“I’m on my way,” I tell him before hanging up the phone and turning to face my dad who’s moved to my back. “Sheridan was in an accident. Her dad doesn’t know anythin’ other than she couldn’t answer questions.”
Fear absolutely consumes me as I try to figure out what I need to do next. It feels as if hours pass but in reality is probably a few seconds before I’m moving toward the front door followed by my dad.
“I’m drivin’. Call Knuckles and let him know what’s goin’ on,” my dad orders as he follows me from the house.
He grabs my arm and directs me toward my truck and puts me in the passenger side as I turn completely numb. My hands shake as I call my cousin to let him know what’s going on. He answers on the first ring and I know he’s at the clubhouse because I hear the music and several people talking in the background.
“What’s goin’ on?” he answers the phone.
“Accident. Sheridan,” is the only thing I can say as my dad places a hand on my shoulder.
“Knuckles, Sheridan was in an accident and is on her way to the hospital now. Her dad just called Axel to let him know. We don’t know anythin’ other than she couldn’t answer questions. Her dad doesn’t know any details at this point,” my dad informs Knuckles as I remain sitting on the passenger side of my truck.
“I’ll let everyone know. We’ll meet you all there. Let me know where you guys end up. I don’t know if they’ll keep her in the emergency room if somethin’ is goin’ on with the baby. They might take her right up to the maternity floor,” Knuckles says, his voice holding a hint of panic as I hear the music abruptly shut off and movement through the speakers of my truck.
“We’ll let you know as soon as we get there,” my dad assures him before hanging up the phone.
I can’t focus on anything as my dad races through town toward the hospital. It doesn’t take us long to get there as he navigates the traffic and bypasses the intersection of the store. My eyes widen when I see Sheridan’s SUV being loaded on a flatbed and several police cars remain blocking off the street she was pulling out of from the store.
“Fuck!” I murmur as I take in the damage done to her vehicle.
The entire driver’s side is smashed in and the door is wide open. I’m honestly surprised to see it open with how warped the metal is. Black streaks fill the white paint where it hasn’t been completely scraped off to leave the gray beneath. The window of the driver’s door has been smashed out along with the window of the back door. Her windshield is barely hanging on as it’s spiderwebbed and the top half is lifted above the frame where it normally sits. The fear that was filling me moments ago intensifies as I realize how fast the other vehicle must have been traveling to do that amount of damage. So many questions fill my mind and play on a loop about Sheridan and our son.
Are they okay?
Has this caused Sheridan to go into labor early?
How many injuries has she suffered through because of this accident?
Is she conscious?
My dad nudges me when he pulls into the parking lot of the hospital and stops at the front door leading into the emergency department. I jump out and race inside to find Mr. Russell talking to a doctor. I don’t stop until I’m at their side.
“Miss Russell is very lucky, if I’m being honest,” the doctor is saying as he barely spares me a glance. “She has a fractured right wrist that will heal on its own in time. We’ll put a cast on her to stabilize the injury. There are wounds to her head, torso, and the left side of her body from the impact of the accident. Most of them are superficial. The most serious wound is the one to her head. It appears as though she hit the window or something on impact. That’s my best guess after seeing this same type of injury from car accidents over the years I’ve been a doctor in the emergency room. She did go into labor in the ambulance on the way here and is being taken to the maternity ward as we speak. Is the baby’s father here?” the doctor questions, looking between Mr. Russell and myself.
“I’m the baby’s dad,” I state as my dad rushes up to stand at my back followed by Knuckles and several other men and women from the club.
“Head up to the maternity ward. Miss Russell is not currently conscious and Dr. Matthews needs to deliver the baby. She’s decided a cesarean section is the best decision. So far, the baby seems to be stable and isn’t in any distress. Our goal is to deliver before signs of distress show up,” the doctor says as Inod along and already start moving toward the stairs before he’s finished speaking.
“We’re all here for the three of you, Axel,” Knuckles says as he races up the stairs with me. “You guys need anythin’ let us know and we’ll make it happen. You only need to focus on Sheridan and your son.”
I simply nod my head in response as we make our way up the stairs quicker than normal. I’m taking two at a time in my haste to get to Sheridan and lay eyes on her. I won’t be able to stop panicking until I see her for myself.
Bursting through the door leading to the maternity ward, I head straight for the desk where the nurses sit.
“Can I help you?” one of them asks, sitting up straighter in her seat as she looks at me.
“I’m lookin’ for Sheridan Russell. She was just brought up from the emergency room after bein’ in a car accident,” I tell her, my words rushed from the fear consuming me like a wildfire.
“She’s being taken to the delivery room right now. Dr. Matthews is preparing her to go in for surgery right now. Do you plan on being in the room with her?” the nurse questions me as if the answer would be anything other than yes.
“Try and keep me outta there,” I state as Knuckles places a calming hand on my shoulder before I lose my shit.
“If you follow me, I’ll get you what you need to go in the operating room,” the nurse says, standing from her chair and rounding the counter to lead me down the hall.
She’s not moving fast enough for me.
The nurse grabs a set of scrubs and directs me to a changing room. I change quicker than I ever have in my life and put my clothes in a bag. Taking it with me, I hand it off tomy cousin who’s standing in the hall right outside the room I was just in. The nurse leads me through a set of swinging doors where I’m instructed to wash up as she grabs a hat thing to cover my hair, a face mask, and one of those sterile gowns. The second my hands are dry, she hands each item over one-by-one and I put them on. A second nurse opens another set of doors and leads me into the operating room. I get my first glimpse of Sheridan and my heart shatters in my chest.
