Her words had struck straight through me.
I thought of Lucas.
Emma.
Of Simon and Sandra, terrified for their daughter.
In the end, I couldn’t ignore it.
“I’m on my way,” I told her.
I dressed quickly and rushed downstairs.
Cole was sitting in the kitchen with the children when I told Geeta I’d be back in the afternoon.
Then I turned to him. “I have to go,” I said, my voice hurried. “I’ll explain later.”
Before I could overthink it, I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Then I walked out the door, leaving him standing there watching me leave.
By the time I reached Elle’s house, a sense of déjà vu washed over me. The last time I had been here was for Patty’s funeral. And now, once again, I had been pulled back toward the past because of an emergency. It felt as though my life had a cruel way of dragging me back to places I had fought so hard to leave behind.
Elle drove me down to the hospital.
The closer we got, the harder my heart pounded in my chest.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a scarf, wrapping it around my head the same way I had the last time I went to Patty’s funeral to avoid being recognized. After tying it securely, I searched through my bag again until I found my sunglasses and slipped them on.
Minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot.
“I’ll meet you at my desk when you’re done,” Elle said as she parked. “Good luck.”
I nodded and stepped out of the car.
Walking into the hospital felt strangely familiar.
Just two days ago, I had been praying desperately for Cole to survive. This time, I was praying for Caleb’s niece and mother to pull through.
If I was being honest with myself, my prayers were mostly for his niece.
Inside, I approached the reception desk.
“I’m here to donate blood for the Evans’ accident victims,” I told the woman behind the counter.
She nodded and led me into a small office where a nurse prepared to take a sample. A quick prick of the needle followed, and an ampule of blood was sent to the lab for testing.Aftera few minutes, another nurse returned and guided me into the doctor’s office.
“Thank you very much for coming forward,” the Hispanic doctor with kind brown eyes said. “Would you like to meet the family? They would be very thankful.”
“No!”
The word left my mouth so quickly and loudly that the doctor instinctively stepped back.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, clearing my throat. “I would like to remain anonymous, please.”
“Of course.” He nodded in understanding.
He asked me to follow him to the room where the blood donation would take place.As I walked behind him, my eyes unintentionally drifted toward the waiting area.
Sandra stood there, tears streaming down her face as Simon held her close, comforting her.
