Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
By the time the sky outside the high, narrow windows turned from black to a faint gray tinged with dawn, the waiting room had started to feel like its own small world.
Blaise and Brick had been there all night. Blaise was exhausted and knew Brick had to be, too. They were running on the fumes of adrenaline and the crankiness born out of waiting for so long.
The ER noise at the beginning of the evening—the voices, wheels squeaking, doors banging open and shut—had given way to something quieter as the night dragged on.
But it was the kind of quiet that wasn’t really quiet at all when you truly listened. Down the hall, she could hear the steady beeping of monitors somewhere. On top of that was the murmur of nurses at the desk and the low rumble of an informercial on the television no one was actually watching.
Blaise sat next to Brick on a long, padded bench against the far wall. The coffee table in front of them held a few abandoned magazines and three empty paper cups from the machine down the hall. One was hers. Two were his.
They’d had updates, but none that felt like they’d been given any real information.
First a nurse had come out to say there was internal bleeding and they were taking Holland into surgery. That was bad enough. Then another update that he was still in surgery, and the doctors were “cautiously optimistic.” Better.
But ten minutes later, that same nurse had used the word tenuous, and Blaise had watched Brick’s hands curl into fists against his thighs.
She clung to stable and pushed tenuous as far back in her mind as she could.
At some point, she had stepped into the hallway to make the call to Cece. “Hey, it’s me,” she’d said when the voicemail picked up.
She kept her voice low. “I’m still at the hospital with Brick.
They’re operating on Holland. He’s stable, but it still seems serious.
” She’d swallowed and closed her eyes, taking a moment so she didn’t break down.
“Would you mind going by my place this morning to let Beau out and feed him? There’s a key under the blue flowerpot.
I’ll send a group text when I know more. Thank you. I owe you.”
She’d sent a text, too, just in case.
Now she sat with her hands wrapped around a fresh cup of coffee that had already gone cold without her realizing. The unappetizing smell of food drifted from the nurses station. Her eyes burned, but she wasn’t sure if it was from exhaustion or the harsh fluorescent lights.
Brick hadn’t moved much in the last hour.
He sat slightly forward, elbows on his knees, fingers laced together.
His eyes were on the floor, but Blaise could tell he wasn’t really seeing it.
Every time a door opened, his head turned, hopeful for half a second, then he went back to the same position when it wasn’t for them.
“You should go home,” he said quietly, not looking at her.
Blaise blinked, pulled out of her thoughts. “What?”
He straightened a little to look at her. “It’s morning. You’ve been here all night. Beau’s going to need to go out. You don’t have to stay. I can get you a taxi. I’ll pay for it.”
She studied his profile. The stubble on his jaw. The tired slump to his shoulders that he was no longer trying to hide. Her heart broke for him. At what he must be feeling.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “And Beau is taken care of. I called Cece a while ago. Left a message and a text. She’ll make sure he’s looked after.”
“You don’t know that she saw it,” he said.
“I do,” Blaise replied gently. “Because she’s Cece. And even if she hasn’t yet, he’s fine for now. And if she can’t, she’ll send one of the other Queen Bees. She’ll know I’m okay with that. The point is, I’m not leaving you here by yourself.”
He exhaled through his nose. “You’ve done more than enough.”
“Probably,” she said lightly, her attempt at improving his mood. “But I’m staying anyway.”
That almost got a smile out of him. Almost.
Before he could argue further, the door at the far end of the waiting area opened, and a doctor stepped through. He was still in scrubs, cap and mask removed, lines at the corners of his eyes.
“Mr. Tanner?” he asked, looking around the room.
Brick was on his feet in an instant. “That’s me.”
Blaise set the coffee aside and moved to stand beside Brick, her heart thumping.
“I’m Dr. Sanov,” the doctor said. “I oversaw your son’s surgery.”
Brick’s fingers tightened at his sides. “Is he all right?”
Dr. Sanov nodded. “He is in stable condition. The surgery went well.”
The words eased the thumping in Blaise’s chest. She took Brick’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“We found and controlled the internal bleeding,” the doctor continued, his tone calm.
He was clearly used to dealing with patients’ families.
“There was damage to his spleen and some vascular injury. We were able to repair what needed to be repaired. He also has a concussion and several broken ribs, but at this point, there is no sign of additional organ damage.”
“Broken ribs we can live with,” Brick said, voice rough. “You’re sure he’s stable?”
