CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
If Hannah thought the hospital’s waiting area was busy, the emergency room was even busier. Nurses and doctors moved back and forth from a large, circular desk as they treated their patients. Different machines were being wheeled between cubicles, and the sound of pumps, monitors, and groaning people filled the air.
“This is like triage hell,” Claire muttered.
Hannah looked at the tired staff. “I bet it gets worse after the bars and clubs close.”
Claire stepped back to allow a nurse to pass. “You’re probably right.”
Mary-Beth stopped beside a cubicle and looked at Hannah. “Brett’s a little battered and bruised. Are you ready to see him?”
“I’m ready.”
Mary-Beth nodded and pulled back the curtain. “Hi, Brett. I brought Pat, Claire, and Hannah with me.”
Hannah’s eyes filled with tears.
Brett looked exhausted and sore. A row of black stitches ran across the left-hand side of his forehead. His face was swollen and bruised and his lip was split open.
Brett’s gray eyes focused on Pat. He reached for Pat’s hand and held on tight.
“How are you feeling, son?”
“Sore,” Brett mumbled.
“Do you need more pain relief?”
He nodded.
Mary-Beth touched Pat’s shoulder. “You stay here. I’ll tell the nurse.”
“Don’t worry,” Pat told Brett. “In a week or two, you’ll be back to your normal self.”
“I hope so.” Brett turned to look at Hannah.
Tears fell down her face when she saw the longing in his eyes. Her heart pounded as the words she’d fought against threatened to overwhelm her.
She loved Brett, loved him with a force that crushed every excuse she’d made to leave Bozeman.
Claire nudged her. “Go and say hello,” she whispered.
Hannah remembered their last conversation and hesitated. “Hi.”
Brett winced as he tried to move.
“Stay where you are,” Hannah said quickly. “You’ll hurt yourself if you move.” She sat on the chair beside his bed and wiped her eyes.
Pat cleared his throat. “I don’t know about you, Claire, but I could do with a walk before Brett goes to his ward.”
Claire smiled. “What a great idea. We’ll find Mary-Beth on our way out.” She gave Hannah a hug. “Be brave.”
“You found your sister,” Brett said after everyone had left.
“Claire was buying milk at Safeway.”
“Milk?”
Hannah sighed. “We’d run out. She saw a friend and talked for longer than she realized.”
