Free Just for the Summer by Jenna Rutland

life of his
     son in someone else’s hands?
    Matt heard footsteps moving about the exam room, but he couldn’t look away from the
     gurney. A minute later, Sam’s blood pressure, pulse, and heart rate showed up on a
     nearby monitor. Matt matched the rhythmic beeping to the rise and fall of Sam’s chest.
    A gray-haired man wearing green scrubs and a white jacket entered the room. He shook
     hands with Matt. “Dr. Thomas Jacobs.” Marcy recited Sam’s pertinent information.
    Dr. Jacobs performed a methodical exam, answering Matt’s questions before he had a
     chance to ask. He watched, helpless. Unable to change the outcome. Powerless to help
     Sam. The doctor rattled off instructions to Marcy.
    She patted Sam’s arm before focusing on Matt. “We’ll run some tests, see what’s going
     on.”
    Matt nodded over the ringing in his ears. “Yeah, okay. Could this be serious?”
    “We’ll know more soon.” He spoke in a gentle tone he’d probably learned in med school.
     “You did the right thing by bringing him in.”
    Marcy opened drawers and removed supplies while she gave them a play-by-play of her
     actions. Sam’s eyes drifted open as she moved about the room. “I’m going to start
     an IV. I’ll also be drawing blood for a few tests.” When she pulled out a needle and
     some tubing, Matt squeezed his eyes tight for a moment. He wondered if there might
     be a bed for him, too.
    Sam’s gaze jumped from the needle to Matt. Panic leaped from Sam’s eyes. “I’m scared,
     Dad.”
    Matt had told Dani that he wasn’t the type to hold back his feelings, but maybe that
     wasn’t true. Sam needed a strong father, not one who was terrified. So instead of
     admitting his fear, he took Sam’s hand, kissed his forehead. “You’re in good hands.
     This is Deputy Montgomery’s wife. She’s a great nurse.”
    Sam shifted his attention to Dani. “Are you a good nurse, too?”
    “Yep.” She eased in next to Matt. “And this is the best place for you to be right
     now.” She leaned over and smoothed a hand through his hair. “You’re going to be okay,
     honey.”
    Sam nodded. Eyes bright with tears, he cast a quick glance at the nurse before shifting
     his attention back to Matt. “So I’m not gonna die?”
    The image struck him like a fist dead center to the gut, a blow that stole his breath.
     He clamped down on his anxiety, shook his head repeatedly. “No, son. The doctor will
     find out what’s wrong. You’re going to be okay.” Matt repeated the statement in his
     head like a mantra. Sam would be okay because there was no alternative.
    Dani tugged on Matt’s arm. “Let’s give her some room to do her job.”

    An hour later, his mother burst through Sam’s ER room. Matt wished he hadn’t talked
     Dani into going to the cafeteria, but he didn’t think the emergency room was a good
     venue to introduce her to his mother.
    “Shh. He’s asleep,” Matt said.
    She gave the room a quick inspection. “It’s lunchtime. Where’s his food?”
    Matt pointed to Sam’s IV dripping in his arm. “He’s getting fluids.”
    “What if he gets hungry?” She hitched her massive purse higher on her shoulder.
    “Mom, they’re doing tests. He’s in good hands. If they want him to have food, they’ll
     bring him some.”
    She peered over the bed to see Sam. With her back to Matt, she said, “I called Gina.”
    Matt stilled. The last thing on earth he wanted was his ex-wife showing up.
    “She’s coming to see Sam.”
    “No.”
    His mother turned from Sam’s bed and focused on Matt. “She has a right to see her
     son.”
    Matt stood and, with a firm hand on her elbow, guided his mother into the hallway
     right outside Sam’s room. “No, she doesn’t. She chose to sign away her rights where
     Sam’s concerned.”
    “She’s his mother.”
    “A mother doesn’t abandon her child. Gina’s not a mother. She’s a liar an d a m anipulator. I don’t want her near Sam.” He tried to dig his