Chapter 16
16
H arper kept her eyes on the road and on Sawyer’s truck as she followed him to the hospital. The paramedics had checked James Macklin over, and it had been agreed for him to be taken to the emergency room.
She had still been sitting at the table with the family when Sawyer’s phone rang. He picked it up and said, “It’s Law, maybe he’s calmed down a little. Hey, bud,” he answered.
Harper had watched with the family as Sawyer’s face went pale, and his mouth dropped open. Her stomach wrenched when he said, “He says Dad’s having a heart attack.”
The room fell absolutely silent for a long moment. Everyone looked from one person to the other in shock and hands flew to mouths.
Then, as if moving from slow motion to rapid speed, everyone jumped up and moved out of the dining room. Sawyer took charge and asked the wives to gather the kids and take them to the living room to watch a movie. He took his mother and let her hold onto his arm as they rushed out of the house.
All the remaining brothers ran out the door, and Harper decided since she wasn’t a wife, she could go too.
Now, as they pulled into the hospital parking lot, Harper glanced over at Lawson. He hadn’t really spoken since they got in the truck. He had been pretty angry when he left the house, that much was obvious. Mr. Macklin had gone after him to talk. She wondered what the conversation had been about, or if he had even talked to him before the accident happened. She pulled into a parking spot and put the truck in park. It felt strange to drive Lawson’s vehicle, especially without asking him. But he was in no shape to drive and hadn’t objected.
“Do you want to go in?” she asked.
Lawson shook his head. “Not just yet. I’m sure it will be a while before we can see him. Or before they have any news. I just need a minute.”
Harper bit her lip and reached out, putting a hand on his arm. “I understand.” They continued to sit in silence. Staring out the window, Harper laced her fingers together and waited. How long, she wasn’t sure. It felt like both seconds and hours at the same time.
Finally, Lawson cleared his throat and stuffed his cowboy hat onto his head. “Alright, let’s go in.”
Harper climbed out, made sure the door was shut and locked, and then followed Lawson across the parking lot and through the doors of the emergency room. They followed the signs directing them to the waiting room. The voices of the Macklin brothers grew louder as she neared.
“Should we go and ask?” Colton said. He stood leaning against the wall with his cowboy hat in his hands.
“No. They will let us know when there is something to tell us,” Sawyer spoke up. He sat in a chair next to Lydia. When Lawson and Harper entered the room, all the brothers fell silent, but not for long. Jenson stood from where he sat next to Sawyer and put a hand on Lawson’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.” Lawson gave a quick nod and took a seat. Without a word, Harper moved to Lydia and gave her a hug.
“So, no news yet?” she asked Sawyer.
The oldest brother shook his head. “We’re trying to be patient,” he chuckled. “Some of us are not very good at it.”
Harper smiled faintly at his joke but couldn’t bring herself to laugh. She moved across the room and sat next to Lawson, who had turned himself away from the rest of the family. She put a hand on his arm but kept her attention toward his brothers. They seemed to be trying to pass the time, talking and joking. Jenson was in rare form, entertaining everyone as usual. Still, it was obvious that there was tension in the room; even their laughs were nervous.
After what seemed like an eternity, a doctor emerged from the double doors leading back to the treatment area. Lydia stood quickly, and Jenson and Sawyer moved to stand on either side of her.
“Mrs. Macklin?” the doctor asked.
Lydia nodded, unable to respond out loud.
“I’m Dr. Williams. I’ve been treating your husband.”
“Yes, thank you,” Lydia managed to find her voice.
“I have good news and bad news. He’s doing alright, but he has had a heart attack.”
The air seemed to be sucked out of the room instantly. Even though they had all feared and suspected it, Harper knew they had hoped against hope that it couldn’t be true.
“We’re taking him to the cath lab to do some testing, and depending on the results, we will either put in a stent, or we will schedule him for surgery first thing tomorrow morning.”
Lydia swayed, and Sawyer put a hand on her arm to steady her, even though she seemed to have found some inward strength. “Thank you. Can I see him?” Lydia asked.
“Of course,” the doctor said. “I’ll have someone come out and take you to his room. We may be taking him to the cath lab by the time you get there, but you can be waiting for him when he gets back.”
“How many of us can go back at a time?” Jenson asked.
“We don’t like to have too many people at once. Two at a time is best,” the doctor said.
“That’s alright,” Lydia said. “We’ll take turns.”
“Yes, I would recommend that,” the doctor said. “I must warn you that this could be a long road. You’ll want to take breaks when you can. I promise, we’re doing everything we can, and we’re going to take good care of him.”
“Thank you,” Lydia said barely above a whisper.
As the doctor disappeared behind the double doors, the family sank back down in their seats. Harper watched Lawson’s face during the course of the conversation. He had gone from distraught to hopeful back to a blank expression that she couldn’t quite understand.
Sawyer addressed the family and took charge. “Well, Mom, when they come back, I can go back with you if you want. Jenson and everyone else, why don’t you guys go get some coffee and snacks, then we can rotate and let Mom stay with him.”
Jenson was the first to stand. “I don’t want to leave, not until we’ve seen him.”
Titus stood and stepped close to Jenson. “Me either, man, but Sawyer is probably right. It may take a while. And it’s best if we get some sustenance and take care of Mom.”
“Oh, don’t fuss over me,” Lydia said.
All the brothers shushed her together. Jenson spoke for them, “Mama, you fuss over all of us all the time. It’s our turn to fuss over you. And I don’t think any of us are gonna take any arguing about that.”
Lydia smiled. “Thank you, boys. I’m sure I’ll be taken care of. I just want to see your daddy soon.”
Harper looked at Lawson. “Do you want to go get some coffee?”
“No,” Lawson said firmly. “I’ll stay until I get to see him.”
Harper lowered her eyebrows and bit her lip. She was afraid he might say that. “There really is nothing you can do. We have to wait for the tests to come back.”
Lawson shrugged. “I know, but I don’t care. I’m not leaving.”
Harper nodded and slipped her hand into his. “I understand. I’ll stay with you.”
Lawson nodded but didn’t say anything else. He put his other hand on top of hers and settled back into his seat.