Chapter 62

Jenna POV

I hung up my phone and ran to grab my purse.

"Jenna, what's up? Who was that?" Tyler asked.

"It was the school.  Someone beat Samantha up!" I said.

"What!?" Tyler said, standing up. Josh jumped up as well.

"They asked me to come get her and take her to the hospital. They're worried about broken ribs."

"How bad is  it?" Josh asked.

"I don't know. But I'm going to get her now," I said.

"I'm coming with you," Tyler said, pulling on his jacket.

"Me too," Josh said. "She's gonna want her Uncle there."

We ran out to the car and I sped to the school. I pulled in in front and we went inside to the office.

"Mrs. Joseph.  Hi. I'm so sorry about this. Especially after our discussion this morning.  Samantha's lying down in the nurse's office. I'll take you down there, and you can take her to the doctor," Ms. Tracey said.

We walked down the hallway quickly and into the nurse's office.

"Hi there, Mrs. and Mrs. Joseph, um, and other adult?" Nurse Taylor said. "Samantha's here, she's resting, but I think you ought to take her to the hospital. I think she's got at least one broken rib."

I ran over to Samantha who was lying on a cot in the nurse's office holding an ice pack to her face.

"Sam, honey, what happened?"

"M- Jenna!" she said, trying to sit up. "Adam beat me up."

"Why? What happened?" I asked her as I helped her sit up. She was holding her side with her free hand.

"I called him out on his bullshit.  He's the kid who's been bullying Jill and I and I had enough. So I called him out," she coughed and winced. "I stood up for myself."

"Okay. Well, good job standing up for yourself, too bad this kid beat you up. Let's get you up and to the hospital, okay?"

Samantha nodded and I helped her stand up. She coughed again and winced.

"Should we maybe call an ambulance?" I asked the nurse.

"If you drive carefully, she should be fine," the nurse said.

Samantha coughed again, and some blood was on her hand. She started to panic.

"I'm calling an ambulance," Tyler said. I tried to calm Samantha down.

"It's okay sweetheart. Just relax.  We're going to call an ambulance and we'll get you sorted out, okay?"

She nodded.

We didn't wait long for an ambulance to show up. The paramedics came in.

"At least it's not the same ones as last time," Samantha joked.

"I see you kept your sense of humor," Josh said, kneeling in front of Samantha. She smiled.

"Hey there," the paramedic said to Samantha. "Do you mind if I check you out? You've got a nice shiner under that ice pack, huh?"

"I've had worse," she said.

"You're a scrapper, are you?" he said to her. She shrugged, and then winced.

The paramedic checked her head and eyes, felt her neck, and she said none of that hurt.  Then he started checking her sides and she winced and cried out when he pushed lightly on the lower part of her chest.

"Yep, definitely a broken rib. Maybe two.  Have you coughed up any blood?"

"A little," Samantha said.

"Okay. Let's get you on our fantastic rolling bed, and get you checked out at the hospital. Okay?"

"Can my mo - Jenna come with me?"

"Your Jenna can totally come with us," the paramedic said to her.

"Ty, you follow with Josh in the car. Where are we going?"

"Nationwide Children's," the paramedic said.

"Oh, they're going to love to see me there again," Samantha coughed.  More blood.

They loaded her into the ambulance and I climbed in beside her and took her hand.

"Ma - Jenna," she said. "My side really hurts."

"I know sweetheart. You'll get something for the pain at the hospital, I'm sure."

We pulled into the emergency entrance and the paramedics brought Samantha in. I followed and they got us into a room. They told the doctors what we were there for and the nurses and doctors started getting things going. They started an IV, and started working Samantha up.

One of the nurses walked in. I remembered her from the first time we'd brought Samantha in. And the second.

"Samantha's back again?" she asked me. "What happened? I thought she was in foster care?"

"She got beat up by a bully at school. And she's not in foster care any more. We adopted her."

Tyler came running in a minute later.

"Hey, Sam, how're you doing?" he asked her as he came into the room. Her eyes were starting to droop.

"I'm good," she said.

"We have her a pain killer and a mild sedative," the nurse said. "She's probably going to fall asleep while we take her for x-rays."

"Mama?" Samantha said.

"I'm right here, baby," I said, holding her hand.

"I feel funny," she said. "Like, I'm kinda floating. But also kinda spinning. It feels weird. But fun."

I laughed.

"I guess the pain killer has kicked in, huh?" Tyler asked. The nurse smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so."

A couple of porters showed up to take Samantha for her x-rays, and Tyler insisted in going with. Josh and I stayed behind.

"Did you hear what she called you?" Josh said.

"I don't think she knows what she said. But yes, I did hear that," I smiled.

"Well, she may not have meant you just now, but, she called you 'mama'."

"I can't wait until she feels comfortable to call me that, for real. When she's not on a pain killer."

"And did you hear what she did that landed her here?" Josh was also smiling.

"Why are you smiling that she got beaten up?"

"I'm smiling, because she said she stood up for herself against a bully,"  Josh said. "She's doing more than just protecting herself."

I smiled.

"You're right. She did."

About twenty minutes later, Tyler and Samantha were back in her curtained area in the ER. Samantha was asleep, and Tyler was pacing.

"You okay, honey?" I asked him.

"Yes and no," he said. "I'm upset we're here and that she's hurt. But, I'm okay because she was standing up for herself."

I took Samantha's hand while she slept. Her fingers curled around mine.

I'm not sure how much time passed, but the doctor finally arrived with the x-ray films.

"So," he said, turning on the lightbox. "Samantha has two broken ribs. They didn't puncture her lung, but it was close."

"She coughed up blood," Tyler said. "Just a little, but still."

"Yeah, I think that might have been irritation from being kicked. But the x-ray definitely shows no puncture. We'll give you some pain meds and we can tape up her ribs, but there's nothing much more we can do. She'll have to take it easy for a few weeks, no gym at school. Once she wakes up, you can take her home. We'll get someone in here to tape up those ribs and we'll get you your prescription and discharge papers and instructions."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"I don't expect she'll be out much longer. We didn't give her too high a dose of sedation or pain meds. Although she might be out a bit longer because of adrenaline."

"Okay. Thanks."

We sat beside Samantha for a while longer. The hospital's social worker came in.

"Hello Josephs. I was surprised to get a call that you were here with Samantha. What happened?"

"She got beaten up at school.  She stood up to a school bully, and well, he didn't like that," I said.

"That's what the doctors said. I just thought I'd come see you for myself. How are you all doing?"

"We're doing alright, thank you," I said.

"Good. Good to hear. I heard from Marie that the adoption went through. And about the condition. I'm sorry about that, but I hope all goes well."

"Thank you," I said. The social worker left and we sat and waited for Samantha to wake up.