Until Autumn

“I …” Her eyes go wide as if realizing something before sucking in a horrified gasp and looking to Autumn. “I did something bad.”

“What do you mean?” Asher demands, focusing on his wife. “Where are the kids?”

“I was in a panic, and the paramedics wouldn’t let us all in the back. We weren’t going to fit, and then Autumn’s friend was there with her kid. She offered to take them back to her apartment, which was just across from the park, and I … I was in such a rush. I didn’t know what else to do, and I just … I wasn’t thinking and I said yes.”

“What?” Asher demands. “You let our children go with some woman we’ve never met before?”

November’s eyes go wide, only now realizing what kind of situation she’s potentially put her children in. Her face drains of all color, and she looks as though she’s about to be sick. “Beast was with them,” she says, almost as though that’s supposed to make it alright, but we all know that when it comes down to it, Beast is just a dog.

Aunt Susan steps in and takes the baby from November’s arms in fear that she might crumble to the ground in panic. Autumn steps forward, putting herself right in Asher’s line of sight. “I can vouch for KC,” she says, looking between the two parents. “She’s a great woman. Your kids are perfectly safe. I mean it. If there was an issue, she would have said so.”

Autumn’s declaration doesn’t exactly make the situation any better, but it certainly eases the panic in Asher’s eyes.

Seeing that both Asher and November need to be here for June, Uncle James steps toward November while glancing up at his son. “I’ll go and get them and take them back to my place,” he says before glancing down at Autumn. “Where does your friend live, dear?”

“Do you have your phone?” Autumn asks, holding out her hand. “I’ll put her information in there, and that way, you can call her if you need.”

Uncle James goes digging in his pocket before producing his phone and dropping it into Autumn’s hand. She looks up at him with a smile. “Her name is KC and she’s super sweet. I’ll give her a call and let her know that you’re coming so she can have them all ready for you.”

“Thanks, that’d be great.”

With that, Autumn gets busy putting her friends’ details in Uncle James’ phone while the rest of us start making our way back through the hospital. I have no choice but to stop them at the big double doors. “Unfortunately, you guys can’t come through here,” I tell them all, dreading what their responses are going to be. “But you have my word, June is in great hands. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Asher and November share a look as the rest of the massive family stands back with concerned stares. “Okay,” November finally says, walking up to her little girl and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We’ll go down to the pet rescue and pick out a bunny first thing tomorrow.”

“Promise?” June murmurs, looking up at her mother.

“I promise, baby. Be brave, okay? Uncle Thorne is going to be with you the whole time.”

“Promise,” she says before looking to her father and giving him a sad smile. “Love you.”

“Love you too, angel,” he says, and just like that, the doors close between us, and I take June through to get X-rayed, making sure that she gets pushed right to the front of the line.

Twenty minutes later, I have her X-ray images in my hand, and it’s more than clear that this is going to require surgery, but luckily for June and her parents, it’s straightforward and simple. It will only take a few hours before she’s all mended and waking in her room with all of her uncles bearing down on her, demanding to be the first to get her ice-cream and candy.

I push June through the halls, taking her the long way past the massive operating room booking board. I don’t usually work down here, but there have been a few cases that required a more extensive OR than what we had available on the maternity floor. Since then, I’ve made it my business to get in good with every nurse who has power over the operation room booking board.

I find nurse Tracey and flash her the smile that works like a charm every single time. “What are the chances I could squeeze my niece in for a few hours?” I ask, leaning onto her desk and looking up at her through my lashes.

“You wouldn’t be trying to flirt your way into one of my ORs, are you?”

“Is it working?”

She looks up at me before glancing over my shoulder at the board and biting on the top of her pen. Her face scrunches. “Dr. Laney is going to be pissed if I push him again.”