Phone Call
Ashley's POV
It was about 10 in the morning and we were all downstairs doing various things. Claire was reading Harry Potter to Carson, June and Dave were singing, Millie was upstairs napping and I was practicing some piano. I had this pit in my stomach all morning, ever since Quin came to return the blanket. It was just this general feeling that something bad was going to happen. Then my phone began to ring. It was an unknown number and I thought about declining. However, something told me I should answer my phone, I guess you could call it mother's intuition.
"Hello, this is Ashley," I said, holding the phone to my ear.
"Hi, Ashley. This is Beverly from the Spokane General Hospital" *A/N I just made up the hospital name*
"Oh, hello Beverly!" I said worriedly, as I left the room so as to not worry anyone else.
"I'm calling in regards to a young girl who was rushed in this morning at around 9:30" Beverly continued, "She was and remains unconscious, however in searching her belongings we found a piece of paper containing your number. Do you have any relations to this girl? And if so is it possible for you to come down to the hospital as soon as possible?"
"Umm yes," I said as I began pacing the room, "I'm a erm, family friend."
"Great, so do you think you could come to the hospital?"
"Uh, yes, sure."
"Okay, great. I already have your phone number, so if you could just give me your name and bring an ID with you, that would be great."
"Ashley, Ashley Crosby," I answered.
"Alright Ashley, I'll see you soon."
As soon as I hung up a began to pace the room at a feverish rate. Something bad had happened to Quin. What was it? Was it my fault? Could I have stopped it? Eventually, I stopped pacing and began running around the room throwing essentials into a small bag. I then ran downstairs and mumbled something to Dave about there being an emergency I has to take care of before running out the door and down to the house.
I entered the house through the back door without even thinking to mention to Jim and Linda what had happened. I hurried into Quin's room and decided to grab a few of her clothes as well as a blanket and some of her stuffed animals. I might not have known her that long or that well but I knew that she was a timid kid, who would probably be scared, especially in a new environment. I then ran around the rest of the basement rooms, where her family was staying. I searched for any documents that might be important, grabbed them, and left.
When I arrived at the hospital I rushed in and approached the front desk. Sitting there I saw a lady wearing a name tag that read Beverly.
"Hi, how may I help you?" Beverly asked.
"Hi," I said, "My name is Ashley, I believe we spoke over the phone."
"Oh yes, let me get you signed in." Beverly checked my ID before giving me a visitor bracelet and sending me down the hall to Quin's room.
When I got there I saw Quin lying in the bed, unconscious. She was hooked up to a few machines and there were bandages up and down her arms and legs, as well as one bandage that went across her left cheek. She looked so tiny, lying in the white bed, surrounded by machines. I sat down in a chair next, speechless. After a few minutes of sitting there, I heard a soft knock on the door.
"Hello, are you Ashley Crosby?" said a soft voice. I nodded my head.
"Yes, I am,"
"It's nice to meet you, Ashley," the lady said as she sat next to me, "My name is Dr. Evelyn Jenkins. I just have a few questions for you." I nodded my head again.
"What is her name?" Dr. Jenkins asked gently.
"Quin, Quintessence Hall"
"Okay, how old is she?"
"Six"
"By any chance do you have any sort of documentation for her? A passport, health insurance card?" Luckily I had managed to find both of those before I left and had brought them with me.
"Yes," I said as I reached into my bag and pulled out her passport and health insurance card.
"Alright, thank you. Do you know if Quintessence has ever been a part of the foster care system?" I sat there for a moment, thinking. I remember Susan saying something the other night about having adopted Quin when she was four so she must have.
"Uh yes, I believe so."
"Okay, thank you." Dr. Jenkins said as she scribbled something down on her clipboard, "Those are all of my questions, but I'm sure you have some too." I nodded my head and Dr. Jenkins proceeded to explain to me everything that they knew.
Someone had apparently reported a car accident. When they arrived on the scene they found four unconscious people. Two adults, one female, and one male. One male adolescent and one female young child. It appeared to be a two-vehicle collision, however, the second vehicle was nowhere to be found. The other three are now in trauma, but they appeared to be stable. Even though they were mostly confident that they were going to make it, they were unsure of how long it could take them to wake up. They estimated it could be months or years. Either way, Quin was on her own. There was nothing more they could do for her until she woke up and got more information from her. As for Quin's injuries, it was all cuts and bruises, Hunter had evidently shielded Quin from most of the blows by throwing himself in front of her.
After providing more of my limited information on Quin and her family Dr. Jenkins left and I sat by Quin's side. We had decided that it was best for me to tell Quinn rather than her and so I just sat there and waited. It didn't take long for Quin to wake up, and as she did she seemed to be overcome with fear. Without even speaking a word, Quin seemed to know what happened, she knew that they were gone. I quickly rushed to her side and she seemed to relax instantly when she saw me. I sat down next to her on the bed, and she gripped my arm tightly, not wanting to let go.
What happened after that was mostly a blur. Lots of calling people and paperwork, as well as trying to get as much information out of Quin, who was at the moment refusing to speak. After at least an hour of trying to figure out how to communicate we discovered that it wasn't that difficult, because Quin in fact knew sign language. After hours of work, I ended up signing off as a temporary legal guardian. Everyone else she knew lived on the other side of the country and they didn't see it fit to have Quin taken into the custody of her grandparents; who, after speaking to them on the phone, didn't seem in the right state of mind to take care of a child. I'm guessing that Quin's strong refusal to let go of my arm also played a part in our decision.
By the time we were leaving the hospital, it was nearly seven. I had called Dave and did my best to explain to him everything that happened. I also asked him to try and explain to the older kids too. Once we were in the car, I called Dave to give him an update, and then we drove back to the Hearth in silence. As we drove I finally felt like I had a moment to think and feel. The whole drive back I just cried. I can't imagine what it's like to lose your family. Twice! And who was going to take care of her? Was it us? Was it someone from the east coast? And if so, who? How are supposed to do this? We've only known her for two days! What are we going to do?