Chapter Nineteen
Destiny sat on the gurney, watching anxiously as the doctor examined Charlotte. She’d insisted that he check her daughter over first. The baby fussed as the doctor carefully examined her, palpating different areas of her body.
Finally, he sighed and stood up. “Nothing jumps out at me except for the obvious bruising from her harness. But I want to get a CT scan under sedation just to make sure there’s no serious head or internal injury.”
Destiny felt instantly lightheaded. Brain damage? Internal injuries? Oh God. “Of course, doctor.”
“We’ll get the ball rolling on that. In the meantime, I’ll take a look at you, momma.” He handed Charlotte to the nurse and asked Destiny to lie down.
She bit back a cry as she moved her foot. It was swollen to twice its size.
“What was that about?” the doctor asked.
“My foot moved. My ankle hurts like hell.”
The doctor examined it with a gentle touch, but it still made her moan in pain.
“We’ll get an X-ray of this, of course, but I’m sure it’s broken.
” He turned to the nurse. “Let’s get an IV started on her.
” After examining Destiny’s head, he moved toward the curtain.
“I want you to change into a gown so I can examine you properly. You said when you came in that you hurt all over.” He stepped through the curtains as the nurse handed her a gown from the cabinet.
“I’ll just get one of the other nurses to hold Charlotte, and then I’ll help you get undressed and put your IV in,” the nurse said and walked outside.
The EMTs on the ambulance had cut all the way up the leg of Destiny’s jeans. When she returned, the nurse quickly finished cutting them off her, then had her sit up as she slit her shirt up the middle and removed it. Then she took off Destiny’s bra and helped her slip on the gown.
In no time flat, the nurse had inserted a needle into a vein in her forearm and taped it down. She smiled. “I’ll get the doctor now.”
“And can you please bring my baby in?” Destiny was worried about Charlotte being out of her sight.
“They took her back for her CT scan, honey. She’s in good hands, don’t worry. A nurse went with her.”
Destiny’s heart started to pound at this loss of control over her child. “Please bring her in as soon as she gets back.”
“Of course we will. I know she’ll be happier with her momma.”
What did that mean? Was Charlotte upset and crying? Dammit! Destiny bit her lip to stop her own tears. This was all so terrible, and it was because of that awful woman. The look on Maria’s face as she’d rammed them off the road had been so evil. Remembering it made Destiny nauseous.
She was glad that she’d called her parents and Erin on the ambulance ride to the hospital. They should arrive any minute and could help take care of Charlotte.
The doctor came back through the curtains and stood beside the bed. “Besides your ankle, is anything else in particular giving you pain?”
“My neck and shoulders are sore. I noticed that immediately after we came to a stop.”
The doctor nodded. “I’m going to look you over completely. We’ll do a CT scan on you, too, but nothing can replace a good visual exam.”
“Okay.”
The nurse came in and injected pain medication into her IV. In seconds she felt warm, and the pain in her ankle had greatly lessened. What was that stuff?
The doctor palpated her abdomen and told her to let him know if anything was sensitive or sore. Then he had her roll on her side, and she stifled a groan when she moved her ankle. After examining her other side, he had her sit up, then felt her spine from the base of her neck to her tailbone.
“Okay, you can lie down again. I’m going to send you to X-ray now for that foot.
Then they’ll take you straight in for your scan.
I didn’t see any abnormal bruising, and the pain you noticed during my exam is to be expected considering the trauma you’ve been through today.
But I’ll feel better once you’ve had that CT. ”
“Thanks. That makes me feel better.”
Her mom parted the curtains and walked in, followed by her father.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry this has happened to you!” Her mom rushed to the bed and took hold of her hand.
“What’s the verdict, doc?” her dad asked and reached out his hand.
The doctor shook it and explained his findings. “We’re going to check everything, but for sure, her ankle is broken.”
“Damn!” her dad said and turned to Destiny. “This has gone far enough. That woman needs to be locked up, and they need to throw away the key!”
She sighed as he took her hand in his. “I agree wholeheartedly. Law enforcement’s looking for her right now for violating the restraining order and for causing the wreck. I just hope they find her fast. I can’t take any more of this.”
Just then Erin poked her head in. Destiny held out her arms and Erin rushed to her bedside. “Honey, I’m here.”
Tears rolled down Destiny’s cheeks. “I’m glad you’re here, bestie.”
Jaxon entered Destiny’s ER room on crutches with his ankle wrapped.
He was glad to see her parents there. He shook hands with both of them, and said, “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about this.
