“It’s just the two of us, thank God. It sounds like help is on the way.”
I walk over to the roadside and sit down because my legs won’t stop shaking. Rummaging through my purse I find my cell and call Brisban.
“Hello”
Before I even get a word out I start crying.
“Candace? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“I ran a red light…car hit me.”
My words are short and clipped in between sobs.
“Where are you right now? I’m on my way.”
“Wallace Avenue and Vine Street intersection.”
I sniffle and wipe my nose with my arm and I see blood. My nose must be bleeding.
“Okay.”
“You’re going to be fine. I’m not far from there.”
He hangs up and I try to find some napkins in my purse. I only have a couple tissues so I blot my nose carefully. If all I get from this is a bloody nose then I consider myself very lucky. Two cop cars pull up, along with an ambulance and fire truck.
Medics rush over to me and start asking me all of the typical questions. I try and explain that I think I’m okay but they recommend I go and get checked out at the local hospital just to be on the safe side. When I stand up they guide me to the ambulance and I see Brisban’s car pull up. His door flies open and he runs for me.
“Are you okay?” He looks at the medics. “Is she hurt?” His eyes are distraught as he scans me up and down.
“I’m okay. They just want me to go get checked out to be on the safe side.”
He exhales. “Thank God you’re not badly hurt. I’ll follow behind the ambulance and meet you at the hospital. Is there anyone you need to call? Janette?”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t want to worry her and I know she’s working right now.”
“Alright.” He leans over and kisses me on the forehead. “See you as soon as we get there.”
I give him a little smile, even though my head is pounding like crazy. I reach up and massage my temples. The medics help me up onto the gurney and they hoist me up into the ambulance.
“Are you in pain anywhere?”
“Just my head and lower back.” I tell them, still rubbing my head.
The ride to the hospital isn’t that long. As soon as we arrive and they open the back doors of the ambulance, I see him standing right there waiting on me. The look of pure concern etched on his face makes me feel loved deeply.
“Sir, you’ll have to wait in the patient waiting area while she’s examined by the ER doctor.”
I reach out my hand for him and he grabs it, giving me a gentle squeeze. “I’m fine. This won’t take long at all.”
“I’ll be here, however long it takes.”
I HEARD THE WORDS THE doctor just said but they aren’t making any sense to me. I can’t even respond. Maybe I’m in shock or this is just a dream and none of this is real at all. The doctor continues to talk—I see his mouth moving but everything is in slow motion. My palms start feeling sweaty and I feel faint even though I’m lying flat on my back in a hospital bed.
“Ma’am, do you understand everything I’ve explained to you? Do you have any questions?”
I’m still in a state of stunned disbelief but I try to respond. “I don’t understand. It’s not possible. I can’t have children. How can I be pregnant?”
The doctor smiles and flips through my chart then looks back to me. “Well, it looks like you’ve been blessed, because you’re definitely pregnant. Like I said, you should get in to see an obstetrician as soon as possible. We are doing an ultrasound now to make sure everything is okay with the baby after the accident.”
A lady rolls in a machine and I’m suddenly scared to know anything about the baby. Just the word baby sends my mind into a tailspin.
“Nurse Lauren will do the vaginal ultrasound. You’re most likely in the very early stages of the pregnancy but this will give us a more accurate timeline for your due date.”
As they start explaining the procedure and I go from lying down clothed to having to get completely undressed from the waist down and put my feet up into stirrups, I’m in a constant state of disbelief. The nurse goes through the process step by step with me verbally before she inserts the device into me. It’s incredibly uncomfortable. She starts moving the device around and looking at the screen simultaneously.
“You’re very early in your pregnancy, ma’am. We can’t get a heartbeat just yet so that means you’re most likely less than five weeks along.”
I look at her confused. “There’s no heartbeat?”
“We can’t hear it yet. Soon we will be able to, but just not yet. Have you missed your monthly cycle yet?”