CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Blair
Then
I was looking forward to the upcoming dental conference Scott and I were attending.
It was a chance to be us, away from the kids.
I could dress up and feel like my old self again.
We could spend all day in bed together just like we used to.
It would be five days and four nights of pure bliss in…
Cleveland. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the most exotic location, but it would work for me.
I just wanted to be alone with my handsome husband and remind him that the make-up free stay-at-home mom he was used to could actually be quite sophisticated. I bought new dresses for the trip and just couldn’t wait to see his face when I wore them.
“I just can’t wait until we’re alone together tonight…” Scott was saying just before another call beeped. I looked at it and immediately had a sinking sensation in my stomach.
“Hey, babe. It’s the school. Let me call you back.”
I switched to the other call. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Hastings?”
“Yes?”
“Hi, I’m Letty Hall, the school nurse. I needed to let you know that Sutton had a bit of an accident on the playground today.
She’s being transferred by ambulance to Halliwell Hospital as we speak.
I don’t want you to worry too much—it appears to be a broken arm.
But, um, it does seem to be a pretty bad fracture. ”
“Thank you so much. I’m on my way.”
I hung up the phone and frantically ran out the door.
Once I was on the way, I called Scott. I told him what happened, and he seemed almost as upset as I was.
Later, the two of us sat in Sutton’s hospital room, waiting for her to come out of surgery. She’d had a compound, breakthrough fracture, and the doctor would be using screws and steel plates to set our little girl’s arm.
I’d cried a lot and had puffy eyes and a tear-stained face. Scott hadn’t cried, but he was obviously concerned. He paced back and forth in the room.
After what seemed like hours, the door opened and a sedated and sleeping Sutton was rolled into the room.
While she slept, the doctor met with us about how long the recovery would take, what to expect, and proper care.
He also wanted to keep her overnight for observations, and she would need physical therapy in the coming weeks as well.
When he finally left, I slumped back into the chair, deflated. “Our poor girl,” I murmured. Scott went over and laid a kiss on her head. Then he came and gave me a quick hug before pulling away. I thought he was going to offer to get us something to eat since we’d both missed lunch.
But that’s not what he was thinking at all.
“Well, I have to be off. I’m going to be cutting it close to get to the airport in time for my flight.”
My lips parted as I stared at him. “You’re… still going to the conference?”
“Of course,” he said as if he couldn’t understand why I was asking that. “I’m one of the speakers, Blair.”
“Right,” I said, trying to swallow my disappointment. “Well, have fun, I guess.”
“It won’t be as much fun without you, that’s for sure,” he said, pulling me in for a deep kiss. When he let me go, I was feeling a bit better.
“I gave your ticket to Scarlett, though, so it won’t be all drudgery.”
“Wh… what?”
“Scarlett? My office manager? She’s going in your place.” He said it as if it made perfect sense.
“You’re taking that gorgeous woman on a four-night trip? Are you serious?” The words were out before I could bite them back. I sounded jealous. I knew I did. That was probably because I was jealous.
“Yes,” he said, distracted. He was typing something into his phone. “I let her know as soon as you said Sutton was on the way to the hospital.” He glanced at me after I didn’t say anything. “She needed notice, of course. She had to have time to pack,” he explained.
“Time to pack.” I nodded. “You were making plans for your beautiful co-worker to take my place at this dental conference while I was crying on the way to the hospital.”
“Exactly,” he said, smiling in a way that let me know he’d only been halfway listening at best. “So, don’t worry. I’ll be able to have some fun after all. Take care of our girl,” he said and walked out the door.
I stared after him, too shocked to move.
My husband had just walked out of the hospital to attend a dental conference with his hot office manager while leaving me with four young children, one of whom just got out of surgery.
What was he thinking?
Or… maybe I should be wondering what the hell I was thinking to put up with it.