"I was just up there in the operating room and didn't see any sign of Angus's or Betty's ghosts," Jeremy told him.
"And I doubt I'll see them, but I need to at least try. Besides, I want to see how things are going with Angus. I'll be back." Ray started to leave.
"Find us in the surgery waiting room. I'm going up as soon as I sign the papers," Lance told him, then hushed as the door opened and the nurse walked in, followed by the doctor.
The nurse set a pair of surgical scrubs on the bed and met his gaze. "You got off easy since you are a doctor and you'll be staying on hospital grounds tonight."
That was all Lance needed to hear. He listened to the doctor as he pulled the scrubs on. Once they handed him that paper to sign, he was going to go wait for Angus. He wasn't going to waste a minute longer worrying about his own minor injuries.
CHAPTER SIX
Lance sat in the uncomfortable chair as he waited with the rest of the group for any news on Angus. If it hadn't been for the ghosts coming in and out of the operating room to give them updates, they wouldn't have known anything that was going on.
So far, all they knew was that the surgery seemed to be going well. Eve understood how to read the machines and had let them know that Angus's vitals, while lower than normal, weren't in dangerous territory. The neck wound was severe, and it was taking a long time to make sure everything was stitched back into place.
Ten hours. It had been ten hours since the explosion. That meant Angus had been in surgery nearly nine hours. Lance felt every second of it. While Megan napped with her head against Jackson's shoulder, Lance couldn't relax enough to even try to sleep. He kept staring at the doorway leading to the operating rooms, imagining Angus's ghost walking toward him. It was a vision he couldn't rid himself of.
Franks was restless but was keeping them in supply of coffee through the long hours. He'd also brought donuts, but Lance didn't think he could eat. Lizzy was in a room upstairs, recovering from her minor surgery and Martin wheeled himself back and forth from her to the emergency room. He looked exhausted, but like Lance, he wouldn't allow himself to relax until they had news about Angus.
The ghosts came and went, opting to spend most of their time in the operating room so they'd know right away if something went wrong. Lance was grateful to them for that. It was that fact alone that had helped him keep his sanity while waiting. If not for the frequent updates, he would have stormed the operating room already, seeking information.
"Hey, any news?" Gretta stepped into the waiting room. She looked tired.
"Hey, you." Franks walked over to greet her and gave her a quick kiss. "You should have gone home to bed."
"I wanted to be here with you guys. Angus is a friend. Besides, I wanted to support you and Lance." She gave Lance a small smile. "You holding up okay?"
"Trying." Lance shrugged, then winced at the pain. "How bad is it at work?"
"We can talk work in a second. First, tell me what's going on with Angus?" Gretta sat down beside Lance and Franks sat beside her.
"No news yet." Lance sighed. He couldn't tell her about the ghost's reports because she didn't know he could see them. Gretta was new to the area and while she did work with him at the Medical Examiner's Office, he wasn't close enough to her to tell her about his ability. Recently, she'd been hanging out with Franks, and despite them denying anything was going on between them, he'd caught them kissing more than once. "We're waiting for news."
"Do they have any idea how much longer?" Gretta asked.
"No one knows. It's not a typical surgery, so they have nothing to base it on. It will take as long as it takes." Franks leaned back.
"Work?" Lance asked.
"It was busy for a while. We had a total of seven bodies brought in. Most of them worked at Desorio's. Two were badly burned. I'll go back in tomorrow to help deal with the families and keep things running despite it being the weekend. Mack and Sam are worried about you and Angus and will probably be dropping by here as soon as they are free," Gretta told him.
"What's the news saying?" Jackson asked.
"Not much. Just that it was an explosion and they are investigating the cause. They've shut down the whole block. Said it won't be open any time soon. I heard someone as I was walking into the hospital mention that they are interviewing everyone that was there tonight. I'm guessing they'll come talk to you guys sooner or later." Gretta smiled at Megan as she lifted her head from Jackson's shoulder.
"Have you two met?" Lance asked.
"No, not yet." Megan rubbed her eyes.
"Megan, this is Gretta. She just moved into town and is our new administrative assistant at the morgue. Gretta, meet Megan. She's Jackson's girlfriend and a long-time friend of our family." Lance was glad to have conversation to distract him, though he kept glancing at the hallway to make sure the doctor wasn't heading toward them.
"Nice to meet you." Megan smiled.
"You too," Gretta told her. "Just wish it had been at some friendly gathering instead of the hospital."
"Surgery is done. They're moving him to recovery. So far, everything looks good." Ray floated toward them. "The doctor will be out soon to talk to you. Eve is staying with Angus for now, and Bethany went with her."
Lance stood, his legs aching as the movement tugged on every single cut he had. "Surgery is done."
