"Just for him to survive. That's all I need." Lance met Mike's worried stare over the bed. "My brother is living with us. He's taking care of Haunt and is handling things around the house. Right now, I think we're all in shock over what happened. I'm not going back to work until he's better, so I'll be here with him. Knowing that you're checking in on Lizzy and Martin will be a relief for me. I'm so worried about them. I know they want to be here, but they both need to heal as well."
"Do you need a break? Want me to sit with him while you go get something from the cafeteria?" Mike offered.
"Thanks, but my brother is bringing me dinner later. I don't want to leave him. I know he won't wake up anytime soon, but I feel better being with him. I want him to know I'm here." Lance longed to reach out and run his fingers through Angus's hair. Hewanted to kiss every cut along his jaw and hold him tightly in his arms to assure him things would be okay.
"You won't do him any good if you're not taking care of yourself," Mike told him. "Go walk the hall or something. I'll stay with him for a bit.
Lance didn't want to leave, but he had to consider the fact that others might want time alone with Angus. They might have things to say to him that they didn't want him to hear. "I'll run down to the coffee cart and get a drink." He grabbed his wallet off the small table beside the chair he'd been sitting in all day. "I won't be long."
"Take your time. We'll be fine." Mike pulled one of the smaller chairs up beside the bed. "I'm just going to remind him of some of our favorite rides and why he needs to recover so we can do them again."
Lance smiled and forced himself to leave the room. It took everything he had to take each step as it put distance between him and Angus. It was stupid. Angus wasn't going to suddenly wake up while he was gone. His vital signs were stable, and more than likely, nothing would go wrong, but still, what if it did and he wasn't there? He blinked back tears as he made his way out of the ICU area and into the main section of the hospital. No matter how hard this was, he needed to get used to doing it. The exercise would do him good even if it was just walking downstairs to get coffee. And he would need to give Lizzy and Martin time alone with Angus when they came to visit. He couldn't refuse them privacy if they wanted it.
"Lance?"
He paused as he approached the elevator and smiled as he saw Christine coming toward him. "Hey."
"I was just headed to see you. How's Angus?" She touched his arm gently as she looked at him with concern.
"Stable. They have him in a coma, but you've probably read his file, right? You know all that." He knew Christine worked with pediatrics and often had patients in the hospital. She would have had access to any files she wanted to.
"Yeah, I read everything, but that doesn't always give me the answers. How do you think he is?"
Lance swallowed hard. "I'm not sure. Maybe lost?" He blinked and swiped the single tear that managed to escape.
"Hey, what's going on? Why would you say lost?" Christine frowned.
"You got time for coffee? I was just headed to get some." Lance wanted to talk, but he wasn't sure he was up to having this conversation while standing in the hallway.
"Yeah, I'm free for an hour or so. Cafeteria or coffee cart?"
"Coffee cart. Tastes better." He took the few steps to the elevators and hit the button. "I don't know how all this happened."
"It has to be overwhelming. I haven't heard what caused the explosion. Do you have any news?" She stepped inside the elevator once the doors opened.
"Nothing. I know they're working on it, but I haven't heard anything official yet. Franks promised to call or stop by if he had news. I keep thinking if I'd sat where he was or if we'd been ten minutes later…" He shook his head. "I can replay it a million different ways, but it's pointless. I can't change anything."
"You're right, it won't. We have to deal with the situation as it is. From what I read, he made it through the worst of this. Now it's just up to him to stay strong and get through healing." Christine spoke openly since they were the only two in the elevator.
"I know. And if he's in there, I know he'll pull through. The thing is, I'm not even sure he's there anymore." Lance loweredhis voice as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. "I saw him leave his body."
Christine's face paled. Like him, she was one of very few people who could see and speak to the ghosts who stayed behind. She knew what he was saying when he told her that he'd seen Angus leave his body. "Let's get coffee and sit for a bit. I want to know exactly what you saw."
He nodded and led her to the coffee cart. There were several people in line before them, so he didn't try to explain what he'd said. "His friend, Mike, is up there with him now. His mom and dad were both injured. They'll visit, but both are in wheelchairs or crutches for a while. It has to be killing them not to be here."
"I'll call Lizzy and check on them. I can drop by and visit with them. Assure them everything is okay."
"My brother is in town now as well and will look after them. Bring them to and from the hospital every day to visit. I'm sure Lizzy will need someone to talk to. Not only did Angus get hurt, but Betty's gone missing." Lance waved his hand. "I'll explain once we can talk, but it's like a double whammy. No one knows what happened or where she is. She's so close to Lizzy and Angus, she wouldn't leave them at a time like this. If she's not here, it's because she can't be here."
"What the hell happened?" Christine asked.
"I wish I knew." Lance sighed. "I'll explain once we sit, but for now, have you talked to Brayden? How are things going at the morgue?"
"They're doing okay. They've called in Harold to help, and Mack can pick up some of the slack at night. Brayden's offered to work overtime at night to assist if Mack is going to do autopsies. Right now, it's not that busy and Sam thinks he can handle things, but they're ready if it picks up. Brayden is frustrated that he can't do more. He feels he's got the training, but legally, he can't work without another M.E. with him. I remember thosedays. I keep reminding him it won't be long before his internship is over, but that doesn't help things right now." Christine paused to give her coffee order.
Lance gave his order, then paid for both of their drinks. Once they had them in hand, he nodded to a free table away from others. "Thanks for keeping me company. I'm afraid alone I might get lost in my own head and lose it."
Christine smiled. "That's a natural feeling. You're dealing with a lot right now. Tell me what you meant by you're not sure he's even there. What did you see?"
