Page 17 of Baby for My Enemy Billionaire

“I’m here, sweetie.” I tear my gaze away from Jade and look down at my daughter. “How are you feeling?”

“ It really hurts, Dad.” Katie flinches. “I’ve hurt myself before, but this is something else. I can feel things move that aren’t supposed to move.”

I feel awful. This is my daughter in pain, and I wasn’t there. She’s scared, as am I. What can I do?

I gently kiss her cheek.

“It won’t be long, honey,” I promise. “We’ll get you out of here.”

“What’s Grandma going to say? She’s going to be furious that I got myself hurt.”

“You leave Grandma to me. You should focus on yourself.”

Katie looks unsure. She licks her lips. They look chapped.

“I didn’t think the weekend would end like this,” she whispers, her voice barely audible above the wind. “I didn’t want to do this.”

“I know it’s an accident, honey. And these things happen.” I manage a smile. “At least you’ll be able to get out of a lot of schoolwork. You won’t be able to do anything for a while.”

Katie grimaces at me.

“That’s not something I can be grateful for right now, Dad.”

“I thought you’d be happy about it.”

“Maybe later. It’s too painful for me to see the bright side.”

I can understand that. I sit awkwardly beside her, wanting to touch her in comfort but unsure where to touch her in case it makes the pain worse. Katie’s broken bones before, being a rambunctious kid, but this feels like the worst due to our location. I hate feeling helpless like this. Usually, I’m the one who runs around and is in charge of getting things done. Not right now; I am just about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

I jump when I feel someone touch my arm. Looking up, I see Jade standing over me. Her cheeks look even more flushed than before.

“Emergency services are on the way, and mountain rescue is coming from the top of the slope.” She sounds so calm. “It won’t be long before your daughter’s going to the hospital.”

“Thank you.” I swallow. “How fast do you think they’ll be?”

“Depends on how quickly they can get the helicopter here. She’s more than likely going to be airlifted out of here.”

“Airlifted?” I glance at Katie, who whimpers. “Katie’s scared of heights. She gets sick.”

“The paramedics will deal with that. They will take care of her.”

“Will Dad be able to come up with me?” Katie asks.

Jade hesitates.

“You’ll have to ask them. If not, your father’s going to have to drive over to the hospital.”

Katie starts to sob again. I touch my fingers to her cheek and shake my head.

“I’m not going anywhere without my daughter. I can’t leave her.”

“It won’t be for long. You’ll meet her at the hospital.” Jade says and then squeezes my shoulder. “They’ll look after her, and you’ll be with her as soon as possible. She’s going to be fine.”

“She might have broken her arm and might have a concussion!” I snap. “What’s fine about that?”

Jade nods at Katie, and I wish I could understand the look that passes between them. Katie swallows.

“It’s going to be okay, Dad. I’m thirteen now. I’m scared, but I’m going to be okay on my own. Jade will get you to me, right?”

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