Page 101 of Creed

Before I could finish my thought, the door opened, and Jameson appeared with Chrissy and Austin at his side. His eyes immediately locked on mine, and they remained there as the kids came rushing over to me. He stood there frozen, just staring at me like he was trying to convince himself that I was really okay.

Austin was hesitant, but after a second, he came closer and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, sweetie. I just hit my head. I’ll be fine.”

“I can’t believe Dad did this to you.”

“It was an accident. He didn’t mean to hurt me.” I was still doing it. I was still making excuses for Brian, but I wasn’t doing it for him. I was doing it for the kids. “But let’s not worry about that right now. I’m okay. I’m more concerned about you guys. Are you okay? Did anything happen?”

“No, we’re good.” Austin glanced over at Jameson as he added, “Dad was being a real tool. It was so embarrassing. I don’t even get why?”

“It’s a long story, but he was wrong to do what he did tonight.” Jameson rested a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

“I’m sorry he hurt you, Momma,” Chrissy whispered.

“I know, sweetie, but I’m okay. I’ll be up and out of here in no time.”

Jameson reached over, and his hand found mine. I let out a shaky breath as I squeezed it. “Thank you for bringing them to me.”

“They’d have my ass if I didn’t.” Jameson chuckled, but his smile faded as he said, “You scared me, woman.”

“I scared myself,” I admitted, managing a slight wink. “But I’ve survived worse.”

Before he could respond, the doctor came in with a clipboard in his hands and a tired smile. “As I thought, your CT scan shows a pretty severe concussion. I’d like to keep you overnight so we can monitor you for any changes.”

Panic flooded Chrissy’s eyes as she gasped, “She has to stay?”

“I think it’s for the best,” the doctor replied.

“Just for tonight, sweetie,” I said quickly, brushing the hair from her face. “They just want to keep an eye on me.”

“Can we stay with you?”

“No, sweetie. You need to go home with Nana and get some rest. I’ll be home tomorrow, and you and Austin can come see me first thing, okay?”

“And you promise to be home tomorrow?”

“I’ll do my very best.”

“Okay, boys and girls. Let’s give your mother some breathing room.”

Mom stepped over and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Call if you need anything at all.”

“I will. Thanks, Mom.”

With that, the kids hugged me goodbye and followed their grandmother out of the room. Once they were gone, Jameson sat down on the edge of the bed and asked, “How you doing? Really?”

“Not that bad, actually. I think the pain meds are finally starting to kick in.” I inched up on my pillow as I asked, “What happened with Brian?”

“He’s been handled.”

“That’s all I get?”

“For now,” he answered flatly.

It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it, but I had to know. “Did Shep get the video?”

“He did, and the footage was there, including your piece of shit ex running you over with his truck.”