Ranger's Baby Surprise (Special Forces Elite 2)

“Miss me already,” his voice said from the other end of the line.

“Hawk, its Emma,” was all I could say.

I was struggling to keep my emotions in check. I didn’t want to scare her. At the same time, I was afraid myself.

“What’s wrong?” Hawk demanded suddenly alert and severe.

“She has this horrible cough that kept getting worse, and her fever is back like crazy high. It’s almost like she is wheezing when she breathes.”

“I’m coming right now,” I heard him say as a door shut in the background. “Put a cold washcloth on her head and if you got a humidifier get that going.”

I sat by Em’s side, my cold cloth to the back of her neck while she leaned over the little room oil diffuser. It was the closest thing I had to a humidifier.

Hawk didn’t even knock, but instead just burst through the door. He was still wearing the shorts and t-shirt he had dropped me off in and in his hand was a medical bag.

He walked over to the couch without a word and opened up the bag. In an instant, I felt all my fears rush away. Hawk was here now, and he would make sure that Emma was okay.

14

The ten minutes it took me to get from townhouse to Julie’s apartment took way too long. I was doing my best to keep my cool for both my girl's sake, but on the inside, I was panicking.

It only took one look at Emma to know that Julie’s concerns were serious. She was much paler than the last time I saw her, and it was easy to see that she was wheezing with each breath she took.

“Hey, Emma,” I said as I knelt down at the side of the couch where she lay. “I’m going to listen to your lungs, okay honey?”

I pulled out my stethoscope and gave a listen. It only verified what I suspected. The severe cold had caused a build up in her lungs. I finished my exam and took her temperature. My brow creased with worry when I read the reading, 104.3.

I told myself that most cases of pneumonia were not life-threatening. My logical brain even reminded me that Emma’s case was probably caught as early as possible.

The irrational part of my mind, however, was screaming that my baby girl was sick and in need of treatment. It took all my strength to push the irrational aside and keep a level head for them both.

“Jules, why don’t you go get change. I’ll stay with Emma.”

“What’s wrong?” Julie asked in a panicked voice.

“Everything will be fine. It sounds like Emma’s cold has traveled down to her lungs.”

“What does that mean?”

“Pneumonia most likely. It’s not serious though,” I said resting my hand on her arm. “You caught it very early. The high fever tells me she may be very dehydrated. We need to get her to the hospital so that we can get some fluid in her.”

“Okay,” Julie said looking back at our little girl. The fear was etched all over her face.

“It’s going to be okay, Jules,” I did my best to reassure her. “Go get changed, and I’ll drive you both to the hospital. I’ll make sure she is seen right away.”

Julie nodded and disappeared down the hall. I turned back to Emma who was looking up at me lethargically.

“We are going to go for a ride to the hospital, okay?” I said down to her as I wiped a stray lock off her face. “Do you want to pick a toy to bring with you?”

I didn’t have a ton of experience treating kids, but I did know that a little thing like a favorite toy might make the whole ordeal a little less scary.

Emma lifted up her hand with her pink bear in it.

“Mrs. Bear,” she said softly.

“Is that her name?”

Emma nodded slowly.