Chapter Two #2
“You know what worries me? How’s he gonna pay for all this? He’s just a kid. And he doesn’t look like he’s loaded.”
Micah had reached the same conclusion. Movement caught his eye. “Hey. Doc’s coming.”
A moment later, the doctor had left the ICU and was standing in front of them.
“He’s stable enough for surgery, and the orthopedist has booked the OR, so we’re ready to take him down.
It’s a simple enough fracture to repair.
We’ll dress the wound, then we’ll fit him with a knee immobilizer before he’s discharged, that he’ll wear while the leg heals. ”
“How long will he be in here?” Dad asked.
“Seven to ten days. He’ll need physical therapy though, once he’s been discharged.” The doctor smiled. “I’ll be around later to see how he’s doing.” He left them and walked off down the hallway. A minute or two later, two orderlies appeared and entered the ICU.
“Wow, they don’t mess around, do they?” Dad muttered as Greg was wheeled out of ICU. He managed a single wave of his hand before disappearing out of sight around the corner.
The nurse came out to speak with them. “They’ve taken him down to the OR.
You might want to visit the cafeteria and grab a bite to eat while he’s having surgery.
You’ve been here all night, so you must be hungry.
But don’t hurry back. He’s going to be in there two hours minimum, and it could be as long as six, once he’s out of recovery. ”
Dad’s face fell. “That long?”
“It’s difficult to predict. But hey, there’s a visitor’s lounge on the first floor.” She winked. “The chairs are a lot more comfortable than the ones in ICU. If you want to stay, why don’t you go there?” With a friendly smile, she went back into ICU.
Dad’s belly rumbled, and Micah chuckled. “Good advice. Let’s see what they have in the way of breakfast. A couple of pancakes and some coffee sounds good right now.”
As they walked along the hallway, Dad gave a backward glance toward ICU. “I sure wanna know what’s in that envelope.”
“I know, and I’m positive you’ll find out, once Greg’s had his surgery. He’d have probably given it to you just then, if the doc hadn’t showed up.”
Dad shook his head. “Wanna know something funny? Now he’s awake? There’s something a little… familiar about him, like I’ve seen him before.” He gave a shrug. “Well, I’ll know soon enough.” He rubbed his hands together briskly. “I’m starving.”
Micah rolled his eyes. “When are you not? No wonder Naomi thinks you have a tapeworm.”
Dad grimaced. “Hey, don’t go saying stuff like that when we’re in a hospital. That’s just plain wrong.”
He chuckled. “I hope the cafeteria has enough food to satisfy that humongous appetite of yours.” His mind was focused on Greg, however. Micah couldn’t help wondering what the hell was going on.
Micah yawned as they walked along the hallway to ICU.
Dad snickered. “Haven’t you had enough sleep?
” He counted off on his fingers. “You were asleep when I got here, then you dozed off again…and for God’s sake, you just slept for three hours.
I swear, someone snatched my son and exchanged him for Rip Van Winkle.
” Thankfully whatever else he was going to say got cut short when Dad’s phone burst into life. “Oh hell. It’s your sister.”
Micah snickered. “I’m glad she’s calling you and not me.” Naomi was a worrier, a trait she’d inherited from Mom. Not that he minded all that much: it was like Mom hadn’t truly gone.
Except of course, she had.
Micah pushed the thought from his mind, and glanced across at his dad. It suddenly occurred to him why Naomi was calling. She had to be going out of her mind, since neither of them had called home.
“Naomi, I’m fine.” Dad caught Micah’s glance and rolled his eyes. “Yes, I agree, I should have left you a note, but I was in a hurry, and I forgot.” He sighed. “Yes, I know one of us should have called, but… we fell asleep.”
Micah heard her snort from three feet away.
“Look, I’m fine, Micah’s fine. Remember I told you he found a guy by the roadside last night, all beat up?
Well, we’ve just got a call to say he’s out of surgery, and we’re waiting to see how he’s doing…
Yes, we’ll both be home later. How about you get some of that soup you made last weekend out of the freezer?
We’ll have that when we get home… Yeah, sure, I’ll tell him.
Later, sweetheart.” He disconnected and huffed out a breath.
“Sounds like she was giving you the third degree,” Micah remarked with amusement.
Dad lifted his eyebrows. “Oh, you may well smirk, mister. You are in big trouble.”
“Me? What did I do?”
“Apparently, you were supposed to stop me from dashing out into the snow, risking life and limb to drive to the hospital. You were supposed to make me stay at home. And to top it all, you didn’t call her.” Dad’s eyes twinkled.
Micah snorted. “Hey, you have a phone too. And as for the rest… Yeah, right. Since when can either of us stop you from doing anything, once your mind is made up?” He glanced up to see the nurse standing outside the door of ICU.
“Greg is out of surgery.” She smiled. “He’s still groggy, but he wants to see you. So if you’ll come with me? We’ve moved him to another bed now.”
They followed her along the hallway to the elevator.
“He’s on the second floor. The nurse at the desk knows to expect you.
” The doors slid open and she gave them a warm smile.
“Thank you again for all you did for him,” she said to Micah.
The doors shut, and the elevator whirred smoothly into action.
When they got out at the correct floor, the nurse’s station was facing them. A nurse directed them to the room at the end of the hallway, which contained two beds, one of which was empty.
Greg was sitting in bed, leaning back against the pillows, his eyes closed. In his hand was the creased envelope. As they approached the bed, he blinked several times. “Hey. Lookit me. ’M all truss’ up like a turkey.” He indicated his leg, which was encased in bandages.
It was obvious from his slurred speech that he wasn’t fully awake.
“Do you want us to come back later when you’ve had some rest?” Micah asked.
Greg shook his head. “Nah. Want to talk to you.”
The nurse appeared at the foot of his bed. “The doctor says he could be out of here in just over a week.” She smiled at Micah. “And he sounds sleepy because the drugs are working.”
“And where will you go then?” Dad asked. “Where is home?”
Greg closed his eyes again. “Good question. Not sure I know anymore.” Before Micah could decipher the cryptic remark, Greg opened one eye and held out the envelope. “For you, sir.”
Dad took it. “Feels like we need a drum roll or something,” he joked, but Micah could see from the tension in his jaw that he was nervous.
He tore it open and pulled out a couple of sheets of folded paper, covered in handwriting.
After a moment, Dad’s jaw dropped, and he looked up sharply at Greg. “Your dad?”
Greg nodded, his gaze locked on Dad’s face. “Made me promise to find you, to make sure you got it. This was… very important.”
Dad sank into the nearby chair, the letter clutched in hands that trembled slightly.
“Do you know what it says?” Micah asked Greg quietly, disconcerted by his dad’s state.
Greg shook his head, looking more awake. “All he told me was to deliver it in person. He—” His eyes widened, and a look of anguish contorted his face. “Oh God.”
Micah followed his gaze, and his heart almost stopped at the sight.
His dad was crying.