Save Your Breath (Morgan Dane #6) - Melinda Leigh Page 0,77
lake? When it was finally discovered and pulled out, they’d found a skeleton in the trunk. Sharp would want to examine the vehicle more closely. Sharp turned to Lance and said, “You go with Morgan. Gianna is part of your new family. They need you.”
Morgan was already striding toward the Jeep.
“I’ll drive Morgan to the hospital and come back for you.” Lance fished his keys from his pocket and pointed at Sharp. “Promise me you won’t go to Joe Franklin’s place without calling me.”
“OK.” Sharp held up both hands in surrender. “I promise. Recovering the Prius isn’t going to be quick or easy. We’ll be tied up here for hours anyway.”
Lance turned and jogged away.
“Call me when you have news about Gianna!” Stella called after him.
Lance waved over one shoulder. He ran to the Jeep and climbed behind the wheel.
Morgan fastened her seat belt and white-knuckled the armrests. “I should have insisted she go to the doctor yesterday.”
“People get sick. It’s not always serious. I’m sure your grandfather was just being cautious. She could have a simple virus. As soon as school starts, one of the kids always seems to have a runny nose.” Lance pressed the gas pedal and hoped he was right.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Morgan jumped out of the Jeep in the ER parking lot. Not waiting for Lance, she hurried across the pavement. Lance caught up before she reached the entrance.
“Hold up.” He grabbed her arm.
Distressed, she whirled and shook off his hand. “What?”
“Take a deep breath. You will scare Gianna if she sees you like this.”
“Grandpa doesn’t panic. If he sent Gianna to the ER, it’s serious.” Morgan brushed her hair out of her eyes. Her stomach was clenched into a tight fist. Emotions swirled inside her, fear and guilt tumbling over and over until she couldn’t tell them apart.
She should have been paying better attention. Dialysis put Gianna at risk for complications from illnesses that were mild for most people. But Gianna’s overall health had improved so much since she’d come to live with Morgan that they’d all become complacent.
Lance put his hands on her biceps. “Just take three deep breaths, and then we’ll go inside.”
She inhaled. The chilly air cooled her.
“Better.” He squeezed her arms, then dropped his hands.
Morgan faced the doors. She reached for Lance’s hand and held it. The automatic doors swished open, and they walked into the waiting room side by side. She scanned the room. No Mac or Gianna. They walked up to the registration desk and gave the nurse Gianna’s name.
The nurse checked her computer. “She’s in bed number seven. You can go on through.”
She pointed to a set of double doors. When Morgan and Lance approached, the doors swung open. Gurneys were lined up in curtained-off bays like cars in an auto shop.
Morgan spotted number seven and hurried over. Mac sat on a folding chair, but the bay was empty. Morgan’s stomach turned over. “Where is she?”
Mac stood. “They took her for some tests. She’ll be back soon.”
“How bad is she?” Morgan gave him a quick hug.
Mac frowned. “She spiked a fever this afternoon, and your grandfather didn’t like the way she looked.”
“He has good judgment.” Morgan checked the hallway. No Gianna yet.
“The doctor thinks her dialysis graft could be infected.” Mac swept a hand through his shaggy surfer hair. A biology professor at the local university, he spent a good deal of time outdoors and volunteered with search and rescue. He was perpetually tan.
Lance shook Mac’s hand. “Thanks for bringing her.”
“I’m glad to help.” Mac gestured toward the chair. “Why don’t you sit down, Morgan? You look tired.”
She shook her head and paced. “I assumed she’d caught a cold. I should never assume anything with Gianna. She’s been so normal, sometimes I forget how sick she is.”
“They didn’t rush her into ICU or anything,” Mac said. “The doctor isn’t panicking, so relax.”
But Morgan worried. Before Gianna had come to live with her, no one had cared about the girl. Her mother had been a prostitute who had started her daughter hooking at age thirteen. Gianna’s mother was currently in jail for cooking meth. The girl had never had a father in her life. Coming to live with Morgan was the first break Gianna had ever received.
The squeak of wheels caught Morgan’s attention. An orderly was pushing a gurney down the hall. On it, Gianna huddled under a white thermal blanket. Morgan moved aside as the orderly turned the gurney into the bay.