The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection by Frost, J (great novels .txt) π
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βWhy isnβt he waking up?β I whisper to Niall.
βThe doctor will tell us in a tick, doan worry.β
But the doctor doesnβt say anything. He keeps working, lifting Loganβs eyelids and shining a little penlight into Loganβs eyes. He takes off Loganβs shoes and runs his thumbs up the soles of Loganβs feet. I donβt understand what Daddyβs feet have to do with anything. All the bloodβs on his head.
What the nurse is doing makes more sense. She sponges the blood off Loganβs face. Once she has him cleaned up, she presses gauze pads against the right side of his forehead, then begins wrapping his head with more gauze. It looks like sheβs mummifying him, which would make me laugh, if he was awake.
Daddy, please, please, wake up.
Finally, the doctor rises, brushes off his pants, and walks over to me. βAre you Emily Martin?β
I nod and Niall releases me enough to shake the doctorβs hand before winding me tight against his chest again.
βMr. Logan has been hit in the head multiple times with a heavy object. He has a depressed skull fracture and a concussion. Iβm concerned there may be bleeding in his brain. I canβt treat this here and recommend he be moved to a hospital immediately. Do you know if he has medical insurance?β
I donβt. He never mentioned it. I shake my head.
βHe doesnβt have insurance or you donβt know?β The doctor asks.
βI donβt know.β It comes out as a squeak.
βIβm sure heβd have insurance,β Niall says.
βIf he has insurance, Iβd recommend he be airlifted to Scripps La Jolla in San Diego. They have an excellent neurology department. If he doesnβt have insurance, then heβll need to be treated in MazatlΓ‘n. Mexican hospitals require payment up front.β
βIβll pay,β I say.
βMs. Martin,β the doctor begins.
I shake my head firmly, finding strength in the thought that, at last, this is something I can do.
βI want him airlifted to San Diego. I want him to have the best treatment. Iβll pay.β
βAre you sure? This is tens of thousands of dollars weβre talking about if heβs uninsured.β
I have no idea if Loganβs insured or not. Heβs self-employed, the same as I am. My insurance sucks. It doesnβt matter. Iβll sell my house, everything I own, if I have to. The only thing that matters is Daddy getting the best treatment.
βIβll pay. Please, what do I need to do?β
The doctor waves a hand. βWeβll contact the air ambulance, but I urge you to find out if heβs insured first. The insurance company may not reimburse the flight if they donβt pre-authorize it.β
I look up at Niall. βHe kept his important papers in his room safe. He told me the combination, but I donβt have a key to his room.β
Niall nods. βIβll take care of it. Whatβs the code?β
I tell him and expect him to leave. Instead, he whips out his phone and types into it rapidly before he slides his arms back around me.
βShaanβll get into his room,β Niall tells me. βIβm stayinβ with yeh. Yer not alone. Weβll deal with this together.β
* * *
Niall stays with me, all through the second longest day of my life. The longest was the day I left Ash, after discovering that heβd given me chlamydia, with nowhere to go and no future. That was a day I thought would never end.
But it did, finally, when I fell asleep on Gracieβs couch. This one does, too, at four in the morning when the neurosurgeon at Scripps La Jolla tells us that Loganβs surgery has been successful. Theyβre keeping him in the ICU for the rest of the night while they work on reducing the swelling of his brain. But in the morning, heβll be moved into critical care, where I can see him. I cry in Niallβs arms after the doctor leaves, just like I cried in Gracieβs the day I left Ash. Itβs cold comfort. Niallβs not the man I want holding me any more than Gracie was. But Iβm grateful for it.
As dawn starts to illuminate the huge foyer, I find myself with Niall at the reception desk of a Marriott that Niall, or Shaan, or Vashi, or someone, has booked while Iβve cried and paced. Iβm startled when Niall collects only one key from the front desk and takes me up to the room. When I see that it only has one king bed, I begin to shake.
Niall takes my shoulders in his hands.
βEmily, I wouldna leave anyone alone after the day yehβve had, much less a baby gurl. Iβm staying. If yeh wan me to sleep on the floor, I will, but Iβm not leaving yeh alone.β
I feel myself start to fracture. βI need Daddyβs permission. It-itβs in our contract.β
He wraps his arms around me while I try not to scream. I canβt get Daddyβs permission. I may never be able to get Daddyβs permission again.
Niall hugs me, murmuring soothingly. βI promise yeh the first thing weβll do when Logan wakes is get his permission. Heβll understand, Emmy. I promise, itβll be ahβright.β
I cling to his words as I cling to his big, solid form. βThank you so much for everything, Master Niall.β
βGood gurl.β He strokes my hair. βGo wash up and get ready for bed. Weβll sleep in our clothes tonight. Shaan and Vashiβll be here tomorrow with the luggage.β
I nod numbly. Heβs helped me so much today. Heβs barely left my side. Heβs supported me through every moment. Somehow, he convinced the air ambulance people to let us ride in the helicopter with Logan for the long, bumpy flight to San Diego, after my pleas and tears fell on deaf ears. He got someone to bring us sandwiches when I panicked at the idea of leaving the waiting area while Logan was still in surgery. He even got a portable charger for my phone when the battery ran down from all the calls
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