Page 121 of Trusting You
“Lil!” I cry in return, and I’m ready to throw elbows to get to her.
But, the two nurses part and give me enough room to get to Lily and hug her while she sits. Adrenaline courses through me, utter relief at seeing Lily’s tear-soaked, reddening face.
“Is she okay?” I ask the closest person in a white jacket.
“Our examination is preliminary, but it looks to be a minor concussion,” the doctor says.
I drop my forehead to Lily’s. She’s screaming for me to lift her up, clamoring against my arms. “You’re okay, sweetie. You’re all right.”
“You can hold her,” the nurse next to me says kindly. “She needs her mama right now.”
I’m crying along with Lily, my throat so closed over it hurts to swallow.
I lift this little girl in my arms, bury my face in the scent of her, and call her my own.
“There you go,” the same nurse says, and rubs my back. “Everybody’s fine. Give her all kinds of love.”
“Th-thank you,” I garble out, raising my head.
“Have a seat, honey,” another nurse says softly. “Right behind you. You can sit with her for as long as you like.”
I nod, sobbing, and the nurses gently guide me down.
“We’ll need to keep her overnight.” The doctor, unobtrusively, steps out in front. His glasses shine in the overhead lights. “But otherwise, I’m not worried.”
“And th-the man that came with her—he-her father. Do you know anything about how he is?”
The doctor—Dr. Garvis is written on his name tag—shakes his head. “Sadly, no. But I can have a nurse assigned to him come in here and give you some details. And the doctor, too, once he’s finished taking care of your husband.”
I nod, but can’t stop myself from keeping Lily’s head cupped against my shoulder. “I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Once you’ve had some time together, I’ll come back, give you a more detailed progress report. She’s a healthy girl.”
He and the other nurses depart, and I barely notice. I’m rocking Lily, back and forth, singing soothing words. Her cries quell to whimpers, and soon I even elicit a smile from her.
“You’re okay,” I whisper to her with a thick voice. “You’re going to be just fine.”
I can’t bring myself to think of Locke. Not yet.
Because whatever happened, whatever made him fall, was bad enough to make him let go of his daughter.
And that thought alone has the dread returning in sharp, black spades.
* * *
What seemslike hours pass by in a daze. Nurses come into Lily’s room constantly, checking her inside and out, waking her at certain intervals to ensure there’s no brain swelling. Each time, I have to let her go, lay her down, and I hate every second of lightness against my arms. I don’t feel whole again until I’m given the go-ahead to lift her up, put her heart next to mine.
Night’s fallen by the time another doctor comes in. He introduces himself as Dr. Hurwitz, and he’s small and thin with a dark beard, bushy brows, and cropped hair.
He’s here about Locke.
I’m holding Lily, swaying her around the small room, but I have to sit down for this.
Dr. Hurwitz’s words hit my ears, but it’s hard for me to understand them. Pulmonary embolism, he says. A blood clot to the lung. Likely formed by all the times he lay prone, not exercising, after multiple surgeries, and his expedition today likely loosened a clot in his leg enough that it traveled to his lungs and stuck there.
A life-threatening occurrence. More deadly than not.
“Is he all right?” I ask. Lily makes noises about wanting to be let loose, but I hold her close.