"Senator Carrington. Senator Bennett Carrington?”
"Yes, who is this?"
"This is Dr. Shawn LaGay. I am an OB-GYN at St. Mary's in Miami. Your wife, Taylor Carrington, was brought here a little while ago after a car accident."
Bennett, frantic, asked, "Is she okay? Can I talk to her?"
The doctor sounded very clinical and matter-of-fact as she said, "Not yet. We have her heavily sedated. She is currently stable, and she has regained consciousness. She sustained head trauma but no broken bones. She was very fortunate. We expect that both she and the baby will make a full recovery."
"Wait a minute. I think you have the wrong person. There is no way my wife is pregnant."
"Are you sure? We are talking about Taylor Stroupe Carrington, thirty-three, birth date of November tenth. Long brown hair, thin, about five-seven."
“That's Taylor, but there must be some mistake. There is no way Taylor is going to have a baby." Bennett sounded as shocked and confused as he felt.
"Well, I assure you she is. Obviously, the two of you need to talk. She is fifteen weeks. The baby's heartbeat is strong, and it looks to be very healthy."
For a second, Bennett sat silently stunned.
After a moment, the doctor said, "Hello? Senator Carrington, are you there?”
"Um, yes, I am here. I will be there as quickly as I can. Tell Taylor I am on my way and will see her shortly. And doctor, thank you for calling me."
Instantly, Bennett began clearing his desk and preparing to leave. As he walked out of his office, he yelled, "Joules, come here. You are not going to believe this!"
St. Mary's Hospital
Miami, Florida
July 2012
When Bennett arrived at the hospital two hours later, he met with Denice, the nurse assigned to Taylor, who had briefed him on her condition. Taylor was very sedated. Evidently, each time Denice came in to check her vitals, Taylor awakened in a hazy daze and asked if she were dead. It had broken Bennett's heart to hear that.
She must have been so afraid, and she had been so alone. He knew he had let her and Tatum down. He had made his best friend a promise many years before to protect her no matter what. He had not kept the promise very well lately. He wanted to do better.
He had been sitting by her bedside watching her sleep and was trying to figure out how he could do a better job of protecting Taylor and still live up to his commitments to Poppy and Ben when he heard a buzzing coming from Taylor's purse. Reaching inside her purse, he took out the phone and answered it. He didn't recognize the name. The screen name read Greer.
"Hello?"
"Who is this? I was calling for Taylor. Why is she not answering this phone?"
"This is Bennett Carrington, her husband. Who is this?"
"It's Greer. What's wrong? Why are you on Taylor's phone? I want to talk to Taylor right now."
"Greer, who?" replied Bennett. After a moment, he said, "Look, it doesn't matter. Taylor can't talk right now. She is still asleep. She was in an accident, but she is going to be okay. I'll tell her you called."
"No, wait! Don't hang up! Tell me what hospital, and I will be right there."
"I don't think that is such a good idea. She is still out of it and may not feel up to visitors."
“I don't care what you think, you Ken doll. Tell me where she is now, or so help me…"
Bennett was shocked by the anger and passion in this Greer person's voice. Suddenly, he realized that this guy, whoever he was, cared deeply about Taylor and could possibly be the father of her baby. So, he asked, "It's you, isn't it? You are the father of the baby Taylor is carrying?"
Shocked, Greer was momentarily silenced. After a moment, he snapped back and said, "I have no idea what you are talking about, but if Taylor is pregnant, then yes, I am the father. Now tell me where the hell she is right now." Bennett didn't hesitate for a second. He knew exactly how he would have felt if he and Poppywere in the same situation. He would have killed someone that tried to keep her from him. So he said, "St. Mary's Room 214."
Greer said, "On my way." And the line went dead.
