Page 43 of Abigail
“Oh, Straw,” Caroline says. “That’s wonderful. I’m sure she’s going to pull through, just fine.” Straw nods at her, but it does nothing to curb his fear. He can’t lose her. She is his life. His everything. He needs her more than air. He refuses to let his mind drift to the what ifs.
An hour later, Straw is again pacing, doing his best to remain in control. He’s torn between hunting down Todd and staying to ensure Abigail lives. He wants desperately to beat Todd’s ass until he’s nothing but a bloody pulp, but he needs to be here for Abi. Tank has kept him up to date on Ellie. The doctor has looked her over thoroughly and hasn’t found any injuries. She’s being released, and they will head this way as soon as she’s discharged. Straw is relieved to hear that, but he’s still restless. What is taking them so damn long? They’ve had Abigail in surgery for over an hour. The phone in the waiting room begins to ring. Everyone turns to look at it. Wolf motions for Straw to answer it.
“Hello?” Straw listens to the woman on the other end of the phone. He nods several times before hanging up the phone. Everyone is staring at him. Straw sighs heavily.
“They are still working on her. She is stable. They haven’t found the source of the bleed yet. The nurse said she will try to call every thirty minutes to an hour with updates,” Straw announces to the room. Feeling his phone vibrating in his back pocket, he pulls it out to see Tank is calling.
“Is Ellie, okay?” Straw answers the phone with a question. Everyone in the room turns to listen to Straw’s conversation. He switches the phone to speaker so his friends can hear Tank, too.
“Yes, she’s fine. The doctor said nothing is broken, just a few scrapes and bruises. We are on our way, but with traffic like it is, it’ll still a while before we can get there. How’s Abi?”
“She’s still in surgery. We are waiting for them to call again. The last time the nurse called, the surgeon hadn’t found the bleed yet, but she was stable. The nurse should call again soon,” Straw informs his friend. “Tell Ellie that her Momma is going to be just fine. Her momma and I love her and can’t wait to see her.” Straw has to believe it. The alternative is unacceptable.
“Straw.” Tank’s voice is hard and full of emotion. “I’m not going to promise something I don’t have control over. While I believe she will be okay, we don’t know for sure. I’ve never broken a promise to Ellie, and I’m not going start with something like this. Have the SEALs gotten there, yet? Hawk said they were on base, and he’d sent them to check on you.”
“Yeah, they are all here. Tell Hawk thanks for calling them. Be safe getting here and keep an eye out for Todd. Have you heard anything on the search?” Straw asks, switching his phone off speaker. He’s been in the dark since arriving at the hospital.
“Admiral Jenkins, Major Olson, Ranger’s team of Marines, and some of the admiral’s men are out looking for him, running down leads,” Tank replies. “Hack ran the license plate number on the silver sedan. It’s registered to a Michael Hampton. A small-time petty criminal. He went to high school with Todd. They recently resumed their friendship through social media. Hampton moved here a few months ago when he learned Todd would be getting out of jail. According to messages Hack was able to find, after hacking Hampton’s iCloud account, Todd promised him money if he helped him get his daughter back. Todd told him a load of shit about Abigail keeping her from him and setting him up to go to prison, which we all know is untrue.”
“That fucking piece of shit! When I get my hands on him, God have mercy on his soul. I sure as fuck won’t have mercy on his damn body,” Straw growls out.
“Calm down, man,” Tank soothes. “He’ll get what’s coming to him, never doubt that, but you have to keep your head. Abigail and Ellie are going to need you now more than ever. You can’t go off half-cocked and get your stupid ass thrown in jail. Trust us. We got this.”
“I know your right, Tank. I’m doing my best. Give Ellie a kiss from me,” Straw requests.
“You got it, Straw. Hang in there. I’m sure Abigail will be fine, brother. Keep the faith. Later.” Tank clicks off the line. Straw puts his phone back into his pocket.
An hour later the waiting room phone is ringing again. The nurse reports this time that they have found the bleed, repaired it, and are closing her up. She will be going to ICU soon. Straw lets everyone know. He knows that it’s getting very late. Everyone must be exhausted.
“Thank you all for coming. I truly appreciate it. Abi is going to be all right now. I know you all must be very tired. I’ll be fine until my team arrives.” Straw addresses the room. They all nod at him, but no one makes a move to leave. The SEALs talk amongst themselves for a few minutes. Then the men begin to collect their women. They are all heading home except for Wolf, Caroline, Cookie, and Fiona. Straw is again pacing. He wishes they would hurry up and let him see her. He just needs to see her, touch her to know that she is really still alive.
About twenty minutes later, a nurse enters the waiting room. She asks for the Miller family. Straw immediately steps toward the woman. “Mr. Miller?” The nurse inquires. Straw doesn’t want to lie, but he is afraid she won’t let him see her. Wolf comes to his rescue. “Just call him Straw.” The woman nods.
