Chapter 9
Immediately upon arrival in the Emergency Room, Jed was taken to Radiology.
"My family. Please find out about my family." He pleaded with the nurse after he returned to the Emergency Room. "I have to know about my wife and child."
"I'm sorry, sir. I have no information."
Jed sank back into the bed, resigned to the inevitable. This time, no news was bad news. He had had to leave behind his pregnant wife and young child and nobody could or would tell him anything.
Over an hour later, the curtain was pulled back and a doctor came into the cubicle accompanied by a police officer.
Jed's heart stopped.
"Mr. Bartlet, this is Officer Ward and I'm Dr. Carter. I understand you've been asking about your family. Your daughter, Elizabeth…" the doctor looked at a clipboard he held in his hand, "your daughter has some cuts and bruises and has been transferred to Pediatrics for overnight observation. We didn't see anything serious, but we just want to watch her."
As the doctor took a breath, Jed asked, "My wife? How is she? And the baby?" He tried to be patient as the doctor reviewed the chart one more time.
"Mrs. Bartlet has been taken to Obstetrics for observation and monitoring. She has a broken ankle, a mild concussion, and has had some moderate contractions. The baby's heartbeat is strong so we hope that it will do okay. If your wife goes into labor, it will be early but the baby should survive. We just want to monitor her for any signs of trouble."
Relieved that both of his family was okay for the moment, Jed released the tension that had been building since the accident.
"What happened, Officer? One minute I was driving along and the next thing I knew I had lost control of the car."
"Yes, sir. It appears that the driver of the other car lost control first and slammed into your car, forcing it off the road and down the embankment. Your seatbelt saved you from injury, but of course your wife and daughter were tossed about as the car tumbled. I really do wish that something could be done for passengers and children in accidents. I've seen too many of them die or get severely injured. Your family was just plain lucky."
"Yeah. We were that. When can I see my wife?"
Dr. Carter looked again at his clipboard. "You can leave soon. Cuts and bruises were all we found. Now, you'll be sore from the seatbelt tomorrow so expect that. I'll start your paperwork now. Can I assume you'll be going upstairs?"
"Hell, yeah."
Dr. Carter smiled. Here was a man who cared deeply about his family and nothing would stop him from taking care of them. Nothing. It was a rare sight.