AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A flurry of activity surrounded her and Sierra. “Ma’am, ma’am, are you in any pain?”
Julia’s eyes stayed trained on her stepdaughter before she finally pulled them away to glance at the paramedic hovering over her. “No. Uh, a little. I’m okay. Please…just help my stepdaughter. She hit her head, and she hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”
“We’re working on her, ma’am. I’m going to have you shimmy onto this stretcher here, okay? And we’re going to carry you up to the ambulance.”
“No, no, I’m not leaving her. Please.”
“Ma’am, she’s okay. We’re going to take her up, too, as soon as we make sure she’s stable, okay?”
Tears slid from her eyes as they carried her up the hill away from a still-unconscious Sierra.
Before she could protest, they had her loaded in the back of the ambulance and were rolling, sirens blaring to the hospital. Another flurry of activity descended on her when they arrived at the hospital.
She was poked, prodded, and sent for a variety of tests from CT scans to X-rays. She drummed her fingers as she sat alone in her cubicle, waiting for her test results. More than that, though, she wanted information on Sierra.
Finally, a doctor flitted into the room with a tablet. “Hello, Mrs. Harrington, how are you feeling?”
“Nervous. How is my stepdaughter?”
“Let’s talk about you, first, okay?”
Heat washed over her as she balled the blanket in her fist. “Is something wrong?”
“Looks like the seat belt caught you under the ribs. You’ve got some inflammation there which may be pretty painful, but no bleeds, which is the good news. Everything looks pretty good considering your history with your previous accident.”
She breathed a sigh of relief at the news as she nodded. “Good. That’s good.”
“You saved your stepdaughter’s life pulling her out of the car.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
The doctor nodded. “She is. She’s still unconscious, but given her blood-alcohol level, I’m not surprised. She also had some other drugs in her system. Do you know anything about that?”
Julia shook her head. “No.”
The doctor arched an eyebrow. “Was Ms. Harrington the driver?”
Julia swallowed hard. A DUI was the last thing they needed. She shook her head. “No. She’d had too much to drink. I was driving. There was a deer. I swerved to avoid it, but the tires caught the gravel, and I couldn’t recover.”
“You were driving?”
Julia nodded, her features pinching. “Yes.”
“Okay. I’m sure the police will be by to speak with you about it. The good news is your blood-alcohol level is clean.”
“I didn’t have anything to drink at all. That’s why I was driving.”
“Smart choice. Your stepdaughter is lucky to have you.” The doctor drummed her fingers against the tablet’s top for a second. “Also, there’s no answer at your emergency contact. Is there another number we can try? Or a secondary contact?”
Her brow furrowed as she wondered where Grant was. “Uh…try my stepson. Dr. Kyle Carter. He’s–”
“Oh, Kyle. I didn’t realize you were his stepmother. I can give him a call.”
“Thanks,” Julia said as she settled back in the bed. “And can I see Sierra?”
“I’d rather you stay put for now. Once your adrenaline wanes, you may be in some pain. Let’s get that under control first, okay?”
Julia’s shoulders slumped. “Okay.”
