Her Forever Hero (Unexpected Heroes #3)(71)

Grace was grateful she knew the route to the hospital well enough to drive it with her eyes closed. Okay, maybe not quite that well.

Cam sat beside her, pale, his hands trembling. Her own hands were clenched tightly on the wheel to make sure he didn’t see them shaking. The entire community loved Martin Whitman. If something were to happen to him, she couldn’t imagine how the town would react. It would fall apart. He was the glue that held the place together.

“He’s going to be okay, Cam. He’s too strong and too stubborn to ever let anything happen to him.”

“I know. I’ll just feel better when I get inside and get more information.”

When they finally arrived, they rushed from the car and into the emergency department, where they found Cam’s brothers, their wives, and many other people from the community.

“Why aren’t you in there with Dad?” Cam asked Spence, his voice shaking in panic.

“You know I can’t work on him, Cam, and anyway, I’m a surgeon, not a neurologist,” Spence reminded him. “They’re keeping us updated. It does look like it was a stroke, but Eileen was with him, and they got him here fast.”

“I want to go back there. Get me back there,” Cam demanded.

“You have to calm down, brother,” Jackson said. “It’s bad enough that they’re working on their boss’s father. They don’t need you in there shouting at them.”

“He may be telling you to calm down, but those were the words I just said to him five minutes ago,” Alyssa told him.

“We have a good staff here, Cam, and he got in here without any delay. He’s going to be okay,” Sage assured him, and she threw her arms around her brother-in-law.

“I know, Sage. I just need to see him. Did you see him?”

“Yes. I was in back working when Martin came in. I thought it best that I come out here,” she told Camden. “He was already speaking better by the time he got here. They’re getting him all hooked up and taking scans. The first hour after a stroke is critical, and Eileen got him here quickly.”

Grace looked at Sage and then over at Eileen. Bethel was holding the poor woman as she sobbed quietly in a corner of the waiting room.

“What time did this happen?” Grace asked as two and two started coming together.

“I think about an hour ago now,” Sage answered, and then her eyes widened as she looked at Grace.

Before anyone figured out what the two of them were thinking, the doctor came through the doors, and everyone turned to hear what he had to say.

“Thanks for your patience, Dr. Whitman. We have information about your father. Do you want to follow me into the back?”

“No, that’s okay, Dr. Eiseman, everyone here is family, or family friends, and we all want to know what’s happening,” Spence replied.

“Okay. I’ll explain this so everyone can understand,” he told Spence before looking out at the rest of the group, who were standing by tensely.

“Martin had what we call a transient ischemic attack, TIA stroke for short, or what a lot of people call a ministroke. Some don’t give these strokes the proper attention, but this is a warning, and you need to take it very seriously. A small clot traveled to his brain, and though we’re still going through the scans, it looks like the episode isn’t going to leave any lasting symptoms. We’re very optimistic that there won’t be any permanent brain damage.”

“Then can we see him?”

“He’s getting transferred now,” Dr. Eiseman said, “but I want to repeat that TIAs are often a warning, letting us know we need to make some lifestyle changes so a major stroke doesn’t follow.”

“Is he still in danger?” Cam asked.

“We’ll keep him overnight at the least, but I think the clot will dissolve fully. However, you should know that, after a TIA, one in three people go on to have a major stroke within a year. We need to get him on meds, and he needs to start doing some things differently.”

“I’ll make sure he follows through. I’m not losing my father,” Spence said, the doctor in him never more evident.

“I know you will, Spence. Give the nurses about fifteen minutes to get him moved to his room, and then you can visit. If the people now filling this lobby are all here to see Martin, you know to take turns.”

With that, Dr. Eiseman left them and a hush fell over the crowded lobby, which seemed to be growing more crowded by the minute as news about Martin spread through their small community.

Michael finally spoke up after maintaining his silence the entire time. “Does this mean he’s going to be fine?” he asked.

“Yes, Michael, he should be fine,” Spence assured his brother.

“I’m still not going to feel better until I can see him,” Michael said.

The whole crowd nodded their heads in agreement. Fifteen minutes seemed to take forever, and then there was chaos when it came time to deciding who could go in first.

“Cam, why don’t you and Grace take Eileen back there?” Spence said as he gave his brother a compassionate look.

Eileen objected. “You kids should go and visit him first,” she said.

“I have a feeling he’s going to want to see you,” Spence told her before leaning down and kissing her cheek. “Go give him hell for scaring us so much.”