Chapter Six
Four minutes later, they arrived at the hospital. The double glass doors of the emergency
department opened with a near-silent
whoosh
and inside, a tinny, amplified voice from the overhead speakers requested a doctor
in X-ray. Matt carried his drowsy son through the cramped waiting room and cringed
at the smell of antiseptic and sickness. Dani guided them to the check-in counter.
“We have an eight-year-old boy who needs immediate attention,” Dani spewed before
the clerk even had a chance to ask a question.
The clerk—Janie, according to her name tag—slapped a clipboard full of forms on the
counter then tossed a pen on top. “Fill these out. Have a seat,” she said in a rehearsed,
monotone voice.
Dani leaned forward. “I’m a registered nurse. This child needs immediate attention.”
She enunciated every word. “That means now.”
The hell with forms. Matt headed for a set of double doors that opened on a buzz and
slipped inside, followed closely by Dani.
She pointed her finger toward the hallway. “Don’t stop until you find a doctor.”
“Sheriff! Ma’am,” the clerk shouted. “You can’t go back there. There are forms to
sign.”
As Dani ran interference, Matt began a systematic search for a doctor. From room to
room, he poked his head in, intent on finding someone who could help.
“What’s going on here?” a woman demanded from behind him. And then in the next second
it softened. “Matt?”
He swung around and relief clotted his throat at the familiar face. “Marcy. Please.
It’s Sam.”
She glanced at Sam and waved off the ruffled clerk who’d pushed past Dani. “I’ve got
this, Janie.”
The clerk handed the clipboard to Marcy with an expression that said, “good riddance,”
then Marcy took charge. “Talk to me.” She hustled them through a maze of corridors,
past rooms full of medical machines and anxious families.
“I don’t know. I didn’t notice anything.” He looked at Dani.
She reeled off what Sam had experienced at her cottage.
Matt stared down at his son. What if he hadn’t been with Dani? Matt’s stomach rolled.
By the time he would have found Sam, it might have been too late.
As they walked past the nurses’ station, Marcy yelled to no one in particular, “I
need an attending in bay four.” She flipped the lights on in an exam room and patted
a sheet-covered gurney. “Let’s have a look.”
Matt gathered his son a little tighter in his arms. The boy’s eyes were sleepy, his
breathing slow. What if he had an incurable disease? A brain tumor? Cancer? His chest
tightened, and he had to concentrate to breathe. A hand on his shoulder got his attention.
Dani watched him with concern.
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “They need to examine him.”
He settled Sam on the bed and stepped back, suddenly shaky from relief and gratitude.
Grateful that he wasn’t alone to fix this, that Sam’s care wouldn’t fall on his shoulders
alone. What kind of horrible father experienced solace at putting the life of his
son in someone else’s hands?
Matt heard footsteps moving about the exam room, but he couldn’t look away from the
gurney. A minute later, Sam’s blood pressure, pulse, and heart rate showed up on a
nearby monitor. Matt matched the rhythmic beeping to the rise and fall of Sam’s chest.
A gray-haired man wearing green scrubs and a white jacket entered the room. He shook
hands with Matt. “Dr. Thomas Jacobs.” Marcy recited Sam’s pertinent information.
Dr. Jacobs performed a methodical exam, answering Matt’s questions before he had a
chance to ask. He watched, helpless. Unable to change the outcome. Powerless to help
Sam. The doctor rattled off instructions to Marcy.
She patted Sam’s arm before focusing on Matt. “We’ll run some tests, see what’s going
on.”
Matt nodded over the ringing in his ears. “Yeah, okay. Could this be serious?”
“We’ll know more soon.” He spoke in a gentle tone he’d probably learned in med school.
“You did the right thing by bringing him in.”
Marcy opened drawers and removed supplies while she gave them a play-by-play of her
actions. Sam’s eyes drifted open as she moved about the room. “I’m going to start
an IV. I’ll also be drawing blood for a few tests.” When she pulled out a needle and
some tubing, Matt squeezed his eyes tight for a moment. He wondered if there might
be a bed for him, too.
Sam’s gaze jumped from the needle to Matt. Panic leaped from Sam’s eyes. “I’m scared,
Dad.”
