Authors: Collette Scott
As though in a trance, she had broken away from her guests as soon as possible and approached him, smiling cheerfully and stating her welcome. He had grasped her hand in his and held it longer than necessary, leaning forward to offer a kiss to the bride.
At the time she had been blinded by hope, so Diana had not seen the warning sign in Peter’s jealous reaction. After watching his brother’s appreciative appraisal, he had risen and approached Devlan before he had completely lowered his head to her cheek. There was a heated discussion, with Peter doing most of the gesturing, and Devlan left quietly without another word. His parting gaze had left her feeling unsatisfied somehow, but her idealism quickly brushed aside the compelling attraction.
It was much later in their honeymoon that Diana had mentioned the incident. Peter had shrugged it off and told her about Devlan. How his step-brother had stolen his inheritance and used it to buy into a huge corporation that was struggling. He took it over and slowly expanded before using every trick in the book to cheat Peter out of his share. Hiring smooth talking lawyers to search every document, Devlan ruthlessly swindled Peter out of his wealth.
At the time, Diana had sympathized with Peter. He had painted the perfect picture of a family embezzlement, of a selfish and ambitious man who had forcefully gone after what he wanted without considering those he hurt. She had put Devlan Doyle out of her mind, burying her curiosity behind her righteous anger and indignation.
Diana grimaced. What a naïve fool she was. She should have known then that she had married into the wrong family. If they would cheat each other so horribly, why would she be treated any different? Back then her love was blind, and she had been captivated by her new husband and the promise of a happily ever after. Today she just felt foolish.
She was still resentful as she drove Hannah into school the next morning. Both men had the ability to wreak havoc and cause trouble in her life, and she no longer needed that stress. She and Hannah were much better off without them. Hannah could remember Peter the way she wanted to, and Diana could move on.
Pulling the car to a stop across from the school she reached into the back seat and gave her daughter’s leg a tickle. Hannah giggled and pulled her leg away
“Mommy, stop that!”
She smiled at her daughter, feeling a surge of love for the child. “Okay… I go into work late today, so I’ll see you tonight after dinner. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mommy.”
Hannah was smiling happily, and it made Diana’s heart want to sing. Yep, she thought, much better off as just the two of them. Hopping from the car, Diana went to the back door to collect Hannah. She waited impatiently as Diana unbuckled her car seat and helped her out.
“Come on, Mommy.”
Diana raised her brow and took her daughter’s hand. “Don’t fret, silly. We’re early.”
“I know, but you take so long. Why do you take so long?”
“Because I’m old,” she muttered.
Hannah giggled. “You’re silly, Mommy.”
“Yeah, yeah. Come on, let’s go.”
They crossed the street together, with Hannah dragging her feet through the fallen leaves. Fall was coming fast, Diana thought, and that meant more winter clothes for Hannah. After that, Christmas would be upon them. What would she do then? Could she come up with enough money to make her daughter’s dreams come true?
The kids were all lining up outside on this blustery morning, and after bending down to give her daughter one last kiss, Diana sent her on her way with the rest of the group. She watched as Hannah was enveloped into the smiling group until she was out of sight before hurrying back to her car.
She was just opening the car door when she heard Hannah call for her. Turning back, Diana watched in confusion as her daughter ran toward her, not minding the road or the oncoming traffic. In her hand she held a paper, waving it excitedly, while behind her, the teacher was calling out to her to stop. When Hannah did not respond, the teacher broke away from the group of children to give chase. Soon all eyes were upon her, but still Hannah paid no mind.
With a frightened scream, Diana held out her hands, but she was too late. Eyes wide, Diana viewed the oncoming disaster with horror. Hannah had finally stopped, but she halted in the middle of the road. Her eyes were round with fear as she stared at an oncoming car. Too fast. It was moving way too fast. Without considering her own safety, Diana forced herself to move. She was running, screaming, waving her hands as though she could stop the accident by her own force of will.
It did not work.
There was a horrible squealing of the tires and a sickening thud, and Hannah was suddenly sailing through the air and landing with a dull thump several yards away.
“Hannah!” Diana screamed, her hands going to her mouth in horror.
Still running and screaming at the same time, she fell to her knees beside her daughter. She barely noticed the pain when they struck the hard pavement.
“Don’t move her!” a bystander shouted. Suddenly there were people everywhere, and the sound of running feet echoed in her agonized mind.
“Hold her head still.”
There was blood seeping from a wound on her head, but Hannah was still breathing and her eyelids fluttered. Diana grasped her head and held on, taking the handkerchief someone handed her and pressing it to the gash on her forehead.
“She’s breathing!”
“There’s so much blood. Somebody please call for help,” she cried.
“They’re on their way, ma’am. Just stay calm.”
Diana wanted to scream that it was not their child lying broken in the middle of the street, but there were so many voices that she knew no one would hear. She bit her lip until it bled in an effort to keep her panic at bay.
One of the mothers bent down next to her and wrapped her arms around Diana’s shoulders. “It’s okay, Diana. Everything will be okay.”
Diana’s eyes filled with tears as she fought back the anguish. Right now, she was not sure that Hannah would be okay.
After what seemed an eternity, she heard the sirens. They sounded loud in the sudden hush of the children and parents gathered around her. She could hear the increasing urgency in their voices and felt the cold hand of terror take a hold of her heart.
Please, oh please, don’t take my baby too
.
~
“There’s been trouble.”
Mike’s unceremonious entry into his office brought a warning frown to Devlan’s face. Already in an irritable mood, he raised his weary gaze to his closest associate. He had spent the evening in the spotlight with Roxanne again, something he dreaded doing. It had been a long evening listening to her endless chatter, and an even longer night trying to be rid of her. Now he was back at work with hardly any sleep and sporting a headache to worsen his mood.
