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It was like everything happened in slow motion. Annie watched in horror as Baylee leaned too far over the iron railing and started falling the eight or so feet to the ground. She sent up a silent prayer that he would somehow manage to turn his body so that he didn’t land on his head as it looked like he was going to, and breathed a sigh of relief as he started flailing his arms out in front of him. Instead of falling onto his head, he fell onto an outstretched arm, which twisted sickeningly under his weight. She winced and jumped up from her stooped position in front of Drew, getting to Baylee just after Brian did.

“Ow! Ow! OOOWWWWWW!” Baylee shrieked as he clutched his injured arm and brought it close to thrashing body. Brian’s eyes were as big as saucers and all the color had drained from his face.

“Baylee, sweetie, I need you to lay still so we can check you out. Does anything hurt besides your arm?” Annie asked him calmly.

Brian gently placed his hands on his son’s shoulders. “It’s okay, buddy,” he soothed.

“What hurts, Baylee?” Annie prodded.

“My arm!” Hot tears rolled down his cheeks as she studied his arm. It was already starting to swell and bruise, and his wrist jutted out at an awkward angle.

“What else?”

“My knee!” Brian and Annie both shot their eyes down to Baylee’s legs. A large gash cut across his right knee cap and blood oozed out of it and dripped on to the pavement.

“OhmyLord,” Brian gasped. Annie didn’t think he could have turned any paler, but she was wrong. A thin sheen of sweat broke out across his forehead.

“You okay, Brian?” She glanced over at him.

“I, uh...” He gulped and licked his lips.

“He doesn’t do well with blood,” Tim answered for him.

“Well maybe you should go get him some water or something. He looks like he’s about to throw up, and I don’t need two patients on my hands right now.”

Tim nodded and scooped Drew up with one arm. “Let’s go get Brian some water, okay buddy?”

“Dad, please don’t throw up on me!” Baylee yelled up at his father.

Brian smiled. “I’m okay, Bay.”

“Good, because it hurts!!!”


“I think we should probably get you to the hospital, kiddo.” Annie said matter-of-factly.

“Hospital?!” Both Littrell boys shrieked at the same time.

“Do I need stitches?” Baylee asked shakily. “B-b-because I don’t like needles,” he sobbed.

“Maybe, but I’m more worried about that arm. I’ve seen enough broken ones to know...”

“Broken?!” Both Littrells shrieked in nearly identical voices again.

“How do you know all of this? Are you a nurse or something?” Brian asked as Tim handed him a bottle of water and winked at her.

“Something like that. I work in the St. Joseph- Berea ER, so I’m going to take you there, okay?”

Baylee sniffled and nodded weakly as Brian gently gathered him up into his arms and stood up. “Which car’s yours? I’ll follow you.”

“It’s that gray Tahoe over there,” she said as she pointed across the parking lot. “And you’ll do no such thing. I won’t have you driving while you’re upset and there’s a screaming kid in the backseat. Now, go,” she ordered as she grabbed her keys and hit the remote to unlock the doors. “Tim?”

“We’ve got him,” Tim assured her, as he shifted Drew around in his arms.
Brian glanced over at her, confused. “Tracy is Drew’s baby-sitter,” she explained, referring to Tim’s wife. “They’re used to this.”


“Oh.” he mouthed silently as Annie opened the back passenger side door for him.

“Let’s just move the carseat to the back.” She got them situated in the backseat, then climbed into the driver’s seat and dialed the ER on her cell phone. “Hey,Casey, it’s Annie. I’m bringing in a little boy with a broken arm and a deep laceration on his knee.......No, Drew’s fine, but he is kind of high profile, so do you think you can get one of the minor trauma rooms ready? Thanks so much. I”ll be there in five minutes.” Baylee yelped in pain as she went over a bump in the road. “Sorry, sweetie. Not much longer, and we’ll get you something to help with the pain, okay?”

Baylee buried his face into Brian’s shirt and cried. “I want Mommy,” he whimpered.

“I’m going to call her after we get to the hospital, okay bud?” Brian wrapped his arms around Baylee’s neck and kissed the top of his head.

“I want you to call her now!”

“And freak her out before I even have a definite diagnosis and treatment plan to tell her?”

“She’s going to yell at you, isn’t she, Dad?”

Brian chuckled. “Yeah, probably. But that’s okay.”

Annie glanced in the rear view mirror. “Where is Leighanne?”

“Girls weekend in Atlanta, so we decided to have a man trip up to Kentucky for some fishing,” Brian answered. “And Littrell men are tough, right Baylee?” Baylee let out a little whine.

“We’re here, sweetie.” Annie pulled her SUV up into the ambulance bay and shut off the engine. Brian picked Baylee up and followed her into the emergency room.

A petite, blonde nurse in red scrubs came up to her with a clipboard in her hand. “Hey, Dr. Morgan. We have Trauma 4 all ready for you.”

“Thank you, Casey.” Annie turned a corner and walked past the nurse’s station.

Brian raised an eyebrow. “Doctor Morgan? You must think I’m a male chauvinist jerk.”

Annie laughed. “Male chauvinist, yes. Jerk, no. I think it’s a southern male thing. Every female who works in the medical field must be a nurse. It used to be a big deal to me, but I’ve learned to look past it.”

“Still, I’m sorry for stereotyping you.”

“Hello!” Baylee was waving his good arm in front of Brian’s face. “Kid with a broken arm here! And it HURTS!” His face was still red from crying.

Annie immediately went into doctor mode. “Is he allergic to any medication that you’re aware of?”

“Penicillin,” Brian answered immediately.

“Anything else?”

“Kiwi.”

“Huh. Drew’s allergic to kiwi, too. Casey,” she turned to the blonde nurse, who was standing beside her wide eyed.

“Are you---?” She pointed to Brian.

“Focus Casey,” Annie snapped.

“Sorry, Dr. Morgan,” she said sheepishly.

“Get him 300 milligrams of liquid ibuprofen and get an IV started so we can give him some morphine.”

“Yes, ma’am. Have dad fill these out, please.” She shoved the clipboard in Annie’s hand and scurried away.

Brian settled Baylee into the hospital bed and took the clipboard from Annie. She dug in her purse and pulled out a pen. “Morphine?” he asked. “Is that really necessary?”

“Have you ever broken your arm, Brian?”

“Yeah, but it was like...30 years ago.”

“Trust me. It’s necessary.”

A tall, thin, balding man about Brian’s age appeared in the doorway. “I thought this was your day off, Ann.”

“It is, but, as you can see here, we have an injured child here, Brad.” Annie gestured towards Brian and Baylee.

“My arm hurts,” Baylee whimpered.

Casey came in with a small plastic cup filled with orange liquid. “Drink up, buddy, and I’ m going to get your IV started.” She grabbed his good hand and started examining his veins.

“Do you have to use a needle for that?” Baylee asked with a frown.

“Afraid so, buddy,” Brad spoke up as he slipped on a pair of latex gloves. “I’m Doctor Francis, but you can call me Doctor Brad, okay?”

“I can handle it, Brad,” Annie interjected.

“It’s your day off and your Tahoe is blocking the entrance to my ER. Now, shoo!” Brad flicked his wrist and literally shooed her away. “We’ll numb your hand before we put the needle in, okay Baylee?” Casey pulled out a needle and Brian started to sway.

“I’ll be right back.” Annie placed her hand on Brian’s shoulder. “You might want to get out the smelling salts for this one.”