by M T Stone
“Really? Twenty minutes ago, I was giving her CPR out on the highway. Now you can’t tell me if she’s doing okay?” Frustration filled Dylan’s face. He was in no mood for technicalities or stupid regulations. He wanted off this goddamn emotional rollercoaster right now.
“Let’s go outside,” she suggested, reaching for his elbow and turning him toward the door. “We’ll have a little chat.”
Dylan could tell by her tone that something wasn’t right. His level of irritation once again began to rise as he followed her toward the exit. He had already seen that Summer was in severe distress, and he suspected that her condition had probably worsened. That’s why he needed an update. Once outside, Julie remained silent until they reached the end of the building and rounded the corner. There were no windows in the red brick wall, so apparently, she was still concerned with the privacy issues. “Ryan expected you and Carson to show up here. He was very explicit that the two of you were not welcome here tonight and that he would be in touch regarding the reward money.”
“The reward money? Who gives a shit about that?” Dylan fumed. “I just want to know that she is doing better, for Christ’s sake!” He took a step back, completely blown away by the fact that her dad would still be acting this way toward him. “We were the ones who found her and brought her back! And he’s still acting like a total dick?”
“Investigators found a pair of wine stained shorts in her closet,” Julie replied in a hushed voice. “Did she throw up that night?”
Dylan took another abrupt step back. He wouldn’t have been more stunned if he had been struck by a lightning bolt. He couldn’t even think of a rational reply to her question. Yes, they had both drunk too much wine. Yes, she had gotten sick. He had carried her up to her room and helped her change clothes. He turned away, avoiding her judgmental expression.
“According to Olivia, Summer was wearing those shorts when she left the house that night,” Julie persisted, stepping back in front of him. “Is she correct?”
Dylan simply stood there, staring at her, debating whether he should even reply. The last thing he wanted to do was further incriminate himself. He had already been charged with statutory rape. What other charges were possible if they found out about the alcohol? They were both minors, after all.
“Dylan?” Julie leaned in and looked directly into his eyes.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he stammered. “I just want to know if she’s going to be all right. That’s all I want. I don’t give a shit about the money, and I’m obviously not going to win over her dad . . .” He paused, shoving a hand through his hair and turning away from her. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Look at me,” Julie replied, grabbing him again by the elbow. “You will be much better off if you own up to everything and take responsibility for your actions. Olivia understands that you’ve had a crush on Summer for a long time. She gets it. Ryan, on the other hand, blames you for everything that’s happened to her. Now he’s supposed to pay a million-dollar reward to you and your uncle?”
Dylan blew out a frustrated breath and pulled away once again. “Again, I don’t care about any of that bullshit! Just tell me! Is she going to be okay or not?”
“They don’t know what’s wrong yet,” Julie replied with tears welling up in her eyes. “She’s on a ventilator, they’ve started the IVs, and Dr. Preston thinks she might need a lung needle biopsy in order to determine exactly what is attacking her lungs.” She paused, staring intensely at him for several seconds. “That’s why Ryan and Olivia are so upset. No one can tell them whether everything is going to be okay.”
“So, what can I do?” Dylan asked, not knowing what to do with himself.
“You should go home. Spend some time with your mom, and I’ll give you a call as soon as I know something,” she suggested in a friendlier tone. “Hopefully, it’s something bacterial and she’ll respond to the antibiotics. If not, the steroids should reduce the inflammation and help her out. I think they are most worried that it might be some sort of parasite.”
“Whatever it was, it sure hit her fast. She seemed fine when we left the lake, but she was fighting to breathe by the time we got to the highway.”
“Well, that’s actually pretty common for someone who nearly drowns. There are usually complications, but hers are a little more extreme than normal,” Julie added. “Now go home and get some rest. Your mom will be glad to see you.”
“Yeah, she’ll be excited to lecture me, you mean. Please call me as soon as I can see her.” Dylan turned and began to walk slowly back toward the SUV. He pulled out his phone and sent Carson a text, letting him know he was headed over to the house and to not bother coming to the hospital. Thoughts swirled through his mind as he climbed into the vehicle and started it up. Wine-stained shorts, DNA-stained seats, and his uncle and her dad were sworn enemies. What a fucked up mess.
Olivia stepped out of the trauma room when her phone began to vibrate once again. She let it ring several times, walking quickly toward the family room. She wanted a little privacy before picking up Carson’s latest call.
“I just wanted you to know that I’m catching a ride back into town with Sergeant Reed,” he said when she picked up. “I also wanted to check on how your daughter is doing.”
“She’s not doing so well,” she whispered, entering the empty room. She immediately choked up and had a hard time getting out another word.
“What’s wrong?” Carson asked, but he was met with deafening silence. “Olivia? Are you still with me?”
“Yes,” she whimpered, trying to pull herself together. “They don’t know what’s wrong with her.”
“With her foot?” Carson asked, completely bewildered by the level of despair that Olivia was projecting.
“No. There’s something wrong with her lungs,” Olivia clarified. “She stopped breathing on the way into town.”
“I had no idea,” he replied, having not spoken to Dylan yet. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t heard that. She seemed like she was doing fine when they left.”