“I hope this is good, Mike.”
“I just got a call from my guy in Denver. It’s Hannah Somerset. She’s in the hospital.”
For the briefest of moments, he struggled to place the name. Then it hit him. He sat up straighter. “What happened?”
“Hit by a car this morning by an uninsured motorist. She’s got serious injuries.”
He dragged his hand slowly down his face. Of all the luck. Though he wanted to just shout out a curse, he knew that it would not help matters. Right now, he needed to keep his calm and take immediate action.
“Okay. Get the jet ready. I want to be there within the hour. Is she in a trauma center?”
“They sent her to Denver. Just arrived.”
Ignoring Mike’s curious glance, Devlan pressed the button on his desk to page his assistant.
“Kathy, cancel all my appointments. I’ll be out of town for an indeterminable amount of time. And call in any contacts we have in Denver. I need to find the best pediatric orthopedic surgeons, neurologists and whatever else may be needed for a child struck by a car. I’ll get you the details as soon as I get them.”
“Yes, sir,” came the crisp response.
Devlan collected what papers he needed and placed them in his briefcase. His headache and his frustration with Roxanne would have to wait. In fact, everything would have to wait. Diana and Hannah needed him now and he had a plane to catch.
~
Diana stood by the nurse’s station, ears attuned to the activity in the trauma room while she struggled to keep from barging in. One nurse had told her in an overly patient and calm voice that there was a tube to Hannah’s lungs and they were giving her oxygen to keep the swelling in her brain down. They would soon be getting x-rays, and then they would be sending her for a CT scan. While they were doing all this, they would continue to stabilize her. If she would just take a seat…
No, Diana would not just take a seat. Though the words were meant to reassure her, it did little to help. Tears continued to roll down her face, and she paced and worried while her heart screamed out for her child. Why could it not be her on that table? She should have done something to stop it from happening. Something more. While she waited in a hallway with bated breath, her daughter could be dying without her.
She was still hovering as close as she could get when the emergency room doctor approached her. “Mrs. Somerset?”
She nodded.
“Is there anyone else with you?”
“Uh, no. I’m alone,” she whispered. Yes, she was very alone. Hannah was all she had.
His face was solemn as he led her to the family waiting room. The room was empty now, but he shut the door behind them for even more privacy.
“I’m Doctor James Haverill. I’m the Emergency Room physician on duty this morning. I have some good news and some bad news.”
She nodded her head weakly.
“We’ve got some swelling in her brain. We also found some bleeding into her pelvic cavity. There’s a question as to the stability of her pelvis, but right now it appears intact. One of her femurs, the thighbone, is fractured and the other leg shows some bending, which is not unusual in a child since their bones are so flexible. Fortunately, the break is not within the epiphysis, or growth plate. It’s the head injury that we’re very concerned about. It can be fatal or at least permanently damaging…”
He stopped and gave her a moment to ingest everything before continuing. “I have a neurosurgeon on the way. He’s very good; the best in the area. We need to operate immediately to get the bleeding controlled and the swelling down.”
“Do whatever you must, just please let her be okay.”
He shook his head solemnly. “I can’t tell you for sure if she’ll be okay. It’s far too early. We have grave injuries here that we must treat carefully.”
Diana blinked away fresh tears. “Do what you have to.”
He nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. His hand was warm and strong. “I’ll do my very best. We all will. Betty over there will have papers for you to sign.”
A tremulous smile crossed Diana’s lips and she watched the doctor hurry back down the hall. She sank to the sofa and ran her hands through her hair as a moment of panic filled her chest. What if something went wrong and she did not have a chance to see Hannah once more and tell her how much she loved her? Unable to stop the frantic pounding of her heart, Diana bit back the despair that threatened to overcome her. First Peter, and now Hannah. How much more could she take?
Struggling against the tightness in her chest, Diana mentally shook herself. Hannah needed her to be strong and in control right now, and she owed it to her daughter to be so. Inhaling another deep breath, she let it out slowly in an effort to ease the growing pain in her breast. She had to get moving - now.
It was through blurred vision that she saw the tall, broad shouldered man in a dark suit rush past the door in the direction of the nurse’s station. He stopped in his tracks and turned back when he saw her.
“Diana?”
Diana stiffened at the sound of that deep, seductive voice. She knew that voice. She had just heard it on the television. Why was she hearing it here?
She wiped at her eyes quickly, trying to clear the tears before he noticed her show of weakness. Then she met his concerned stare. Astonished, she realized that it really was him. From the television the evening before to standing in the middle of the family waiting room, Devlan Doyle appeared to be everywhere.
“What on earth are you doing here?”
He came to tower above her, looking fresh and clean and smelling of expensive cologne. Though intimidating in his power suit, his face was grave and worry glittered in his eyes. “I came as soon as I heard. Where’s Hannah? Is she going to be all right?”
“They don’t know yet,” she whispered brokenly.
“Wow Diana, I’m sorry.”
She nodded and looked away, unwilling to share her pain with him. But Devlan was not having it. He reached down, captured her hands, and pulled her to her feet. Too stunned to resist, she stiffened when he suddenly enveloped her in his arms and pulled her close, his hand smoothing her hair down her back. She remained rigid until his husky whisper reached her ears.
“You’re not alone, Diana. I’m here to help in any way that I can.”
Alone. She had not felt this alone until the idea of losing her child became a sudden reality. Now everything seemed so tenuous, so many unknowns, and his small gesture of kindness was all it took to break down her resolve to resist. Her tears overflowed and ran in a silent stream down her cheeks. How had he known how alone she felt?