AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The EMTs immobilized Ava and loaded her into Nik’s car for the ride to the hospital. Jules was silent as they worked, her face white and pinched with worry.
Meg patted Jules on the shoulder. “You and Nik worry about Ava. We’ll make sure everything here is under control.” Jules gave her a weak smile, and Nik gave a nod of thanks as she began reassuring Ava’s friends and their parents.
Nik’s stomach was churning, fear, anger, and self-recriminations chasing each other around his head. This was all his fault. If he hadn’t been so extravagant, if he’d planned safer activities—if, if, if. He was never going to forgive himself.
Jules gave him directions to Children’s Hospital, and within minutes they were pulling into the emergency department.
“I’ll meet you inside as soon as I park the car,” Nik promised Jules once she had picked up Ava to carry her inside. He wiped the sweat from Ava’s forehead with a tissue, then gave her a gentle kiss. Her features were pinched with pain. “We’re going to get you all fixed up, baby.”
Ava sniffled and buried her face in Jules’s shoulder, and Nik’s heart broke. Even Ava blamed him for this.
“She’ll be fine; she’s just scared,” Jules said, giving him a small smile. “So am I, but this is one of the best hospitals in the country. They’ll take care of her.”
Nik nodded and went to park the car.
CHAPTER32
Jules sat beside Ava’s hospital bed as they waited for the doctor to finish casting her arm. X-rays had revealed a fracture, but the doctors had said it didn’t require surgery, and it should heal good as new.
The doctors had ruled out a concussion, but they wanted to keep her overnight for observation. The medical team assured Jules and Nik it was simply a precaution. Jules readily agreed.
Nik was pacing the hallway, plainly distraught and blaming himself for the events of the day. She should reassure him, tell him that accidents were part of childhood. Tell him she didn’t blame him for this, for any of it, because she didn’t. And she would, as soon as Ava didn’t need her.
There were raised voices outside Ava’s room, and Jules cringed as she recognized Cassandra and Giorgio. Their plane had been delayed, and they had missed the party. Nik had left them a voice mail to meet them at the hospital after they landed. She tensed as Giorgio’s voice rose, and she could tell he was berating Nik even without hearing the words. Damn the man. Nik felt awful enough without his father’s disapproval being dumped on him today. The possibility of this getting back to the gossip pages lurked in the back of her mind too. That was the last thing Nik needed, to have his family’s dirty laundry aired for all to see.
“I’ll go see what’s happening,” Simone offered. “You stay here with Ava.”
“Thanks, Mom. It sounds like Nik’s parents have arrived.” Jules was thankful she had confessed her dislike of Giorgio to Simone.
Jules gripped Ava’s good hand and waited for the doctor to finish. The doctors had given Ava pain medication that was making her sleepy. As soon as her arm was set in a cast, they would let her have a nap, and Jules could talk to Nik.
Jules continued to console Ava while the doctors worked. Both she and Ava were already feeling better: Ava because of the painkillers and the promise of a sparkly pink-and-purple cast; Jules because the excellent doctors and nurses had dispelled her worries about the long-term effects of Ava’s injuries. She was a typical four-year-old child and should bounce back within weeks. The biggest problem was going to be restricting her activities while she healed.
Jules had been fortunate, as Ava was a healthy child, for the most part. There had been other visits to the emergency room for things like high fevers and croup, so Jules knew that when the doctors told her Ava would be fine, then that was the truth. The relief had been immense. Unfortunately, Nik didn’t have that same level of experience and trust in the team, so he was still beating himself up. Now Giorgio was here, making his life miserable.
When the cast was finished, it took less than ten minutes for Ava to drift off to sleep. Once Jules was sure Ava was in a deep sleep, she headed to the family waiting room, where she expected to find everyone else.
“... ridiculous idea of live horses at a children’s birthday party.”
Jules clenched her teeth, fighting for control. Giorgio was still harping at Nik, and the urge to rush to Nik’s defence was overwhelming. It wouldn’t help family relations if she fought with him. Giorgio was Ava’s grandfather, and while Jules would not allow him to be a bully with Ava, she didn’t want to deny Ava the opportunity to know and love Cassandra. It just sucked that she and Giorgio were a package deal.
“It was an accident, and Ava will be fine,” Simone was saying as Jules joined them. The room was strangely quiet, with no one in it except the Costases, Nik, and Simone. Nik was pacing restlessly, his hair mussed and his shirtsleeves rolled up to the elbows. Simone was sitting on a sofa next to Cassandra, while Giorgio stood off to one side with his arms crossed over his chest. All eyes turned to her when she entered.
“Ava is sleeping. The doctors put a cast on her arm, and she’ll be discharged tomorrow. And, yes, she’s going to be just fine.” Jules took Nik’s hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked like he needed it. The exuberant, proud father of a few hours ago had disappeared, replaced by a man racked with worry and guilt. That needed to stop, especially since Giorgio would view it as weakness and use it to provoke Nik.
Jules sat on one of the couches and tugged Nik down beside her, needing to be near him, wanting to reassure him she didn’t blame him. “None of this was Nik’s fault. It was an accident. It could have happened at her gymnastics class, or at the Pacific National Exhibition this summer, or by falling off playground equipment. Children have accidents; it’s part of life.”
Giorgio grumbled under his breath but wisely refrained from continuing his attacks on Nik. Jules had to wonder how Giorgio had reacted when Nik had accidents as a kid. Had he left everything up to Cassandra? Had he tossed blame around like he was now? She would have to ask Nik later.
“The doctors are confident that she’ll recover completely, but she might need some physiotherapy for her arm once the cast comes off. We were lucky.”
“I know she’s sleeping, but can I see her?” Cassandra’s look was pleading.
Jules smiled at her. She hated that the first time Cassandra would meet her granddaughter was in a hospital, but she clearly didn’t want to wait any longer for the moment. “Of course you can. And by tomorrow she’ll be home, and you can meet her properly.”
“Why don’t I take Cassandra to see Ava? You stay where you are. It’s been an emotional day for you too.” Simone took Cassandra by the arm and led her down the hall. Jules could hear her describing Ava’s life as they walked. Jules wasn’t surprised to see Simone and Cassandra getting along so well. Jules had liked Cassandra immediately, and it looked like Simone was no different.
Jules leaned against Nik’s shoulder and let out a sigh. Her mother was right; it had been a long day, and she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep, but that wouldn’t happen until tomorrow. She was spending the night here with Ava.
