Following Me(59)

“Thanks, I know the way,” Brennan said, cutting him off and loping down the hallway.

Devon followed at his heels, wringing her hands like a maniac. She wished she had a pen to flip, but she had already checked in her bag, and she didn’t find one. Brennan walked down a few corridors and then stopped when they reached the waiting room to the ICU.

He steadied her before they walked to the nurses’ station. “Do you know what she’s here for?” he asked.

“Well, I have a guess.”

Brennan nodded. “Your guess is probably right.”

“I know,” she whispered, staring down.

“Are you ready for this?” He rubbed her arm.

“I don’t know.”

“I wish you didn’t have to see her this way. This isn’t like her. She should have never overdosed.”

Devon gasped. She didn’t know why. She knew that was the reason Hadley was here, but saying it out loud sounded so much worse.

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she was suddenly glad that she was outside the room. All the adrenaline from getting to Hadley was wearing off, and she felt exhausted.

Brennan’s arms wrapped around her, and she leaned into him, thankful that he was here, that he hadn’t gone into work. He kissed the top of her head, and he held her in his arms as she cried through the pain. She was crying for more than Hadley, but the knowledge of what Hadley had done was the most potent at the moment. Why were things falling apart? She felt so guilty for being happy with Brennan this morning when Hadley was suffering all alone.

“You couldn’t have done anything about it,” he whispered against her hair.

“I know,” she said.

“You don’t. But she’ll be okay, and she’ll realize it was her mistake. You can’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.” He was rocking her gently.

“I know,” she repeated.

“You can’t have this on your shoulders, too,” he said, pulling back to examine her.

He bent down and firmly pressed his lips to hers. Devon sighed into him, thinking she would never get tired of this.

“Chin up. Let’s go see her.”

“Alright,” she said shakily.

They turned the corner and walked up to the nurse.

“We’re here to see Hadley Bishop,” Brennan said to the nurse.

“One moment please. Let me see if she can have visitors,” the nurse said, staring down at her computer. The nurse spoke through an intercom to someone and waited for a response. “Alright, you two can go on in. She is in room six. Please be mindful of the nurse working.”

“Thank you,” Brennan said with an appreciative smile.

They walked through the door into the ICU. It was a large hallway of rooms with all glass doors on each side. Each room was easily accessible from the nurses’ station. They walked down the hallway to Hadley’s room. Just as they arrived at the glass door, Garrett walked out and slid the door back into place.

Devon’s stomach lurched at the memory of his body covering hers. He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and she was glad. He should be ashamed. He looked the worse for wear, and Devon wondered how long he had been here with Hadley. The pang of guilt hit her again.

“Glad you made it,” Garrett said, finally looking at her.

She glanced away, not having the strength to challenge him.

“We would have come sooner, but Devon’s phone was off,” Brennan said with a shrug.

“You had your phone off at work?” Garrett asked, confused.

“I didn’t have to work today,” Devon said, not sure why he even cared.

“She was already with me,” Brennan explained before Garrett could ask another question.

Garrett’s eyebrows scrunched together, and his eyes wavered between them. She didn’t want to know what he was thinking.

“Can we see her now?” Brennan asked impatiently.

“Oh, of course,” Garrett said as if he hadn’t realized his body was blocking the entrance. “She’s doing a lot better than when they first brought her in. She’s sedated, and they pumped everything they could out of her system.”

Devon glanced through the glass at her best friend, and a sob escaped her throat when she saw her. Sure, they had been estranged this summer, but Hadley was still her best friend. They had lived together for almost three years, drank at stupid frat parties together, figured out how to cook together, had girlfriend weekends, and so much more. Nearly all her happy memories from college were with Hadley. The worst part of her relationship with Reid had only happened after Hadley left, and it made her sad that six months could change so much.

Her Hadley was the same person as the one who was now lying in a hospital bed, breathing with the assistance of a ventilator and looking as white as the blank sheet covering her body.

“The doctors said that she was lucky to be with other people last night. Her friends brought her in when she became unresponsive, and then they disappeared as soon as they dumped her at the ER,” Garrett said. “The doctors aren’t sure what she was on. So far, they’ve found the primary source to be cocaine.”

“Which explains the sedative,” Brennan said almost to himself.

“Yeah,” Garrett agreed. “But she was clearly drunk and had taken some pain pills as well. From listening to the doctors, I gather they were some pretty strong ones.”