Suddenly there was a woman wearing blue scrubs and a white lab coat standing at the door. “Mrs. Taylor?”
Andrea’s heart felt as if it were going to leap out of her chest. “Yes.”
“I’m Dr. Janet Everett. I’ve examined Shannon. She has some cuts and a bruised knee, a welt on her forehead. We’re running a few tests on her now.”
“What happened? Why would a fall on the sidewalk result in my daughter being brought to the hospital?”
“An ambulance was called to the scene, so obviously someone was very concerned. As far as I know, she didn’t lose consciousness. Your daughter has said very little other than that she fell. A young man came in with her but left about ten minutes ago.”
“Kyle Donahue?” Why had Kyle left Shannon alone instead of waiting for Andrea to arrive? Was he involved somehow in what happened? And how had Shannon ended up being hurt when she was supposed to be at home?
“I believe that’s the name, but your daughter should be able to tell you.” The doctor’s quizzical expression made Andrea feel inadequate, as if she should have known who was with her daughter. And she should have... Which was a problem she intended to fix as soon as she could see Shannon.
Dr. Everett’s glance swept over her. “Are you okay?”
Shannon had never been in the hospital before. Not once. She must be so frightened by all this. “I—I think so. When can I see her?”
“In a few minutes.” The doctor’s weary smile didn’t offer much comfort.
Andrea stood still, trying to absorb it all, trying to calm her racing heart. She had more questions after speaking with the doctor. She still couldn’t understand how Shannon could have fallen and why an ambulance had been called. If Kyle was with her, why hadn’t he grabbed her before she hit the sidewalk? None of this made sense.
The ring of her phone sent a spike of adrenaline through Andrea.
She checked the caller ID. Scott Taylor?
Her ex-husband was the last person she wanted to speak with now, yet she couldn’t ignore him. “Scott, why are you calling me?”
“Shannon just phoned. Did you know she’s in the hospital?”
Why would Shannon call her father? The man only wanted contact with their daughter when he needed something. “Yes. I’m at the hospital now.”
“Have you seen her yet?”
“I’m on my way to her room in a few minutes,” Andrea said, the old feelings of inadequacy roiling her stomach.
“What are you doing to help her?” Scott demanded, his voice suddenly loud and angry. “You’d better be looking after her.”
“That’s not fair! Shannon’s safe with me. You know that,” she said as she began to pace.
She listened to more angry words about her parenting skills from the man who had tried to take her daughter from her. But what he wanted didn’t matter. This was not the time or place for his tirade. “I’ll get back to you once I’ve talked to Shannon.” Andrea hung up before he could respond.
A woman in pink scrubs walked into the waiting room. “I’m Karen, Shannon’s nurse. I can take you to see her now.”
They walked toward the trauma area, through a set of swinging doors to an area behind a white curtain.
Andrea stopped in front of the barrier, bracing herself for what she might see. “Shannon?” Andrea asked as she slipped behind the cotton drape.
“Mom? Mom, I’m so sorry. I never meant—”
“Oh, sweetie, you’re okay. That’s all that matters,” she said, her voice shaking as she hugged her daughter. “I was so worried. Why didn’t you call me?”
“Mom, please don’t,” Shannon said, easing away, clutching her elbows as she stared at a spot over Andrea’s shoulder.
Andrea was so relieved to see Shannon she didn’t immediately register the dismissive words and actions. She eased away and scanned Shannon’s face for any sign of injury. Other than a small white bandage on her forehead and a reddened area on her cheek, there didn’t seem to be any visible damage. “Where do you hurt?” she asked, smoothing the pillow behind Shannon’s head.
“I’m fine, Mom. You don’t need to worry.”
From what she could see, Shannon seemed to be okay, but that didn’t alleviate her concerns. “Why didn’t you call me after school?” It took surprising effort to keep the recriminations from spilling out. If Shannon had answered her phone, perhaps this could have been avoided. At the very least, Andrea would have known what her daughter was up to.
“I was busy and forgot.”
How could her only child forget to call her? That wasn’t how their relationship worked. They stayed in contact, always letting the other know when plans changed. When had Shannon stopped telling Andrea everything? And why hadn’t she noticed that her daughter seemed...different? What had gone wrong, and was Kyle the reason for Shannon’s odd behavior? “Was Kyle with you?”
“He was, but he had to get home. His mom was looking for him,” Shannon said, her anxious glance partially obscured by the bandage above her right eye.
“How did you get hurt?”
Shannon toyed with the neckline of her hospital gown, a frown darkening her features. “Kyle was walking with me to the mall. I needed to get to the drugstore.”
“And?” Dragging answers out of Shannon was like an inquisition. Why was she so reluctant to talk? Was there more to this fall than she was admitting?
“And I tripped. I fell down...” Shannon’s voice shook.
The tremor broke the control Andrea had on her emotions, and tears escaped. “I’m so sorry you’re hurt. But how could you have hit the ground so hard? Where was Kyle? Didn’t he grab you? Surely he didn’t let you fall without trying to help.”
“Mom! Stop! I don’t need you crying when nothing really happened. I wouldn’t have come to the hospital if Kyle hadn’t insisted. He did everything he could to help me.”
“Where is Chloe? She’s your best friend. Why didn’t she come to the hospital with you?”
Shannon closed her eyes briefly then looked up. “I called Daddy. He told me you’d freak out, but I didn’t believe him. I wish he was here.”
Irrational anger tore through Andrea, settling in her throat. She wanted to scream and throw something. Scott hadn’t shown an iota of concern for Shannon since he’d left and married another woman. If it hadn’t been for Andrea’s attempts to maintain a connection between her daughter and her ex, Shannon would have known how little Scott cared. But she’d always made a point of reminding Scott of their daughter’s birthday and anything new or different in Shannon’s life. She’d done it all for Shannon, and this was how her daughter responded?
Shannon’s words brought painful memories to the surface. Scott had done everything to gain custody of Shannon, including having a psychologist, Jake Polegato, do an assessment trying to prove Andrea was an unfit parent. She would never forget those days when Jake interviewed Shannon and gained her confidence. Shannon had been happy that Jake showed her so much attention and understanding. But when he made the case that Shannon might be better off with her father, that staying with her mother was not necessarily the right decision for Shannon, Andrea had been furious.
As far as she was concerned, the man was a fraud. At the very least he was acting in Scott’s best