She sat in the closest chair and took a deep breath. Brett was still alive and that was all that mattered.
“Here you go. You’ll feel better after you’ve had this.” Pat sat beside her. “Mary-Beth and I were having dinner in the hospital’s cafeteria when the police called. We came downstairs and saw Brett when he arrived. He didn’t look good.”
Hannah closed her eyes, trying hard not to imagine what Pat must have seen.
“The doctors wouldn’t let us stay with him for very long. He wanted Mary-Beth to tell you what had happened. She couldn’t contact you, so she called John Fletcher, Brett’s friend. I said I would wait out here until you arrived.”
“Is Mary-Beth with Brett?”
Pat nodded. “I don’t know how much longer they’ll be.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Claire walked into the Emergency Department. “There you are.” She sat beside Hannah. “Hi, Pat. How’s Brett?”
“He’s having some X-rays taken. At the moment, he has a concussion, possibly some broken ribs, and a few nasty cuts and bruises.”
“That’s better than what I thought you were going to say.” Claire looked closely at Hannah. “You look a little pale.”
“I’m okay now. Where’s Jason?”
“He had to go back into town. It’s busy here tonight.”
Hannah watched people come and go from the waiting area. “Friday and Saturday nights are probably the worst. Do you know how the driver of the other vehicle is, Pat?”
“No. The police wouldn’t tell us anything about him.”
“How is Ida? Brett said the doctors have reduced her medication.”
Pat sat forward in his chair. “She’s doing so well. Tomorrow, the doctors are going to wake her from her coma.”
“That’s wonderful,” Hannah said. “I hope it all goes well.”
“So do I. It has been a stressful few weeks. And now with Brett’s accident…”
Hannah patted his hand. “He’ll be okay. Thank you for meeting us here.”
“I didn’t want you worrying about what was happening.”
Claire found some magazines and offered them to Pat and Hannah. For the next hour, they sat in the plastic hospital chairs, waiting for any news of Brett.
Hannah flicked through another magazine, then handed it to Claire. “It’s no use. I can’t concentrate.”
“Would you like a hot drink?” Claire asked. “There’s a coffee machine on the other side of the waiting area.”
“Not for me,” Hannah said. “But Pat might like one?”
“No. I’m all right.” He glanced at his watch. “They can’t be too far away.”
Claire left Hannah’s magazine on a table. “I suppose it depends on how busy they are in radiology.”
Another set of doors opened and Brett’s sister walked into the waiting area. Mary-Beth’s face was as pale as the moon.
Hannah hugged her close. “Are you all right?”
“I’m better now. I thought Brett was going to die. His truck’s side impact bars and airbags probably saved his life.”
Mary-Beth looked at Pat. “He’s going to be okay. He has two broken ribs, but no other broken bones or internal injuries.”
“That’s good news.” He took a shaky breath. “This reminds me so much of when Stevie had his accident.”
Shocked by what had happened, Hannah had forgotten about Pat and Ida’s son. It must have been terrible when Pat heard that Brett had been in an accident.
“Brett’s nearly ready to be transferred to a ward,” Mary-Beth said. “His doctor wants to admit him overnight. Even though it’s late, we can go upstairs with him.”
Pat didn’t need to be told twice. He stood and walked through the Emergency Department doors with Mary-Beth.
Claire walked beside Hannah. “Breathe. He’ll be all right.”
She took a deep breath and tried to imagine that everything was okay. But it wasn’t. Her whole world had tilted on its axis, sending everything she believed into a chaotic mess. And she didn’t know how to make it better.
