Chapter 1 #2
She sighs heavily. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“There hasn’t been time. I just got discharged…but Jami?—”
“I know. The news got a hold of someone’s cell phone footage. Whoever sent it in got a close-up video of most of it. That’s how I found out. Now tell me what hospital you’re at and I’ll pick you up.”
“I’m not leaving without him. He’s not out of surgery yet.”
“Then I’ll sit with you until he is. Which hospital did they take you to? ”
I squeak out what hospital I’m in and stay curled up, bawling in the corner. The emptiness and hopelessness consume me, but there’s nothing I can do but wait.
Not much later, Mel’s crouched next to me as I sob in her arms. She pulls me to my feet and takes me into the empty waiting room.
She gives me a side hug. “What do you know about Jami’s injuries?”
“Nothing. He’s in surgery.”
“I know that, but where was he shot?”
I replay the scene in my mind. “The paramedics said he was hit in the chest and head.”
“In the head?”
“That’s what they said. He was covered in blood. It was coming out of his mouth.”
“Fuck, that can’t be good.” She guides me to a chair.
I lower into it. “He could die, Mel.”
“Don’t talk like that. He’s a fighter and this won’t stop him.”
The two large doors to the operating rooms swing open occasionally when doctors and nurses come in and out. A nurse’s station sits on the other side.
Now that Melanie’s with me, my numbness subsides and prickly nerves take over, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to ask about Jami’s condition.
Mel doesn’t wait for me to give her the green light. She just goes to the desk to ask the nurse what I dread to know.
They both glance at me. The nurse’s eyes fill with concern. She says something to Melanie and they have a brief discussion.
Mel comes back to me. “He’s still in surgery. The wound on his head was a surface wound like your shoulder. That’s the good news.”
“What’s the bad news?” I wrap my arms around my waist.
“He’s lost a lot of blood and he needs more.” She sits beside me and hugs me. “They’re calling around to the different blood banks.”
“I’ll give him mine. Why didn’t they ask me?” I push away to go to the nurse.
Melanie grabs my arm. “What’s your blood type?”
“I’m O positive. Why?”
“He needs O negative. That’s the only blood he can receive.” Her eyes soften. “I’m sorry, Dori. You can’t be a donor. I can’t either, but they’ll find someone who can.”
A fresh wave of hopelessness overcomes me. My heart hollows out as I sense Jamison slipping away. I sink into my chair.
Mel brings my attention to her. “Have you called Hunter?”
I glance her way. “Um…no. He’s not supposed to be back until tomorrow. He wouldn’t know anything about this.”
“Are you sure? If he’s seen the news, he knows.”
“He doesn’t watch TV very often, especially when he’s traveling. His days are packed with meetings and events. There’s no way he would’ve seen it.”
Her wary gaze connects to mine. “Are you going to call him and tell him?”
“I will when I have more information about Jami. That reminds me.”
“About what?”
I grab the bag of Jami’s belongings and dig into it, searching for his phone. “I need to call Chuck. Hopefully, Jami doesn’t have a code to open his phone or I won’t be able to reach him.”
“Everyone has a code on their phone.” She places her hand on mine to stop me. “Do you know Chuck’s last name?”
I freeze. “No. But I know where he lives.”
She nods. “Let’s search for him that?—”
Jami’s phone rings. I reach into the bag and answer it before checking who it is .
“Hello.”
“Who’s this?” a gruff older man asks.
“Chuck, is that you?” I peer toward the operating room doors, dread filling me at the thought of telling Chuck about Jami.
“It is. Who’s this?”
“It’s Dori. I have Jami’s phone.”
“I just saw the news. You were easy to spot with your red hair. Was that Jamison who was with you?” Chuck’s voice catches. “It looked like him, but I needed to make sure.”
I swallow the sludge that’s stuck in my throat. “It was. He’s in surgery. He’s hurt pretty bad, Chuck. He was shot in the back and head.”
Chuck doesn’t say a word for a few beats. “Tell me what hospital he’s in and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“We’re at Health Central near work.” I suck in a breath. “Chuck, will you call Lauren and let her know?”
“Of course. She’ll want to be there, though. Are you going to be okay with that?”
My anxiety spikes, but I ignore it for Jami’s sake. “Yes. She has a right to know. She might not handle it very well if she sees it on TV like you did.”
“Alright, then. I’ll let her know. I’ll see you soon, Dori.”
We say goodbye and I turn to Melanie. “I guess I should call Hunter now.”
Melanie nods, so I pick up my phone. Right as I do, a woman’s voice comes over the intercom.
“Code blue. Code blue. Operating room five. Code blue. Code blue. Operating room five.”
My heart lurches. The operating room doors fly open and medical personnel rush in. I run past the opening of the first doors near the nurse’s station.
The operating rooms are visible from where I’m standing. I’m not sure I should be here, but I need to know what’s happening with Jami .
Someone in scrubs pushes a cart, and another carries a red square container into the room where they’re working on him. It’s directly down the hall, so I can see in.
The doors to his operating room remain open as staff continue to gather and block my view. Only the shouts of the medical staff give me any indication of what’s happening.
The doctor commands, “Clear!”
The zap of a defibrillator sounds. A second passes. He commands, “Again. Clear!”
The defibrillator sounds again, but all that fills the air is the machine echoing Jami flatlining.