Stuffing the phone in my pocket, I lean my head on the make-shift pillow and close my eyes. I’m exhausted, but it takes forever to fall asleep. I don’t know how Ember will act when I see her.
But Dayton called me.
Me.
Even though Ember has a boyfriend.
Dayton knows Ember will need me.
Me.
* * *
Four hours.I slept four hours on that chair. The cushion became a pancake somewhere around hour number two, but the person who replaced the surly lady has made up for her nastiness.
“Noah, here’s another cup of coffee.”
I thank her when she sets it down.
The shift change occurred at five a.m., and with nobody else in the waiting area, and me being awake, I explained why I’ve been here all night. She promised to whistle when a redhead walks in. I’ll probably see Ember first though. There’s a reason I chose this seat. It’s next to a wall of windows, and those windows look out onto the parking lot and entrance.
Deanna, the nice receptionist, goes back to her desk, as a yawn escapes me. Reaching for the coffee, I resume my vigil. My stomach is in knots.
As I watch, a man parks a sedan and climbs out. He looks up at the building, shuts his door, and starts for the entrance. I blink twice to make sure I’m seeing things clearly. Walking in, he heads straight for the elevators. I struggle to my feet, my coffee forgotten, and try to catch up.
There’s no use, and the elevator doors shut long before I can get there. But there’s only one place my dad could be going, and it makes no sense. I ride the next elevator to the ICU. The nurses station is empty and I have no idea what to do. Across the hall is another waiting room, this one just for this floor. I go in there, choose a seat in view of the door and the nurses station, and wait for my dad to pass by.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
My leg is killing me. It’s time for my medicine, and I need food to go with it. There’s a vending machine in the corner, so I hobble over and choose a bag of pretzels and water.
When I get back in my seat, I pop a few pretzels in my mouth and take my pill. Leaning my head back, I close my eyes for a second.
“Please call her doctor. We want to know how she’s doing.”
I lift my head, blinking.Shit. Damn pain pills. How long have I been asleep?
“Noah?”
Ember stands in the doorway, her feet planted, her body shifting forward like someone pressed the pause button on her stride.
I try to get up, but I’m a mess. My hands are shaking as I reach for my crutches, but one of them falls. I growl in frustration, then hear a sound. A sweet, throaty, amused sound.
Ember is in front of me, reaching down for my fallen crutch. “Here.” She extends the stupid fucking crutch between us. I take it and shove it under my arm, along with the other one, and stand.
Ember stares at me and pinches her bottom lip with two fingers. Behind her is Sky, arms folded in front of herself and eyebrows lifted high onto her forehead.
“Dayton called me,” I explain.
“I see.” Ember nods slowly. She looks tired. The skin beneath her eyes is puffy and faintly purple.
“How is your mom?”
“She has a severe concussion, possible bleeding on the brain. They need the swelling to reduce before they can assess her accurately.” Tears spring to her eyes, but they don’t spill over. “I haven’t been updated since last night. No news is good news, right?” She tries for a smile, but it fails.
“Yes, definitely.” I try to sound upbeat. Sky walks away and sits down.
