Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
ONE WEEK LATER
Emily
I needed to get away for a few days and do some soul-searching and self-reflecting. My life had been forever changed, and I needed some time alone to think. Gregory and his wife had rented a place in Montauk for the week and invited me to join them. Despite the fact that fall had settled in, and the temperatures were getting cooler, it would be a great place for me to escape for a few days and spend some time with my dad.
It was eight o’clock p.m. when I threw my suitcase in the back of my rental car and started my journey. I got a late start because I needed to make sure everything was in order before I left. I wasn’t worried about the store because I knew Katie would look after things while I was gone. This trip was something I needed to do for my own sake and well-being. I needed to put my relationship and all thoughts of Jackson out of my head and begin healing my broken heart. When I returned, things would be different, and I needed to prepare for that.
Jackson
It was nine o’clock in the evening, and I was out for a late dinner with Samuel when my phone rang, and I saw Jules was calling.
“Hello.”
“Jackson. I need you to get down to the ER as soon as possible. There’s been an accident,” she spoke in a panicked tone.
“What kind of accident? Are Mom and Dad okay?”
“It’s Emily. She’s been in a car accident, and the paramedics are on their way in. I thought you would want to know.”
“What?!” I shouted. “I’m on my way.”
“What happened?” Samuel asked.
“Emily’s been in a car accident, and I need to get to the hospital.” I flew out of my chair.
“Go, man. Go. Don’t worry about the bill. I got it.”
I raced outside the restaurant and climbed into the back of my limo.
“Edward, we need to get to the hospital now! Emily’s been in an accident.”
My heart was pounding, and horrible thoughts were racing inside my head. Why the hell was she driving? Where was she going? I laid my head back on the seat and closed my eyes, taking several deep breaths to calm the panic inside me.
Edward pulled up to the curb of the ER, and I ran inside, stopping at the security desk.
“Dr. Jules Caine. There’s been an accident, and I’m her brother. She just called me.”
The security guard opened the double doors, and I saw Jules and Carter standing a few feet away with their arms folded.
“Jules!” I ran towards her. “Where is she?”
“They’ll be here in a minute.”
“What the hell happened? How do you know it’s Emily?”
“The paramedics found her license in her purse.”
“Jules, they’re here,” Carter spoke as he ran down the hall.
“Stay here!” Jules commanded.
But I didn’t listen. I couldn’t. I had to see her.
The paramedics quickly pushed her down the hallway and into the trauma room, where a team of nurses followed. I stood in the doorway and looked at her through all the chaos. Blood poured from her head. Her face was swollen and bruised as if she had been beaten, and a neck brace was secured around her neck. A sick feeling rose in the pit of my stomach, and I began to shake.
“She’s pregnant,” I heard Jules say to the team of doctors and nurses that were by her side.
I nearly lost my breath when I heard her say that.
“What?” I gasped.
She looked at me and told me to leave the room. But I was frozen, and it felt like my legs were paralyzed.
“We’re losing her!” Carter yelled. “Get the crash cart!”
“Jackson, you can’t be in here.” Jules ran over to me and grabbed hold of my arm.
Tears filled my eyes as I placed my hands firmly on my sister’s shoulders and stared at her.
“You have to save her, Jules. Don’t let her die! You have to save her.”
“We’re doing everything we can. Lisa, get my brother out of here!” she yelled as she returned to attend to Emily.
I stood outside the room and watched through the window as they took the paddles and placed them on her chest. A tear ran down my cheek as I watched the monitor and held my breath, waiting for some sign that she’d come back to me. After two shocks, the flat lines began to move up and down, and my sister let out a sigh of relief as she placed her forehead on Emily’s and then walked out of the room and over to me.
“We have her stabilized, but she has internal bleeding, and her arm is broken. Carter is taking her up to surgery in a few moments.”
“And the baby?” I looked at her.
“I’m sorry, Jackson, but we couldn’t find a heartbeat.”
I swallowed hard as my eyes wouldn’t stop filling with tears.
“How did you know she was pregnant?”
“She came to me because she was sick. She was going to tell you when she got back from Montauk.”
“Is that where she was going?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?”
“Doctor-patient confidentiality. I couldn’t, and you know that.”
Carter pushed Emily out of the room, stopped, and looked at me.
“Hang tight, Jackson. She’s in good hands,” he spoke.
“Take care of her, Carter.”
“I will.”
I went up to the surgical waiting room, put some money into the coffee machine, and leaned my forehead against it while the coffee poured into the cup. I couldn’t believe this had happened to her. I had planned on going to see her tomorrow to talk things out. I could no longer take her being out of my life, and now, she almost was forever. The thought sickened me to the point where I wanted to vomit.
“Hey, man.”
Lifting my head and looking over my shoulder, I saw Samuel standing there with his hands in his pockets.
“How is she?”
Grabbing the cup from the machine, I sat in the chair, and he sat down next to me.
“Carter is in surgery right now with her. She has some internal bleeding.”
“I’m sorry, Jackson.” He placed his hand on my shoulder.
I leaned forward, placing my elbows on my knees while I took a sip of coffee.
“She was pregnant,” I spoke, staring straight ahead.
“Was?”
“They couldn’t find a heartbeat.”
“Gee. I’m sorry. She didn’t tell you?”
“She was going to when she got back from Montauk. I guess that’s where she was headed before the accident. Shit. I have a phone call to make.”
I pulled out my phone, called Katie, and told her to call Emily’s father. In an instant, she panicked and told me she was on her way.
I sat there in a daze, silently praying to God to let her be okay. A feeling of loss swept over me as I thought about our baby. A baby I didn’t even know about, and yet my heart ached for him.