Sidney knelt down beside her sister, struck by how pale she looked. “Are you bleeding?”
“No, I checked. But it hurts a lot.” Isabelle winced, breathing shakily. “The pain started this morning. At first I thought it was just a bad stomach cramp because I felt nauseous, too. But it’s getting worse.” She clutched Sidney’s hand.
“It’s okay, Izz,” she said, her tone more reassuring than she felt. “Let’s just get you to the hospital and find out what’s happening.”
When Isabelle nodded, Simon stepped in and scooped her into his arms. “I’ve got you,” he murmured soothingly as he stood up. “Everything going’s to be fine.”
They found Vaughn waiting at the bottom of the stairs. His eyes filled with concern when he saw Simon carrying Isabelle.
“We need to get her to the emergency room,” Sidney told him.
“I’ll drive,” he said, already moving toward the door.
A few moments later, Vaughn skillfully—and hastily—zipped his car through the heavy traffic on Michigan Avenue. Sidney looked over her shoulder and saw Simon tenderly stroking Isabelle’s arm in the backseat. She lay curled against his chest, one hand over her abdomen, her mouth set tight in pain.
“Hang in there, Izz. We’re almost there.” As she turned back, her eyes met Vaughn’s.
“We’re just a few blocks away,” he told her. “I’m going to drop you guys at the door. Then I’ll park the car and meet you inside.”
“I think the hospital has valet.” Sidney bounced her leg nervously, stealing another look at the backseat.
“It’s my work vehicle. I can’t let anyone else drive it.” Vaughn grabbed his cell phone from the console between them and handed it to her. “Add your phone number to my contacts in case I need to text you.”
Sidney took a deep breath. “Right.” She finished typing just as they pulled up to the entrance to Northwestern Memorial’s emergency room.
Vaughn threw the car into park and took the phone that Sidney gave back to him. His hand brushed against hers.
“I’ll find you,” he said.
She nodded.
Then they both got out of the car. Vaughn held the door as Simon eased Isabelle out, and then Sidney followed behind Simon as he carried her sister into the emergency room. Moments after he explained to the nurse behind the intake desk that Isabelle was pregnant and in a lot of pain, another nurse came out with a wheelchair. That nurse wheeled Isabelle through a set of double doors, with Simon walking alongside them and filling in the details as Isabelle gritted her teeth and told the nurse her symptoms.
They turned a corner, and the nurse took Isabelle into a small private room. She and Simon helped Isabelle get onto the bed, and then the nurse stepped toward the door, gesturing for Sidney to follow.
“If I could ask you to wait out in the hall,” she said, with a reassuring smile. “The doctor will be in right away to examine her.”
But that’s my little sister. Sidney nodded. “Of course.” As she left the room, she spotted a doctor wearing a white coat and scrubs heading down the corridor toward them. Sidney moved off to the side as the doctor breezed by. She heard him introduce himself to Isabelle and Simon and then—
The door shut behind him.
Sidney stood there for a moment, in the middle of the hallway. Then she spotted an alcove nearby, walked over, and took a seat on the bench.
All those times she’d been so snarky, calling Isabelle the crazy pregnant lady in her head. And now . . .
She bit her lip, fighting back a wave of emotions.
Vaughn turned into the hallway just then. Seeing Sidney, he headed over and sat down next to her on the bench. “How is Isabelle?”
Sidney shook her head. No clue. “I don’t understand what happened. She was fine during the shower, and then this came out of nowhere.” She fought back the sting in her eyes, her voice trembling a little. “She’s just in so much pain. I’ve never seen Isabelle look that scared before.”
Vaughn put his arm around her. “She’ll be okay,” he said soothingly. “She’s in good hands, Sidney. They’ll take care of her.”
Sidney rested her head against his shoulder. They stayed that way for several moments, the warmth of his body seeping into hers. When she finally pulled back, he peered down into her eyes.
He reached up and gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted them. Sidney blinked and slid over on the bench as a nurse led a patient into the room next to Isabelle’s.
“Thanks,” she said to Vaughn, managing a slight smile. “I’m okay now.”
Fortunately, they only had to wait a few minutes. The ER doctor stepped out of the room and hurried down the hallway, and then Simon came out to give them an update.
“It’s not the baby,” he said, first thing. “They did an ultrasound—Isabelle has a twisted ovary. The ER doctor wants to bring in an OB/GYN specialist for a consult, but he said that she needs to have surgery right away. He says that if they act quickly, they have a good chance of saving the ovary.”
Sidney exhaled, digesting that. “How is Isabelle? Can I see her?”
Simon nodded. “She’s asking for you. The nurse gave her some medicine for the pain, which helped.”
Thank god. Not wasting another moment, Sidney got up and walked into her sister’s room.