scrubs poked her head in with a friendly smile. “Doctor wanted me to tell you everything’s just taking a little longer than usual,” she said apologetically. “Understaffed today and the lab’s backed up. Just push the call button if you need anything.”
“Bring her some soup,” Mattie called out as the nurse disappeared. “Are you okay if I go back downstairs and make some more calls?” I nodded. She grabbed up her phone. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes… You eat that soup when they bring it,” she added strictly, “or I’ll spoon it into you myself.”
I managed a smile until the door swung shut behind her. Then I pushed the tray away and forced myself to sit up. I pulled the phone on my bedside table a little closer and punched in the number for information. I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand and set my teeth determinedly. I had no fucking intention of sitting and waiting… I would find them any way I had to…
I heard the door open. “Just put the soup over there,” I said, without turning. I was busy copying down the list of hospital phone numbers being rattled off over the line. “Thank you… I’ll have it later…”
“You might want it now,” he said, love and relief flooding his words.
All I knew after that was that I was in his arms. My Will had found me and I was back in his arms, in the only place I had ever belonged. He kissed me with a fierceness, a passion that left me unable to tell where he left off and I began. He broke away only long enough to tell me the only thing left in the world I needed to know. “Violet’s okay, she’s stable,” he gasped and he kissed me again. “She’s with my closest friend… a doctor…” He kissed my mouth, my eyes… my forehead.
I broke away. “Did she open her eyes, Will? Is she awake?”
“Not yet, sweetheart,” he answered, his breath warm on my skin. “But she will be. She’s stable and…”
“Just take me to her,” I cut him off. “I’m just waiting for them to put a cast on my ankle, Will. They can do that at any hospital. Just take me to where she is, I have to be there when she wakes up.”
He nodded, smiling, looking at me like I was his whole world. “I’ve already got them started on the paperwork,” he said. ‘There’s an ambulance waiting for us downstairs. They wouldn’t tell me over the phone what had happened to you, why you were admitted or why they were running tests.” He ran his hands over my body like he was afraid he might break me.
“They said it was routine stuff. But there are delays at the lab and the doctor took pity on us. She just gave me the room for some privacy.” I shivered as his hand ran down my back, touching bare skin where the gown parted. “We’ve been calling every hospital in the city,” I said, my voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t know which frightened me most… Not knowing… or what I might find out…”
He kissed me again, pouring his strength into me with his breath, pouring his love into me with the steady beating of his heart next to mine.
“We’re together now… and I’m taking you to your daughter,” he said, his deep voice calm, certain, reassuring. “That’s the only thing that matters now…”
“Okay, then,” the nurse said, handing me a dozen different forms for my signature. “You’re all set to go. Dr. Kendricks will be in, in a few minutes. She’s getting your lab results right now. That way, you won’t have to wait for the records to be transferred.” She pulled a face. “Or have to have the tests repeated.”
“Thanks, Harry,” Will said. He was standing by the window, phone in hand. “”We’ll be there in less than twenty minutes.” He clicked off the phone and tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans.
“You could just go in the hospital gown,” he said, coming up behind me to help me struggle into the scrubs the nurse had provided. “You’ll only have to take these off again once we get there.” He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off my one good foot and sat me on the edge of the bed. “You’re going to a patient there, too…”
“I know,” I said, biting back the pain from moving so much. “I’m just not going into Violet’s room with my ass hanging out.” I smiled at the look on his face. “And besides, it might be a long time before they can tear me away from her to set this damned thing. I need to see her wake up for myself…”
“Harry says there’s no change,” he said, helping me to slip the top down over my breasts. The fabric pulled tight, my nipples felt tender… “But even that’s still good news.”
“I love you, Will.” I pulled him down to sit next to me. “You saved her life by taking her when you did and getting her to the hospital so quickly.” I felt familiar tears heating up inside. “No father could have done more. For her sake, or for mine.” The tears started to spill… “Forgive me for all the time I wasted… not being willing to trust that you were different from men like Jimmy, and my dad…
Violet never would have made it without you, and neither would I.”
“Angelina…? Sorry for the wait.” Dr. Kendricks came into the room, sweeping in with a practiced air of confidence. “Labs are finally back.” She looked from my face up the tall, dark length of Will. “Hello, Mr…?”
“William Bond,” he said, putting out a hand.
“This is what you need to take with you,” she said, shaking his hand and handing the paperwork to me. “Make sure the doctor takes a look at all the labs before they send you to radiology. Other than that, you’re set to go.” She took another second to put her hand gently on my arm. “When
you have the chance… call me and let me know how your daughter is getting along? I’d be grateful to hear…”
“Of course,” I replied, putting my hand on hers. “Thank you for caring. And for everything you’ve done for us.” She nodded and gave my hand a little squeeze. Then she turned back to Will.
“It sounds like you’re the man to have around in an emergency,” she said graciously. “Are you Violet’s father?”
There was only an instant of silence before he took in a breath to answer…
“Yes,” I said, from the deepest part of my heart.
“Yes, he is.”
40
Will
She allowed me to push her wheelchair, but she refused to lay down once we were in the ambulance. I sat behind her as we rode in the back, letting her use my body for support.
“Am I her father?” I asked, wrapping my arms around her, leaning my face into the sweet, fresh scent of her hair, willing it to be true. I felt her draw a deep, slow breath.
“I don’t know,” she answered plainly. “I don’t know if it was Jimmy who got me pregnant on my birthday… It was my first time, and we were only together that once… And only because I’d had too much to drink.
“And about a month after that, it was us,” I said. “Just once…” She turned in my arms and I smiled at the way her blue eyes looked even bluer when they were about to spill over with tears.
“Yes,” she said. “I barely even admitted to myself that there was a chance Violet could be ours… Mom only knew about Jimmy… and once she found out I was pregnant, she was so busy making plans for the wedding. And I was so used to letting her take control…” She looked at me with huge, worried eyes. “I left to escape her, Will, to escape everything, so I could learn how to live my own life and make my own choices. When Jimmy took off, it seemed too late to be looking backwards and wondering who the father really was. I was so damned young then, and by the time I’d grown into all my responsibilities… it just seemed way too late…” She looked down at her hands, quiet… almost shy for a moment, and looked back up into my eyes.
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