“No. Dylan was giving her CPR along the highway by the time the ambulance got there. They have no idea what’s causing the problem. Something in the water,” she added, bursting into a full sob.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. I’m sure they’ll figure it out,” Carson replied, not knowing what else to say. “I’ll let you go, but you let me know if you need anything at all. Okay?”
“I will, and thank you, Carson.”
“Take care. I love you, hun.”
Olivia ended the call without replying and slipped her phone back into her purse. She simply stood there in silence for a moment, her head buzzing from a lack of food and sleep. She knew that she should go right back to the trauma room to sit with Ryan and Summer, but she needed a few minutes to herself. She closed her eyes and once again pictured her daughter sitting on the front steps, laughing and talking on her phone. You’ve made it this far, Summer. Please fight. Please come back to us. She swallowed hard, trying to restrain her crying. She had shed so many tears in the past two days that her eyes were in a constant state of burning. She needed something to eat, a hot shower, and a good night’s sleep.
“Was that Carson again?” Ryan asked, sticking his head into the room.
“Yeah. He’s riding back to town with Sergeant Reed,” she told him, rubbing her eyes to rid herself of the residual tears. “He also wanted to check on how Summer was doing.”
“Did he say anything more about the guy who kidnapped her?”
“No. We just talked about Summer.” She walked toward the doorway to where he was standing. “I just assumed that the guy was still dead.”
“That’s a good assumption, I guess.” He gave her an exhausted smirk and reached to put his arm around her. “I was just wondering who the hell he was.”
“He didn’t mention anything about that. They probably don’t know yet.” She looked out through the doorway and down the corridor. “I really need something to eat.”
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“You go sit with Summer. I’ll see if there’s anyone in the cafeteria who can help us out.” Ryan leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “If not, I’ll order in some Chinese.”
“Sounds good. I don’t really care what it is, as long as it has some protein.” She turned back toward the trauma room where her only daughter was fighting for her life. The pain from the arches of her feet radiated all the way up to her hips as she walked on the cold, hard, bland tile floor. She had never felt so old, so exhausted, and so utterly helpless. She thought back to how hard it had been to lose her parents a few years earlier. The bleak hallway reminded her of that similarly tragic weekend. Her father had been driving an RV south of Yellowstone, near Jackson Hole, when a strong gust of wind sent it off the road. Neither of them were much for wearing seatbelts, so when the RV began to tumble down the embankment, they didn’t stand a chance. She could still picture the scene. Parts were scattered for a couple of hundred feet. Mom, Dad, I know you’re watching over Summer. Please tell her to fight.
“Olivia!” a loud, masculine voice startled her as she returned to Summer’s room.
“Cliff! It’s so good to see you!” She held out her arms and gave her father in-law a hug. “I’m so sorry we ruined your vacation. Where’s Madeline?”
“Oh, don’t worry about our vacation,” he scoffed. “Madeline has been lightheaded since we landed, so she’s getting her blood pressure checked. You know how she is.”
“Well, she’s not alone. I think I’ve aged twenty years since Friday night.” She turned toward her daughter, who was surrounded by machines that were pumping, monitoring and beeping. “And we’re still not out of the woods.”
“I know, darling,” Cliff replied with a grave look of concern. “If they don’t make any progress by morning, I want to see her on a life flight to Mayo Clinic. Those guys will figure it out.”
“We’re already consulting with Mayo,” the ER doctor interjected as he entered the room with her chart in hand. “They’re confident that it’s an auto-immune reaction to something that was in the water. A parasite takes some time to cause problems, and even aspiration pneumonia doesn’t reach this level of intensity for at least forty-eight hours.”
“So what does that mean?” Olivia asked with wide eyes.
“It means that we were correct to put her on prednisone and a strong course of antibiotics,” the doctor told them, flipping to the back page of her chart. “We’ll watch her blood oxygen levels,” he added, pointing to one of the monitors. “This number was in the high eighties when the paramedic checked it in the field. She’s out of the danger zone for now, but we want to see it creep back toward ninety-eight.”
“So, ninety-two is still bad?” Cliff asked, looking for further explanation.
“Yes.” The doctor flipped her chart closed and slipped it into the holder at the foot of the bed. “She’ll stay on a ventilator until she has been in the high nineties for several hours. If the prednisone continues to work, though, she should be back in that range by morning.”
“So, we just pray that it works?” Olivia asked with a sigh.
“That’s about all we can do,” the doctor replied. “If things don’t improve by morning, we’ll ship her out to Mayo and they’ll most likely perform a biopsy.”
“Well, I want to make sure she gets the best possible care,” Cliff told the doctor with an imposing expression. “This little girl means everything to my Madeline and me.”
“She is our number one priority,” the doctor assured both of them while pausing in the doorway. “I’ll be personally monitoring her for the next several hours.”
