A Million Little Things (Mischief Bay, #3)

Panic rushed in, but she ignored the sensation. No matter how bad she felt, she knew in her head she was breathing. She didn’t have time to worry about anything but Jack.

She shoved her feet into shoes, grabbed her purse and then picked up Jack. His head rolled back as if he were unconscious. She did her best not to scream in fear and checked his breathing. His chest rose and fell and she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. She ran to the SUV and buckled him in his car seat.

“Be okay, Jack, honey. I love you so much. Please be okay.”

She opened the garage door, then backed out carefully. She didn’t want to get into an accident on the way to the hospital.

The drive was less than three miles. She focused on her driving, even as she wanted to call Kirk. Better to do that from the hospital, she told herself. She had to get Jack to the doctors. Then he would be fine. Everything would be okay.

She parked in front of the ER, ignoring the red zone. She pulled Jack from the car and ran inside. She saw the admitting station and raced over.

“I’m Jen Beldon. My son, Jack, is twenty months old. He has a high fever and now he won’t wake up. Help me!”

The woman behind the desk took one look at the limp child in Jen’s arms and immediately called for help. A nurse came running, a doctor right behind him. They took Jack from her and started down the hall. She followed.

Once they were in the examination room, the doctor peppered her with questions. She pulled out her phone and read off the dates of Jack’s last immunizations. The nurse took his temperature while the doctor asked about allergies. They hooked up an IV and began meds and fluids, and took blood. A volunteer came in and asked for her car keys so she could move Jen’s car to the parking lot. Jen stepped into the hallway and got out her cell phone.

Her hands were shaking so much that she had trouble pushing the button that automatically dialed Kirk’s number. When she finally got it to work, her call went directly to voice mail.

“It’s me,” she said, her voice thick with tears. “I’m at the hospital. Mischief Bay Memorial. It’s Jack. He spiked a fever. We’re at the ER. Call me.”

She hung up and tried Lucas, but was immediately put through to voice mail, as well. Which meant they were working somewhere they couldn’t get calls.

She tried her brother, then Zoe, but no one answered. Her mother was in Europe.

Jen returned to the small examination room and sat next to Jack. He looked so tiny, lying there. She touched his cheek and was relieved to feel a little less heat. The meds must be working. But why wouldn’t he wake up?

The nurse came and checked on her every few minutes. The doctor returned to say they were checking his blood test.

“At this point my best guess is some kind of virus,” the doctor told her. “We’ll know more soon.”

Jen didn’t know how long she sat next to Jack, talking to him, praying for him. Her whole body hurt and she wrestled with more fear than she’d ever felt in her life. But she kept it together—she had to. She was all Jack had.

Drama unfolded around them. She heard other people come into the ER. The staff wheeled equipment while technicians performed tests of all kinds. It was loud and busy and she wanted to be anywhere but here.

After what felt like hours, Jack’s eyes opened. He turned his head and smiled at her.

“Hey, you,” she whispered. “How are you doing? We’re in the hospital. You were sick but they’re going to make you better.”

The nurse came in. “Look at that. He’s awake. Are you thirsty, honey? Want some water?”

Jack nodded weakly. Jen helped him into a sitting position, then held the small cup while he took a couple of sips. She lowered him back down and held his tiny hand in hers.

She opened the storybook app on her phone and read to him. About an hour later, the doctor returned to say they were looking at a viral infection rather than a bacterial one. By then, Jack’s fever had dropped below 101. She’d barely absorbed the news when Kirk called to say he was on his way.

She assured him that Jack was okay, then went back to reading the story to her son.

By the time Kirk and Lucas arrived, Jack was sitting up and playing with a couple of toys one of the nurses had brought in. He was still a little flushed, but obviously feeling better. Kirk rushed into the examination room and hurried over to her. He held her tight, then turned to Jack. Lucas followed him and Jen was surprised to find herself hugged tight by her husband’s partner.

“How is he? What does the doctor say?”

Jen brought them both up to date.

“What about you?” Kirk asked anxiously. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

As she spoke, she realized that she was still shaky but she’d been telling the truth. She was fine. She’d gotten through the crisis on her own. She’d held it together, had taken the right steps. She’d been strong.

Maybe her own medication and quiet mind time had helped. Maybe she’d muscled through because she was Jack’s mother and she’d done what she’d had to so she could save her son. At this point, she wasn’t sure it mattered. Knowing she was capable was its own kind of power.

She wasn’t going to assume that all would be well now. That some miracle had healed her. There would still be challenges and moments when she wanted to curl up and keen. But knowing she could count on herself in a crisis was something she planned to hang on to for a very long time.

*

One of the great joys of coming home was being welcomed. As Pam wasn’t sure what Steven or Jen would say when they saw her, she took even more pleasure than usual in Lulu’s exuberant greeting. Her little dog danced around her when she picked her up at Shannon’s, crying and yipping, then huddled close on the drive home. She refused to be parted for even a second and jumped into the suitcase every time Pam took something out.

“I’m not leaving,” she reassured her pet. “I’m back. That’s why things are coming out, not going in.”

Lulu didn’t seem convinced and instead watched Pam with a steady stare.