“You can see Ms. Miller now. She’s still sedated, but her vital signs are stable. You can sit with her for a while, but she needs to rest.” Straw nods in response and follows the woman down the hall to the ICU. “She won’t be about to answer you, but you should talk to her,” the nurse says. “Many times, patients can hear everything going on around them, so it’s good for you to talk to her. Now I have to warn you, she has several lines and tubes. She’s on the ventilator due to the heavy sedation, but she shouldn’t be in any pain. We have her on medications to keep her comfortable.”
After the nurse has entered to code into the keypad, they enter a large room with a semi-circle nursing station in the center. Several nurses are scattered around working on computers or chatting with co-workers. Along the outside of the room are individual rooms with sliding glass doors. The nurse leads him half-way around the room to stop in front of the room numbered 9.
Straw steps into the room and feels the bile rising in his throat at the site in front of him. Abigail is laying so still. She looks so frail. Her brown hair fanned out around her head is a stark contrast to the white sheets on the bed. A tube is coming from her mouth, the ventilator causing her chest to rise and fall at an even rate. She has IV tubes everywhere it seems. There are machines beeping and humming. Straw is staring at her. The nurse speaks softly.
“As I said before, she can hear you, but she won’t be able to answer. The machine is breathing for her, right now, while her body rests and heals. Go talk to her. Let her know that you are here. It will help her feel better,” the nurse instructs Straw. At her urging, he walks to the side of the bed. He pulls a chair over and sits as he takes her small, cold hand in his large one. He looks down at her pale fingers next to his tan skin. Straw brings her hand to his lips, he places a soft kiss on her palm. His eyes burn as the tears begin to fall. It takes him a while to get himself under control. Taking some deep breaths, he feels he can speak.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Straw’s voice cracks. He clears his throat. “It’s me, Robert. You are doing great, baby. I’m so proud of you for fighting to stay with us. I’m so sorry I let this happen. I know you would have been pissed at me, but I should have locked you up in our home with Ellie until I dealt with Todd. At least you wouldn’t be laying here in this damn bed.” He stops again to clear his throat and get his emotions in check.
“Ellie wasn’t injured in the crash. The doctor said she is fine. Tank is taking good care of her. They will be here soon.” Straw looks to see if there is any sign of recognition. She doesn’t move on her own at all. Only the machine breathing for her moves her body. “I need you to get better baby. Ellie needs you. I need you. I won’t let Ellie see you like this, baby. I will assure her you are fine. As soon as you have all these machines off, I will insist that they allow her to come see her amazing mother.” The nurse sticks her head in to let him know his time is up. Straw doesn’t want to leave her, but he needs to see if Ellie has gotten here. He stands to leave, still holding her hand in his. He leans over and kisses her forehead. He brushes her hair back from forehead with his free hand. “I have to go now, sweetheart. Rest and heal. I’m going to see if Ellie, Tank, and the gang have gotten here yet. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Keep fighting, baby. I love you.” Straw’s voice breaks as his emotions overwhelm him, again. His legs give out on him, and he falls back into his chair. He can’t lose her. She means everything to him. He lays his head down on the edge of the bed as he weeps. A strangle cry escaping him, despite his best efforts to hold it together. Abigail’s hand tightens on his, filling him with relief and hope. He squeezes her back before placing her hand under the cover. He swipes the tears off his face and places another kiss on her forehead. “I love you, baby. I’ll be back soon.”
Walking down the hall back to the waiting room, Straw stops at a window. Leaning his head against the cool pane, he takes some deep breaths, composing himself. He swipes his hand over his face ensuring any trace of his tears have been erased. He has to get himself under control, especially if Ellie and Tank have arrived. He has to be strong and calm for Ellie’s sake.
Straw heads back to the waiting room where his friends are waiting patiently to hear about Abigail. Once he has given everyone an update, he goes down to the cafeteria to grab a cup of coffee. He knows Abi is going to have a long recovery, but he will be there for her every step of the way. He will need to speak with Hawk and see how difficult it will be to get a leave to care for her once she’s released. As Straw nears the elevators, he sees some familiar faces. Hawk, Ace, Worm, and Tank carrying little Ellie are walking toward him.
“Hey guys, you finally made it,” Straw greets his friends. The men back slap him in greeting. Straw turns his attention to little Ellie.
“Hey munchkin.” Straw smiles at the little girl, holding out his hands to take her from Tank. Straw’s heart swells with love when she falls into his arms, hugging his neck.
“I missed you and Momma.” Ellie’s emotion filled voice cuts Straw to his bones. He hugs her tighter.
“I missed you, too, little one. I was so worried about you, but your momma needed me. I knew Uncle Tank would take good care of you.” Straw loosens his hold to look her over once more to ensure himself that she really was unharmed after the crash. Their eyes meet, and she beams a million-watt smile at him. The group steps onto the elevator. Straw hits the button for Abigail’s floor.
“Where’s Momma? Uncle Tank said she is with you, but I don’t see her.” Ellie looks over his shoulder as if searching for her mother. Straw’s heart breaks a little for the child. He hurries to assure her that her mother will be okay. “Your Momma is sleeping right now. She is very tired after everything that happened. I promise as soon as she wakes up, I will take you to see her, okay?” Ellie nods at him.