Olivia pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down, placing her hand on Summer’s arm. “We’re all here for you, baby girl.” She leaned toward her to brush the hair away from her face. She couldn’t help seeing the little girl with a ponytail who used to chase butterflies and search for frogs on sunny summer days. The gut-wrenching pain that she had been feeling all weekend had begun to transform into a feeling of intense anxiety. She looked at her watch, hoping that morning would bring good news. Despite the sharp pain in her neck and the stiffness in her hips, she was determined to spend the night at her daughter’s side. Regardless of the outcome, she couldn’t fathom being anywhere else.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Cliff said after several moments of silence. “I’d better go check on Madeline.”
“Thanks, Cliff.” Olivia leaned forward, running her hand over the top of Summer’s head once again. “I’ll be right here all night.”
Chapter 16
Dylan stopped at the nearest drive-thru for a burger and fries before heading home. He wasn’t in a hurry to get home since it undoubtedly meant a confrontation with his mother. Even though she was rarely there for him when he actually needed her, she never missed an opportunity to let him know when he had messed up. As if he hadn’t already been regretting his actions ever since the wee hours of Saturday morning. His thoughts turned back to Ryan, who was also having a hard time letting go of his grudge. Apparently, rescuing his daughter and giving her life-saving CPR wasn’t going to be enough to sway his opinion. His phone began to ring and it was his uncle.
“I need my ride,” he blurted out as soon as Dylan answered.
“You can stop by the house and pick it up,” he replied, a little annoyed by the edginess in his voice. Carson always had a gruff approach, regardless of the situation. In recent days, he had begun to think that maybe his uncle did indeed have a heart, but he sure tried his best not to show it. That’s why his admission that he was worried about dying alone had caught Dylan off-guard. Now, after rescuing Olivia’s daughter and being in line to collect a huge reward, there still didn’t seem to be a speck of joy in his voice. “I need to have a talk with Ryan,” he added, seemingly testing the waters.
“You might want to at least wait until Summer is out of the hospital.” Dylan shook his head in silence, wondering how he could be so insensitive.
“Shit! Knowing Ryan, he’s probably on the phone with his broker, moving his money to an offshore account somewhere halfway around the world,” his uncle rebutted.
“I seriously doubt it, Carson. According to one of the ER nurses, it’s going to take a miracle to keep her from being on a life-flight in the morning.” Dylan couldn’t believe that Carson would even consider calling Ryan about the reward. It’s no wonder he hated him. “At least wait till morning to see how she’s doing before you start going after him.”
“You don’t know him like I do.” Carson paused momentarily. “But yes, I was planning on waiting. For Olivia, not for him.”
“Thanks, Carson,” Dylan replied sincerely, not wanting to be the nephew of a complete shmuck. “I’ll park your truck in the driveway and leave the keys on the counter just inside the door.”
“All right. But, if I have to wait around to see Ryan, I might as well crash on your mom’s couch for the time being,” he suggested, floating another trial balloon.
“I’m sure that would be fine. I could use a buffer between Mom and me anyway,” Dylan told him. “Are you on your way there now?”
“Yeah, I’ll have Reed drop me off in ten. I’ll make sure your mom understands that you literally saved her life tonight. Don’t worry about her.”
After hanging up, Dylan had mixed feelings about everything that had happened. Yes, he had saved her life by calling 911 and performing CPR, but she probably wouldn’t have needed it if he hadn’t left her passed out in her bed on Friday night. Ryan was still blaming the whole incident on him, and the thought of him still pursuing statutory rape charges was beyond irritating. I need to have a talk with him before Carson gets a chance.
He pulled into the driveway, shut off the vehicle, and killed the lights. He pulled out his phone and started looking through his messages, but his mother would have none of that. After peering out the window, she came storming out of the house and over to the vehicle. Dylan opened the door of the SUV as she approached.
“How’s it goin’, Mom?”
“You know damn well how it’s going! How could you do it, after everything Olivia Bennett has done for you?” She stood glaring at him with both hands on her hips.
“We were just being young and stupid,” he replied, not knowing what else to say.
“You took that bottle of wine from my house!” she practically screamed, pointing a stern finger directly in his face. “Do you realize what kind of liability that creates for me, since you still live here?”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ve been beating myself up ever since it happened.” Dylan shook his head and got out of the SUV, pushing past her. “Fuck! Don’t you think I know that getting drunk with her was the biggest mistake of my life?”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking anymore. You used to be the one I could count on to help me keep things together,” Patty replied, giving him a shame-filled look. “You’ve gotten way off-track this past year.”
“Have you ever thought about that?” Dylan spun around and stared down upon her. “Was it fair for you to completely steal my childhood? I’ve been responsible for raising the girls since I was eleven years old. When did I get a chance to be a kid?”
His mother stood in silence, simply staring up at him. Dylan could tell she was biting her tongue, not wanting to blurt out something that she couldn’t take back. After a second or two, she took a deep breath and the expression on her face softened. “I do appreciate everything you’ve done for all of us, Dylan. You know I had to work two jobs to make ends meet. I know you didn’t have a normal childhood, but I always thought you were strong enough to handle it.”
“You gave me no choice but to be strong. But I’m not fucking perfect!” he added, turning away from her once again. “Summer’s not perfect either. Everything we did Friday night was just as much her idea as mine.”
