Page 25 of Born To Be My Baby

Sean just hung on tight to Mina's ankle. He couldn't get in the way of the EMTs, but he wanted to touch her. He stared at Mina's face. His eyes watered, relief at finally seeing the EMT workers here, but fear screamed through his body. He couldn't just find her, only to lose her. It couldn't be this way. It just couldn't be this way. His heart beat so fast it was hard for him to catch a breath, and he started gasping for air.

The EMT said, "Mr. West, please slow your breathing. Slow down. We don't need you passing out on us. Slow, deep breaths, please. Slow, deep breaths."

The EMT gently placed a collar around Mina's neck. One braced her head and shoulders as the other pulled out a pair of scissors and cut Mina's seat belt off. They carefully held her in place as a basket was slipped under her body. She was gently laid inside and pulled out of the vehicle.

"Okay, Mr. West, we need you to come with us."

"But Gloria's here. Gloria needs someone with her."

"We will take care of getting Gloria out of the vehicle, Mr. West. Please go with your daughter."

21

Gloria awoke to a pounding headache. Ugh, she felt nauseous. She lifted her hand to touch her head. Why was her head pounding so hard?

She turned her head slightly and a wave of nausea hit her. She froze and tried to take a deep breath. Her chest hurt and she whined.

"Miss Adams, please don't move. You're in the hospital. You have a serious head injury."

Hospital. Why was she... "I'm in the hospital?"

"Yes, ma'am, you're in the hospital. You were in a car accident, and you hit your head."

"I hit my head," she repeated. "I feel so sick."

"Yes, ma'am, it's the head injury. The doctors have given you something to keep the swelling down. It'll take a little while for it to take effect. In the meantime, please just stay as still as you can so you don't vomit. That will be more painful than anything, believe me."

"Yes, painful. Mina. Where’s my daughter, Mina?"

"Your daughter's in surgery."

"Surgery... She can't... Who signed? She can't. Is she all right? Is she okay? Will she be..." Gloria's thoughts were jumbled and she couldn't seem to complete a sentence.

She swallowed what felt like cotton. "Will she make it?"

She tried to move. To sit up. The wave of nausea was so strong.

"Oh. Oh."

She took gulps of air, and gentle hands, slowly pressed her back to bed.

"Please don't make sudden moves, Miss Adams. Your daughter's in surgery. Doctors are doing everything they can for her."

"What happened? What's wrong with her?"

She tried opening her eyes, and the light felt like a piercing sword in her skull.

"She has a head injury. They are in surgery trying to help her right now."

Surgery.

"Oh, my God. I have to... I have to... I have to be with her. I have to go."

"Miss Adams, there's nothing you can do for her right now. Doctors are with her. You can't go in there. What you need to focus on is making yourself get better. Please try and relax. I know that's easy to say and hard to do, but please try and relax and let the medication the doctors have given you work, so that your swelling, your headache will go away."

Some of the fog lifted.

"Where's Sean? Sean was with us. Where's Sean? Is he okay? Is Sean okay?"

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