CHAPTER SIX #2
Someone must’ve yelled out to the guys while I was on the phone because they just about all came hurrying into the room with Ben in the front.
“What’s goin’ on?” I take a breath to get my voice under control.
“I don’t know everything, but that woman who’s supposedly Brian’s girlfriend thought we were all being overly dramatic about Bentley’s tomato allergy and ordered a pizza with them on it.
She just told him to take them off. Branson wasn’t in the room with them to stop her, and Bent ate a piece.
Brian gave him his EpiPen, but last time, he still had to go to the ER for more help, so he’s taking him now.
I need to go. I need to go see Bent. I need to go.
” Everyone must have heard me because Jon starts speaking, giving directions, but I can’t focus on them.
Ben looks at me. “Let’s go now, I’ll get you there as quick as I can.
” I don’t wait but hurry out of the clubhouse with him and wait for him to quickly get on his bike.
I hop on, putting my helmet on as fast as I can.
Ben tears out of the parking lot, and I know he speeds all the way there, but I can’t seem to care.
Getting to Bentley is all I can focus on.
As soon as Ben rides into the hospital parking lot, he pulls into a front spot.
I take off my helmet as I’m getting off.
“You go ahead, Doc, and I’ll be right in.
” I run into the lobby and look around when I see someone I recognize.
“Maggie!” She looks up at me and smiles.
“Doctor Hargrave, what can I do for you?” I walk up to her before she heads back to the exam area.
“My son Bentley was just brought in here.” Her smile drops.
“I’m just coming back from lunch, but come with me, and we’ll check the desk.
” I start to follow her through the doors, but I hear boots behind me and see Ben walking in.
I wave him over. Maggie’s eyes go up in surprise, but she doesn’t say anything as I have him come with us.
Maggie goes up to the desk, and before she can ask, the nurse looks up, and Nurse Carol recognizes me.
“Your boy is in exam one. Doctor Turcich is in with him now. You can go on in.” I thank her, and Ben follows me over to the exam room.
As soon as I’m in the doorway, Bailey calls out, “Ben! You came!” Ben gives her a smile as she runs to him, and he picks her up.
“I did. Why don’t you and Branson come hang with me in the waiting room?
I think there might be some other people you know showing up here shortly.
” Bailey and Branson look at me. “Yeah, that would be good. That way, I can talk to the doctor and your dad and make sure Bentley’s good.
Okay?” Bailey nods her head eagerly, but Branson looks a little more apprehensive.
I think he doesn’t want to leave his brother.
Knowing him, he’s gonna feel bad for a while about not being in the room to stop it from happening.
I hear Ben talking to Bailey as they leave the room.
Somehow, during the conversation, I moved over to the gurney and took Bentley’s hand in mine.
I reach up and touch his hair as he’s knocked out, which tends to happen to him.
Doctor Turcich speaks up. “We did give him a second round of Epi. Your boy seems to have one of the worst allergies of this kind that I’ve seen in years.
We’re gonna keep him for a few hours to make sure he’s good, but since both of you are physicians, I don’t see why he can’t go home tonight.
I’m gonna go and come back in a bit to check on him.
If you need me, just have one of the nurses page me.
” Brian thanks him, and I wait till I know he’s out of the room before I ask the question that Brian has to know is coming.
“What in the hell happened? Bentley knows not to eat anything that a tomato has remotely touched, but he also knows to show respect to adults. So tell me, what in the hell was your girlfriend thinking?”
I hear him sigh and look over at him for the first time since walking in the room.
He rubs his face. “I had to run to the hospital to check on a patient. I was only gone for about forty-five minutes. I told her I would handle dinner when I got back. I didn’t like the test results the on-call was sending me, and this patient wasn’t responding after surgery like they should and showing some weird symptoms. That’s the only reason I left.
I thought they would be okay for an hour.
I must’ve arrived within a couple of minutes of when he ate the piece because he was still talking and telling Bailey he was okay.
