Page 53 of The Billionaire's Secret Heir

Chapter Sixteen

The smell was the thing that Beckett hated most about hospitals. More than the starchy sheets against his skin, more than the endless waiting while being ignored by personnel. The only thing worse was sitting in a hospital with that smell while waiting for someone to update you about your loved ones. He tried to ignore the smell the hours he spent in the triage area, while his ringing ears quieted, only to be replaced by the noisy hospital sounds. He once described the hospital smell to Graham as the scent of plastic, antiseptic, and a forced freshness, all failing to mask the smell of blood. It immediately took him back to the time they spent in the hospital, hoping their mother would wake up. Not unlike his current situation, waiting to be told he could leave his bed to go find Madi and Becka.

He knew that they were alive, or at least had been when the paramedics arrived at the scene of the crash. Madi had been unconscious for a bit—Beckett’s sense of time had been completely messed up so it could have been seconds or minutes—but Becka had been awake and crying. Screaming was more like it. He felt certain he would hear the sound of her panicked cries for years to come when he closed his eyes. The sound wrenched his heart into pieces.

Until Madi regained consciousness, Beckett spoke to Becka, trying to achieve a soothing tone, even if his words felt empty. Looking back, Beckett realized that he probably could have gotten out of his seat, but at the time, his trauma-based logic had him sitting still for a period of time that felt endless, with Becka screaming, and Madi crying, even as she sang lullabies. Beckett had never felt more helpless. At least not until he had to sit and wait while the paramedics managed to get Madi and Becka out of the car and into an ambulance. He wanted them to get care as quickly as possible, but the separation left him aching and hollow.

He estimated that several hours had gone by before the doctors and nurses had finished all their tests and gotten the CT scan results and his bloodwork. The doctor’s recommendations passed on by a very-bored-looking nurse could essentially be summed up in rest, painkillers, and watching for any sudden changes. Beckett hardly listened, demanding to know where he could find Madi and Becka.

“We can’t let you leave yet, unless you want to go AMA.”

“AMA?”

“Against medical advice. Which would mean insurance won’t cover anything we did today.”

Beckett waved a hand. “I honestly don’t care about that. I just want to see my girlfriend and daughter. If I have to go AMA, I’ll do that.”

“I can walk you up,” she said. “But if you decide to leave the hospital in the next twelve hours, you’ll need to sign an AMA. Technically, you’re under observation, but given the circumstances, staying here, whether in your room or your girlfriend’s, is fine.”

As they rode the elevator in silence, Beckett closed his eyes from exhaustion. Instantly, memories and images flooded his mind. The brakes failing and the light of the oncoming car behind Madi’s tear-stained face. The deadly-sharp sting of panic. The ambulance ride alone, being fussed over while demanding that they give him information they certainly didn’t have about Madi and Becka.

Becka had been on his side of the car, so hopefully she missed the brunt of it. The thought of her small body going through that kind of impact made tears spring to his eyes. Beckett pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes.

It took so much effort to stop the worries about Becka and Madi to overwhelm him. What if they weren’t okay? What if he never got the chance to explain to Madi?

“Are you okay, Mr. Van de Kamp?”

“It’s Beckett.” His voice sounded strangled, though he tried to conjure up a smile. “Can you tell me anything? I’ve been asking and waiting and no one will give me any information.”

She smiled, but he could read a sadness in her face. His stomach fell. “I’ve located Madi and Becka. Madi is banged up, but being treated for a concussion and a sprained shoulder.” Her lips pursed. “Becka lost a lot of blood. She’s in the ICU right now.”

“How?” Beckett was trying to make sense of this. She had been on the complete other side of the car.

“She had a deep gash in her leg. I’m not certain what happened in the accident to cause it, but it required stitches and we may be looking at a transfusion.”

“I’ll give blood. Wait—can I give blood? No one has talked to me about what’s wrong with me.”

She smiled. “If she did need one, they may have already given it. If you’d like to give blood, you can. Your hemoglobin and hematocrit are normal, you should be okay to give blood. Is your blood type a match?”

“I … don’t know.”

“You don’t know yours or you don’t know your daughter’s?”

“I think that I’m AB. I don’t know about my daughter.”

“I’ll work on that. Give me a few minutes, okay? This is your girlfriend’s room. I’ll be back soon.”

Beckett hesitated for a moment in the doorway. It had felt so urgent that he get up here and now that he was here, he felt incredibly nervous. Both because of where they had left things in their earlier conversation, but also because he didn’t want to see her hurt. Taking a breath, he stepped inside.

Her eyes were closed and her hair fanned out on the pillow around her. Relief washed over him just seeing that her color looked good and other than a sling on her arm and some scrapes on her cheek, she looked good.

“Madi?”

Her eyes snapped open and Beckett paused a few feet from the bed. Relief passed over her face, followed by a flash of anger and then worry. Tears filled her eyes and her voice was shaky. “They said Becka lost a lot of blood. Have you seen her?”

Seeing her tears somehow freed Beckett. He took the final few steps and sank down next to her on the side with her uninjured shoulder. Brushing a hand over her hair, Beckett kissed her temple. “I haven’t yet. I don’t think I can see her yet in the ICU, but I’m planning to give blood. They said she’s stable. I had to come up and see you. I’m so sorry about all of this. Are you okay?”

Madi sniffed and pressed her cheek to Beckett’s shoulder. A sigh escaped him at the feel of her against him. Beckett hadn’t realized how tightly coiled his stress and worry were until feeling the release at her presence.

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