Tell Me Lies by Tessa Dayne Page B

with him in the pretext of taking his statement, when he already had the information he needed to fill out his report.  All to try to take his mind off Paige.
     
    ~*~
     
    Jonas was shown to a waiting room outside the ER where he was asked to wait for the on call doctor.  Sitting in the hard plastic chair, he dropped his head into his hands, closing his eyes in prayer. 
     
    Please God, please let her be okay.  I will do whatever you ask of me…just let Paige be okay.
     
    “Mr. Barnett?  I‘m Dr. Jacob Gates.”
     
    Jonas looked up and found a doctor, his green scrubs slightly wrinkled and splattered with blood drops.  He quickly stood and wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans.
     
    “Doctor?  How’s my fiancée?  How’s Paige?”
     
    “We have some of the initial test results back.”
     
    Jonas watched the doctor’s face.  He had gotten good at reading people over the years.  And what he was seeing now in the features of the doctor wasn’t good.
     
    “It’s not good, is it?” Jonas asked.
     
    “I’m sorry.  No.  It’s not good.  Miss Harper has severe head trauma, some broken ribs, a broken wrist, lacerations and abrasions and internal bleeding.”
     
    “And the baby?”
     
    “We are doing all we can, but it’s not looking good.  Our main concern right now is getting Paige stable enough to take her into surgery.”
     
    “How long do you think before she will be taken in to surgery?” Jonas asked, feeling sick to his stomach.
     
    “We are hoping within the next thirty minutes.  I don’t think we will be able to wait much longer than that.”
     
    “I called her family.  They are on their way.”
                 
    “We will wait as long as we can, but if we have to go in sooner, I need your consent…”
     
    “Consent for what?” Jonas asked, clearly confused. 
     
    “I’m sorry to put you through this, but it looks like we might have to make a decision…”
     
    “What are you talking about?”
     
    “There is no easy way to say this but there is a chance we might lose Paige if we try to save the baby. We need your permission to terminate the pregnancy.”
     
    Jonas sank to the chair, his whole body shaking.  How could he make such a choice?  He loved Paige.  He loved the child she carried, even though it wasn’t his flesh and blood.  Who could make a choice like that?
     
    “I can’t do it…,” he said breathlessly.  “I can’t…I can’t…”
     
    “Jonas?  Son?  Where’s Paige?” he heard William ask.
     
    Jonas stood and swiped at his tears.  There was no sense in worrying any of them more than they already were.  His falling apart now wouldn’t help any of them.
    “Dr. Gates, this is Paige’s family.  Her father, William and her brothers, Marcus and Ryan,” Jonas said, introducing her family as they joined him and the doctor.
     
    “Doctor,” William said, grasping the hand he offered.  “How’s my daughter?”
     
    “As I was telling Mr. Barnett, Paige has severe head trauma, some broken ribs, a broken wrist, lacerations and abrasions and internal bleeding. We are trying to get her condition stabilized so we can operate,” the doctor explained.
     
    “And what about the baby?” Marcus asked.  “Is the baby okay?”
     
    “We are aware of the pregnancy; however, due to Paige’s severe injuries, we can’t be certain that the baby will survive.”
     
    “He wants me to terminate the pregnancy to save Paige,” Jonas said softly.
     
    “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be unfeeling.  Paige’s life is on the line. I need to know that if the baby prevents us from saving her life, that you understand we can’t terminate the baby without your permission.”
     
    Jonas sank to the chair, placing his head in his hands.  How could he choose one over the other?  The baby wasn’t his flesh and blood, but he considered the child his in every other way.  How could he possibly make that kind of decision?
     
    “Save