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."
"What? How do you know?" Gretta looked confused.
"He's freaky that way," Franks told her. "We ignore it."
Lance started to pace, his eyes glued to the hallway and door the doctor would come out of. He just needed to be with Angus. He needed to see that he was alive and okay.
"Relax. It could be a bit. The doctor just spent hours in surgery. Give them time to grab a drink and get cleaned up." Jackson was at Lance's side. "Don't hurt yourself worse."
"I need to see him." Lance glared at his brother.
"And you will once they move him out of recovery. You know how this works. They aren't going to let you go back there. Besides, I'm guessing he'll be moved to I.C.U. and you know what kind of visiting rules they can have." Jackson put his hand on Lance's elbow. "Come sit down."
"Leave me alone." Lance pulled away. "You don't understand." It was then that Lance realized Kel wasn't with them. He turned and stared at his brother. "Where's Kel?"
Ray spoke up. "He didn't want to be in the way. He stayed back at the house. I got the feeling he didn't like hospitals much. Once he heard Jackson was okay, he calmed down and said he'd stay with Haunt."
"Shit, Haunt. Someone needs to go let her out." Lance took a deep breath.
"Lance?" Jackson took his elbow again. "I don't know where Kel is. You know I can't…" Jackson's voice trailed off as he glanced toward Gretta.
"I know. Sorry. Ray told me he's home. Don't worry about it." Lance didn't care if his secret came out tonight and Gretta thought he was nuts. He had bigger things to worry about.
"Don't worry about Haunt. I already told you that I'll head over there as soon as I know Angus is okay. I'll stay there and catch a nap, then come back and relieve you so you can go change and get a nap," Jackson told him.
Lance shook his head. "Bring me clothes. I'm not leaving his side."
"Lance, you need—" Jackson started to argue.
"No, I'm not leaving. Leave it at that. Don't push me tonight, Jackson.
I can't deal with you right now." Tears stung Lance's eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
"Just bring me clothes later today." He saw Jackson and Franks exchange worried looks, but it didn't matter what they thought.
He was staying by Angus's side, or at least as close as he could until they both went home together.
"Alright. We'll discuss all this later." Jackson sighed.
"We'll take care of things at the house. We'll also be taking care of Martin and Lizzy while they heal." Megan was now by Jackson's side. "There's no reason to argue. We're all stressed and tired. We can figure out logistics later. Right now, let's just focus on keeping positive for Angus."
Lance nodded.
"Okay." Jackson rested his arm around her waist.
"Doctor's right behind us." Jeremy came into view, followed by Isaac.
"Thank God." Lance took a step toward the ghosts.
"Lance, you have to wait." Jackson reached out to stop him just as the surgeon walked out.
"Young family?" The surgeon looked at the people around the room.
"Here." Lance hurried to her. "How is he?"
"He's stable right now, but it was touch and go for a while there.
I swear that man is determined to live. There were several times through the operation I thought we'd lose him.
The glass cut deeply into his neck, causing severe damage.
I was able to remove the glass and repair the damage, but honestly, I can't tell you he's out of the woods.
" She went on to explain in more detail the repairs she had to make.
Lance nodded, imagining the process. He was aware how complex the neck and throat were. The more she talked, the more he realized that it was a miracle Angus was still alive. "Next steps?"
"We've induced a coma to keep him from moving around much.
He needs time to heal. He'll be in I.C.U.
for a few days, then we'll see where we stand.
It's going to be a long process, but hopefully he's determined to make it.
The next few hours will be critical. I'll be by in a few hours to check on him, but right now, rest is the best thing for him.
" She nodded to the group behind Lance. "It's the best thing for all of you.
I suggest you go home, get some sleep, and come back in shifts tomorrow.
We limit visitors to three in I.C.U., so keep that in mind. "
"His mother is upstairs recovering from leg surgery and her father suffered a broken ankle in the explosion. They'll both want to see him as soon as it's possible, but I'll be staying with him." Lance ignored the small shake of her head. "I'm not leaving him."
She sighed. "You need to take care of yourself.
He's going to need you once he wakes up.
Not only does he have to heal from a very serious injury, but I don't need to tell you what weeks in bed will do to someone.
I understand your need to be with him, but I can tell you were injured tonight as well.
" She gestured to his face and the cuts that covered him.
"The last thing you need is to get sick so you can't be there for him. "