A Bride for 100 Days

nineteen: the confession, I like you

They sent us to the pediatric unit. A nurse met us at the security station and brought us directly to Levi, who was crying on a bed. Two of the church helpers were squatting by the side of the bed trying to calm him but quickly moved away for us. 

"Levi fell," the doctor explained. "His grandmother was holding him when she fainted. He has a greenstick fracture of the left ulna. That means that the bone is partially broken so we will put it in a cast to heal. He also has quite a bump on his head and may have a concussion. We're going to do a CT scan to check for bleeding."

Levi was screaming and coughing on his own snot. 

"Is he in danger?"

"We'd like to do a few more tests just to be sure. If you could sign the consent forms?"

"Oh, of course," Jeb rubbed Levi's toes and then went off to deal with the paperwork. 

I stayed behind and tried to comfort him. "Is Mrs. Burgess all right?" I asked the ladies.

"She's still in the Emergency Department with someone else from our church," one of the church ladies told me. "Her sister was left at the apartment. We should really go back and take care of her."

"Of course!" I thanked them both for their help and their care. What if they hadn't been there? 

The whole time, I kept my hand on Levi's leg and whispering that everything was going to be all right. He slowly began to relax the tension in his body. I pulled out my phone and put on Bubble Guppies and held it for him to watch. Levi reached out and rested his unhurt hand on my wrist, as though he got comfort from my skin. 

Jeb came back and handed me a card. "Health Insurance?"

"Yeah. I put you and Levi on my plan. I just got the extra card."

I stared at it. "Jeb..." I whispered. My chest felt tight. I hadn't thought about what had happened to my insurance when I graduated. I probably should have asked Ari or the school or something. 

Jeb moved in to take my place holding the phone for Levi. I got into a chair and tucked my new card into my wallet. 

"They're going to do the CT scan and then cast the arm."

"Can't they give him Motrin or something for the pain?"

"No," Jeb sighed, patting Levi's chest. "Not until after the scan, they said."

"Do you want me to check on Mrs. Burgess?"

"Would you?" he looked at me over his shoulder. "Get a sticker pass as you're leaving, so you can get back in."

As I stood up to go, Jeb grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "I'm glad you're here," he said softly.

I bit my lip, "Me, too."

It was a long, long day. The CT scan showed no bleeding in Levi's brain, which was a relief. The doctors were less cheery and said that concussions don't always show up on scans right away - if at all. We were given pages of things to watch for. 

The cast on his arm was bright red, which he liked. 

Mrs. Burgess had HBG - high blood glucose. She'd over-medicated with insulin trying to manage it herself. They admitted her to a ward and her sister had been brought in to sit with her. A middle-aged woman who was related to Mrs. Burgess through her sister showed up and created some drama but eventually took control of the two women. 

At 8PM, we were finally allowed to take Levi home. He was asleep in Jeb's arms as we carried him over to Mrs. Burgess' room. 

"There's my baby," she cried.