“Hurts as in a tummy ache and too much ice cream?” Calm bled through Eddie's words while my gut clenched. With sweat beading Lottie's brow, this looked so beyond a sugared-up belly ache.
“No,” she sobbed, the sound tearing through me and shoving me into action. “I’ve been trying to ignore it.”
I needed my keys. Something wasn't right. I had no idea how I knew that, but for one, Lottie was not a complainer. Sure, I knew she didn't want to go home, but this was so much more than that.
“Let me get my keys and get the car started.”
Eddie peered up at me, wide-eyed and letting me see his worry.
“She's burning up,” he said, and I noticed his palm on her forehead. “Something's not right.”
I got moving, calling over my shoulder, “I'll meet you in the car.” Taking action, I raced into the house, collecting my wallet, keys, and phone. I tore my sweaty tee off when I stepped into the laundry room, tugging on a fresh T-shirt and swiping Eddie one too. By the time I reached my SUV, Eddie sat in the back, strapped in, Lottie snuggled into his side.
Our eyes met, and I pushed every ounce of emotion I could into trying to reassure him before I settled behind the wheel and headed toward the local emergency room.
We rode in silence, the speed of the last ten minutes running on repeat in my head. Add in Lottie seeming A-okay first thing this morning. A glance in the rearview mirror reminded me that I wasn't overreacting. Hunched over, Lottie sniffled quietly, the occasional whimper and groan escaping her.
Eddie whispered against the top of her head, stroking her sweaty brow.
My gut clenched, hating this. The speed, the adrenaline, the unknown. And fuck, I could only imagine how Eddie was feeling.
Traffic, thank God, wasn't horrific. There were two hairy moments, but I tried my hardest to keep my cool. In under fifteen minutes, I pulled up outside the ER and jumped out, opening the rear-side door.
Ashen-faced, Eddie all but stumbled out, reaching in and tugging his girl into his arms. Our gazes connected, and hell if my heart didn't lurch. The man screamed lost. Panicked. Rather than scooping them both up in my arms like I wanted, I ushered them toward the entrance, more than aware that it was likely my car would be towed.
The fuck if I cared. Not when Lottie and Eddie needed me.
The next fifteen minutes were a whirlwind. And right or wrong, I was relieved when the receptionist recognized who I was and raced us behind an examination curtain practically in moments.
Another thirty minutes was all it took for a scan to reveal the problem. Appendicitis. Eddie sagged at my side. “She complained this morning and I ignored her.”
Somewhere in the last half hour he'd held my hand, clinging tightly, his other hand holding Lottie's. I squeezed his palm. “Hey, you couldn’t have known. She said an ache, not full-on pain.”
“But I should have—”
“Nope. Let’s focus on what’s happening now. Everything else is insignificant.”
The look on his face almost brought me to my knees. “Okay, you’re right.” He returned his attention back to the doctor, saying, “You can sort that, right? Appendicitis?”
“We can. We'll get her to surgery,” the middle-aged doctor explained. “We just have more paperwork to complete, but we'll make sure Charlotte is well taken care of.”
A rush of breath escaped Eddie, and he hung his head low. Certain there were more questions to add and confident Eddie needed a moment, I asked the ER doctor, “How long will the surgery take?”
The doctor gave a reassuring smile, gaze dipping momentarily to our joined hands. “She'll be out within a couple of hours at the most. As soon as she's in recovery, we'll reach out and let you see your daughter right away.”
I nodded, not feeling the need to correct her, especially if it meant I wasn't going to be cleared out of the ER anytime soon. “And healing? She'll be okay? Not in too much pain?” A rope tightened around my heart at the thought of Lottie in prolonged pain. Hell, in any form of suffering. I wished like hell I had the power to take it away from her. I’d take it on myself twofold if I could.
“She'll be sore for a while and need to take it easy. But we’ll go in laparoscopically, so it should mean healing time is faster. Normal activities should be fine in maybe two or three weeks.”
Already my brain was going over her recovery, working out what would be best for her. There was no way they'd be able to head home, go on a fight. Was it bad I liked the thought of the two of them in my space way too much? That I liked the idea of keeping as close an eye as possible on Lottie while she was healing?
Paperwork signed, explanations given, I white-knuckled Eddie's hand, not quite sure I was doing a great job at being supportive, not with the way my heart slammed in my chest and sure if he let go, I'd sink to the ground.
And all this for my best friend's kid.
With a farewell of false smiles, we walked with Lottie as far as we were allowed.
“You know she's going to be okay, right?” I managed, knowing I really needed to step up. This was ridiculous, right? This type of operation was as common as scoring a three-pointer. If only my common sense would let my worried heart know. But at least I tried.
