Chapter 21 #2
"Daddy." Nicole's voice comes out muffled through the mask, weak but recognizing him, and Darren's composure cracks completely, tears spilling down his face as he leans in close.
"I'm here, baby girl. Daddy's right here.
" He presses a kiss to her forehead, careful not to disturb the mask, and I watch him fold himself down to her level, one hand wrapped gently around her small fingers.
"You're gonna be just fine, okay? Macie and the doctors are gonna take real good care of you. "
Nicole's eyes flutter, exhaustion pulling her toward sleep despite the discomfort of the mask, and Darren stays crouched right there beside her, refusing to move even when I try to encourage him to sit in the chair against the wall.
"I need to be close to her." His voice comes out rough, jaw tight, every muscle in his body locked up tense. "I can't sit over there while she's like this."
"Okay." I don't push him, because I understand exactly what he's feeling, that need to stay close, to be within reach in case something happens, in case she needs him even for a second.
Dr. Patterson comes back through the curtain a few minutes later, chart in hand, and Darren straightens up immediately, still holding tight to Nicole's hand.
"Officer Kepler, good, you're here." Dr. Patterson glances at the monitor, then back at Nicole.
"Her oxygen's coming up nicely with the nebulizer treatment, which is a good sign.
We're gonna get that chest X-ray done here in a few minutes, and once we get the bloodwork back we'll have a clearer picture of exactly what we're dealing with. "
"Is it serious?" Darren's voice cracks on the question.
"RSV can hit little ones pretty hard, especially with respiratory symptoms like this, but she's young enough and otherwise healthy enough that I expect her to bounce back within a few days with the right treatment.
" Dr. Patterson's tone stays calm, reassuring, the steady and assured voice that's gotten a hundred scared parents through moments exactly like this one.
"We'll likely admit her overnight for observation, make sure her oxygen stays stable and she's getting enough fluids, but I don't have any reason right now to think this is anything beyond what her body can handle with some support. "
"Overnight." Darren repeats it like he's trying to process the reality of it, glancing at Nicole's small form on the gurney, mask still covering half her face. "Okay. Yeah, whatever she needs."
"We'll get her moved up to pediatrics once the X-ray's done and we've got her stabilized a little more.
" Dr. Patterson pats Darren's shoulder before heading back out to check on his other patients, and Darren sinks down into the chair beside the gurney, finally letting some of the tension drain out of his shoulders now that he's got real information instead of just fear.
"I should call my mom." He pulls out his phone, hands still shaking slightly. "She's probably out there losing her mind."
"I'll go get her, let her know what's happening, if you want to stay right here with Nicole." I squeeze his shoulder before heading toward the curtain.
"Macie." He catches my hand before I can leave, and when I turn back, his eyes are still glassy, still scared, but there's something else there too, he’s grateful. "Thank you. For jumping in the second she came through those doors. For being exactly who she needed."
"I love her too, Darren. There was never any other option." I lean down, pressing a kiss to his forehead, then to Nicole's, careful of the mask. "I'm gonna go get your mom, and then I'm staying right here with both of you until my shift ends, and then I’m going to be here once my shift is over."
"You don't have to stay."
"I want to." I mean it completely, watching Nicole's small chest rise and fall a little steadier now with the mist still flowing around her face. "This is my family too, whether it's official on paper or not. I'm not going anywhere."
Something shifts in his expression, gratitude mixing with something deeper, something that looks a whole lot like the same certainty I've been carrying around since the night Nicole called me mom over dinner without a second thought.
"Go get Mom before she wears a hole through the waiting room floor." He manages a shaky laugh, squeezing my hand once before letting go. "And Macie?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. Thank you for being exactly the person we both needed today."
"Always." I duck back through the curtain, heart still racing, scared for Nicole in a way that hasn't fully stopped my heart from pounding, but steadier too, knowing I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, for the two people who've become my entire world in the space of a few short weeks.
Kelsea's pacing just outside the bay, and her face crumples with relief the second she sees me.
"She's stabilizing. Oxygen's coming up with the treatment, and Dr. Patterson thinks it's RSV, probably admitting her overnight just to keep an eye on her breathing." I pull her into a quick hug, feeling her shoulders shake against me. "Darren's with her now. You can go on back."
"Thank you." Kelsea grips my hands tight before hurrying back toward the curtain, and I stand there a second longer, catching my breath, letting the adrenaline finally start to drain out of my system now that I know Nicole's going to be alright.
I glance toward the ER doors, toward the rest of my shift still waiting on me, and toward the phone in my pocket where I know that photo's still sitting on the hospital's social media page, waiting for exactly the kind of attention I asked Molly to help me stir up.
Right now, none of that matters. Right now, all that matters is getting back through that curtain, back to my girl and my man, back to the family I never expected to find but couldn't imagine living without.