AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I lift my gaze from Scout to see Carly standing beside my chair.
"Dr. Grimes is on his way up to see you," she says, smiling at me.
"Already?" I blink, glancing toward the television hanging over the bank of monitors beside Scout's bed. It's already after five. "I must have dozed off."
"You looked like you were sleeping peacefully," Carly says. "Miss Scout too." She nods at the baby still cuddled up on my chest, her head tucked carefully against my shoulder. "Her vitals haven't dropped once since you sat down with her."
"That's good," I say, exhaling a relieved breath. Her vitals have been all over the place today. Even though Tate was in Silver Spoon Falls most of the day, he's been checking in regularly. He had Carly turn Scout's oxygen up once because she was struggling so hard to breathe. I was beginning to worry it wasn't going to be enough, but her color looks better. I glance from her to the monitor, relaxing further when I see that her vitals are stronger.
"Do you need me to help you get her back in the bed?" Carly asks.
"I can do it," I say, waving her off. Now that I have permission to hold her, I find myself reluctant to share her with anyone. She's so tiny and cuddly. I love her so damn much already. It kills me that Siobhan isn't going to be here to see her grow up. I don't think I'll ever understand how my sister got involved with an MC like Danny's. But I'm no longer sure it matters. Regardless of what led her there, she made the right decision in the end. She tried to do the right thing. It cost her everything, but she died a hero.
Even if no one else ever knows her name or what she did, the women she saved will. Scout will. When she's old enough to hear the story, I'll tell her what her mom did to protect the women who needed it most. I don't know what I'll tell her about her dad. I haven't worked that part out yet. But she'll know her mom was a warrior. She'll know Siobhan did the right thing when it counted.
"You're so good with her," Carly says, watching as I rise carefully to my feet to place Scout back in her crib. I make sure all of her cords and wires are tucked out of the way and aren't pulling and then place her little blanket over her so she doesn't get cold. It's so chilly in here and they keep her in nothing but a diaper just in case anything goes wrong. With nurses watching over her and oxygen going constantly, she's safe with a blanket.
"Thank you," I murmur, leaning down to place a kiss on Scout's soft cheek.
"You're going to be an incredible mom, Samara."
I freeze, still bent over the bed.Mom?
"I'm not…" I clear my throat, standing up slowly. "I'm not a mom."
"You are now, honey," Carly says, giving me a gentle look. "I know she's your niece and you just lost your sister, but whether Scout calls you aunt or mom or something else, you're the only mom this little girl is ever going to know." She squeezes my arm. "You should know we all think you're going to be amazing with her."
"I…thank you," I whisper, not sure what else to say.
"I just thought you should know that we're all rooting for you," she says. "We see a lot of patients through here. I wish they all had caregivers like you." She presses a button on Scout's IV machine to restart one of the medications and then glances at me over her shoulder. "Dr. Grimes wants to see you in the conference room. Do you remember how to get there?"
"Yeah," I mumble.
"I'll watch Scout while you're meeting with him."
"Thanks…" I stand there for a minute, my feet rooted in place before I finally manage to make them move. When they do, I stumble out of the room, moving blindly through the PICU and then out into the main hospital. My mind swirls in a thousand different directions, but it moves too quickly for me to keep up with any of it.
By the time I reach the conference room, I feel…unsettled.
"Hey," Tate says, grinning at me when I step inside. He's sitting at the head of the massive table, one booted foot propped up on top. Unlike most of the doctors here, Tate doesn't dress like a surgeon. His black boots and jeans stand out beneath his white coat, but no one even bats a lash. I don't think anyone tells Tate what to do. He really is a man apart, playing by his own rules.
Everyone here likes him though. They respect him. When he says jump, they jump, no questions asked. He could be a jerk about it, and yet he's not. He's down-to-earth. Cocky, yes. Maybe even a little arrogant at times. But he's a genuinely good man. One of the best I've ever met. He's kind, patient, full of compassion and decency. I've never met anyone like him before. I doubt I ever will again.
Why does that scare me so damn much?
"Hey," I say, glancing around the empty room. "What's going on?"
"Paperwork." He holds up a folder. "I want to get it out of the way tonight so you don't have to sign a bunch of shit in the morning."
"Oh." I shuffle toward the table.
He cocks his head to the side, frowning. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Liar. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." I shake my head, forcing a smile. "I'm just tired."