“As sure as we can be at this stage,” Dr. Sanov said. “The next twenty-four hours are important. He’ll be in the ICU for close monitoring, but right now his vitals look good. We’re expecting a full recovery with time, rest, and cooperation on his part.”
Blaise let out the breath she’d been holding. The news was such a relief that she started to get emotional. She swallowed it down and stayed steady for Brick.
“Is he awake?” she asked.
“Not yet,” the doctor said. “He’s still coming out of anesthesia.
He may be groggy and disoriented for a bit.
That’s normal.” His gaze shifted back to Brick.
“We’ll take him up to ICU as soon as he’s out of recovery.
Once they get him settled, a nurse will come get you so you can see him for a few minutes.
Could be an hour or two before that happens. ”
Brick swallowed. He looked like someone had just cut the heavy weight he’d been carrying in two and handed him back the lighter part. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for everything.”
Dr. Sanov gave a small, tired smile. “You’re welcome. Get some food and some air if you can. It’s been a long night for both of you.”
When he left, Brick sat slowly, like his exhaustion was finally getting to him. Maybe it was. Blaise eased back into her seat, turning to face him.
“That’s really good, isn’t it?” she said. “The surgery went well. He’s stable and should make a full recovery.”
Brick nodded, staring at his hands. “It’s good.” His voice sounded like it was coming from far away.
She leaned forward a little, her shoulder against his. “I know you’ve been thinking the worst all night. You can let yourself think the best now.”
He made a sound that was almost a laugh but didn’t quite get there. “That’s harder than you think.”
“I know,” she said. “That’s why I’m here. To help.”
He looked over at her then, really looked, his eyes bloodshot and damp. “You really should go home,” he said softly. “Get some sleep. Take care of your dog. You’ve done more than enough.”
“I told you,” Blaise said. “Cece will take care of Beau when she gets the message I sent her. If she hasn’t done it already, she will as soon as she sees it.”
“That’s asking a lot,” Brick said.
“She won’t see it that way,” Blaise replied. “And even if she did, I’d owe her a bottle of wine and we’d call it even.”
He shook his head, a small, helpless gesture. “I don’t like the idea of you sitting here because you feel obligated.”
“I’m not obligated,” she said. “I’m your…friend.” The word didn’t feel quite right, but this was not the time or place to declare herself his girlfriend. If that’s what she even was. “I want to be here with you when they tell you he’s waking up. This is not a time for you to be alone.”
He was quiet for a long moment. “All right,” he said finally. “Thanks.”
“Good,” she said. “Because I was going to stay anyway.”
The corner of his mouth lifted, just barely.
“Now, let’s go find the cafeteria and see about some breakfast.”
It wasn’t far. Just down a hall, then a right.
The lights were only half on as the place was just coming awake.
A staff member was flipping the sign to Open as they stepped inside, and the place smelled faintly of fresh coffee, which had to be better than what had come out of the waiting room machine.
So far, they were the only customers.
One woman stood behind the counter, tying her apron, offering them a small, sympathetic smile as she took their order. Coffee first. Always coffee. Brick added a basic breakfast sandwich after Blaise raised an eyebrow at him. She grabbed a banana and a small yogurt more out of habit than appetite.
They carried their trays to a table near the windows. Outside, the sky was brighter now, the soft gray giving way to pale blue. It felt strange to see a day beginning when she hadn’t really slept through the night.
Brick unwrapped the sandwich and stared at it for a moment before taking a bite. “Not hungry,” he said.
“Eat anyway,” Blaise said. “You’ll feel worse if you don’t. And at this point, you need to keep your strength up for Holland.”
He nodded, chewing slowly, then took another bite. “It’s been a long night.”
“Yes, it has been.” She sipped her coffee, strong and hot, the welcome bitterness cutting through the fog in her head. They sat in the quiet and she was grateful there was no one else around yet.
After a few minutes, Brick pushed the wrapper aside and wrapped both hands around his cup. “I’m glad you came,” he said, staring at her with such intensity that she wondered what he was thinking about.
Blaise peeled the banana and ate a bite before answering. “So am I,” she said. “I can’t imagine you having to be here by yourself.”
They finished up, got refills on their coffees, and went back to the waiting area. Brick had barely sat down again when a nurse stepped through the door, clipboard in hand.
“Mr. Tanner?” she called. “You can come with me now.”
Brick stood up, but Blaise stayed seated. He took a few steps before he realized she wasn’t next to him. He turned. “Come on.”
“You sure?”
He nodded. “Positive. Unless you don’t want to.”
“No, I do.” She got up and went with him, grateful to be included.