Page 51 of Bewitched

“Yes, ma’am. Let’s get her into the ambulance and you can give me all the vital information.”

Faye moved to the side and allowed the man to pick up her daughter. “Be careful,” she instructed as she watched him place her on the gurney in the hallway.

Another paramedic stood in the hall and nodded. “We always are, ma’am.”

Grammy handed Faye her handbag as well as Paige’s. “Let me get some sandals. She can’t go into a hospital barefoot.”

“It’s okay, Mama. Don’t worry about that for now. Ask one of the girls to stop by and pack a bag for her before she comes to the hospital.”

“Okay. I got ahold of Phillip’s secretary and she’s going to get him a message. He’s in court, so it may take a while before he meets us at the hospital.”

“Call me when you get there and I’ll let you know where we are.” Faye followed the paramedics out of the house and waited until they loaded her daughter. Once Paige was secure, she climbed in behind them and began giving them Paige’s complete medical history. Before they made it to the end of the street, Paige was hooked up to an IV and monitors.

Faye let out a small breath of relief. Holding her daughter’s hand, she knew that whatever was in front of them wasn’t going to be easy.

***

It was four in the morning and Faye studied her daughter. Lifting a wet cloth, she wiped Paige’s forehead and then her face. “You keep fighting. Just like you always have. This nasty infection is not going to get the best of you.” Straightening the blankets, she then sat down and took her hand. “We have the best doctors looking after you, so know that you’re in good hands.”

The door opened and her husband walked in with two steaming cups of coffee. “Thank you, honey,” she said.

Phillip stood behind his wife and shook his head. “I can’t stand to see any of my girls in the hospital. I want to do something for her and all I can do is wait.” He handed Faye a coffee and then sat in the chair next to the bed. “Honey, why don’t you see if you can take a nap? I’ll watch over Paige.”

Patting her husband’s hand, she smiled. “We both know I’ll never sleep.”

“That’s true.”

“Is it time to call Blake and let him know what’s going on?” Faye asked. “I’m not sure how they left it, but it seems wrong not to let him know that the baby is in danger.”

“I called him before I went down to the cafeteria. He was as mad as a hornet that we didn’t let him know right away.”

“I suppose we should’ve called him at midnight when we found out what happened.” Faye smoothed her hand over her daughter’s face and listened to the monitors beep. Our poor baby. You know the chances of Paige’s and the baby’s blood getting mixed up during the procedure are less than one percent.”

Phillip leaned back and sipped his coffee. “It’s hard to believe that they both got an infection on top of that. It makes me think the procedure was a bad idea.”

“Maybe you’re right. After all, the last ultrasound results were not conclusive. The amnio was meant to make sure that the baby was developing.”

Shaking his head, he smoothed his pant leg down. “All it did was land our daughter and her son in the hospital.”

“Was Blake really mad, or slightly upset?”

“You know how mad you get when the girls don’t tell when they have a cold?”

Giving her husband a disapproving look, she waited. “I’m not going to enjoy this example, am I?”

“Probably not.” He took his wife’s hand and frowned. “Blake has every right to be angry. Paige and the baby have become the most important thing to him. Even if he and Paige don’t end up together, we have to accept that he’s part of their lives.”

“I accept that completely.” Glancing at her daughter, she wondered what agreement, if any, they had come to about the future. “I’m not sure Paige has accepted that, though. When they got back from Lubbock, she didn’t say a word. For all I know, she’s not planning on spending any more time with him.”

“We both know that’s not what he wants,” Phillip replied. “I think that boy has fallen for our daughter and has no idea what to do about it.”

“I know he has. When I was there today, I noticed his clothes are folded neatly next to Paige’s, his boots are in the closet, and his toothbrush is hanging right next to hers. That is a man who knows what he wants. If I had to guess, I say it’s Paige who isn’t sure.”

“Our stubborn daughter,” Phillip said affectionately.

“She’s always marched to her own tune, and there’s very little anyone can do to change that. If Blake is looking for a permanent place in her life, then he’s going to have to learn that patience is the only answer.”

Phillip leaned over and kissed his wife’s cheek. “When I told him that, he didn’t blink an eye. It seems that she may have met her match.”

“I hope so, Phillip.” Lifting her husband’s hand, she kissed it. “Life is a lot easier if you’re part of a team.” Watching her daughter, she hoped Paige would discover that too.

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