“What? You’re the one who didn’t even have your goddamn phone on!” he yells, causing me to hold the phone away from ear. “Are you fucking kidding me, Levi?” His voice cracks and the phone is muffled.
“Are you on your way home?” Mia asks. I close my eyes at the sound of resignation in her voice.
“Yes, I’m on the way. Will you please tell me what’s going on, Mia? Please. I need to know. This is killing me. My phone fell out of my pocket in the car, and I didn’t realize it until the meeting was over. There’s a shitload of messages telling me that Laney isn’t okay, so please—”
“We’re still waiting,” she interrupts gently. A lump forms in my throat, nausea churning deep in my gut. “They took her a while ago to go run some tests and they haven’t brought her back yet.”
“What did the doctor say?” Please tell me she’s going to be okay.
“All the doctor said is that chemotherapy causes the white blood cells to drop and that makes Laney more susceptible to infection. So they’re trying to figure out what’s wrong with her, and they’re going to keep her here until they can get her better.” A sob breaks free from my chest and I lean forward, my shoulders heaving. “Shhh . . .” Mia croons. “Just get home. Okay?”
I don’t even have it in me to respond. My mind is focused on one thing and one thing only—Laney. Handing my phone to Mason, I bury my head in my hands and cry like a fucking baby. If I make it to the hospital and something has happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself.
Time passes, as do the mile markers. Slumped down in the seat, I keep my eyes focused on the constantly changing scenery that is flying by. Mason doesn’t say a word the entire drive and that’s probably for the best, because right now I’m so furious at myself for leaving that I’m liable to say or do something that could irreparably damage our relationship.
At some point along the way, my phone beeps and I look at it strangely, wondering when I got my phone back from Mason.
Mia: She’s in the room. They have her on oxygen and a heart monitor, but we’re still waiting for the tests to come back.
Oxygen? A heart monitor? Oh God.
Me: Is she awake? Has she talked to you?
My phone beeps almost instantly.
Mia: I’m sorry, no. The doctor said that her body is under a lot of stress and she’ll probably fade in and out quite a bit.
Me: Let me know if anything changes.
The next few hours are the longest of my life. Although they creep by at a snail’s pace, Mason somehow manages to make a five-hour trip in a little less than four hours. When the car screeches to a halt, I bolt out the door before Mason even has time to shift into park. I can hear him running after me, but there is no way I’m slowing down. The doors open automatically and the woman at the front desk smiles when I run in, then her eyes quickly widen. “ICU?”
“Fifth floor. Take the elevator up and then turn left.” She’s shouting the directions at me because I’m already running toward the stairs. Fuck the elevator. I bound up the steps, two at a time, and when I reach the fifth floor, I shove through the door and fly down the hall, looking for anyone that might be able to help me.
“Levi!” Turning around, I find Mia, Benny and Luke walking out of a room.
“Is she in there?” I jog over to them, but Mia shakes her head.
“This is just the waiting room.” I follow the three of them in the room and Luke immediately starts pacing, his hands planted firmly on the top of his head.
“Any news? Where is she at? Can I go see her?” I ask. Mason strides into the room, heaving and out of breath.
“We haven’t even seen her,” Luke growls. “We’ve been sitting in this goddamn room for the past five fucking hours, waiting to hear something . . . anything.”
“But Mia, you made it sound like . . .” She shakes her head and my words trail off.
“I didn’t get to see her, Levi. The nurse just came to give us an update. The ICU has really strange visiting hours and we have to wait another two hours before we can see her. And even then, we can only go in one at a time.”
“Fuck that.” I dig my phone out of my pocket, thankful that my best friend’s fiancé is a doctor here at the hospital. And right now, Tyson might be the only one who can help.
Me: Are you working tonight?
I slouch into a seat and breathe in for what feels like the first time since I found my phone. My knee is bouncing furiously. I need to see her and hold her and tell her I love her. I need to see with my own two eyes that she’s okay and that she’s still here. My phone vibrates in my hand and everyone stops to stare at me.
Tyson: Yup. What’s up?
Me: I need you to get me into the ICU. It’s Laney.
His reply is almost instantaneous.