Living Again Read Free Page A

so avoid that. I’ll see you soon. I have a special night ready for you.” She hung up and absently stirred the spaghetti sauce.
    The phone rang and she immediately smiled, knowing it was Alex. She didn’t even look at the number. “Hey, honey” she purred.
    “Kayley?” it was Emily’s voice. Kayley giggled.
    “Oops, sorry Em,” she laughed. “I thought you were Alex.”
    Emily Andrews was her very best friend. They had been friends since they were in elementary school. She was really more like her sister than anything. She was a teacher and was married with a two-year old girl, Catherine.
    “How’s Cate?” she asked her, referring to her daughter. She hadn’t been feeling well when they had lunch earlier.
    “She took a nap, so I think she’s fine,” Emily answered. “How are you feeling?”
    “Oh, I’m fine,” she said, still distracted, waiting to hear the beep of call waiting. “Ready for this baby, for sure!”
    “Make your final decision on names yet?” Emily asked.
    “We can’t really agree,” she laughed. “If it’s a girl, I want to name her Elizabeth Renee, after both of our moms, which Alex is okay with. If it’s a boy, I want it to be Alexander Reed Carson, Jr. I think it would be cute to call him AJ. Alex wants him to have his own name.”
    “I love Elizabeth for a girl, and that is so sweet about the boy. What would you call her if you named her Elizabeth?”
    “Hmm..” Kayley thought. “Maybe Beth, or Lizzie? I don’t know!” The call waiting started beeping. “Hang on, Em, I think Alex is calling me.” She looked at the number. The hospital number. Alex must’ve gotten stuck at work or left his phone in the car.
    “Hello?” she answered, a smile in her voice. She couldn’t wait to hear Alex’s voice. She also couldn’t wait for him to get home.
    “Mrs. Carson?” a foreign voice asked. She furrowed her brow. What in the world?
    “Yes?” she answered, disappointed that it wasn’t Alex.
    “Mrs. Carson, this is Deputy Miles Taylor. I’m sorry to say there has been an accident involving your husband, Alex Carson.” He paused, and she felt like she’s in a swimming pool trying to get to the top. Everything seemed muffled, muted. She couldn’t process what he was saying. He’s still talking, something about Alex and a car accident, and Alex being Med-flighted to the hospital. Doctors with him now, can you get here, he’s in critical condition…
    “Ma’am?” the deputy broke through. “Are you there?”
    Tears overtook her and she could only nod. Nothing would come out of her mouth. Alex. He had been in the huge accident on the way home that she saw on the news.
    “I-I’ll be right there,” she choked out. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed for the door. Only then did she realize Emily had been on the other line.
    “EMILY!” she screamed at the phone. “EMILY!”
    “Kayley, what’s wrong?” she answered, sounding panicked. She wasn’t sure how to answer her, but she incoherently babbled about Alex and hospital and Emily told her she would call her parents and meet her there.
    She stumbled to the car and somehow made it to the hospital, though she couldn’t imagine how she could see through the tears pouring down her face. The whole way there she was screaming, “ALEX! ALEX! Please be okay, baby, please be okay.”
    Kayley burst through the hospital doors, looking frantically for someone to help her. She spotted a nurse and barely contained her hysteria.
    “Excuse me? Someone called me…my husband…accident…”
    The nurse smiled sympathetically at Kayley and took her arm and sat her down in a chair. It was obvious Kayley was in shock and with her being pregnant, the nurse wanted to calm her down if possible.
    “Ma’am,” the nurse started slowly. “You got a call that your husband was in an accident?”
    Kayley nodded, her body shaking with sobs and tears rolling down her face. Her hands were around her stomach, protecting her