The Bad Boy's Nanny

Ch. 14 - Twin Senses Are Tingling

In fresh clothes from the hospital, Crystal comes walking into the waiting room. Elliott rushes to lift her into his arms, holding her tightly against himself.

"Oh, thank God," he whispers and kisses the top of her head. "I love you." He sees Ethan next and picks him up in his arms as well. "How are you feeling? Are you hungry? I have some money if you want something from the vending machine."

"We're okay," Crystal says, kissing her older brother's cheek.

Knowing that the kids are safe with Elliott, I go to the front desk to see if they have any clothes for me to borrow. The receptionist looks through the lost and found before handing me an oversized t-shirt and some basketball shorts. I would've worn a clown suit if it meant taking off these damp clothes.

I change in the bathroom, feeling relieved in the new clothes. I look in the mirror, horrified at my reflection. My face looks like something out of a horror movie, mascara smeared on my cheeks and a nasty gash covered by a bandaid on my forehead. I splash my face with water to get the makeup off, wincing when rubbing my finger over the cut. The paramedic said I didn't need stitches, but I had lost a lot of blood from the cut. With an overwhelming feeling of nausea, I throw up in the toilet.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" a woman in the bathroom asks when she sees me at the toilet.

I stand up with shaky hands and nod. "I'm fine. Thank you."

She offers me a pity-filled smile before going into one of the stalls. I sigh and head out of the bathroom, stopping at the front desk to grab a mint.

In the waiting room, Nora and Jonas are sitting by the others. Bethany is in a carrier on the floor near Elliott's feet. He rocks her back-and-forth with the touch of his foot.

Nora jumps up to give me a hug. "Thank goodness you're okay, Ivy. You feeling alright?"

I nod and take a seat next to Ethan. I look to Jonas, who is evidently distressed. His eyes are puffy and red, as if he has been crying for a long time. He stares at the floor, not daring to look up at anyone.

No one feels like talking. The waiting room is near silent, aside from the action of people getting rushed into the emergency room. An hour passes before the doctor comes out to talk to us.

"Addison is sleeping right now, but we will allow family members only to visit her," he says.

Elliott stands up, taking Crystal and Ethan's hands in his own. Jonas follows closely behind with Bethany in his arms. Legally, I am the guardian of Addison, but I knew I couldn't go with. I'm not family.

Nora moves to sit next to me. She touches my arm, not saying anything to let me know she's here.

"Ivy," a voice calls out. I turn to see Mike walking into the emergency room. "Why didn't you answer my calls? I've been worried sick! I called fifteen different hospitals before I found you!"

I stand up, pulling him into a hug. I need this. He hugs me tightly, as if he'll never let go. I pull back and wipe under my eyes to hide the fact I've been crying.

"What happened?"

"We crashed," I say simply. "I turned the wheel to avoid hitting something in the middle of the road and we hit a tree."

He shakes his head. "It's all my fault, isn't it? It happened right after I called Addison. She was driving and I distracted her, right?"