Matt had told Dani that he wasn’t the type to hold back his feelings, but maybe that
wasn’t true. Sam needed a strong father, not one who was terrified. So instead of
admitting his fear, he took Sam’s hand, kissed his forehead. “You’re in good hands.
This is Deputy Montgomery’s wife. She’s a great nurse.”
Sam shifted his attention to Dani. “Are you a good nurse, too?”
“Yep.” She eased in next to Matt. “And this is the best place for you to be right
now.” She leaned over and smoothed a hand through his hair. “You’re going to be okay,
honey.”
Sam nodded. Eyes bright with tears, he cast a quick glance at the nurse before shifting
his attention back to Matt. “So I’m not gonna die?”
The image struck him like a fist dead center to the gut, a blow that stole his breath.
He clamped down on his anxiety, shook his head repeatedly. “No, son. The doctor will
find out what’s wrong. You’re going to be okay.” Matt repeated the statement in his
head like a mantra. Sam would be okay because there was no alternative.
Dani tugged on Matt’s arm. “Let’s give her some room to do her job.”
An hour later, his mother burst through Sam’s ER room. Matt wished he hadn’t talked
Dani into going to the cafeteria, but he didn’t think the emergency room was a good
venue to introduce her to his mother.
“Shh. He’s asleep,” Matt said.
She gave the room a quick inspection. “It’s lunchtime. Where’s his food?”
Matt pointed to Sam’s IV dripping in his arm. “He’s getting fluids.”
“What if he gets hungry?” She hitched her massive purse higher on her shoulder.
“Mom, they’re doing tests. He’s in good hands. If they want him to have food, they’ll
bring him some.”
She peered over the bed to see Sam. With her back to Matt, she said, “I called Gina.”
Matt stilled. The last thing on earth he wanted was his ex-wife showing up.
“She’s coming to see Sam.”
“No.”
His mother turned from Sam’s bed and focused on Matt. “She has a right to see her
son.”
Matt stood and, with a firm hand on her elbow, guided his mother into the hallway
right outside Sam’s room. “No, she doesn’t. She chose to sign away her rights where
Sam’s concerned.”
“She’s his mother.”
“A
mother
doesn’t abandon her child. Gina’s not a mother. She’s a liar an
d a m
anipulator. I don’t want her near Sam.” He tried to dig his hand through his hair,
forgetting momentarily he’d cut it short a few weeks ago.
“She should be here any minute. I called her right after I talked to you.”
Matt planted his hands on his hips, stared down at his shoes to count to ten. He reminded
himself that she was his mother and he’d been raised to be respectful. Trying to keep
a lid on his annoyance, he spoke with care. “In the future, it will be my sole decision
whether or not Gina is informed of anything to do with Sam.”
He raised his head to look at his mother. She wouldn’t make eye contact, instead fiddling
with the straps on her purse.
“Mom, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes.” She wiped at her eyes. “I’m very sorry.”
Matt guided his mother back into Sam’s room and had just taken his seat when Gina
slid inside. It was a shock seeing her in a knee-length black skirt and a white polo
shirt, so unlike the way she used to dress for him. Years ago, he’d admired her and
lusted after her near-perfect body. Now the only emotion associated with Gina was
sorrow. And a heavy dose of resentment for what she’d put Sam through
.
Funny how lies and manipulation could change your opinion of a person.
She’d been his best friend, his lover, his wife. He had promised her a happy future.
But she hadn’t wanted what he had to offer. Too bad she hadn’t realized that until
after they were married.
Gina moved to Sam’s bedside. Leery, Matt stayed close.
Sam blinked a few times. “Mom?”
She smiled. There was no motherly glow. No warmth in her eyes. Never had been.
Matt was the one who’d wanted a baby—a baby he’d thought they’d been working on. After
several years without conceiving, they’d adopted Sam. A few years later when Gina
still hadn’t become pregnant, Matt was anxious to adopt another child. Until he accidentally
discovered Gina’s birth control pills. She admitted she’d been taking them their whole
marriage because pregnancy would ruin her figure, and that would be the end of the
modeling career she dreamed of having some day. A child was the last thing she wanted.
Matt had paid her asking price in a deal that had landed him full custody of Sam.
He no longer trusted her—he’d made that mistake once—and never would again. How could
he believe in a woman who had willingly exchanged parental rights for money?
Gina gave Sam’s head a pat. “Hey, Sammy.”
