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Something in my gut is screaming to check it out. “Come on, guys, let’s go make sure everything is okay.” But I know it isn’t. I pick up the kid and run towards the beat-up truck I use for plowing when the snow is not too heavy or deep. I don’t have a car seat here for Damien, so I place him in the middle of the backseat with just the lap belt and buckle him in. Jack follows in behind him.
“Nice and easy,” I tell them as we carefully pull out onto the road. Driving slow enough not to hit ice and swerve or something worse is brutal, but I’m aware Damien is with me and not in the safest position. However, leaving him home alone wasn’t a choice.
It’s no more than a few minutes before we’re rounding the last curve in the road to my place when I see it. The bumper of a vehicle pointed up from the ditch with smoke billowing out from the engine. Pulling over, I put the truck in park and tell Damien and Jack not to move. As I get closer, I see the license plate and instantly know it’s EmaLeigh.
“Ema!” I call her name, wondering what the fuck happened as I slide down the embankment, keeping one hand on the car. “EmaLeigh, baby, you have to answer me!” I don’t know what the fuck I’ll do if she’s not alright.
“I’m here,” her voice cracks as I get to the driver’s side.
“What hurts?” I don’t give two shits what happened to my vehicle, only her. “Do you think anything’s broken?” I don’t want to move her if there is.
“Just your vehicle,” she groans before looking at me. The powder from the airbag is mixed with blood from a cut on her cheek. “I wasn’t going very fast, but I still couldn’t stop in time.”
“In time for what?” I look around but don’t see anything.
“A fox, I think. I swerved to miss it. I didn’t kill it, did I?” Her chin wobbles adorably.
I shake my head. “I don’t see any blood other than yours. Are you sure nothing is broken?” Yanking open the door, I gently check her over.
“Everything wiggles. Though my chest hurts and my face... Where’s Damien?” She begins looking for him.
“In the truck with Jack. He heard the crash. We came as quick as we could.”
“Can I get out now? This is incredibly uncomfortable.” With the car tilted forward, the seatbelt is putting considerable pressure on her chest, stomach, and shoulder.
“Yeah, but you tell me if anything hurts or feels off.” At her nod, I cut the seatbelt with the knife I keep sheathed on my side. Cautiously helping her from the vehicle, I check her over again, feeling for swelling and misshapen limbs. I think the worst of it will be her head and whiplash. “Let’s get you to the clinic in town.”
“Okay.” Picking Ema up in my arms, I carry her back up the embankment to the truck. As soon as I open the door, I know Damien sees her.
“Mamma? You otay?” He tries to lean forward, but the lap belt and Jack stop his movement.
“Hi, baby, I’m fine. Just a little accident.” Her smile is feeble at best as she tries to reassure him.
The drive into town is quiet as Damien pets Jack in the back, Ema keeps an eye on her son, and I drive as slowly as I dare while still getting her there in time to diagnose if anything is wrong. As soon as we arrive at the clinic, she’s taken back to an exam room. X-rays and ultrasound are ordered, and Dam and I are left waiting.
“How much longer until we can see her?” I ask the nurse. I don’t want Ema left alone long.
“Probably thirty minutes. Why don’t you guys go next door and grab something to eat. By the time you get back, she should be ready.” Her kind smile alleviates some of my concerns.
“If she’s ready sooner, let her know what we’re doing?” She agrees, and I pick Damien up. “You hungry, bud?” He nods, but his eyes don’t leave the hallway his mom went down. “Don’t blame you one bit,” I mutter.
Leaving the clinic, we drop in to the café next door, where Damien gets a grilled cheese and apple slices, and I have a coffee. Spotting the drug store on our way out, we go there next for a new car seat. I’m not driving back up that mountain without having one for Damien, now that the other one is unusable in the backseat of my 4Runner after the accident. After getting help from a sales lady who just bought one for her little girl about the same age as Dam, we head back to the clinic with our hands full. I might have purchased the boy a couple of quiet toys to play with while we’re here, too, so he’s distracted, and I got Ema some fresh clothes.
I throw everything we need to in the truck, let Jack out to quickly do his business, and get back inside just as the doctor taking care of Ema comes out to the waiting room.
“Perfect timing.” He grins, and instant relief floods me. “EmaLeigh is fine. Nothing is broken, no concussion. No stitches needed for the cut on her cheek, just a couple bandages. She’ll be sore for a few days from the whiplash and seatbelt, but otherwise, I expect a full recovery.”
“Thank you, doctor, we really appreciate it.” Shaking his hand, a nurse shows us back to Ema’s room where she’s lying in bed, a gown on, and a blanket across her lap. Looking exhausted and ready for a long nap.
“Mamma!” Damien holds out his arms for her as he rushes to the bed.
“Hi, baby.” Tears crowd her eyes as she begins to reach down for him. Waving her off, I pick the kid up and place him on the bed next to her. “Thank you.” Her soft gaze finds mine briefly, and I see a change in her. This morning she was unsettled and thoughtful. Struggling with something. Now, though, there’s a peacefulness in her eyes. Like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
Setting the bags down in one of the chairs in the room, I sit on the other side of her bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired, sore, like I’ve been hit by a truck.” Her laugh is self-deprecating.
“We should be able to head home in the next couple of hours or so. Dam’s already eaten, but can I get you anything?” Picking up her hand, I kiss the inside of her wrist, feeling the rapidness of her pulse. Glancing up, I see her cheeks heat as she watches me. “Later,” I murmur.
