“Great, thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
By the time he put all his stuff in the bag, another nurse came to take Tripp to ICU. He followed, wearing his new scrubs and socks. Fuck his boots, he wasn’t putting them back on right now.
They got Tripp all hooked up and good to go, then left him to himself. He went to the phone that sat on the little tray and dialed the only number he had memorized. His phone was toast, he had it in his pocket when he went into the water. He tried turning it on, but it was done for.
The phone rang for a minute before someone answered. “Hello?” his mom said.
“Hey, mom.”
“Jayme? What’s wrong?”
His bottom lip trembled, and it took him a couple times before he could even talk. “It’s Tripp. He’s in ICU in Galveston. I don’t know if he’s gonna make it.”
She gasped. “Oh my God, what happened?”
“He had to save a puppy stuck on a car in the middle of a river of rushing water. A car hit him, and he got stuck under it. I got him out, but he...he was gone. The paramedics brought him back, but he’s already...he’s already had to be revived twice since he’s been here. They don’t know if he’s going to make it.”
“Oh, Sweetie, I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
“I don’t have Tripp’s mom’s number. My phone is dead. Can you try and look it up for me?”
“Sure, Honey. Hold on, let me get on the computer.”
After a few minutes of searching, she finally found the right number. He thanked her and promised to call back with any news. He then called Donna, a rock of dread sitting in his stomach as he listened to it ringing.
“Hello?”
“Donna?”
“Jayme? Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Oh God. It’s Tripp isn’t it?”
He couldn’t answer. His throat had closed up.
“Jayme is he still alive?” she whispered.
“Yes,” he croaked. “But it’s not looking good.”
“Where are you?”
“John Sealy Hospital in Galveston.”
“I’m coming, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay.”
“See you soon.”
She hung up before he could answer. God, he hoped she made it.
~~~
Jayme
“Jayme?”
He glanced over his shoulder to see Donna, Elianna, and Brett walking into the room. Relief crashed over him and brought tears to his eyes. He didn’t have to deal with this alone. He got up and went to them. Donna pulled him into a fierce hug. When she let him go, she cupped his face for a moment before moving on to see Tripp. Elianna was next, and then Brett.
“It’s okay, man. Tripp’s a strong dude, he’ll make it,” Brett murmured to him, before giving him a squeeze and letting him go.
He sniffed, and wiped his leaking eyes with the back of his hand. He nodded, but he didn’t feel as sure about it as Brett did.
“What happened?” Elianna asked.
Jayme told them what happened. He hoped it was the last time for a while that he’d have to relay the story. Just the thought of Tripp under that water like that made him nauseous. He was going to have nightmares about it for sure.
“Has the doctor been in at all?” Donna asked, as she took Tripp’s hand and held it.
“Yeah, a couple of times. He said that even if he does come out of it, he was under the water for too long; and he may have some brain damage.”
Donna nodded.
“Where’s the dog now?” Elianna asked.
“My friends, Brendan and Will, have him.”
“I hope he was fucking worth it.” Brett scoffed.
“Tripp would say that he was,” Elianna said.
“Jayme, why don’t you take a break; go get something to eat. I’m sure you’ve got to be hungry,” Donna said.
“I’m really not all that hungry to be honest.”
“You really should eat something, Sweetie.” She frowned. “A granola bar, anything. You look like you’re about to drop.”
“I’m exhausted,” he admitted with a heavy sigh.
“Aw, Honey. Go back to your hotel room and get some sleep. We’ll stay with Tripp. Here, take my phone and Elianna will call it if anything changes.”
“No. I can’t leave.”
The thought of something happening while he was away made him want to crawl out of his skin. No way was he leaving Tripp’s side.
“Okay. Maybe we can get a cot, or something brought in, you could at least lay down.”
He nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll ask the nurse.”
He stepped out of the room and went to the nurse’s station a few feet away. He asked them about a cot, and they said they would get one for him. He thanked them and walked back towards Tripp’s room.
“Jayme.”
He looked up to see Brendan and Will walking toward him.
“Hey,” he said wearily.
“Man, they did not want to let us in. But we said we just needed to talk to you for a minute, then we’d leave. How’s he doing?”
“He’s stable at the moment.”
“That’s good, I guess.” Brendan said.