“I can’t watch this. I—” I shake my head, covering my ears.
“Noah, you’re okay. Everything's okay. Paislee’s going to be fine.” Brad grabs at my arms, looking me right in the eyes. “I’m going to need your help though, can you do that for me?”
I look at his ocean eyes, feeling the calm waves they bring. Focusing on that, I take in what he’s asking me. I nod.
“Okay, good. That’s my Noah.” He grips the back of my neck. “Can you start up the truck? I’ll get Paislee’s stuff together and meet you there in five minutes.” He gives me a squeeze. “I need you, Noah.”
I nod my head. “I’ve got you. I’ll meet you there.”
I throw on a big black baggy sweater, and make a run downstairs.
I’m in the car in less than five minutes and Brad meets me there five minutes after that.
Driving to the hospital at three am was definitely not something I thought we’d be doing on a Sunday night.
Brad frantically dials mom’s number, but it keeps going to voicemail. Of course it would. Can’t count on her for anything.
“Shh, baby girl. We’re almost there,” he says, rubbing her hand. He’s sitting in the back seat with her, and I watch in the rearview mirror as his stress raises with every passing second.
“Noah, how are we doing?” His voice cracks despite his effort to keep it steady.
“Five more minutes. We’re almost there,” I say, moving through traffic as best as I can.
Paislee is all sweat, spit bubbles and tears by the time we get to the emergency room. I drop them off at the door before I swing the car around to find a parking spot. With them out of my sight, panic claws at my chest, each second apart squeezing tighter. As soon as I find the closest parking spot, I jump out of the truck and make a run for it.
Heading into the sliding doors, I look around until I spot them. Paislee is on a stretcher, as Brad follows close behind the nurses. She looks so small as she’s carted away.
“Brad!” I call out.
He doesn’t hear me, but I can see from here the true panic that’s on his face. All that time he spent with me, calmingmedown in the bedroom, I hadn’t even taken in how scared he was.
Shit. I need to be there with him.
My feet move before I do, following after them. A nurse steps in front of me before making it through the electric doors that they’ve gone past.
“Sir. Sorry, you’re going to have to wait out here.”
“No, I’ve got to be with them.”
“Relation?”
“I’m his…she’s my little sister.”
The nurse looks me over before stepping aside. “Okay, come on.” She leads the way, guiding me to the pediatric floor.
I see Brad standing there, outside a room, talking to a doctor.
“Can’t I just stay in there with her? She’s going to be so scared.” His voice shakes.
“I’m afraid not. Let us do what we do best, and we’ll be right out as soon as we can to give you an idea of what’s going on.”
I walk up to them, putting my hand on Brad’s shoulder.
“Excuse me,” the doctor says, nodding to us both before excusing himself back into the room.
Brad visibly shudders, and I waste no time pulling him into my arms.
He wraps his arms around my back, holding me tightly. I do the same, making sure to cover him as best as I can.
