Forgotten Promises

Chapter 1

   Bailey Mann looked up from her seat at the kitchen table where she was eating lunch with her two year old son, Gray, when her cell phone rang. She stood and walked into the kitchen, grabbing her phone from where it was charging. 

   A quick glance at the caller id didn't help, since she didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyways, "Hello?"

   "Hello, I am calling from Sloane Memorial Hospital, trying to reach Mrs. Bailey Mann." 

   Bailey felt her breath catch in her throat, fear seeping into her body, "This is she. How can I help you?" 

   "Mrs. Mann, your husband was in a car accident and is at the hospital right now. We need you to come and speak to the doctors about important medical decisions. Once you arrive the doctors should be able to update you on your husband's current condition." 

   "Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can." She ended the call and hurried to the front hallway of the house, dialling her mother's cell number. As she pulled her shoes on, she told her mother what had just happened and asked her to come over to watch Gray, "Please, Mom, hurry." 

   Bailey's mother, Christine Adams, lived just down the street and always enjoyed spending time with her sweet grandson, "Of course, sweetheart, I'll be right there." 

   Hearing the click as her mom ended the call, Bailey froze in the middle of tying her shoes as everything started to sink in. 

   Her husband, her Clark, had been in an accident, in critical condition in the hospital. Suddenly Bailey couldn't breath, she felt as though her throat was closing up. She couldn't lose him, he was her whole world apart from Gray. Gray! 

   She stood and slid her phone into her back pocket, looking over at where her beautiful little boy sat at the table. He was watching his mom with big brown eyes, having sensed a change in her usually calm temperment. Bailey smiled slightly and walked over to kiss his head, "Finish your lunch, little man. Nana's gonna come stay with you while I go to town, okay?"

   Gray nodded and smiled, going back to eating his lunch, excited that he'd be seeing his nana.

   His hair was dark brown like hers but that's where their similarities in looks ended. Gray had his father's warm brown eyes, easy smile, nose, and his infectious laugh. He was truly Clark's son and it made Bailey's chest ache, thinking she might lose her husband and her son his father. But she shook her head, pushing away all the negative thoughts crowding her mind.

   "He's going to be fine, he's going to be fine. . ." Bailey murmured to herself, praying she wasn't wrong.

After Bailey's mother, Christine, arrived Bailey kissed her son's forehead then ran out of the house and slid into the family car, starting it up. She buckled her seat belt then pulled out of the driveway and drove towards the hospital.

    When she arrived at the hospital, Bailey immediately headed to the front desk, "Excuse me, I need help finding my husband. He was in a car accident and brought here. His name is Clark Mann."

   "Bailey!" The man had seen her run up to the front desk and he hurried to her side, pushing his dishelved blonde hair out of his face.

   She looked up and saw a familiar face heading towards her, "Kenneth!" She ran over and hugged him tightly, "Have you seen him?" She felt him shake his head, hugging her back, "No, I'm not family even though I was in the car with him."

   She pulled back and looked up at Kenneth's face, noticing the cuts and bruising starting to appear, "You were in the car?" 

    Kenneth nodded, "Yeah, we were heading over to the house. I had some time off work and wanted to surprise you by stopping by." 

   Bailey nodded slightly, "I didn't know." 

   He smiled slightly, "Hence the word 'surprise'."

   Clark and Kenneth had been roommates when Clark and Bailey started dating. Even after Kenneth moved away to finish his degree in English Literature at NYU, he and Clark remained best friends.

   "Mrs. Mann?" Bailey pulled back and looked over at a doctor who was walking towards her and Kenneth then nodded, "Yes, I'm Mrs. Mann. How is Clark? Please tell me he's going to be okay." 

   The doctor set his lips in a thin line, looking into Bailey's eyes with compassion and a bit of sadness, "I was told in the collision, the driver's side where your husband was took most of the impact and unfortunately your husband wasn't wearing his seatbelt--"

   Bailey cursed under her breath, interrupting the doctor, "I've told him he needs to wear that damned seatbelt. . ." 

   Kenneth reached over and gently squeezed Bailey's shoulder, "Bailey, let the doctor finish, okay? Then you can cuss Clark out all you like." 

   Bailey nodded and the doctor continued, "As I said, unfortunately your husband wasn't wearing his seatbelt and on impact, he was thrown from his vehicle onto the hood of the other car--" 

   "Okay, that's enough of that." Bailey was grateful for Kenneth stopping the doctor, as he was telling them what had happened she could see it in her mind's eye and the image was horrifying, 

   "Please just tell us what's wrong with Clark." 

   The doctor nodded, "Your husband suffered blunt force trauma when he was ejected from his vehicle, there was a subdural hematoma and his brain started to swell due to his injuries so we had to take him into surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. . .but shortly after surgery he slipped into a coma." 

   Bailey gasped softly, "A-and? When will he wake up?" 

   The doctor looked away for a moment before looking back into Bailey's tear filled eyes, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but we have no way of telling when your husband will wake up, Mrs. Mann, or even if he'll wake up."