The Fire Station

Chapter 12

I arrived at the hospital and rushed in. Asking at the front desk where I might find Sidney, I was directed to a room in the emergency department. I slowly walked towards the curtained off room, dreading what might be behind the curtain. My haste to get to the hospital quickly, had now turned into hesitation. On the other side of that curtain was Sidney. I had no idea what type of condition he was in or if he would even survive whatever had happened. I stood outside the curtain, trying desperately to build up the courage to face whatever might be. I heard Sidney's deep voice speak. If he was speaking, he had to be better off than I imagined. I pulled the curtain back to find Sidney on the edge of a hospital cot where a nurse was just finishing up taking his blood.

When our eyes connected, he sighed and let his entire body droop. His lips pursed as if he was upset. I couldn't control the sobs that left me. Tears streamed down my face as I looked at him. He put his hand out towards me, which I quickly walked towards and took. He pulled me against his chest and wrapped me tightly in his arms. He calmly shushed me and gently rubbed my head. "I told the nurse not to call you," he said.

I shook my head against his chest. "She didn't. Tom did," I said.

"Tom?" Sidney said, sounding shocked.

"Sidney, I thought..." I began but found it impossible to finish what my mind was thinking.

"Charlotte, look at me," he demanded, pulling me away just slightly so I could look at him. "I'm fine. This is why I didn't want anyone to call you. I didn't want to worry you when there's nothing to worry about. I'm perfectly fine."

"This is my worst fear, Sidney. One of these days you aren't going to be fine," I cried. "How many times am I going to get that call in the middle of the night that you're at the hospital?"

He brushed my tears off my cheeks and looked into my eyes with so much sincerity. "It was a simple accident. It was no more than missing a step and falling," he assured. I knew he was downplaying what had actually happened. There was no way it was just a little stumble. He was rushed to the hospital.

"Tom said you were unconscious," I cried.

He pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me tightly. "I'm going to need to have a talk with my brother," he complained. "I wasn't unconscious. I simply had the wind knocked out of me."

"Why are you downplaying this?" I shouted, pulling away from him angrily. "Sidney, this isn't just a little stumble. This is serious. All the way here all I could think about was raising our baby alone. If anything happened to you..." Once again, I found it impossible to finish the statement. I couldn't even bring myself to think of what could have been.

He cupped my face, holding me out in front of him so he could look directly at me. "I'm fine. There's nothing to be worried about. Please don't cry." He leaned his forehead against mine as I once again was overcome with tears.

During our very intimate moment of trying to come to terms with what had happened, Eliza walked into the room.

"Sidney! Oh my god! I can't believe what happened." She came rushing over and put her arms around his neck, practically pushing me away from him. Sidney grabbed my hand, holding onto me while he attempted to get her off of him. "You saved my life," she gasped. "You're my guardian angel. How can I ever repay you?"

"Eliza, could you please just go away?" Sidney asked with an irritable tone, trying to maneuver away from her.

"Sidney, we have an unbreakable bond. Don't you see that? We are soulmates," she said.

"No, we aren't. I saved you because it's my job. That is all," he told her. "Now get out."

She didn't listen. "I'll need to find somewhere to stay while I wait for the insurance payout. I don't have anything now. I don't even have money to stay in a hotel. I'm not sure how long it'll take for the insurance money to come through. Do you have any experience with how long it takes?" she asked.