They rushed over at once. Blanche grabbed the doctor’s hand, her voice trembling with panic. “Doctor, how is my son?”
“Mrs. Simmons, your son hit his forehead on a rock when he fell onto the lawn. The wound bled a lot and looked frightening, but it isn’t as serious as it seemed.”
“We’ve cleaned and stitched up the cut. The bleeding has stopped. He’s going to be just fine.”
“Still, since he hit his head, we’d like to keep him for observation for a couple of days, just to make sure there’s no concussion.”
“Are
you absolutely sure he’s okay?” Blanche shuddered, the memory of all that blood making her knees weak.
“You have my word, Mrs. Simmons. There’s nothing to worry about,” the doctor assured her gently.
“Thank you, Doctor.” Blanche let out a shaky breath of relief. But as she watched Healy being wheeled out of surgery, still unconscious, tears began to flow again. She followed along with the butler and the nurses, all the way back to his room.
Even with the doctor’s reassurances, Blanche
couldn’t shake her worry. Her Healy had never suffered like this before.
She settled by his bedside, refusing to move until he woke up.
Eddy crouched beside her, concern etched across his face. “Honey, you’re pregnant. You need to take care of yourself too. Rest for a little while. When Healy wakes up, you’ll need your strength to look after him.”
Loraine chimed in, “Laney, the staff will stay here with him. We’ll call you the moment he wakes up. If you won’t go home, at least get some sleep in the next room.”
Blanche didn’t want to leave Healy’s side for even a second, but she felt a dull ache low in her belly. Earlier, adrenaline had masked the pain, but now it was getting
worse.
Ever since she’d learned/she was carrying a daughter, Blanche couldn’t ignore the growing swell of her stomach. She wanted so badly to keep her.
Reluctantly, Blanche let Eddy walk her to the room next door, though she wouldn’t even look at him. “Go stay with Healy,” she said quietly.
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She tossed and turned on the bed, unable to sleep. When the pain in her stomach finally eased, she slipped back to Healy’s room, needing to be near him.
She had so much to say–she wanted her son to know that she would always love him, that she would never, ever abandon him again.
Pushing open the door, Blanche saw Healy had already woken up. He looked pale and tired, but he could speak.
She overheard Eddy talking to him. “Healy, you nearly scared your mother to death.” “If you keep acting out and making her worry, you won’t be allowed out of the house again.”
Blanche couldn’t bear to let Eddy scold Healy–none of this was Healy’s fault. She blamed herself for not teaching him how to behave in the car, for not buckling his
seatbelt.
Just as she was about to interrupt, Healy started sobbing. “Dad, I know I was wrong. I won’t push Mom again. It really hurt when I fell.” He touched the thick bandage on his head. “I don’t want Mommy to hurt like that.”
“Why would you push your mother?” Eddy’s voice was sharp with confusion.
Healy’s words came out in a whisper, barely audible. “Grandma… Grandma said if Mommy fell, the baby would go away. And then Lara could come back.”
“What grandma? You don’t have a grandma.” Eddy’s face twisted in shock. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing–someone had told his son to hurt his wife.
“She said she’s Lara’s grandma. And mine too.” Healy’s tears streamed down his cheeks. “Dad, please don’t tell Mommy. If she finds out, she’ll never talk to me again.”
Blanche felt the world tilt beneath her feet. She remembered the moment she’d been shoved forward in the car–she’d thought Healy was just fooling around, had bumped into her by accident.
She had never imagined her own child would try to push her on purpose, just to hurt the baby she was carrying Eddy and Jeannette’s daughter.
Blanche’s face went completely white. A sharp, wrenching pain twisted through her abdomen.
Before she could even cry out, she collapsed to the floor. A sudden warmth spread between her legs.
She looked up to see her husband and son’s faces frozen in terror. When she touched her thigh, her hand came away slick and red.
“Blood…”
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