A CONCUSSION

A CONCUSSION


Michael’s POV
I took to my heels, running faster than I ever had in my entire life. I heard Eliot’s footsteps catching up to me. When I got to Madison, I knelt and then carefully flipped her around.  
The first thing I saw was the gnash on her forehead. Blood was spilling from the cut. I checked her wrist and felt her pulse. She was alive but was unconscious.
I carried her in my arms and turned to Eliot. “Quick, we need to head back to the province and get a doctor,”
I looked around and noticed that there was a bump and a rock right next to where I picked Madison. I narrowed my gaze to the wailing horse and noticed that its legs were badly injured.
Madison must have tripped on her way to the settlement. The horse must have stuck its feet. She probably fell on her face, hit her head, and lost consciousness.
Does this mean that she had been lying on the ground since dawn? I sighed and hoisted her to my chest. I turned to Eliot seemed transfixed in his spot.
His eyes were glued to the horse and carriage and from all indications, he had seen the supplies inside. He turned to me with his lashes wavering, a million and one questions going through his mind, I guess.
“Look at me, you’ll mention this to no one,” I said.
“I don’t understand any of this,” Eliot replied. “Why is the lady out here with a carriage carrying supplies? Why is the horse heading toward the outcast settlement?”
“Listen to me, Eliot. We need to get Madison back to the province. I’ll place her in my carriage and ride back while you’ll take care of the horse and follow me. Do you understand?” I said.
He sighed heavily and took an intense look at Madison’s injured horse and then the carriage.
“I’m counting on your discretion, Eliot. No one must know where we found him, the carriage, or supplies,” I said.
He nodded and began to tend to the horse.
I held Madison in my arms and rushed back to my carriage. I carefully placed her inside, slammed the door shut, and mounted the horse then I began to ride faster than I ever had.
I sped down the bumpy road, wondering what state Madison was in. She seemed to have lost a lot of blood and was still bleeding.
She should have told me before she left that morning. We would have gone together and with me by her side, this could have been averted. I would have known how to navigate such a complex road. Since she rode out very early, it was so dark that she didn’t see clearly or maybe she was riding so fast that she could return to the province on time.
“Make way!” I hollered as the carriage pulled toward the gate.
The guards opened the gate and I sped into the house. Two guards came running after me.
I pulled the carriage to a halt, hopped down, and rushed to get Madison from the back.
“Call the doctor!” I cried out, sweat dripping all over my body.
I opened the carriage, stripped the black cloak from her body, and carried Madison in my arms. I charged toward the entrance.
 I met her parents halfway.
“What happened?” Her mother cried out after seeing the unconscious Madison in my arms. She started to panic.
 I hurried into the living room.
“Quick! Get the doctor!” Lord Worthington yelled.
I made my way into the living room and then rushed toward the first room on my right. I placed Madison on the bed before her parents joined me shortly. I held onto her hand and began to rub it tenderly.
Her mother began to sob.
The door was flung open and a middle-aged man suddenly appeared with a briefcase.
“I’ll look at her,” he said and immediately dropped his briefcase on the table.
He was the doctor.
I stepped aside and watched the doctor roll up his sleeves. He checked Madison’s wrist for her pulse and turned to us.
“She’s breathing,” he supplied. “I need to stitch up her wound and clean it up so it doesn’t get infected.
Lord Worthington turned to his wife. “She’s going to be okay,” he said, holding her hand, and then turned to me. “We should let the doctor work,”
I sighed heavily. I didn’t want to leave Madison’s side for a minute. The doctor opened his briefcase, pulled out his gloves, some stitches, and cotton wool. He turned to me.
I nodded and followed the Worthingtins outside. We then made our way back to the living room.
“What happened?” Lord Worthington threw the question at me. It was at that point that I realized that we never spoke about the cause of her unconsciousness.
I wiped the sweat that had gathered on my forehead and cleared my throat loudly.
“She fell,” I said. “She was taking a walk and then tipped and fell,”
Her father displayed a blank expression. “But how?”
I managed to keep the pitch of my voice even though it was shaky. “I noticed a hole and a rock right where she fell. Turns out she didn’t notice it,”
Lady Worthington took her head into her hands. “This is why I said she needed to be chaperoned. Only God knows how long she’s been lying there,”
Moments later, the doctor appeared. He dumped his briefcase on the couch and began to take off his gloves.
We turned to him with eyes filled with expectation.
He sighed. “Lady Eleanor suffered from a concussion but she’s stable now,”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“She’s still asleep but will wake up at her own time. I’ve cleaned her wound and stitched it up. Thank goodness she lost just a little blood so there’s no need for a transfusion,” he said.
“Thank the heavens,” Lady Worthington cried out.
“I left some medicines and a prescription on the table. Once she regains consciousness, she must take them after having a proper meal. She must rest and stay hydrated so that the impact of her fall won’t affect the baby,” the doctor said.
My heart skipped a beat. “Did you say Baby?”
The Worthingtons exchanged confused glances.
The doctor slipped his gloves into his briefcase and shut it. “She’s pregnant!”