I don’t remember driving to the hospital, walking through the doors, or asking around until I found the right floor. Between Janine’s call and reaching the hospital waiting room, everything was a blur. I didn’t allow myself to think. My mind was stuck on a single prayer:Please, let him be okay.I didn’t even know to whom I was praying. Probably to whatever supreme entity was listening.
Janine hadn’t told me any details about Sebastian’s accident or his condition. I knew nothing. She’d just told me to come, and hung up. I hadn’t taken time to call back. I’d just rushed to get here.
Now, I scanned the waiting room, my breath coming in short pants. I’d run all the way from the parking lot and taken the stairs because the damn elevators were too busy or too slow. I spotted Janine standing next to a window, a tissue crumpled in her hand as she stared at the city skyline at dusk.
I rushed to her, taking in her wrinkled beige suit and red-rimmed eyes.
“Janine, what happened? How is Sebastian? What happened?”
I didn’t care I was repeating myself. I had to know. My heart would never beat again unless I knew he was alive, that he was going to be okay.
Janine didn’t rush over to reassure me. She swiped at a tear trailing down her cheek. I’d never seen her so disheveled, and her state scared me even more.
“They don’t know yet.” Her voice was a raspy whisper. “He was leaving work, heading to the gym. He was on his motorcycle, and the brakes failed.” She swallowed. “He hit a pothole andwas thrown off into a storefront. The shards... A piece of glass pierced his femoral artery. They need to operate, but he’s lost too much blood. He needs a transfusion and they don’t have enough. He has a rare blood type, and I’m not a match—”
“I am.” I rolled up my sleeve, looking around. “I’m O negative. Let’s find a nurse.”
I ran down the corridor, looking for anyone wearing scrubs. Between Janine and me, we managed to explain the situation. Bless her, the nurse was trained to deal with incoherent people. She understood quickly. Leading me into a room, she gave me a consent form. I wrote as though in slow motion, desperate to hurry and cursing my shaking hands. As soon as I was done, she took a tube of blood to type and crossmatch.
“Wait here. If this is good, I’ll be back for more.”
The second hand on the clock crawled as I stared at the walls covered in medical posters. Twenty minutes later, the nurse was back.
“You’re good to go.”
She had me lie down and stuck a needle into a vein in my arm. The needle was attached to a clear tube through which my blood flowed, to be collected in a blood bag.
“Take as much as you need. Take all of it if you have to. Just please... Save him.”
“Oh, we can’t take any more than a pint.” She smiled politely, her tone calm. “Taking any more would be dangerous for you.”
I didn’t care about myself. She didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. How could she? It wasn’t the man she loved who needed this blood.
“Please try to relax,” the nurse instructed. “This shouldn’t take more than an hour. I’ll be back to check on you. You might feel a little lightheaded or nauseous. Use this button if you experience any discomfort.”
“Thank you.” I looked up at her imploringly. “Can you please check on my boyfriend? His name is Sebastian Wright—with a W. Can you find out how he is? Please?”
I grabbed her hand with my free one and squeezed with all my strength. She winced, but her eyes remained kind and her smile patient.
She nodded. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Thank you.”
Janine came in and dragged a chair over to sit next to my bed. “Thank you for doing this, Jesse.”
I stared at the ceiling. Tears slid from the corners of my eyes. “You don’t have to thank me, Janine. I would give my life for Sebastian.”
I realized I meant it, without conditions or rewards. I loved Sebastian more than my own life. Nothing else mattered. Everything seemed trivial compared to this. Even what had happened with Ben less than an hour ago seemed unimportant. All I wanted, all that mattered, was that at any time now, someone would come through that door and tell me Sebastian was going to be okay.
“I believe you,” Janine murmured.
I’d almost forgotten she was there, lost in my own thoughts. I turned my head toward her, and a wave of dizziness washed over me. It probably wasn’t a good idea to donate blood on an empty stomach, but I couldn’t stand the thought of food right now.
“Are you okay?” Janine reached out to touch my shoulder. “You’re very pale.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, nodding slowly. “I’m fine.”
“Did you have lunch?”
