Page 53 of Snowed In with My Best Friend's Dad

"It's Mira. She's in the hospital."

My bumbling up the hallway abruptly stopped as I leaned against the wall. "What do you mean?"

"I don't have the details. Her father called me when he brought her in because she was bleeding. I'm so afraid she's losing the baby."

For a moment, everything inside me went still as the words I said to Miranda on her porch came back to me, haunting, menacing. Miranda had stood up to me, but I hadn’t missed the stricken look in her eyes, the paleness in her face. Jesus fuck. Was this my fault?

"Mr. Hathaway, that's Mira's father, he's worried sick. Not just about her, but he’s also concerned about the level of care she's going to get."

With each word the lingering fog in my brain started to dissipate. "Why wouldn't she be getting the best care possible? What the hell hospital are you in?"

"It's not about the hospital, Dad, but about how much insurance they have. Or more about what it might not cover. I hate to ask you, but could you use your influence to make sure she gets the best care possible? And maybe... maybe you could help pay for it. I know it's a lot to ask—"

"I'm on my way. You tell whoever's over there that whatever Miranda needs, she’ll get. It'll be paid for. I promise."

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you so much."

When Lindsay hung up, my fingers fumbled to dial a ride share. I had to look like hell as I stumbled out of my home in a rumpled tuxedo. My hair was probably sticking up all over the place, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was getting to the hospital and ensuring that Miranda and her baby were fine.

I gave the driver the address to the hospital, and fortunately, traffic wasn't too bad at three thirty in the morning. When he dropped me off, I rushed into the emergency room, sliding up to the reception desk.

"Miranda Hathaway."

"Dad."

I looked over my shoulder to see Lindsay hurrying up to me. I turned to her. "Is there any news?"

She shook her head as she threaded her arm through mine and tugged me to the waiting area, where I saw an older gentleman with despair etched all over his face.

"Right now, we’re just waiting. Mr. Hathaway? This is my dad, Brett McKinnon. Dad, this is Mira’s father, Mr. Hathaway."

Mira's father looked up at me, weakly extending his hand. "You can call me Peter."

I shook his hand. "I'm Brett. What's going on?"

Peter looked down, shaking his head. "I don't know. I heard her cry out, and when I got to her, she was in the bathroom, bleeding. I got her here as fast as I could and they took her back, but I haven't heard anything. I was hoping Lindsay would be able to be with her. I can only imagine what Miranda is feeling. The last time we were at a hospital, her mother was dying."

As if the guilt I was feeling wasn't enough, the memory of learning how Miranda's mother had died, and Miranda having to take on adult responsibilities, heaped on more guilt.

Her father hiccupped, clearly trying to keep back tears. "Miranda would be the first to tell you that losing her mother broke me. If not for her, I don't know that I would still be here. If I lose her and my grandchild, I don't know—"

I reached my hand out, putting it on his shoulder. "That's not going to happen. Whatever Miranda and her baby need, they’re going to get it. I promise."

The man looked at me with such anguish in his face. "I should be able to take care of my girl, but I'm not too proud to refuse your help."

"Good." Guilt urged me to confess the truth. Miranda was mine. The baby was mine. It was my job to take care of them. I told myself that this wasn't the right time or place to tell them, ignoring the truth that the reason for my silence was because I was a coward.

"Let me make sure that they have my information and affirm that she needs to get the best care possible, okay?"

He nodded. Lindsay sat down next to him, taking his hand. She also looked terrified that something was wrong with her friend, but she'd been able to manage it so that she could be there for Miranda's father. Another wave of guilt filled me as I realized that I was so hard on Lindsay in terms of her scholastic achievement and getting a job, I hadn't recognized what a good person she was. I had no clue where she had gotten that from because there was no doubt that I was a fucking asshole. Her mother wasn't any better.

Lindsay looked up at me and mouthed,thank you.I nodded and then headed to the nurse’s station to give them information about Miranda's care. It made no sense to me how difficult it was to convince hospital administrators that whatever intervention Miranda and the baby required, I would pay for, but finally, they seem to have gotten the message, and I signed a few papers and then went back and joined Lindsay and Peter in their vigil.

The sun was rising when a doctor appeared in front of us. The three of us shot up from our chairs. My breath stalled in my lungs as I waited to find out about Miranda and the baby and whether or not I'd be able to ever look at myself in the mirror again.

The doctor held her hands up in a calming manner. "Miranda is fine."

The three of us took a breath, but the relief wasn't completely here yet. Not until we knew about the baby as well.

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