Her questions were good and to the point. It was obvious that she knew where she was. She knew who she was, and she knew what had happened. I was comforted with all of these facts, knowing that it could have been a lot worse. What I’d told her was true: The doctors would check for signs of a concussion and give Seanan some medicine to help with the pain. With any luck, I had completely overreacted, and there wasn’t even a head injury.
I could see a big goose egg beginning to form on her forehead, and that let me know that she had hit the pole hard. It wasn’t my first experience with a slip and fall injury. Nan had fallen in the bathtub one time and hit her head on the waterspout. At that time, there had been blood. Seanan wasn’t bleeding, thank God. But I knew exactly what to do in case of a concussion.
Nan had been put under watch for a few hours but was allowed to go home with mild pain medication. Hopefully the same would be true for Seanan. The paramedics arrived and checked her pupils.
“There may be a slight concussion,” the younger one said. “We’re going to take her to the hospital.”
“I have to come,” I said.
“Of course.”
They helped Seanan into the back of the ambulance, not bothering to strap her to a gurney. That was a good sign, if they didn’t believe there was any risk to letting her walk. I climbed in beside her, and we sat on a little bench, hugged between cabinets and machinery.
One paramedic sat opposite us while the other drove the vehicle. I tried to keep Seanan’s spirits up by asking questions about all of the things inside the van.
“What is this one?” I asked the paramedic.
“It’s a heartrate monitor,” she replied. “It helps us gauge how healthy the patient is.”
“And what about this one?” I asked, pointing to another device.
“It’s a defibrillator.” The young woman touched the outer casing. “It will jump start someone’s heart if they flatline.”
“Isn’t that neat?” I asked Seanan.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned against me.
“Wake up, honey,” the paramedic said, concerned.
“Seanan.” I shook her gently to get her to come around.
“Yes?” she asked, waking up.
“You have to stay awake,” the paramedic said softly.
“Okay,” Seanan agreed.
I shared a meaningful glance with the other woman in the back, both of us worried. There were no other incidents on the way to the hospital, and Seanan remained alert. I helped her out of the ambulance, and we were admitted to the emergency department.
I stayed with her as long as I could, holding her hand and answering the doctor’s questions. But when they put her into the CT scanner, I had to leave the room. I sat in the hallway outside the imaging department, my head in my hands.
I was sure I was going to be fired. Maybe that’s why they didn’t use the tennis courts. If they were so dangerous, I should have known better. It didn’t matter that the whole thing had happened too fast for me to react, or that Seanan was likely okay, if a little disoriented. I’d gotten her to the hospital on time, and she would be fine, I told myself. But I had failed in my primary job: to keep the little girl safe.
I didn’t even hear the guys come in, I was so focused on my own tragedy. One moment I was terribly alone, and the next, Dex was sitting beside me, his arm draped around my shoulders. “Hey there,” he said. “It’s all right.”
I leaned toward him. Alarm bells were sounding in my brain. I shouldn’t be here with him, not when I was on duty. Dex was a pleasure for my days off, not the middle of a childcare emergency. But when I looked up, Flynn was there too, knocking on the door to the X-ray room. I was about to tell him that we couldn’t go in when a technician opened up.
“Where is my daughter?” Flynn demanded.
“We’re just taking a CT scan,” the technician told him, her voice light and unapologetic. “Seanan’s doing just fine, and you can see her in just a moment.”
Flynn agreed reluctantly, letting the woman slip back into the recesses of the treatment room. He turned to me and Dex, not seeming the least bit surprised to find us together. Connor crouched before me, putting his hands on my knees. All three of my men were there with me, no hint of anger or possessiveness between them.
“Why don’t you take her back to my place?” Flynn suggested. “I’ll stay here with Seanan.”
“I’m sorry,” I tried to explain. “It all happened so fast. She hit her head on the tennis court.”
“Shh,” Flynn replied, pulling me to my feet. “You can tell me all about it when I get home.”