A Lover's Lament(109)

Lifting my head a fraction, I peek up through spiked lashes and come face-to-face with a young woman. “I don’t know what to say.” Flopping down next to me, she leans her head against the wall. “He sounds like one lucky man to have you.”

Clearing my throat, I straighten my legs to mimic her position. I can’t even imagine how horrible I look. My eyes feel puffy and swollen, and I’m sure they’re about as red as can be. My make-up from two days ago is long gone and my hair is nothing short of a rat’s nest, but the woman is watching me with open curiosity and unbridled compassion. And right now, that’s something I could use a little bit of. “I’m the lucky one,” I tell her. “He’s my world and I’d do anything for him.”

“And by him, you’re referring to someone over there, I assume.” She points her hand toward the ICU and I nod. “I see. I’m guessing that you got here after visiting hours.” I nod again. “When was the last time you’ve seen—?”

“Devin,” I answer with a watery smile. “His name is Sergeant Devin Clay, and I haven’t seen him in forty-three days, eighteen hours and”—I glance down at my watch—“thirty-three minutes.”

“But who’s counting?” She laughs and pushes up from the floor. I notice for the first time that she’s wearing a pair of blue surgical scrubs much like the older woman from earlier. She holds out her hand and I stare at it like it’s a foreign object. “Would you like to go see Devin?”

I scramble up off the floor. “You can do that?” I ask, pressing a hand to her arm.

“I can,” she says, nodding. “Just as soon as the shifts change and the day shift leaves, I’ll bring you back.”

“How?” I breathe. “Why can you let me in, but she couldn’t?” I ask, waving my hand toward the ICU. I’m a nurse; I should know this answer. But right now, my mind is focused on one thing and one thing only.

“Was the nurse you talked to older?” I nod and she smiles. “Some of the older ones are set in their ways. They don’t like to bend the rules; they like to stand firmly next to them. Lucky for you, the much cooler, much younger group of nurses run the night shift, and we prefer to break the rules rather than follow them.” She winks, and without thinking, I wrap my arms around her shoulders, dragging her in for a hug.

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Pulling away, she guides me toward a waiting room. “Have a seat in here and I’ll come and get you in a bit.”

“Katie!” I blurt, catching her attention after she turns to walk away. She cocks her head to the side, looking at me curiously. “My name is Katie.”

A friendly smile slides across her face. “Jennifer.”

“Thank you, Jennifer.” I can’t infuse enough gratitude into those three words, but hopefully she knows just how appreciative I am. Nodding once, she turns away.

Walking into the waiting room, I notice a young woman asleep on one of the couches. Two little girls are sitting on the floor with a box of crayons and a coloring book, and when I sit down in one of the chairs, they both look up.

“Hi.” The youngest one smiles at me and I can’t help but smile back.

“Hi.”

“Is your fadder here too?” The question is so innocent, and if my heart wasn’t already broken, it would’ve just now.

“No,” I answer, shaking my head.

“Your mudder?”

“No.” I laugh, shaking my head again. “My boyfriend.” My best friend. The love of my life. The man I want to marry. The f—

“Ah!” The pint-sized cherub squeals, slapping a hand over her mouth. “You have a boyfwend?” she whispers. I nod with a smirk and she lowers her hand. “Daddy says no boyfwends until I’m firty.”

“Well, your daddy sounds very smart. I’m almost thirty, so I think I’m good.”

“Want me to pway wif you?” I cock my head to the side, trying to determine if she said ‘play’ or ‘pray.’ “My Nana says I hafta pway awot. She says that will help bwing Daddy back. I will pway wif you, if you want.”

“Stop it, Sally.” The older girl slaps Sally’s arm, but Sally just smiles.

“Dis is Sawah.”

“Hi, Sarah.” I offer a small wave at the young girl. “My name is Katie.”

Sally stands up and walks around the table, not stopping until she’s standing in front of me. “I wike dat name. I havva fwend named Katie.”

“You do?”

Her little head bobs excitedly.

“Knock, knock.” I spin around at the familiar voice and see Jennifer standing in the doorway. “Ready?”

“Yes!” Turning toward Sally, I stick out my hand, thankful that this precious little girl could momentarily distract me. Sally slips her tiny hand in mine and shakes it. “It was so nice meeting you. I’m going to say some extra-special prayers for your Daddy.”

“Fank you,” she says, and her smile brightens the room. But the second I move into the hallway and fall into step behind Jennifer, that brightness fades.

After she slides her badge, the door clicks and she pulls it open, I follow her into the dimly lit ICU. She asks, “Have you been updated on Sergeant Clay’s status?”