Finally, I pull into the hospital and hand the truck off to the valet. Ashley and I go inside, where I query the volunteer on duty. Armed with my father’s whereabouts, I lead Ashley to the elevator that will take us to the floor that houses the ICU.
Ashley grabs my hand and entwines her fingers through mine.
I soften a little. Her small hand is engulfed by my large one, but at least I know how to hold it now. It gives me comfort. Not that I need comfort at the moment. Or do I?
The elevator dings, bringing us to the floor. She and I walk hastily to another volunteer.
“I’m here for Floyd Jolly.”
“And you are?”
“Dale Steel. He’s my birth father. I’m his emergency contact, apparently.”
“Just a moment, please.” She taps her fingers on her keyboard. “He’s under Dr. Larson’s care. I’ll buzz her to come out and talk to you as soon as she can.”
“Is he…still alive?” I ask.
“As far as I can tell, yes.” The volunteer smiles. “So that’s good news.”
I nod. I guess it’s good news. All those years of tamping down all my emotion, and now I don’t have a clue how to feel about this man. My birth father. My abandoner.
Ashley tugs on my arm. “Let’s sit. Do you want anything? I can find you a cup of coffee somewhere.”
I don’t want any coffee, but it will give Ashley something to do so I won’t have to talk. “Thanks. That would be great.”
She squeezes my hand before dropping it and walks out of the waiting area.
I plunk down on a chair. A display of magazines sits on the table in front of me. Cosmopolitan. Yeah, no thanks. Woman’s Day. Nope. Esquire. Still a hard no, though it’s better than the other two. No Agriculture Weekly? No Food and Wine? I sigh and grab my phone. I can at least catch up on emails.
“Mr. Steel?”
I nearly jump out of my chair when a woman holds out her hand.
“I’m Dr. Larson.”
I stand. “Dale Steel. How is Mr. Jolly?”
“It’s lucky you got here when you did,” she says. “Any later and he’d already be in surgery. He has two coronary artery blockages, and he didn’t respond to other treatment, which means we need to do a triple bypass right away.”
I inhale. “I see. And what is his prognosis?”
“Most patients do quite well, but I won’t lie to you. There are risks.”
“What kind of risks?”
“Bleeding, infection, memory loss. Sometimes kidney issues or stroke.”
“I see.” My tone is apathetic. I don’t know how to feel. I can’t feel.
Ashley walks toward us carrying a large paper cup. “Any news?”
“Doctor, this is my…friend. Ashley White.”
Ashley holds out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“My pleasure,” the doctor says. “I’ll let Mr. Steel explain what’s going on. I need to get to the OR.” She pulls a mask over her face and rushes through the double doors out of the waiting area.
Ashley hands me the coffee. “What’s going on?”
“Triple bypass surgery,” I say in a monotone.
Her eyes widen. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I sit back down and place the coffee on the table in front of me.
Ashley sits next to me. “How long will he be in surgery?”
“I don’t know.”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“I didn’t ask.” I should have asked. If my true father were in there, I’d have researched this on my phone and asked all the right questions.
Ashley fiddles with her own phone. “Looks like between three and six hours.”
I sigh. “There goes this whole day. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
“Are you kidding?” Then she frowns. “I mean, you’re my boss, so if you want me to get back and work, I will.”
“Do what you want,” I say.
“I want to be with you.” She grabs my hand once more. “You shouldn’t be alone here.”
“My mom offered to take the day off and come,” I say. “I told her no.”
“What about your dad?”
“I told him no as well.”
That response seems to surprise her. “Then I’m definitely staying. I get that this guy’s a stranger to you, but you shouldn’t be alone.”
Her words have a tone I can’t quite place.
Then her vibrancy returns. “You can dock me a day’s pay. Except that I’m not paid. So I’ll be happy to work late the rest of the week. Or work this weekend. Whatever you need.”
I let out a scoff without meaning to, knowing I should keep the following thought to myself but saying it anyway. “I never thought we needed an intern. You’re superfluous.”
It’s not untrue. We don’t need an intern. We never did. Still, now isn’t the time to bring that up. Ashley is here, and I love her. If Uncle Ry never offered her the internship, she and I wouldn’t have met.
Which may have been best for both of us.
Definitely best for her.