Point of Retreat(65)

"Oh, thank god," I say. Sherry lets go of me and darts around the corner.

"Which one of you is with the other young lady?" he asks.

Gavin and I both look at each other. The doctor's singular reference makes my heart stop.

"There are two!" I yell, frantic. "There are two of them!"

He looks puzzled as to why I'm yelling at him. "I'm sorry," he says. "I was only brought the girl and a young lady. Sometimes when they go straight to surgery, they don't come to me first. I only have news on a young lady with the blond hair."

"Eddie! Is she okay?" Gavin asks.

"She's stable. They're still running some tests, so you can't go back yet."

"What about the baby? Is the baby okay?"

"That's why they're running tests, sir. I'll be back as soon as I know more."

He starts to walk away when I run after him and cut him off in the hallway. "Wait!" I say. "What about Lake? I haven't heard anything. Is she okay? Is she in surgery? Why is she in surgery?"

He looks at me with pity in his eyes. It makes me want to punch him.

"I'm sorry, sir. I only treated the other two. I'll do my best to find some answers and get back with you as soon as I can." He walks away in a hurry.

They’re not telling me anything! They aren’t telling me a damn thing! I lean against the wall of the hallway and slide down to the floor. I pull my knees up and rest my elbows on them and bury my face in my hands.

“Will?”



I look up and Kel is looking down at me.

“Why won’t they just tell us if she’s okay or not?”



I grab his hand and pull him to the floor with me. I put my arm around him and he hugs me back. I stroke his hair and kiss him on top of the head, because I know that’s what Lake would do. "I don't know, Kel. I don't know." I hold him while he cries. As much as I want to scream; as much as I want to cry; as much as my world is crashing down around me…I have to hold it all in for this little boy. I can't even begin to imagine what he's feeling. How scared he must be. Lake is the only thing he has in this world. I hold him and kiss his head until he cries himself to sleep.

***

“Will?”



I look up and Sherry is standing over me. I start to stand up but she shakes her head and points at Kel who has fallen asleep in my lap. She sits down in the floor next to me.

“How’s Kiersten?” I ask.

“She’ll be okay. She’s asleep. They may not even keep her overnight.” She reaches over and strokes Kel's hair. “Gavin said you guys haven’t heard anything about Layken yet?”



I shake my head. “It’s been over an hour, Sherry.” I turn my head and look at her. “Why aren’t they telling me anything? They won’t even tell me if she’s…” I can’t finish the sentence. I inhale a deep breath, trying my best to maintain my composure for Kel’s sake.

“Will…if that were the case they would have told you so by now. It means they’re doing everything they can.”



I know she’s just trying to help, but her statement hits me hard. I pick Kel up and carry him back to the waiting room and sit him in the chair next to Gavin.

"I'll be back," I say. I run down the hallway to the nurse’s station, but naturally there isn’t anyone there. The doors that lead to the emergency rooms stay locked, so they don’t budge when I try to open them. I look around for someone. There are a few people staring at me in the general waiting area, but no one offers to assist me. I walk to the area behind the nurses’ station and look around until I find the button that opens the doors. I press the button, then jump over the desk and run through the doors just as they open.

“Can I help you?” a nurse asks when I pass her in the hallway. I keep running. I round a corner and see a sign that says patient rooms to the right, surgery to the left. I turn left. As soon as I see the double doors that lead to the operating rooms, I hit the button on the wall to open them. Before they're even open far enough, I try to squeeze myself through them but a man pushes me back.

“You can’t be in here,” he says.

“No! I need in there!” I continue to try and shove past him.

He’s a lot stronger than me. He pushes me against the wall and lifts his leg, kicking the button with his foot. The doors close behind him. “You aren’t allowed in there,” he says calmly. “Now who are you looking for?” He releases his grip on my arms and stands back.