Her Only Son Read Free

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    “Come on, party pooper! This is a good song!”
    “Oh, seriously! Where do you get your energy?”
    “It’s all in your head.” She tried to pull Kinsey out of her chair.
    “No, I think it’s all in my feet. I’ll sit this one out. You go tear it up.”
    “Okay. You’re missing out!” Sheila sang as she bounced her way back to the dance floor.
    Kinsey pulled her cell phone out of her purse and saw she had five missed calls, four voice mails, and a couple texts from her parents. Fear ripped through her. She knew something had to be wrong for them to leave so many messages. She rushed out onto the balcony and called her mom.
    “Where have you been, Kinsey? We’ve been trying to get a hold of you all night!”
    “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m at Ted’s retirement party and my phone has been in my purse. What’s wrong?”
    “Brianna’s been in an accident. We’re at the hospital. She’s out of surgery, but in ICU now.”
    Kinsey felt a rush of heat and a feeling a dread. “What kind of accident?”
    “Apparently, she was hit by a car. We’re still trying to get the details. The police are questioning the witnesses, so we’ll know more soon.”
    “I’m on my way!” Kinsey got the name of the hospital and rushed in to talk to Sheila. She had to pull her off the dance floor.
    “Listen, I have to go. Brianna was hit by a car and is in the hospital. My parents have been trying to get a hold of me all night.”
    “What? Hold on, I’m going with you!” Sheila hurried to the table and got her purse.
    They rushed to the parking lot and Sheila yelled as she got in her car. “I’ll follow you!”
    From a distance, Hakon’s representative watched them race out of the parking lot. He put his car in drive and followed with a satisfied grin.
     
    Kinsey’s mom, Donna, was waiting for them outside by the emergency room entrance. Kinsey rushed up and gave her a hug.
    “How is she?”
    Donna filled her in as they walked. “She’ll be in ICU for a while. She has four broken ribs and a collapsed right lung, so she’s on a respirator. There was some internal bleeding, but they got that under control. Her right leg was broke in two places and she has a concussion. She looks like a giant bruise.”
    Kinsey felt herself tearing up. “I’m so sorry I didn’t keep a better eye on my phone.”
    “We thought it was odd. You always have your phone.”
    “Do they think she’ll be all right?”
    “Yes, they think she’ll be fine, but she has some recovery time, obviously.”
    As they entered the ICU room, Kinsey saw her dad, Curtis, sitting next to Brianna. He was holding her hand and looked up as they came in. Kinsey walked over and gave him a hug.
    “I’m so sorry you couldn’t reach me,” she whispered through her tears.
    “It’s all right, honey. The important thing is you’re here now.”
    Kinsey looked at her sister. She winced at the tube she knew was breathing for her, and the slow, steady fill and collapse of the balloon was almost too much. She felt her knees go weak and she sat in a chair by the window. Sheila came and stood beside her.
    “She’ll be okay, Kinsey.”
    “I know, but I should have been here a long time ago.” She looked up at Sheila. “Why the hell didn’t I keep a better eye on my phone?”
    “Don’t beat yourself up over this.”
    Donna echoed Sheila’s comment. “She’s right, honey. She wouldn’t have known if you were here or not. You’re here now, and after some recovery time, she’s going to be all right. That’s all that matters.”
    Kinsey and her parents spent the next two hours talking with the doctors about Brianna’s prognosis. The outlook was good, but it would take some time for her to fully recover. According to the doctor, with the extent of her injuries, she got lucky.
     
    It was 2am by the time Kinsey and Sheila left the hospital. Starting tomorrow morning, Curtis and Donna were going to take shifts so someone was always there with Brianna. When