25
It’s been an hour, and I’ve worn a path in the carpet. It should have only taken Drew fifteen minutes to get here. I keep looking outside. A light snow is falling. It’s April…it’s not supposed to snow in April.
I let the curtain fall and take a seat on the couch for the millionth time—okay, not that many, but quite a few. My nerves are frayed. My mom says that all the time, but now I know what she means by it.
I feel like this night will be the turning point in my life, and I hope it goes the way I want it to go. I want Drew—any way I can have him. Where in the hell did that that come from? I do want him? Oh, who am I fooling? Yeah, he might tire of me after a few months, but I’ll still have a part of him forever. I touch my stomach and feel the little bump that’s starting to show.
“Where is your father?” I say to him or her.
I hear a cell ringing and I glance at mine, but the ringing comes from another room, so it’s Jeff’s phone. I hear his muffled voice and then nothing. A feeling of dread like I’ve never felt before comes over me. I know a call this late at night isn’t good.
His door opens. The first thing I notice is that he’s fully dressed and pulling on his jacket. His face is grim as he looks down at me. I know something really bad has happened, and I know it affects me.
“Dora, I’m going to get your coat. That was Liam. We have to go to the hospital. Drew’s been in an accident.”
My stomach rolls, and I don’t make it to the bathroom. Jeff rubs my forehead and holds back my hair as I dry heave into the kitchen sink. When I feel that I’m in control, he lets me go. I turn around as he brings me my coat. I’m numb. Jeff kisses me on the forehead, helps me with my coat, takes my arm, and leads me out of the apartment.
The car is toasty, but I’m still shivering with a deep cold inside me. I’m praying that Drew is okay and he’ll smile at me when he sees me and we will live happily ever after, or until he gets sick of me.
“It’s my fault. I called him and he said he would come right over. Oh, Jeff, what if he …” I can’t continue as uncontrollable sobs tear through me. Jeff grabs my hand tightly.
“Stop it, Dora. Liam didn’t say, but we have to think positive. It’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. I made you call him.”
He squeezes my hand, and I turn, trying to control my sobs. I see a tear roll down his cheek. If this is a nightmare, I want to wake up. Please don’t let this be real. With my free hand, I pinch myself and it’s real. It’s so fucking real.
We arrive at the ER a few minutes later. The bright lights of the foyer sting my eyes, or it might be the salt from my tears. Jeff drops me at the front door and leaves to park the car. I immediately see Liam and Colin as I walk through the automatic doors. Again, my legs turn to rubber as I see the looks on their faces. They rush forward and both reach for me before I sink to the floor.
Liam picks me up and moves to the waiting room, putting me down on an overstuffed sofa. He takes a seat beside me
“How is he?” I whisper. Please, please let him be okay.
“We don’t know. Nobody has come out to talk to us. We called his dad, his sister, Emily, and we tried reaching his mom, but she’s somewhere out of the country,” Colin answers, his face as white as a ghost.
“It’s my fault. He was coming to see me,” I say, feeling numb and exhausted.
“How is it your fault? He was like a little kid after he got off the phone. He …” Liam chokes up and I pat his hand and lean into him, closing my eyes and letting the beat of his heart try to soothe me.
“How is he?” Jeff’s voice sounds close, but I have no energy to look at or answer him. I hear Colin mumble a few words and then nothing but Liam’s heart beating and an annoying TV that’s blaring from somewhere close by.
An hour later, Drew’s father joins us, looking worried. He worry turns to anger when Colin tells him we haven’t been told anything. He storms off. I let Liam’s heartbeat take me away again. I must have fallen asleep, because when I open my eyes, Emily is there, and so are a bunch of people I’ve met and some I’ve only seen in magazines.
Liam explains the late-night news had reported the accident, and people just started showing up. The agency also sent over private security to keep the press at bay. And there is still no news on Drew’s condition.
Emily sees me talking to Liam and comes over, making Jeff move so she can sit beside me. Her face is tear-streaked. She grabs my free hand and draws me into a hug. My stomach starts tumbling, and I stand up quickly. Jeff is right there, guiding me away from the crowd and into a secluded hallway. I want to see Drew. I have to see Drew.
“Jeff, I have to see Drew. Please help me. I can’t stand not knowing if he’s okay.” I cling to him and he pats my back and then seats me in a chair that he grabs from an open empty room.
“I’ll be right back,” Jeff assures me, and I let my head fall into my hands. I hear him on the phone, and then he’s back with a slight smile on his face.
“What did you do?”
“I called my dad. He’s calling the CEO of this hospital. In a few minutes, we should have some action. Let’s go back to the waiting room. I know it’s crowded, but they need to be able to find us.”
The room is just how we left it, except everyone is silent. A harried-looking man in a long white coat with a stethoscope slung around his neck enters a few minutes after Jeff and I sit down. All eyes focus on him.
“I need to talk to the immediate family of Drew Johnson.” I zero in on his father and Emily, who for some reason grab my arm and take me with them. We follow the man down another hallway and into a small room, really more like a large closet.
“I’m Dr. Morely, and I’ve been attending to Drew. The crash was pretty serious and so are his injuries. We lost him a few times, but he’s stable enough now to undergo surgery. He’s bleeding internally, and we have to find the source. His right leg is broken, but we’ll fix that after we get the bleeding under control. We need you to sign the forms so we can take him to the OR. We’re sorry we haven’t come out sooner, but it was touch and go, and my team and I were very busy.” He sounds exasperated, but I don’t feel guilty. We were in the dark.
Emily and I go back to the waiting room, arms around each other. Her father follows the doctor to sign the papers. I know how the doctor felt, because as soon as we walk into the room, it’s like a spotlight is on us.
“Well?” Jeff comes up to me and holds my hand.
“He’s going to surgery because he’s bleeding internally and they don’t know where, so they have to stop it.”
Emily starts crying and Liam and Colin move in to comfort her.
Time seems to stand still, but the hands on the clock say differently. It’s been four hours since we last talked to the doctor. In that time, the head of the modeling agency showed up, followed by a catering service handing out coffee, tea, and pretty much anything you can think of as far as drinks and sandwiches and pastries. A few people eat. I notice the models passing on the food but consuming flavored waters.
“Dora, you should eat something. You didn’t have dinner. And lunch and breakfast weren’t much either.”
I shake my head at Jeff. I definitely don’t want a vomiting session in front of this crowd. He insists I drink a cup of hot tea and it warms me up a little.
“Are all of you here for Drew Johnson?” A petite woman in scrubs is standing in the doorway looking us all over. We nod our heads like sheep. “I’m Dr. Galena and I’m the surgeon. We found the site of the bleeding, and we had to remove Mr. Johnson’s spleen. While we were in the OR, a scan revealed some swelling in the brain. We’ve had to place him in a drug-induced coma in hopes it will give the brain time to heal on its own. Only time will tell. We were able to repair the damage to his leg once the bleeding was under control, and he’s now in intensive care. Only immediate family members are allowed to visit, one at a time, for a few minutes every hour. Even though he’s in a coma, it’s believed that patients in his condition can still hear you. We encourage you to talk to him in a positive manner. Please no negativity. A nurse will be in shortly to take family members back to the ICU waiting room.” She turns and leaves quickly before anyone can ask questions. But what else can she say? We know what she knows.