smile was still there.
“Fuck!” Ty shouted. “We gotta save him. Oh God, oh God.” He was about to pee his pants he was so scared.
The man pulled Christian’s chin up and put his ear to his lips. Then, without another word he began blowing into Christian’s mouth.
Ty forced himself to his feet even though his head felt wobbly on his neck. “I’ll go get help.” He took off running at a crazy tilt toward the school.
Chapter Five
Hannah hugged herself as she sat hunched over in the hard plastic chair. The emergency room at Middlesex Hospital was blessedly peaceful at five o’clock on a Monday evening. Despite its small size, she had heard good things about the private, rural facility. She prayed it would live up to its reputation by saving Christian’s life.
Please, God, let him be okay.
Paula Smythe, Christian’s mother, had arrived ten minutes earlier in skimpy workout clothes and was now inside with her son. The last time Hannah had checked in at school, Larissa was still trying to track down Bill Smythe. He had apparently been out of the office all afternoon, much to the chagrin of his secretary, who admitted she had no idea where he’d gone or when he would be back. Christian had once confided that his parents were both having affairs, so it was possible the man was shacked up somewhere with his cell phone turned off.
She rubbed her arms to stop the shivering that had taken over ever since she jumped in the back of the ambulance to ride with an unconscious Christian to the hospital. The rescue squad had put him on a respirator and pumped Valium into him, but he hadn’t regained consciousness. When they arrived at the hospital, one of the doctors said something about a possible “subarachnoid hemorrhage”, which Hannah figured out meant a ruptured blood vessel at base of his brain. What if he slipped into a coma? Or worse? She trembled violently.
“Hannah!”
She raised her head. John Emerson was striding through the ER toward her, looking nearly as worried as she felt. She began to rise, the impulse to walk into his arms surprisingly strong, but she held herself back. Best not to go there.
He sat beside her. “I went back to school, hoping to catch you, and Larissa told me what happened. Is he okay?”
She shrugged and wished she had given in to the impulse to seek comfort in his arms. “I’m so afraid, John,” she whispered. “I’m so afraid he’ll…”
He reached for her hands. “I know. Hey, your hands are like ice. And you’re shivering.” He shucked off his jacket and laid it over her shoulders, then went to work warming up her hands by rubbing them vigorously between both of his. She told him what little she knew about Christian’s condition—and then she remembered.
“I hope you’ll treat this episode sympathetically. You know, in the book.”
He squeezed her hands. “You can count on it.” The concerned look in his eyes made her believe him.
“Thanks,” she said softly.
“How about if I go get us both some coffee?” He lifted her hair out from under the jacket in a tender gesture that melted something inside of her. “Are you hungry?”
She shook her head, the thought of food making her nauseous. “Just coffee would be great. Thanks.” She watched him walk through the waiting area and turn down the corridor leading to the cafeteria, then closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall.
John Emerson was becoming important to her in spite of the short time they’d known each other. Earlier this afternoon she’d bitten his head off for meddling, yet she’d been the one to wave her ugly past in his face. Why she felt safe sharing such painful memories with him she couldn’t imagine, but right now having him here made it easier to deal with the horror of Christian’s condition.
Good Lord. Christian was lying in a hospital bed unconscious, possibly close to death, and she was thinking about what she needed. With her eyes still closed, she sent up
“Fuck!” Ty shouted. “We gotta save him. Oh God, oh God.” He was about to pee his pants he was so scared.
The man pulled Christian’s chin up and put his ear to his lips. Then, without another word he began blowing into Christian’s mouth.
Ty forced himself to his feet even though his head felt wobbly on his neck. “I’ll go get help.” He took off running at a crazy tilt toward the school.
Chapter Five
Hannah hugged herself as she sat hunched over in the hard plastic chair. The emergency room at Middlesex Hospital was blessedly peaceful at five o’clock on a Monday evening. Despite its small size, she had heard good things about the private, rural facility. She prayed it would live up to its reputation by saving Christian’s life.
Please, God, let him be okay.
Paula Smythe, Christian’s mother, had arrived ten minutes earlier in skimpy workout clothes and was now inside with her son. The last time Hannah had checked in at school, Larissa was still trying to track down Bill Smythe. He had apparently been out of the office all afternoon, much to the chagrin of his secretary, who admitted she had no idea where he’d gone or when he would be back. Christian had once confided that his parents were both having affairs, so it was possible the man was shacked up somewhere with his cell phone turned off.
She rubbed her arms to stop the shivering that had taken over ever since she jumped in the back of the ambulance to ride with an unconscious Christian to the hospital. The rescue squad had put him on a respirator and pumped Valium into him, but he hadn’t regained consciousness. When they arrived at the hospital, one of the doctors said something about a possible “subarachnoid hemorrhage”, which Hannah figured out meant a ruptured blood vessel at base of his brain. What if he slipped into a coma? Or worse? She trembled violently.
“Hannah!”
She raised her head. John Emerson was striding through the ER toward her, looking nearly as worried as she felt. She began to rise, the impulse to walk into his arms surprisingly strong, but she held herself back. Best not to go there.
He sat beside her. “I went back to school, hoping to catch you, and Larissa told me what happened. Is he okay?”
She shrugged and wished she had given in to the impulse to seek comfort in his arms. “I’m so afraid, John,” she whispered. “I’m so afraid he’ll…”
He reached for her hands. “I know. Hey, your hands are like ice. And you’re shivering.” He shucked off his jacket and laid it over her shoulders, then went to work warming up her hands by rubbing them vigorously between both of his. She told him what little she knew about Christian’s condition—and then she remembered.
“I hope you’ll treat this episode sympathetically. You know, in the book.”
He squeezed her hands. “You can count on it.” The concerned look in his eyes made her believe him.
“Thanks,” she said softly.
“How about if I go get us both some coffee?” He lifted her hair out from under the jacket in a tender gesture that melted something inside of her. “Are you hungry?”
She shook her head, the thought of food making her nauseous. “Just coffee would be great. Thanks.” She watched him walk through the waiting area and turn down the corridor leading to the cafeteria, then closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall.
John Emerson was becoming important to her in spite of the short time they’d known each other. Earlier this afternoon she’d bitten his head off for meddling, yet she’d been the one to wave her ugly past in his face. Why she felt safe sharing such painful memories with him she couldn’t imagine, but right now having him here made it easier to deal with the horror of Christian’s condition.
Good Lord. Christian was lying in a hospital bed unconscious, possibly close to death, and she was thinking about what she needed. With her eyes still closed, she sent up
Similar Books
