As they converged on the vehicle, Rick fumbled with his key fob.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Ronda said.
“He’ll be okay,” Jenna said by rote. He had to be. She couldn’t lose him. Her heart couldn’t take it.
The doors finally gave a click and they all piled in, Jenna in the back.
Rick started the car and backed out onto the street. Then they lurched forward.
Jenna pressed a hand to her chest. Tried to slow her breathing.Please, God. Let him be okay.
It would be a long forty-minute ride to the mainland hospital.
The clock read one o’clock and still they’d had no word. Luke and a handful of firefighters kept Jenna and the Parkers company in the emergency waiting room. They’d gotten the gist of the story from Luke. Tyson had been rescuing a teenage girl from the fire when theceiling collapsed. He was briefly unconscious, and Riggs and Novak pulled him from the flames.
By the time they loaded him in the ambulance, he’d taken in a lot of smoke, but he was coherent.
But smoke inhalation was tricky. The high temperatures could burn the airways. Low levels of oxygen could lead to seizures or even a coma. Plus he’d been knocked out by falling debris, which meant he also had a traumatic brain injury. A TBI could present all kinds of problems, up to and including death.
Panic squeezed her chest, making it hard to breathe. She flashed back to fifteen years ago when she’d sat in the ER with her mom, waiting for word on her father. Flashed back to the nurse who came to speak with them, the bad news written all over her face.
No.No, that wouldn’t happen to Tyson.He was young and healthy. He hadn’t been involved in a chemical explosion.
Jenna wanted to run from the building and keep going till her legs gave out. But that was stupid. Instead she closed her eyes, shutting out all the movement around her, and said a prayer for him.
She had to stop thinking the worst. Be positive. Any minute now a nurse would come and tell them he was fine and would be discharged soon.
But the memory of that long-ago night played in her mind, terrorizing her. Making her short on breath. Long on panic. She jumped to her feet, startling Rick and Ronda.
“I’m going to— I have to move around.” Or she was going to jump right out of her skin.
She paced the short hallway near the front desk where a patient filled out forms. Her stomach gave a rumble but she couldn’t even think of eating.
What if Ty had taken in too much smoke? And what about carbonmonoxide poisoning, one of the most immediate causes of death following smoke inhalation?
Tyson could die.
She moved her hand to her throat. As she turned to retrace her path, a nurse came through the double doors and headed toward the waiting room. She could be going to talk to anyone, but Jenna quickened her steps anyway and arrived as Rick and Ronda stood in front of the nurse.
“Mr. and Mrs. Parker?”
“Yes,” Ronda said. “How is he?”
“He’s going to be okay. We’re treating him for smoke inhalation, but his airways aren’t compromised. The X-ray checked out and he’s on supplemental oxygen, but he tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Ronda nearly wilted with relief. “Thank God.”
Jenna’s breath rushed from her lungs. She pressed a hand to her chest.Thank You, Jesus.
“What about his head injury?” Rick asked.
“He has a concussion and nausea, which we’re treating him for, but he’s coherent and his CT was clear. For a couple days he’ll need physical and mental rest. That means steering clear of stimulation like the TV and his phone. No screens or reading. We’ll be dismissing him soon, but he should make an appointment with his doctor in the next week. Lung injuries can take time to show up. But overall, very good news.”
“Thank you so much,” Rick said. “Can we see him?”
The nurse glanced around at the relieved firefighters, many of whom still had soot on their faces. “Keep it to just a few of you. Right through those doors, room 118.”
The Parkers and Jenna were already moving that way. Ronda gave her hand a squeeze. “He’s going to be okay.”
