I’m just stepping into my truck when my phone starts to ring. I pull it out of my pocket to see who it is. Cecilia.Weird, she never calls me.I answer the call and bring the phone to my ear since I haven’t started my car yet and the Bluetooth hasn’t turned on. “Cece?”
“Greyson. Don’t freak out, but we’re at the hospital right now.”
I narrow my brows. “I’m not following.”
“Gracie, she had a little accident. We took her to the hospital to make sure she was okay.”
My heart beats violently in my chest as I absorb her words. My mind thinks up the most horrible accidents that could have happened to my little girl.Don’t freak out? Is she fucking kidding me?!
“What happened?! Is she okay?!” I ask frantically as I start up my car and speed out of the parking lot.
“She’s okay, I think she’s just in shock. She does have a few cuts and most likely bruises. I’m not sure exactly what happened. I had just arrived at your place to see if Em wanted to take the kids to the park when I heard Gracie screaming. Fromthe looks of it, she tumbled down the stairs,” Cecilia informs me before her voice fills with worry as she continues.
“Emma’s a mess, Grey. She hasn’t said it, but I know she’s blaming herself for this. You know her. She loves that little girl as if she were her own. She would never do anything to put Gracie in any harm. So please don’t be upset with her,” she pleads through the speakers of my car now that the Bluetooth has connected.
She’s right, Emma would never put my daughter’s life in any sort of danger. Something must have gone wrong for Gracie to get hurt because Em is always super careful when it comes to my little girl.
“I know. I won’t. Where are they now? Can I talk to her?” I just want to hear her voice and understand what happened.
“They were taken into a room to see the doctor just a few minutes ago.”
“Okay, I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few.” I hang up and speed over to the hospital.
I make it there in record time, completely lost in thought as my mind spirals in every possible direction. I walk into the ER and find Cecilia sitting in the waiting room with Dante on her lap. She rises from her seat, placing her son on her hip once she spots me, and walks over.
I hug her from the side as she does the same. “Thank you for staying until I got here,” I say against her hair.
She pulls away and offers me a tender smile. “Of course, I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
“You can go home now. I’ve got it from here.”
“Okay, call me if you need anything.” She squeezes my arm, then walks out of the hospital with Dante.
I head over to the nurses’ station to find out what room Gracie and Emma were sent to. Once I have the information, I make my way to them with quick steps, needing to see my girls. When Ifinally arrive at the right room, I stop to listen in, but no sound can be heard through the door. I gently push it open and slip in.
Em’s back is to me as she stands beside the bed, staring down at Gracie asleep on the bed. One arm hugs her own body, while her other hand is up as she nibbles on her thumbnail, worry pouring from her body so strongly you can almost see the dark cloud looming over her.
She must feel me near, because she suddenly turns my way, and I get the first full view of her tear-stained face. They resurface instantly when I open my arms for her to come to me. She crashes into my body as the sobs take over, shaking her thin frame.
“Oh God, Greyson. I was so scared. She wouldn’t s-stop screaming, and there was blood. I-I didn’t know what to do. I don’t know how this ha-happened. I only went upstairs f-for a minute. I closed the gate behind me, I know I did. I s-swear it was c-closed,” she cries out against my neck, stuttering through the words.
I circle her back with one arm and bring my other hand up, cupping the back of her head. “Shh. I know, Bunny. I know. She’s okay. It was just an accident,” I try to reassure her, but she’s trapped in her own head right now. I can tell by the way she cries harder against me.
“Her screams—I can still hear them in my head. I feel like my heart was ripped apart,” she murmurs through her tears and fists my shirt.
“It’s all over now, baby. She’s safe and in good hands.” I kiss the top of her head and glide my fingers through her hair, staying as calm as I can to reassure her. I want to check on my daughter, but Bunny needs this right now. And anyway, Gracie seems to be in a peaceful sleep at the moment; a few minutes won’t change anything.
Slowly, Emma begins to settle, her cries turning to little sniffles and her pulse slowing down as she takes in deep breaths. I continue to stroke her hair as I speak softly. “Has the doctor come to see her yet?”
She shakes her head against me. “No. A nurse checked her out quickly and said nothing seemed broken. But they still want to run some tests just to make sure and have the doctor check her out as well. They gave her something to help her calm down and in case she was in any pain.”
I fist her hair slightly, pulling her head back so that she can look into my eyes. I notice the small stain of dried blood on her shirt and neck, but nothing alarming. Her eyes are bloodshot, and she looks completely devastated.
I release my hold on her and cup her face. “That’s good, Em. You see? She’s okay, and I’m sure the doctor will say the same. You don’t have to continue worrying. You did the right thing by bringing her here.” I kiss her forehead as she sighs deeply, closing her eyes.
When she opens them again, I give her a reassuring smile, showing her that I don’t blame her for any of this. I know accidents happen easily, certainly with kids. You turn around for one second and they get into something. That doesn’t make you an unfit parent in the least. Kids just have no sense of danger.
I finally let go of her and walk around the bed to get a better look at my daughter. She has a small cut on her forehead and one on her chin. I’m guessing while they were bleeding, it was hard to tell the damage that was done, but now that they’re clean and dry, it's pretty minimal.
