Forever Yours by Candy Caine Page B

Only…she hardly knew what to do as she fought the reflex to vomit.
    “Oh God, oh God, oh, my poor baby!” she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks as she fell to her knees at his side. His eyes were shut. He lay there so still, blood trickling from his nose, she feared he was no longer breathing. Then his eyes fluttered opened and he began to scream again. “Shh, baby,” she cooed. Afraid to move him, she ran for her phone and hit 911.
    His crying turned into a whimper as she shouted like a crazy person at the dispatcher to send help for her baby. Despite the dispatcher’s pleas for her to calm down, how could she? Her baby could be dying as she watched the puddle of blood around his head grow in size. And it was her fault. She was a terrible mother. How was she going to live without Preston? Would the ambulance get there in time? Why was this happening?
    Preston was hardly moving now. She looked toward the ceiling. “Lord, I beg you, help my boy. I’ll do anything.” Where the hell was the ambulance? Every minute that passed felt like an hour. Her life was ebbing along with Preston’s. She needed Charles. Oh, why wasn’t he here when she needed him? It was nearly 6 a.m. Charles would be getting ready to go to work. Half out of her mind, Jade called him and got his voice mail. In one long breath, she left a frantic message telling him what had happened. In the next, she told him the ambulance had arrived and that she’d be at the hospital. She knew when he’d heard this message he’d go straight to the hospital.
    Jade watched helplessly as the EMT techs checked Preston. She recited every prayer in her head she’d been taught as a child.
    “Is…is he gonna be all right?”
    “Let’s let the doctors take a look at him,” the man said, not actually answering her.
    The ride to the hospital was sheer torment. Out of nowhere, her mother’s hateful words echoed in Jade’s head. Was this punishment for her crossing the line? Was it because she was uppity? Or was she a whore for sleeping with a married man? Her mind was a clutter of conflicting thoughts. At last she tossed her mother’s accusations aside, knowing that her love for Charles was true and good and therefore, couldn’t be wrong.
    Preston was rushed into the ER and examined by a doctor, while she was forced to fill out paperwork. Her baby could be dying, but the damn paperwork had to be completed!
    While she was still filling out the forms, a nurse came over to her. In a tiny, scared voice Jade hardly recognized as her own, she asked, “Will he be okay?”
    “He’ll be taking x-rays and undergoing some tests. This will take a while, so why don’t you get a cup of coffee and try to relax?”
    Relax ? That word seemed so alien. Jade nodded and the nurse walked away. Jade glanced at the clock on the wall. Nearly seven-fifteen. Where the hell was Charles ?
    She got a cup of coffee from the vending machine and sat down. Her hands were still shaking and she nearly spilled the hot liquid on her lap. Charles was probably on the train coming here now. It wasn’t as if he lived around the corner. She told herself to stop stressing. He’d be here, Jade assured herself.
    However, as the hour passed and slowly crept into the next, she knew Charles wasn’t going to come. And there seemed no explanation—at least one she could deal with. She thought he loved Preston…
    The doctor came looking for her. Her heart stopped beating.
    “He’s going to be okay. There’s a little swelling, so we’re going to keep him here overnight for observation.”
    “Thank God!” Jade said, and breathed normally again.
    She had to fill out the necessary medical forms to have Preston admitted. Never an end to the paperwork. At least they had insurance. Charles had seen to it. He was listed as Preston’s father. A voice in the back of her head chided, Yeah, in name only. A real father would be here standing right next to you.
    Jade remained the rest of the day and night