Evan
“Evan, thank God!”Tess ran up to me as Ellie and I got off the hospital elevator and buried her head in my chest. She looked up at me with glossy and tired eyes. “Did Ellie tell you everything?”
I nodded as we made our way over to the chairs in the ICU waiting room.
“How is she?”
Tess looked down and shook her head.
“I keep asking. Last time was right before Ellie left to get you. They were waiting for the specialist, Dr. Stephens. We haven’t seen her in hours.” I hated seeing Tess like this. Jack used to call her General Tess to tease her, but now she was a broken mess.
“Hi, son. Glad you’re here.” John wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “She needs you.”
John was the only one in the room who didn’t look like he was about to fall apart. But, both his brother and his son had died young. Maybe that desensitized a person to looming tragedy? Even if it was his favorite and only niece.
“I need her, too.”
“Hi, I’m Dr. Stephens. I assume you’re all Paige’s family.” We all turned our heads at once. Dr. Stephens looked young, not much older than Paige or me. She gave us all a tight smile.
“Paige is settled into a bed and is still in and out of sleep. Her breathing is still quite labored and her fever is high. She’s still in a bad flare, and her immune system is very weak and open to other infections. She already has pneumonia. I’d like to do a lumbar puncture to rule out a brain infection. I won’t lie to you, her condition is critical but the ICU will give her very good care. She’s awake now if you’d like to see her. We’ll do the lumbar puncture in about twenty minutes.”
“Where’s her room?” Dr. Stephens grimaced at me.
“ICU is immediate family only.”
“He can see her. He’s family.” Tess gazed at me and nodded.
“ICU is through the automatic doors down the hall—” I was halfway there before she could finish the sentence.
I understood for the first time how my dad had felt after mom died. Empty and broken, as though something had hacked your soul to pieces and left you with nothing. But Paige was still here. I needed to show her I wasn’t going anywhere. That I would gladly go to hell and back for her,withher because she was it for me. My life. My soul. My Daisy. The one who made everything beautiful.
I ran up to the nurses’ station and tried to catch my breath.
“Paige Taylor. Where is her room?”
“Sir, are you family?”
“I need to see her,please.” The nurse pursed her lips at me and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, sir. Immediate family only. This is the ICU.”
I glimpsed the dry erase board next to her desk that listed room assignments. Paige’s room was right next to the nurses’ station. I rushed towards her half open door when a male nurse pulled me back by the arm.
“I’m not leaving.” I saw Paige over the nurse’s shoulder. She was lying with her hands on her face. “Paige? Daisy, it’s me!”
He rolled his eyes and looked around. “Sir, please. She’s a very sick girl.” He lowered his voice and nodded towards her room. “Just make it quick.”
I barreled through the door as Paige’s gaze met mine. Her face was wet, and her breathing was labored. Leaning on her elbows, she struggled to sit up. Seeing her this sick gutted me so badly my chest ached. Paige’s beautiful body was turning on itself and killing her little by little.
I stormed to her hospital bed, my fists balled to hide the fact my hands were shaking. My entire body trembled like a damn leaf. Every emotion crashed down on me at once.
I took her face in my trembling hands, searching her gaze until her heavy eyes met mine.
“I love you, and I’m not going anywhere. Now, you’re going to tell me what’s going on. And why you lied to me.”
Paige lay back against the pillow with her eyes half shut as they fixed on me.
“Daisy, I’m asking you to tell me the truth. From the beginning. Why did you push me away?” I pulled the chair next to her bed closer and took a seat.