“Are you coming home?”
Matt’s stomach revolted. “No, bud, she’s just here to visit you for a bit.”
His mother leaned against the bedrail and squeezed Sam’s hand. “You’ll be home in
no time. I’ll make you all your favorite foods. How about some homemade mac and cheese?
The kind you like with buttered breadcrumbs on top. And maybe some chocolate chip
cookies.” She leaned in close to whisper. “I’ll even add extra chocolate chips.” She
gave him a wink. “That’ll cure whatever you’ve got. While we wait, I’ll start on a
grocery list.”
She headed for the lone plastic chair that stood in a corner, but Gina sat in it as
if she hadn’t seen the older woman. His mother took the seat near Sam’s bed. While
he rattled off what he’d been up to so far this summer and what else he hoped to do
before school started, Gina kept her eyes on her cell phone. If the repeated beeps
were any indication, she was carrying on a text message conversation instead of a
live one with Sam.
And in that action, Matt’s past decisions regarding Gina cemented in his mind. He’d
been right. His son needed a nurturer, a mother who adored him. A mother who’d put
him first. Dani flashed into his mind for a moment, but he pushed the thought away.
As great as she was with Sam, she was only here for the summer.
Before he could dwell too long on the insanity of adding another female into his life,
Dr. Jacobs strode into the room. “The test results have returned.”
Matt stood, hoping beyond hope for a normal outcome.
The doctor’s glance skirted around the room. He turned his attention to Matt. “Can
your family stay with your son while we talk in the consultation room?”
After an anxious nod from his mother, he followed the doctor to a small office across
the hall. Matt took the offered chair. His knee bounced in anticipation.
The doctor flipped a few pages on a clipboard. “It appears that Sam has diabetes,”
the doctor said in a tone Matt no longer trusted.
He vaulted off his chair. He raised a hand toward the doctor, desperate to discourage
more bad news.
“Diabetes is not what it used to be,” the doctor continued. “It’s now very manageable.
We have a terrific diabetic support group here that will help you through every step.”
He offered Matt a comforting smile as he spoke. “I know it’s hard to believe right
now, but eventually Sam’s diabetes will just become one more part of his life that
you’ll teach him to manage.”
Dr. Jacobs took a pen out of his jacket pocket. “I’ll sign Sam’s release papers. In
the meantime, the staff will set you up with a service that will send a nurse and
nutritionist out to your house.”
Matt’s body turned on him. Suddenly the room became too tight. The air too stale.
The pressure too much. With his head swimming with information, his gut threatened
to boycott. He needed fresh air. Without a word, he darted out of the room.
As he sped past the nurses’ station, Marcy called out, “Matt, wait up a second,” but
he didn’t waver in his quest.
When Marcy caught up to him, she grabbed his arm. He pulled away. “I can’t breathe.
I’ve got to get out of here.” His nausea increased with each gulp of hospital-scented
air.
Marcy jogged next to him as he made his way to the exit. “Sam’s a healthy child. With
your help, he can handle this.”
Matt stopped. “Healthy?” His hand massaged the stab of pain in his chest. “Sam’s just
been diagnosed with diabetes. How in the hell can you say he’s healthy?”
“I know this is a blow, Matt. But diabetes can be managed. Sam can still lead a long,
productive life.”
“Yeah, sure, attached to a needle.” He continued toward the door. Marcy once again
trotted after him.
“Yes, he’ll need insulin, and his blood sugars will have to be routinely monitored.
But he can still participate in all the things little boys love to do.”
“And who’s going to give those shots, Marcy? Huh? I don’t know a damn thing about
injections and blood tests. I’m not a doctor.” He was a sheriff. A man appointed to
protect the people of this town, yet he couldn’t protect the one person he loved most
in the world.
“That’s why we’re here. There’s a whole support team to teach you.”
“Is that supposed to comfort me?” he snapped.
Marcy’s eyes gleamed with compassion. Matt looked away.
“Marcy, line two is for you,” someone called from the nurses’ station.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help.” She squeezed his arm and strode toward the desk.
Yeah, he was top in his class at needing help. What kind of a loser parent was he?
His mother lived with him because he couldn’t juggle his new job and caring for his
son. Now with Sam’s diabetes, Matt would have to again ask for assistance. Give him
a medal for father of the year.