Not Planning on You (Danvers #2)(7)
“Honey, I’m afraid to move you.”
“Gray, please, I’m hurting, please help me!” Suzy cried.
His heart in his chest, Gray leaned down and put his arms under her, lifting her as gently as he could. A couple that had stopped to help offered to carry her purse and insisted on getting his keys and bringing the car to the curb. At that moment, Gray would have trusted anyone as long as they would help him. He gladly handed the keys over along with a description of the car and asked them to hurry.
Whispering words of encouragement to Suzy, he tried to question her about her injuries. He was afraid her ankle was at least cracked if not broken, and he hoped that she didn’t have other broken bones as well. She was trying to be brave; he could see the resolve in the tight set of her chin. Silent tears trickled from the corners of her eyes, and Gray’s heart was breaking. God he adored this woman. He had from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, and nothing had or would ever change that.
At that moment, his car came to a screeching halt at the curb and Gray hurried towards it. The couple who had retrieved the car for him climbed out and opened the back door for him. Gray hesitated as he approached, now unsure of how he could take care of Suzy and drive the car.
“Sir, I know you don’t know us, but we want to help you. If you’d like to get into the back with your wife, my wife and I’ll drive you to the hospital and then catch a cab back for our car later.”
Gray almost wept with relief. At this point, he didn’t care if these people were axe murders as long as they got Suzy to a hospital along the way. He thanked the couple profusely and slid into the back as gently as he could with Suzy on his lap.
Her eyes flickering open, hazy with pain, Suzy quietly said, “You called me Suzy.”
With a tender smile, Gray caressed the curve of her cheek and whispered, “You have always been Suzy to me, baby. You’re right, it is who you are.”
Smiling at him one last time, Suzy grimaced in pain and seemed to drift off. Gray was alarmed until he felt the even pattern of her breathing. Maybe he should be trying to keep her awake in case of a concussion, but he hated to make her endure the pain if she could have some respite from it.
“Sir, how’s your wife doing?”
Gray cleared his throat not bothering to correct the assumption that Suzy was his wife. “She’s drifted off and seems to be resting peacefully. How much further to the hospital?”
“Should be just another couple of minutes. I’m Frank, by the way, and this is my wife Margie.”
“I’m Gray and this is Suzy. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us; I don’t know what we would have done without you two.”
Finally, Gray saw them approaching a huge hospital, and soon they were pulling up to an emergency entrance. Frank offered to park the car and meet him in the emergency area with the keys. As far as Gray was concerned Frank could have the damn car, he just wanted to get Suzy inside.
Chapter Four
Gray rushed up to the receptionist and was relieved when she jumped into action. He was half afraid she’d start shoving forms at him. Gray was led through a set of double doors into the hub of the emergency room. The receptionist stopped for a moment to inquire about a room, and soon he was laying Suzy on a gurney in a small room with very little privacy. A nurse followed closely behind them and was already firing off a rapid series of questions before he even had Suzy settled.
Asking her name, the nurse started waking Suzy up. Finally, after her name was called loudly several times, Suzy blinked her eyes open in confusion and then Gray could see the pain literally taking her breath away. “Ms. Denton, can you tell me where you’re hurting?”
“My…my leg and back and hell just about everywhere,” gasped Suzy.
Gray was glad to see her make a small attempt at humor even though it was obvious that the effort had cost her. Reaching over, Suzy held her hand out to him, seeking his touch and comfort. Gray wrapped his fingers around hers, using his other hand to rub her arm gently in reassurance. “It’s going to be ok, baby, just hold on. Can she please have something for pain now?”
“I’m fixing to run an IV, sir, but we can’t give her any pain medication until we know the extent of her injuries.” Pulling Suzy’s arm to lie flat, the nurse felt for a vein and, apparently satisfied, smoothly slid the needle in and taped it in place.
A short dynamo burst into the room and immediately began asking questions and giving orders. Walking over to him, the lady he assumed was the doctor held her hand out to him.
“Mr. Denton?”
“Actually no, it’s Merimon, Grayson Merimon.”
“This is Suzanna Denton, correct?”
“Yes, I’m her fiancé,” Gray lied smoothly. Luckily, Suzy was too far out of it to dispute this fact, and Gray didn’t intend to be dispatched to the waiting room while she was here alone.
“Ok, Mr. Merimon, I’m Doctor Mills, can you tell me what happened to your fiancé?”
“She fell down a flight of stairs, and as she was beginning her fall, the heel of her shoe caught between an opening in the steps, so I’m afraid she may have injured her ankle before the fall even took place. Her head slammed into the sidewalk at the end of the steps causing the cut on her forehead.”
“Did she lose consciousness at any point?”