33. Scarlett
33
SCARLETT
F irst there was traffic; I got stuck behind a tractor, and when he finally turned off and I was able to get here, there were no parking spaces available. What should've taken me twenty minutes had taken more than thirty and I was freaking out. I ran from the parking lot of the main entrance through the light rain falling across Evergreen Creek, around to the back side of the hospital where the emergency entrance was and burst through the doors, running straight to triage.
"Ethan Moore," I gasped, trying to suck in some air. The nurse saw how frantic I looked and stood up, offering me a towel to wipe off with but I was too panicked. "Please, I'm his mother. He was brought in by an ambulance from school and I can't get his father on the phone." Just blurting it out there made me sound like a lunatic but I was hysterical. I definitely shouldn't have been driving.
When Nick didn't pick up, I got even more scared and laid on my horn a few too many times when I was following the tractor driver. I was crying now, but I'd managed to keep myself mostly together while driving at least.
"Ma'am, you'll have to calm down. Dr. Edwards has been in to see Ethan and he is with him now. They are prepping him for surgery and?—"
"Surgery!" I squealed. "No one said anything about surgery. I need to see my son."
"I'm so sorry," she said with compassion. "We can't allow you to go back right now. Ethan is being prepared for surgery. He's not even in his exam room anymore. Dr. Edwards will be out any minute to walk you through things and have you sign the release forms." As she spoke, she walked me, hands gripping my biceps, toward the waiting area.
This couldn't be happening. Ethan was fine. He had been doing so much better. The symptoms he'd had for the past few days were just a cold. I had thoroughly convinced myself of that after having so many false alarms with Nick telling me I just needed to trust him. Then they switch his medicine and now this happens?
Why had I ever trusted him?
"Wait here, and I'll go tell Dr. Edwards you're here." The nurse parked me in a chair, but I was on my feet as soon as she backed away. I couldn't sit at a time like this. Emergency surgery meant something went very, very wrong.
"How long?" I asked, and my voice was barely understandable.
"Just a few minutes." The nurse backed away, and I stood there sobbing with one hand over my mouth. Never in my wildest dream did I think this was a possibility. I thought Nick was in control. I thought he knew what he was doing. This wasn't at all what we had planned. Ethan was supposed to be okay through Christmas and then we would schedule the surgery.
"Should have known better." I heard the comment, but it took a minute to register that whoever was speaking they were speaking to me.
I turned slowly and caught sight of Fiona. She stood a few strides away with an ugly smirk on her face, looking right at me. Her hair was different yet again, but it was her. I'd always recognize the weaselly face of the woman who tried to flirt with Nick right in front of me multiple times. And just last week she kissed him while she looked me right in the eye.
"What did you say?" I asked her, feeling ready to wrap both of my hands around her throat and squeeze.
"I said, you should've never trusted him. I guess Dr. Scandal Claus strikes again. It's a shame it's a child this time." When her lip quirked up in the corner into a half smirk, half smile, I took a step toward her.
"Take it back," I snarled, and she scoffed at me.
"What are we, twelve? You knew what sort of doctor he was before you slithered back into his life. Your gold digging is going to cost you now. I just hope the surgeon can fix what Scandal Claus screwed up—for your sake, of course."
I couldn't take it anymore. Ever since that reporter tried to corner me on the street to make me give up information about Nick, I had been uneasy and overwhelmed. Then came the rumors and the horrible gossip. Then Fiona started showing up in places Nick and I were visiting and now this? Why was she even here? This was my son, and she wasn't a doctor or even a friend.
My arm had a mind of its own. I reared back and let it fly, slapping her firmly across the cheek with my open palm. Her head snapped to the side and her hand came up to her face as I struck her. I was livid and I wasn't taking anyone's crap anymore.
"Leave," I told her, my chest heaving, and she offered a sideways smirk as she started to walk backward. It was like she planned all of this somehow, but that didn't make sense. Fiona had no way of knowing Ethan would be rushed to the hospital, so her presence here had to be coincidental. Unless she was here seeing Nick, or with Nick when he got the call. But Nick wouldn't do that to me, would he?
I got a sick feeling in my gut as I heard the rumbling baritone of Nick's voice. I turned to see him moving toward me, but every person in this place was staring at me. My tears hadn't stopped, though the anger had made them lessen. Now in seeing him, I felt even more conflicted. I didn't understand a thing that was going on and I was terrified.
"I need to see Ethan," I blurted out, but Nick was there trying to put his arms around me. I pushed him away and swiped at my eyes. "No. You don't get to hug me. You did this. You made this happen. I should've known better than to trust you." Anger seethed from my chest and I spoke through gritted teeth. I knew everyone was staring and I didn't care.
"Woah, what do you mean? Calm down, baby." Nick looked hurt and confused, and I balled up my fists and banged on his chest, letting out my fear and anger.
"You did this. And I should've known when his pills were changed. I should've gotten a second opinion. Ever since last week when I filled his prescription, I knew something was wrong and?—"
"Wait a second!" he said, and his voice was raised. It startled me to silence, though he didn't sound angry at all—just loud. "Stop…" Nick cocked his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I didn't change his prescription, Scarlett." He was shaking his head and I could have slapped him too.
"You did. I went to the pharmacy and they gave me a new medicine. Amplodine or something…" I was heaving for breath, trying to calm myself but stutter breathing and probably not making much sense.
"Amlodipine?" Nick asked, and now he sounded really confused. He lifted the tablet and unlocked it and started skimming it.
"The pharmacist said you sent it over. I tried calling but you didn't pick up. I paid for it and that's the night that person painted my car." I glanced around and noticed people still staring, a few of them talking in hushed whispers. This was new. It didn't feel like the angry stares we'd been receiving for months. This felt worse. Like they were seeing me fall apart and be vulnerable and they were cannibalizing my pain.
"Scarlett, I never gave an order for a prescription change…" Nick's voice trailed off and I watched his eyebrows go up, then his jaw dropped. "My God," he whispered, and his eyes met mine.
"What is it?" I asked, now suddenly feeling like I needed to cling to him. There was shock and horror in his expression.
"Listen, baby," he said calmly. "I need you to trust me, okay?" Nick looked around and lowered his voice as he leaned in and took me by my arm. "I did not change his prescription, okay? You have to believe that. If I was going to do that, I'd have had a conversation with you first. But I think I know what happened."
My heart was pounding against my ribs. "What? What happened? Is Ethan going to be okay?"
"I used some of his leftover blood to do a paternity test after you told me about him." Nick's voice was almost a whisper now. "I never told you, because I didn't think it was necessary. But I did. And I'm sorry. But those paternity results aren't here in his file. It would take the court days to run them again, but we don't have time for that. I need to make sure Ethan is okay first."
Nick pushed the tablet into my hand. "Sign this with your fingertip. It's consent to let me do the surgery. Without your signature, I can't do it. He doesn't have long, Scarlett. If he has to wait for another surgeon, he may die."
I stood there with the tablet in hand staring into Nick's blue eyes fearing the worst. How could I trust him? The scandal…and then Fiona's accusations. And Ethan was fine then his meds switched and now he wasn't. I felt frozen in time now. If I trusted him and he messed up, my son was dead. But if I didn't trust him and it took too long, my son could die anyway.
This couldn't be happening.