Fuck!” I can tell he’s upset with himself, and yet I can’t seem to feel bad at all.
“What I don’t understand is why your girlfriend, or whatever she is to you, doesn’t understand when someone has a severe allergy, you can’t just take it off, and the person be fucking fine!
I mean, she’s heard of people with peanut allergies, hasn’t she?
I’m sorry, Brian. I know she must mean something to you to have thrown our marriage away for her, but I’ll be damned if our kids can be left with her alone again, especially if she doesn’t get how fucking serious this could’ve been.
” He’s about to say something, but then stops and just nods.
I continue with my next thought as I look back down at Bentley and see he’s still out to the world.
“You need to talk to Branson. When he called me, he was mad at himself for not being in the room to stop it. It’s not his job to do that, and he needs to know neither of us blame him.
He needs to hear it from both of us and not just me telling him you agree with me.
We may not be together anymore, and both moved on, but we’re parents together, and we need to get to a point where we can do that and where all three of them believe that we really do love them.
” He sighs again. “You’re right. The fear I felt when I pulled in and Branson came running out screaming at me isn’t something I want to repeat again, ever.
I know I’ve been letting the kids down. Hell, Branson let me have it yesterday.
He told me I’d only been to two of his games this season and that your boyfriend and his friends had been to all of them, and he isn’t their kid.
I hadn’t realized I had only made two. Hell, I didn’t realize I missed Bailey’s first recital.
” I go to tell him that I had given him the dates, but he holds his hand up, so I let him continue.
“I’ve been fucking selfish for too long.
It’s got to be bad if Branson and both my mom and dad have all read me the riot act.
” Holy shit, his parents actually did that?
I mean, they aren’t bad grandparents, but I’ve never heard them say one negative thing about him.
I must show the surprise on my face because Brian continues, “I know my work is important, but they are our kids. I need to do better. I will.” He starts to move around the gurney.
“I’m gonna start right now and go talk to Branson.
” He starts to walk out the door, but he stops and turns around.
“I know I probably don’t deserve it, but thank you for not threatening to try and get full custody.
I know this is my fault, and I will handle this situation.
I don’t want to lose them.” For the first time in years, I see an honesty and a sorrow in his eyes.
“You handle this and be an active dad for our kids, and that’s all I ask.
I will always look for what’s best for them.
If you don’t change your ways, and things don’t improve, then we’ll have to revisit that, but we’re all human and make mistakes, I just don’t want you to blink, and they’re adults, and you don’t even know them.
” He nods like he is really hearing me and turns back and heads out to the waiting room.
I grab a chair and sit down next to my boy.
There is no other fear in the world like hearing your kid is in danger and you’re not there to help them.
Thank the lord, we both live near the hospital.
Ben
I would love to be back in the room with Kimbra to support her while she has that conversation with Brian, but I think it was smart to get Bailey and Branson out of there.
Bailey’s on one side of me, watching a show on my phone, and Branson is next to me, but I can tell he’s worried.
I nudge his elbow so I can get his attention without alerting Bailey.
“I don’t know what all happened, but I know, without a doubt, this is not your fault, and your brother is going to be okay.
” He rubs his face and looks over at me.
“I should have been in the room with them. I heard Bentley talking to her and Bailey chiming in, but I didn’t go and see what was going on.
I walked in when she yelled out that the food was ready.
Bent never said anything till I looked at the pizza still in the box and saw tomatoes all over the freaking top of it.
Dad had run real fast to the hospital to check on a patient and had said we’d get dinner when he got back, so I don’t know why she got pizza.
” Oh, that woman. I have a feeling my woman might go nuclear on her, and I have no plans on holding her back.
This kid needs to get it and understand that his job is to be a kid and let his parents and I do the worrying.
“I know you feel guilty, but I still say none of this is your fault. I’m sure your mom and dad are going to say the same thing. ”