Page 82 of Wrecked

While Sam is in surgery, I pace the halls of the ICU, waiting for news. I grab a cup of coffee from a vending machine and sit in the waiting room to drink it. One cup of coffee turns into two and then three. I wish I had something stronger.

I still have Sam’s phone on me. His mother calls for an update on his condition and to let me know she and her daughter, Rachel, have just landed at O’Hare. They’ll drop their luggage off at their hotel and then come to the hospital.

Lia stops by to give me an update on Beth’s condition. Shane’s with her, of course. She’s not in any danger, thank God. She has a lot of cuts and abrasions. Other than that, their biggest concern is she might have a broken wrist.

The surgery continues. A nurse comes out periodically to tell me he’s stable. Sam’s family arrives in the ICU waiting room. They’re easy to spot—a woman around my age and another around Sam’s age, both with red hair and freckles. Obviously, there’s a strong family resemblance.

I introduce myself to them, and we sit together in the waiting room, all of us feeling numb. I explain to them exactly what happened.

“I’m glad the young lady is okay,” his mother says. She smiles as she tries to pretend she’s not about to start crying.

I nod. “They’re very close. It would have killed him if something had happened to her on his watch.”

Dr. Newman comes out to the waiting room to tell us the surgery went well. Both of the surgeries, really. On his skull and another on his leg. As soon as he’s out of recovery, they’ll return him to his ICU room.

“He did well,” the doctor says, trying to sound encouraging. “His vitals are strong. That’s a really good sign. Now, we just need for him to regain consciousness. That will tell us a lot about his condition.”

It’ll be a while before Sam is returned to his ICU room, so his mom and sister go to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I promise to call Michelle when he’s brought back to his room.

Lia and Jonah return to check on Sam. Lia fills me in on the details of the accident, like how she was able to apprehend the male driver of the car that hit Sam. “The accident is under investigation,” she says cryptically.

Sam returns to his room, looking pale and far too still. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet. I text Michelle to let her know.

“Can you guys stay here with Sam?” I ask Lia and Jonah. “I’ve got to check on Beth. I won’t be gone long.”

Lia gives me Beth’s room number.

When I walk into Beth’s room, Shane’s there with her. I look her over. She’s battered and pale, with cuts and abrasions on her hands and arms. “How is she?” I ask him.

“Better,” Shane says. “They’re sending her for an X-ray soon. Her wrist might be broken.”

“How’s Sam?” Beth asks. Her bloodshot eyes are wet with tears.

“He’s critical, but stable. Lia and Jonah are with him. I wanted to check on you, kiddo.”

“He saved my life, Cooper,” Beth says. “He pushed me out of the way.”

My heart swells painfully hearing her say that. Of course he did. That’s just the kind of man he is.

A nurse comes into the room. “We’re going to take her to X-ray soon, to get a look at her wrist. Honey, is there any chance you could be pregnant?”

Beth shakes her head. “No. I’m on the pill.”

Pregnant?

That thought has never before occurred to me, but now alarm bells are going off in my head. A pregnancy would explain all the recent changes in her behavior. Her lack of appetite in the mornings. Not feeling well. Getting tired earlier. “Actually,” I say to the nurse, drawing everyone’s attention, “I think you’d better make sure.”

Beth shakes her head a bit more adamantly. “I’m not pregnant. I’m on the pill, and I’m very careful to take it right on time.”

“Birth control isn’t one hundred percent foolproof, kiddo,” I say. I level a stern look on Shane. “She needs to take a pregnancy test.”

Shane nods. “Let’s be sure.”

While they sort all that out, I return to Sam’s room and take up my station at his bedside.Please wake up, baby.

Michelle and Rachel are here as well, seated on a sofa, waiting right along with me.

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