Page 29 of Healed Hearts

Chapter Ten

Julian

Iglance at the back of Holden’s head as we speed down the highway. I’m so glad he answered. He’s been quiet, but given the way he’s white-knuckling the steering wheel, I’d say he’s slightly panicked. Not that I can really blame him, since I called him in the middle of the night freaking the fuck out myself. I don’t know what he heard when he listened to her heartbeat, but the way his face paled, it probably wasn’t good.

If it wasn’t for the Xanax in my system, I’dreallybe freaking the fuck out. I’m still anxious, but it’s a low-level buzz under myskin that’s barely touching me. Like a plastic sheet separating me from the panic.

God, I’m so glad he showed up. I really wanted to see what he thought and if I should take her in, but then he volunteered to come and no way was I going to argue about that.

The second we pull into a parking spot, he’s springing into motion. He unbuckles Wren and gets her out of her seat, holding her protectively to his chest. I follow him into the hospital, feeling wildly out of my element and, quite honestly, a little disconnected from my own body.

As he steps into the ER, he starts talking to the lady at the nurses’ station, rattling off things about respiratory rates and tachycardia, and possible anemia. I don’t understand half of what he’s saying, but as he talks, the lady’s eyes widen.

“I’m taking her to peds,” Holden says. “Call them and let them know I’m coming up.”

She nods, picking up the phone beside her on the desk, and he takes off toward the elevators. I feel like such a shit dad right now. I’m half out of it on Xanax because I couldn’t handle things, and now Ireallycan’t fucking handle things.

When the elevator stops, Holden wastes no time, taking off in quick strides that my bogged down body has a hard time keeping up with. Fuck, I shouldn’t have taken that pill. He turns the corner and there’s already a nurse waiting for us. She ushers him into a room, and he doesn’t slow down until he’s got Wren lying on the bed.

The room becomes a flurry of activity, and the woman who met us in the front grabs Wren’s hand, but Holden snaps at her, taking over whatever she was doing on his own. I watch as he lifts Wren’s middle finger and does something to it, and a bubble of blood rises to the surface. On second thought, he’s clearly got this under control, and I’m really fucking glad I’m medicated.

Within minutes, Wren has an IV, a blood pressure cuff on her arm, an oxygen mask over her face, and is connected to a machine showing her heart rate. I feel a little unsteady on my feet, so I stumble backward, and when I feel the wall against my back, I slide down until my ass hits the floor.

I stare at the hospital bed, images of my life three years ago when Wren was only six months old flashing through my mind. She was supposed to be getting better. I really don’t understand what’s happening to her. I startle when Holden drops to his knees in front of me. His face itself is impassive, but his eyes are burning with fear. “Julian,” he says.

“Yeah?” I croak out.

“Wren is severely anemic. I thought so, at your house, given her symptoms, but a blood test just confirmed it.”

I nod slowly. “Okay, so what does that mean?”

Anger flashes across his face before he forces it back down. It doesn’t leave his expressive eyes, though. He leans in so close I can feel his warm breath on my skin. “It means,” he says quietly. “That there is no fucking way this is a folate deficiency. She needs a transfusion.”

“A transfusion?” I ask, trying to make sense of his words. “Like a… like a blood transfusion?”

“Yes,” he says grimly. “A blood transfusion.”

“Okay. Yes. Whatever she needs.”

Holden stands, and I stare at Wren’s small body, with all the machines attached to her, as someone hangs a bag of blood on her IV pole. Holy shit. I can’t believe this is happening right now.

Within a few minutes, everyone has cleared the room and I watch in silence as Holden drags a love seat type chair from the edge of the room toward Wren’s hospital bed. He gets it as close as he can and then he turns to me. “Wanna come sit by her?”

“Can I? I wanted to stay out of the way earlier.”

He gives me a soft smile. “You won’t be in the way. Come on.”

I stand, stretching out my aching joints. I’m really too old to be sitting on the floor like that. The second I’m settled in front of Wren, I reach out and take her hand. It feels cold, so I close it fully within my grasp to try warming it up some.

Holden sits down on her bed so she’s between us, his eyes glued to the monitors the entire time.

I have no idea how much time has passed when Dr. Mays walks into the room. He comes to a stop at the foot of her bed and checks her vitals, saying something to Holden. Holden stares at him with a blank expression, then shakes his head.

The doctor turns to me. “Has she been taking her medication?”

I nod. Religiously. Every single day. We haven’t missed even one dose.

He narrows his eyes at me like he doesn’t believe me. “If she was taking her medication, she wouldn’t be this sick right now.”

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