That woman was after me, but I’m sure she was glad that Destiny was in the car.
Maria’s a horrible, hateful person, and I won’t stop until she’s behind bars for good. ”
Just then Wyatt parted the curtains. “Mind if I come in?”
Jaxon waved him in. “Thanks for coming, bro.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Jaxon. Something’s got to be done about that woman. This can’t go on.” Tom’s stern voice made Jaxon wince. But he didn’t blame Destiny’s father for being angry. He had a right to be.
Wyatt clapped him on the shoulder and said quietly, “Let me know what I can do.”
Jaxon nodded and gave him a lopsided smile.
“What did your doctor say, Jaxon?” Destiny asked. Erin stood by her bed, holding her hand.
“My ankle’s sprained, not broken. They want me to keep it elevated and to put ice on it.
They gave me an ice pack.” He held it up.
“The rest of my aches and pains are just that, and they’ll go away in a few days.
The doctor gave me prescriptions for muscle relaxants and for pain, so those will help. ”
“What happened to your other boot?” she asked.
“I let them cut it off. My ankle was all swollen up.” He took a good look at her leg. “Oh man, your ankle’s looking awful, honey. What did your doc say?”
“I’m on my way to X-ray and for a CT scan. I’m probably fine except for a broken ankle, though.”
“If I get my hands on Maria, there’ll be hell to pay,” he said in a fierce voice.
“Now, don’t do anything crazy, son. Let law enforcement handle things,” Tom said.
“But will they? Or will they just let her go again?” Jaxon clenched his fists. “I won’t let her hurt Destiny and Charlotte again. If they let Maria out of jail, I’ll handle that woman myself!”
A young man poked his head into the room. “I’m here to take Destiny Vaughn for an X-ray?”
Tom said, “We’ll step out of the room so you can do that, son.”
After Destiny left, Tom got a couple of chairs from an empty room and they all sat down.
“Tell us about the accident, Jaxon,” Ruth said.
He went into detail since they had time to kill. He finished with the ambulance ride to the hospital.
“That woman’s just plain evil,” Ruth said with a visible shiver.
“You’ve got that right,” Erin said.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jaxon said. “I used to feel sorry for her, but that time’s long past. She’s just a sick, hateful person, and I hate that I share this earth with her.”
Tom grinned. “Tell us how you really feel, son.”
Jaxon chuckled. “That was a bit strong, but, truly, I’ve never felt this way about a person in my life. I really want her gone. Disappeared. Somewhere I’ll never come into contact with her again.”
“We feel the same way, Jaxon. She needs to go far, far away and never come back,” Ruth said.
A nurse walked into the room holding a fussy Charlotte.
Ruth jumped up and took the baby into her arms.
“Did the CT scan go well?” Tom asked.
“She was a good girl. We gave her a little something to sleep, and she woke right up when it was time. The doctor will be in later to talk to you about the results.”
Ruth sat down and cuddled the baby in her arms.
Thirty minutes later, a technician wheeled Destiny back into the room. When she saw Charlotte, she smiled and held out her arms. “How’s my baby girl?”
“She was a bit unhappy when they brought her in, but she’s much better now,” Tom said.
Once Destiny was hooked back up to the blood pressure monitor and her IV bag was hung, Ruth brought the baby to her.
Destiny kissed Charlotte’s cheek. “You’ve been through a lot today, honey. Let’s hope you’re okay.”
Jaxon hobbled over to the side of the bed. “How did you handle being moved around?”
She gave him a lopsided grimace. “The X-rays hurt like hell, but the CT scan wasn’t so bad.” She reached for his hand. “I’m glad you’re here.”
He brought her fingers to his lips. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.
” He brushed her hair back from her face.
“I called Mom and told her why we didn’t make it for dinner.
Once she found out that we weren’t critically injured, she chuckled and said our stars seldom seemed to be aligned when it comes to getting together.
And she wants to bring food over while you’re laid up.
She said that they won’t stay, so don’t worry. They’ll just drop it by.”
Destiny squeezed his hand. “That’s so sweet of her. Of course I’d love that. And tell her that they can stay if they’d like. I’m sure they’ll understand that the house won’t look its best.”
He kissed her cheek, warmed by her words. “I’ll pass that on, sweetheart.”
A few minutes later, the doctor walked in. “I have good news. Charlotte’s CT scan looks normal. No brain injury. No internal injuries. She’s going to be sore and crabby for a few days, so you can give her Tylenol to help with her pain.”
Destiny hugged the baby close as tears filled her eyes. “Thank God. This could have been so much worse.”