Living Again by L.L. Collins Read Free Book Online Page B

Alexis, too. They might as well just bury her if anything happened to this little girl. She barely lived through losing Alex. Losing Alexis would be like killing the rest of her.
    Emily, realizing Kayley couldn’t speak, took over. “She had just eaten her birthday cake and was playing around with my daughter, Cate.” Emily pointed to Cate, huddled in the lap of Kayley’s mom, her eyes wide. “We were just going to see where they were when Cate come in and said Lexi didn’t feel good. This is how we found her.” Kayley looked at Emily, listening to her but not really comprehending. Her eyes went back to Alexis and she watched her baby girl breathe, but lay so still. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful, like she was sleeping.
    “Why did this happen?” Kayley finally managed, her voice small and shaky. The paramedic that was not attending to Alexis looked at Kayley, his eyes sympathetic.
    “There are many reasons a child has a seizure, and most of them are no cause for concern. Her vitals are strong and the seizure is over, though she isn’t responding as well as we’d like right now. She needs to be taken in to the hospital and have some tests run.” The paramedics stood up, carrying Alexis on the stretcher to the awaiting rolling bed by the door. “Let’s get her there and let the doctors see her. There’s no time to waste.”
    Kayley followed her daughter out of the house, not bothering to grab her purse or anything.
    “Kayley,” Emily called out, now carrying a crying Cate. “We’ll meet you there.” Kayley nodded, climbing into the back of the ambulance with her daughter and the paramedics. She had no words. God couldn’t possibly take Alex and Alexis, could he? She would never survive it.
    On the way to the hospital, Kayley sat next to Alexis and held her hand, rubbing the smooth baby skin of her little hand. Tears ran down Kayley’s face and she didn’t stop them. Alexis was still sleeping, breathing evenly but definitely not waking up. Alex, Kayley thought , I wish you were here. I’ve been so strong. I’m trying to be both of her parents. I stopped crying every day and I did what everyone said I should do. But WHY aren’t you here right now? Why can’t Alexis have both of her parents? Why is she sick? It’s her birthday! What if she’s not okay, Alex? I won’t survive another loss like this. I need you…Alex, I need you…
    Kayley was snapped out of her reverie when the ambulance abruptly stopped in front of the hospital and the door swung open. They wheeled Alexis into the hospital and into a waiting room where a team was already assembled to work on her.
    “Mrs. Carson? I’m Dr. Richards, an ER doctor here. I will be working on finding out what happened to your daughter, but I need you to wait out in the waiting room for a few minutes so my team can assess her. I promise we’ll be to you as soon as possible with any answers and an update.” He was a fiftyish man with salt and pepper hair and a friendly smile. Kayley listened but was unable to respond other than to nod her head.
    She walked out of the room, leaving her heart on the table in that room for the doctors to examine. Her baby. She was only one year old. Kayley was in this very hospital one year ago, five stories up, giving birth to her daughter and holding her for the first time. One year , Kayley thought. And one month before that she had been in this very hospital, three floors up, hearing that the love of her life was never coming back.
    Kayley sat down on the hard plastic chair, her breathing shallow and her head swimming. It was too much. She rocked back and forth, holding her head in her hands as the tears streamed down her face. Her heart was pounding, her body was shaking, and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably. She didn’t know how long she sat there- it could’ve been five minutes or five days.
    “Kayley,” Emily’s voice entered her overcrowded brain. She put her arm around her best friend