“His spleen?” Sara asked, from where she’d moved to his side.
“Good diagnosis. Check his pressure again. We don’t need him to code on us before the wagon gets here.”
Sara went to work again.
“I’m going to see if anything is broken this time.” Grant slowly worked his hands up Rick’s right leg. The man had no reaction. When Grant started touching his left leg near his ankle Rick hollered. “Okay. It looks like this leg will need to be immobilized.”
Sara leaned over and pulled a blanket toward her. “Blood pressure’s still going down. I’ll roll this blanket up to use for support for the leg.”
Grant reached over the man’s head and snagged the other blanket and followed her actions.
The distant sound of the ambulance siren filled Sara with relief. The man’s blood pressure was dangerously low. He needed to get to a hospital OR to have his spleen removed.
Grant checked Rick’s eyes again. He glanced at her, his lips a tight line.
“Am I going to be all right?” Rick asked.
Grant placed his hand on the man’s forearm. “You’re going to be fine. A little patching up and you’ll be out moving someone again.”
The man gave Grant a weak smile.
The ambulance pulled to the curb and much of what happened after that was a blur. Sara took Lily from her father when she started to cry. Grant reported his findings to the ER doctor over the phone. The EMTs soon had the injured man on the gurney.
Grant joined her where she stood watching the ambulance drive away.
“How do you think he’s going to do?”
“He should be fine if he has no complications. I’ll check on him in a few hours. You know, I’d take you as a nurse in any emergency. You were great once again.”
Sara couldn’t help but glow at the compliment. “You weren’t bad yourself. You know, I’ve had more emergencies in my life since I’ve known you than ever before.”
“I’m glad I can add excitement to your life.”
He did that. How exciting would it be, being married to Grant? Very, Sara suspected.
* * *
Grant wasn’t sure how the next week or so was going to pan out but he was confident they wouldn’t be easy emotionally.
The week after moving Sara’s father he’d seen little of Sara and Lily, having been too busy at the hospital to make it home except to sleep. He was amazed at how much he missed them and looked forward to seeing them. His colleagues and friends were shocked to learn that he was getting married. To say he was the main conversational topic around the hospital was an understatement.
Although he’d talked long and hard to get his mother to even accept that he was keeping Lily, Grant never doubted she’d take the idea of him marrying and run with it. She’d come through with plans so precise that even the limousine in which they were now riding in to the airport included a car seat.
Sara sat stiffly beside him while her father and Lily sat across from them. Harold was busy keeping Lily entertained with a toy.
Grant looked at Sara’s hands, which were clenched so tight in her lap that her knuckles were white. Somewhere inside himself, a place he didn’t want to name, hurt that she felt she had no choice but to go through with their ruse of a marriage. Every woman dreamt of her happy wedding day. He had to think of some way of showing his thanks. A way of making this bearable for her.
He reached over and pried one of her hands from the other and intertwined his fingers with hers. At first she tensed but when he didn’t let her hand go, she relaxed. Her father glanced at them and smiled then returned to playing with Lily.
Grant leaned over until his shoulder nudged Sara’s. He whispered, “Your face says that marrying me is a fate just worse than death.”
She gave him a wry smile. “It’s better than death.”
“Well, that’s high praise.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be more upbeat, but I’ll try to do better.”
“I look forward to that.”
Sara didn’t appear any more at ease as they waited to board the plane at O’Hare Airport for their flight to Raleigh, North Carolina. Grant had no idea where his mother had come up with the wedding venue but he was sure it would be appropriate and she’d be there to see that everything went as planned. She would fly Leon and Kim in as well, making the wedding party complete.
“I need to change Lily.” Sara pulled the diaper bag over her shoulder and took Lily from her father. “I’ll be right back.”