Chapter Twenty-Three
I had been trying for the last ten minutes to call Reed, but all the calls went unanswered. Maria and I didn’t have a car that could be trusted on the road. With the road near my house, we needed someone with a big truck.
Rhett’s fever had now spiked and was sitting at 103.9. I had given him Motrin, but it still had not taken effect. His painful screams were now making me feel as if I were only making him suffer. I fought against the tears and called my parents’ phone.
After the second ring my momma picked up. “Kori? Is everything okay?” It was after midnight, and I never called this late.
“I need Daddy to come get us. Rhett is running a fever and throwing up. He is screaming in pain, and I need to take him to the ER.”
“Your daddy is out helping with the ice. They had wrecks piling up on the highway, and they needed some help clearing the roads. I’ll have Gavin grab his truck and come get ya.” I agreed and hung up the phone. I didn’t care right now who showed up, I just needed a truck and an experienced driver.
I changed quickly, and Maria held Rhett. Now we all stood in the doorway waiting for Gavin to arrive. When we saw the headlights of his King Ranch, lifted Ford F250, we gathered up and met him at the end of the sidewalk.
I crawled in and held Rhett, bundled in a big blanket to shield the frigid air. Maria following close behind. “I’d hurry if I were you. It’s been a while since he last chucked, but he is like the exorcist when he goes off. This pretty truck may not be so pretty anymore after he hoses it down,” Maria announced as Gavin climbed into the driver’s seat. He looked a little frightened, and all I could offer was a smile.
“Well, let’s get moving then.”
He got us there in ten minutes without having to witness what Maria had warned him of. The nurse placed us in a room and began stripping Rhett of his clothing. His temperature was still up, and the clothes weren’t helping with the heat.
Maria and Gavin stood just outside of the room, talking quietly. All I could do was hold my crying boy and feel completely helpless. I wanted to know what was hurting so I could make it better. Watching him suffer was torture.
The doctor came in the room to check him over, and that just pissed him off more. He screamed so hard he threw up and then started shaking. Which in turn caused me to cry as well. My heart couldn’t take seeing him like this. Rhett was a happy boy, this was not easy to witness.
They gave him an IV because he was dehydrated, and watching them poke and prod broke my heart all over again. Once the fluids began and his fever slowly started to break, he was able to calm down. He finally curled against me and fell asleep.
“What in the hell is she doing here?” I heard Maria yell. “You’re freaking kidding me, you show up here…with her.”
My stomach hit the floor. There could only be one person she was talking about. In this town there were very few people it would bother me to have here.
The moment Reed pushed through the partially opened door, my heart raced. Seeing Kimberly stand behind him was like a slap to the face. “Is he okay?” he questioned. All I could do at that moment was stare past his shoulders. The bitch had the nerve to look worried, which only infuriated me more.
“Leave,” I stated firmly.
Reed stood frozen next to the bed, looking from Rhett to me. “What?” He took another step toward me. “Wait, baby, let me explain.”
“Don’t. Just leave. I don’t have the time or the energy for this right now. Just leave, please.” I was sitting in the hospital, covered in puke. I was exhausted and emotional. Right now I just needed him to turn around and leave this room. I refused to have this conversation, especially in front of her.
I looked down at Rhett and avoided eye contact with him. After a few minutes he spoke. “I’ll leave this room, but I’m not leaving this hospital. It isn’t what you think, and I’m not leaving until I know he’s okay. Then you will let me explain this.” He didn’t wait for me to answer. He left the room, and then my tears fell.
The doctor entering the room startled me, and I wiped at the tears on my cheeks.
“Rhett has rotavirus. His fever has been brought down for now, but we need to admit him. He is going to need to continue with the fluids or he will get dehydrated. This virus will have to run its course, and the first few days are the worst.” I nodded, and he continued. “We have already notified Pediatrics, and they will be sending someone down to take you upstairs soon.”
“Thank you.” It only came out in a whisper. He exited the room, and Maria came in shortly after.
“Hey, momma, you need anything?” she asked.
“Yeah, could you sit with him for a few minutes? I really need to use the restroom.” Rhett was asleep in the bed and the side rails were up, but I was still nervous about leaving him alone.
“Of course.” She took a seat next to the bed. “Gavin is outside. He was gonna take me back to your place.” She paused, and I knew she was wondering if she should continue. “Reed is in the waiting room with your parents.”
I nodded before stepping from the room. Gavin pushed forward off the wall and tucked his hands in his pockets. “Little man has to stay, huh?”
I smiled. “Yeah. Listen, thanks so much for getting us here. I really appreciate it.” I looked up to see Reed standing about ten feet back.
Gavin noticed my gaze and looked back. “Um, I’m gonna go out and wait for Maria in the waiting room.” He rushed off before I could speak, and Reed walked in my direction.
He looked pissed, and that made me angrier. “Looks like Gavin came to the rescue.”
I placed my hands on my hips and glared up at him. “You don’t get to be mad, Reed. I tried calling you over and over. I never asked Gavin to get me here, Momma sent him. He was the only one with a truck. You should be glad he got us here safely, not pissed because he was there when you weren’t.” His anger shifted slightly, but I wasn’t done yet. “You have the nerve to show up here, with her. That took balls. I told you she was a hard limit for me. You being with her is unacceptable. Do you not remember she was the girl who ended us the first time?”
I shoved past him and rushed for the restroom. He gripped my elbow and spun me around to face him. “A call came in about the wrecks on the highway. I was the only one close. She was stranded on the side of the road. I couldn’t just leave her there. I was in the process of giving her a ride back to town when I noticed I had the missed calls.” He took a step toward me. “I came straight here. That is the only reason she is with me. I needed to get here.”
I stood in the hallway staring up at him, my chest aching. I was so mad that she was with him. Right now I couldn’t do this. I had to get back to Rhett.
“I don’t have time for this. I need to get back to my son. You can leave now. He is being admitted. He is sleeping, and he’ll be fine.” I entered the bathroom and took in a deep breath. I tried to calm my racing heart by bracing myself on the sink and hanging my head forward.
After I finished up in the restroom, I found Reed still waiting outside in the hall. I tried to avoid another conversation with him, but he had other plans. “I know you’re mad, and I understand, but I was only doing what I volunteered for. I had to get her home.”
“Just take her home, Reed. It’s late, and I’m exhausted. I really don’t have the energy to deal with this. I have enough going on right now.”
I walked away and left him standing in the hall. After I said a quick goodbye to Maria, Gavin took her home. My parents popped in to check on Rhett and me. Momma said she would come up in the morning to relieve me so I could go home to shower. I just didn’t think right now I had it in me to leave.
I assumed Reed had listened. When the nurse from Pediatrics came to get us, we walked through the waiting room to the elevators. The room was empty, and my heart ached. I pushed the images of him and Kimberly together out of my head.
The nurse brought me a pair of clean scrubs to wear, and I cleaned up in the bathroom.
Rhett woke up a few times through the night. With the Motrin and Tylenol, he was able to get a couple hours of rest here and there. I was another story, I never got more than an hour total.