Page 77 of The Summer Arrangement
It rings four times, then goes to voicemail.
Crap. He’s probably at the concert and won’t be available for hours.
When his message beeps, I take a deep breath and fill him in.
“Hi, Cameron. I’ve just gotten off the phone with my mom. She thinks it’s time I take Emilia to the hospital to get checked out. Hopefully, they’ll give us some anti-nausea meds and make sure she’s not dehydrated. I’ll text you when I know more since you won’t be able to hear this over the music.”
The moment I hang up, I text him the same information, then go into action. Grabbing her diaper bag, I walk to Milli’s room and restock it. I pack a change of clothes and her favorite blanket that’s now clean from the wash. I also grab a stuffed animal to snuggle with, should she feel scared.
Then I find my purse and slip on my hoodie and shoes from the hall. Making sure I have my charger and wallet, I rush to the kitchen and grab the medical form from the bulletin board Cameron’s signed, giving me permission to have Emilia treated should we need it. I’ve never been more thankful for being prepared in my life. In all my years of watching kids, I’veneverneeded this form—until now.
Loading everything in the car, I return to Cameron’s room to wake a now-sleeping Milli. Lifting her from the bed, her hot little body clings to mine. “Where are we goin’?” she softly whispers.
“Let’s get you to the doctor. Hopefully, they’ll get you some medicine, and you’ll feel better soon.”
“My tummy hurts, Iz,” she whines as I buckle her into her car seat.
“I know, sweet girl,” I say, brushing her hair from her face. “The hospital is only a few minutes away, and I’ll get you the help you need.”
*****
When I pull up to the emergency room, my sister and Ryan are waiting at the door. I don’t think I could love my family more than I do in this instant. I no sooner pull up to the curb than Ryan comes around and reaches for my keys. “Here, let me park for you. Get Milli inside, and I’ll be in as soon as I can.”
When I lift Milli out of her car seat, she clings to me once again. “My tummy hurts, Iz.”
“I know, sweet girl. We’re here to get you some help.”
Being in a small town, the emergency room can either be crowded or fairly empty and usually no in-between. I’m relieved to only find a few other people in the waiting room when I walk up to the intake desk.
The man at the desk asks, “What brings you in today?”
I explain as succinctly as possible what’s been happening with Milli and give him the permission-to-treat form with all the relevant information. He makes a copy. Then he takes her vitals and asks her a few more questions. Eventually, we’re sent to the waiting room to be called back for triage.
As Lanie, Ryan, and I wait for Milli to be seen in a quiet corner of the hospital waiting room, a loud commotion can be heard from the entrance. When I look up, I find Sloane and Raven frantically walking toward us with Jax and Finn not far behind them.
“Wh… what are you doing here?” I ask when they sit down beside us.
“We heard Milli’s sick,” Sloane says as if it should explain everything. I should’ve known better when Mom called Lanie, they all would come—what I didn’t expect was all the guys in tow.
“How are you doing, kiddo?” Finn asks when Milli looks his way.
“My tummy really hurts, and I keep getting sick,” Milli croaks miserably, and my heart continues to break for her.
Looking at everyone, I point out the obvious, “You know they’re not gonna let us all back there, right?”
Raven shrugs. “Where you go, we go. We can’t let you go through this alone.”
“Besides, we can’t just sit around twiddling our thumbs, knowing you’re here,” Finn interjects.
“No kidding,” Sloane adds. “I’d feel utterly useless sitting at home. Besides…” She reaches out and pats Milli’s leg next to her. “We can’t let this sweet girl go through this alone.”
“We’ll stick around until we know what’s going on with Mills,” Jax assures me. “Do you need anything, Liz?”
Shaking my head, I pull my phone from my pocket. When I see my message to Cameron is still left as delivered, I sigh. “Only for the concert to end, so my message can be seen.”
I choose my words carefully because there’s no way I want to draw attention to Cameron in front of Milli. I know he’ll get here as soon as he can. Besides, until we know what’s going on, there’s nothing any of us can do but wait.
Jax winces, then looks to Milli. Reaching for his own phone, he stands and says, “I’ll see if I can do something.”
