Neither would Ross because the sight of blood all over Justice and Brielle was upsetting him too. These were the two most important people in his life and one of them was hurt and there was little he could do.
He needed to be doing something, anything.
“You’re going to suture him?” Brielle sounded surprised.
Surely she hadn’t thought he’d let someone else do what he was more than capable of doing? Then again, after he’d been frozen for those first several seconds, perhaps she’d been justified.
“I am a medical doctor who works in the emergency room at the hospital where we will be going,” he reminded them both as he ripped his T-shirt, making a rough strip of the piece he’d torn from around the hem. “I don’t see a reason for someone else to suture my son, do you?”
“I don’t want sutures,” Justice cried pitifully between sobs, although Ross wasn’t sure if the boy even knew what stitches or sutures meant. Or maybe he did. Had his son ever had sutures? There were so many things he didn’t know. So many things he wanted to learn about his son.
For the rest of their lives he’d be there, would know all the things there were to know about his child.
“I just thought...” Brielle began, then stopped, closed her eyes. “Whatever you want to do is fine. He is on my health insurance from the hospital so if you don’t want to suture him, that’s fine. My insurance will cover the emergency room visit.”
Only after her out-of-pocket maximum and deductible were met. Or had she already met her deductible? Had Justice had other accidents? Other medical expenses earlier in the year?
Medical expenses. Expenses period. Brielle had been carrying the financial load from the beginning. Five years she’d carried the burden of being a parent alone. Lord only knew what Justice’s birth and preemie care had cost. Many women would have told him, a doctor with a great income, about their pregnancy just to have him pay child support and share in the expenses. Not Brielle. Leave it to her to be one who’d bear the challenges silently, never complaining, never asking for help even if she struggled to make ends meet.
That would change.
He made a makeshift bandage and tied it round Justice’s knee, putting constant pressure on the wound. “For the record, I will give you back child support. Five years’ worth. More. You tell me how much and it’s yours.”
“Where did that come from?” Brielle’s mouth fell open and she stared at him aghast. “I don’t want back child support. Justice and I get along just fine by ourselves.” Sensing that her tone was upsetting their son further, she softened her voice. “Now is not the time for us to be having this discussion.”
She was right.
Justice was still crying in her arms, but with a lot less fervor. His decreased agitation had helped to slow the bleeding as well.
Ross took Justice’s small hand in his, hating the feel of the sticky blood covering his skin. He made a bandage of sorts from the remainder of his shirt and pressed it to the wound.
“Ouch. Ouch. Ouch,” Justice cried anew, jerking his hand away from Ross’s, not wanting anything to touch his wound. “Mommy, make him stop.”
“Here, buddy,” Ross said, trying not to flinch at the pain in his son’s voice, or at how he’d felt at Justice jerking away from him. “I need you to be super-brave and hold this tight against your hand. Put it right here on the wound. Squeeze it tight in your fist.”
* * *
“Shh, baby, your daddy is just trying to bandage your hand.” Brielle rubbed Justice’s arm, trying to comfort him and trying not to look at Ross.
Would he please put his shirt back on?
Not that he could even if he wanted to. Not with it being in tatters and soaking up Justice’s blood.
Her son was bleeding, albeit a lot less at this point, and all she could think about was that Ross’s chiseled chest was beautiful.
What was wrong with her?
Sure, she’d dealt with children’s cuts and scrapes in the past and as an emergency room nurse she knew that Justice wasn’t in any real danger. But at this moment her son was hurt and she was distracted by a gorgeous display of man-flesh. Shame on her.
And what had been up with the look they’d exchanged moments before Justice had tripped?
When it came to Ross, she really was pathetic.
She hugged her son closer to her, kissed the top of his head and wished she could take his pain on herself rather than have him suffer even the tiniest amount.
“Help him hold this on the place on his hand. I think his knee has stopped bleeding because it hasn’t soaked through the material yet.” He gestured to where he’d wrapped the material round Justice’s knee and tied it in place using the T-shirt hem.
“I think you’re right,” she agreed, brushing her lips across Justice’s head again. “It’s gonna be okay, baby,” she assured him. “I promise. We’re going to take good care of you.”