AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I couldn’t find a drop of blood on her. I pulled the thin sheet over her when I noticed her shiver. “They always keep it so cold in the hospital,” I said with a smile.
“Where’s Dee?” Lily asked. “She was crying a lot. They put me in an ambulance but not her.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m not sure,” I said. “I’ll ask the nurse when she comes back.”
“She screamed,” Lily whispered. “She screamed so loud.”
I nearly puked. I couldn’t imagine what the moments up to the accident and immediately following it must have been like. I stood up and walked over to the window. The view was dreary, with raindrops pelting against the glass panes. I couldn’t bear to think about Dee’s pain. Guilt clawed at my insides, and I wished I could turn back time and take back every hurtful word I had ever said to her. But it was too late for regrets now. All I could do was wait for news.
As I turned around, I saw a new nurse walking into the room. Relief flooded through me. “Excuse me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Could you tell me how my friend Dee is doing?” The nurse hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I’m sorry, sir, but I cannot provide you with any information on Ms. Rich’s condition without her consent or the consent of her next of kin.”
My heart sank. I hadn’t even considered that I wasn’t family. “But we’re her friends,” I protested. “Surely that counts for something. She’s my nanny. She was driving my car with my daughter.”
“I understand, sir,” the nurse said with a sympathetic look. “But hospital policy is very strict about patient confidentiality. I’m afraid I cannot break that rule.”
I nodded, feeling defeated. “I understand,” I said quietly. “Thank you anyway.”
The nurse gave me a sympathetic look. “If you were her fiancé, I might be able to persuade the doctor to let you see her.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
Deanna
As I slowly blinked my eyes open, the sterile smell of the hospital overwhelmed my senses. The bright lights overhead made my head throb, and my body felt heavy and achy. Confusion washed over me, leaving me disoriented and filled with a sense of unease.
“Where am I?” I mumbled, my voice weak and barely audible.
A nurse appeared by my side, her face kind and gentle. “You’re in the hospital, ma’am,” she replied, her voice soothing. “You were in a car accident.”
A surge of panic shot through me as the nurse’s words registered. “Lily,” I gasped, my voice strained with worry. “Where’s Lily? Is she okay?”
The nurse’s expression softened, but she didn’t provide any immediate answers. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have that information,” she said gently. “Her father is with her. He’ll be able to give you more details.”
Fear gripped my heart as I desperately tried to recall the events leading up to the accident. Fragments of memories floated through my mind—a flash of headlights, the sound of screeching tires, and then the violent spin of the car as it hit black ice. The details remained hazy, as if trapped in a fog.
Questions flooded my mind, and I felt a growing sense of urgency. I needed to know if Lily was safe, if she was hurt. I tried to push through the fog in my mind, searching for clarity, but it seemed just out of reach.
My body felt like it was tied down. I couldn’t move my head. I tried to lift my hand only to have a soft, gentle hand grab it. “You don’t want to do that,” a woman said.
“I need to know if Lily is okay,” I sobbed. “Please.”
“The little girl you were with is fine,” she said.
“Fine?” I asked. “Is she hurt?”
“I believe she’s with the doctor now,” the woman answered. “What’s your pain level?”
I almost laughed. “Everywhere,” I groaned.
The woman’s face appeared over mine. She looked at me and smiled. “Do you know what day it is?”
I thought about it for a second. “Tuesday,” I answered. “No, Wednesday. I was taking Lily to school. We just had Starbucks.”
“Yes.” She smiled again and gently squeezed my hand. “Do you remember what happened?”
I searched my memory. The act of thinking hurt. “I think, wait, I was driving and then the car was spinning around. Oh no! There was an old woman in a silver car! Did I hit her?”
“No,” she said. “It was just your car.”
