Page 81 of Surprise Baby for Mr. Fischer
“We have to call the doctor’s office and let them know we’re on our way to the hospital.”
I took the nearest on-ramp for Route 95 North and headed to Women & Infants hospital in downtown Providence. I was grateful the state was so small. We were now only ten minutes from the hospital.
In between my GPS calling out directions, I asked through my Bluetooth for my phone to dial the number for Dr. Solano. Once the office answered, I explained our emergency and where the doctor should meet us.
I squeezed Harper’s hand. “You doing okay?”
She shrugged and rubbed at her belly. The skin on her forehead tightened as her wide eyes found mine. “You?”
I shrugged too. How could I tell Harper I was as terrified as she was?
We raced along the highway as Harper’s erratic breathing echoed in the quiet car. I tried to slow down as we took the exit ramp to the hospital. It wouldn’t do us any good to crash. I made a sharp turn when the off-ramp veered to the left to the set of lights at the end, thankful it was green as I quickly jerked my wheel to take the right-hand turn.
A soft sigh of relief escaped my mouth as I turned onto the street for the hospital’s emergency room and pulled into a parking spot before the doors. Harper already had her seat belt off and her door open by the time I made it to her side. After helping her from the car, we rushed through the entrance doors.
I hated how helpless I felt.
“We need to see a doctor,” I bit out.
“We’ll get to that in a moment, but first, I need you both to take a seat and answer some questions for me." Her kind tone grated on my nerves. This was an emergency. Why hadn't I called for an ambulance? If I had, we wouldn't be sitting here at their mercy, waiting for Harper to be seen.
Harper leaned forward, the skin on her face taut. “I’m twenty-four weeks pregnant. I’m in terrible pain. There's something wrong with the baby.”
The woman in front of us gave us a kind smile. “Let me see what I can do.” She picked up a phone and spoke into it. “If your friend can fill out the paperwork, we can get you in right now.”
Harper released a shaky breath. “Thank you.”
Her gaze still looked uncertain. “I’ll fill everything out as fast as I can. You go with them.” I gestured to the nurse that stood near us.
“Okay. Hurry, please.”
I took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’ll only be a moment.”
She gave me an unsteady nod and went with the nurse. I robotically answered the woman’s questions, but every second I spent giving the necessary information was too long. Harper had been terrified and needed me with her.
I held back the growl I wanted to unleash on the woman in front of me and instead tapped my foot. This process needed to speed the fuck up. I needed to be with Harper.
My hand smeared the pen ink from my answers. How many more pages were there? I rolled my neck as it grew more tense with each swipe of the pen.
With one last signature, I shoved the papers across to the attendant and raced to the doors they’d taken Harper through.
“I’m sorry, sir. You can’t go in there until we confirm you have authorization.” An attendant in blue scrubs and a scowl stepped in front of me, blocking my way. He held up a finger while he grabbed a nearby phone. “What’s your name?”
“Lincoln Fischer.” Rage seared through me. I wanted to place my fist in his face. “Are you fucking kidding? My girlfriend was just admitted.” I pointed to the set of doors behind him. “I need to get in there.”
“I’m sorry. You need to wait for me to verify who you are.” He didn't sound apologetic in the least. I wanted to bang on the door and create a scene. Perhaps then someone would let me through. I got that he had a job, but I needed to be on the other side of those doors.Now. I craned my neck to see if the nurse that walked Harper through was nearby. Not seeing her, my gaze went to the attendant who checked me in.
Before the man in front of me could dial an extension, a cacophony of sounds assaulted my ears. The doors exiting the hospital had slid open, and by the sounds of it, they were rushing patients inside. I didn’t dare look. I was too busy trying to convince the man in front of me to let me through. “Can you hurry this up?”
“Sir, please step back. We need to let them through.” He gestured behind me.
He was right. Harper was in there being attended to, and the patients coming in needed emergency care. Logic told me to move aside and wait a few more minutes. Impatience had me moving closer to the door.
“Lincoln?” I heard a gasp behind me.
I turned and came face-to-face with Harper’s friend, Whitney.
“What are you doing here? Are you okay?” she asked.
