Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“And then?” Lavender asked, her voice thin and stretched. “How long until the actual surgery?”
Dr. Patel’s eyes softened. “Once cleared, we’d schedule surgery immediately. Brynn’s condition demands it.”
The steady beeping of machines filled the silence that followed. From the adjacent room, I could hear the muted sounds of medical staff, the squeak of shoes on polished floors, and whispered consultations. The hospital had become as familiar as my own apartment yet remained aggressively alien. I fucking hated this place.
“Is there anything else I should be doing?” I asked Dr. Patel. “Anything that might make the process easier for everyone?”
“You’re doing everything right, Mr. Leahy,” Dr. Patel assured me, signing something on the tablet. “Staying hydrated is the most important thing. That and being available for any additional tests we might need to run on short notice. Also, don’t take any kind of blood thinner. Aspirin. Ibuprofen. Don’t take either of those until I give you the all-clear.”
“I understand,” I said softly. “And we’re staying here in Cincinnati.”
Lavender finally released her death grip on the chair, reaching instead for my free hand. Her fingers were ice-cold against my skin, and I squeezed gently, willing some warmth into her.
“Almost done here,” the phlebotomist murmured, withdrawing the needle and pressing a cotton ball against the puncture. “You’re a good bleeder.” She meant it as a compliment, I supposed.
“Lots of practice,” I replied, holding out my other arm where there was a myriad of bruises in varying colors. The comment earned me a startled half-smile before she busied herself labeling the vials of my blood.
Dr. Patel consulted the tablet again. “If you could come with me to radiology next, Mr. Leahy, we’re going to get started on the imaging.” She addressed Lavender next. “Brynn won’t be back from her imaging for at least another hour. We won’t be that long. You can come if you want, but you won’t be allowed back in the radiology area for safety reasons. So you’d be sitting in the lobby.” She gave Lavender a caring smile. “You’ll be much more comfortable waiting here. There’s nothing we’re going to learn immediately. I’ll have to review the scans with the radiologist and my team, then I’ll know more.”
“Very well.” She sounded like she’d checked out. Lavender had to be at her limit. I didn’t think she could handle much more without a break.
“Honey.” I rested my other hand over hers while she still had a death grip on my hand. “Do you want me to get Ada to come stay with you while I’m gone?”
She met my gaze and gave me a small smile. “No. I’ll be fine. I’ll rest while the two of you are gone. Yeah?”
“Good.” I leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. “Everything will be OK. We’re going to do everything we can.”
“I know. Thank you, Rhys.”
I kissed her again. “I’m just glad I’m here now. I swear I’m not going anywhere.” I stood and followed Dr. Patel out of the room and down the hall.
“The psychological evaluation might… test your patience,” Dr. Patel said quietly as we waited for an elevator. “They’ll ask about your criminal history, your current lifestyle. Be completely honest. Your infectious disease panel came back negative and your kidneys seem to be working perfectly, but they need to know of any potential problems we might face so your answers are very important.”
“I understand,” I replied. The elevator arrived with a soft chime, and we stepped inside. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Except maybe how fucking terrified I was that we wouldn’t make it in time. That my kidney wouldn’t be enough. That I’d failed Brynn for eleven years only to fail her again when it mattered most.
* * *
I dragged my ass back to Brynn’s room, my body one massive ache from the final round of tests. Four hours of being poked, scanned, questioned, and evaluated had left me hollow, like someone had scraped out my insides with a dull spoon. Not to mention lying perfectly still and not breathing only works for so long until you pass out and breathe whether you want to or not.
The psych evaluation had been particularly brutal -- digging through my criminal past, my time in Terre Haute, my life with the club. All I wanted was to check on Brynn, then find the nearest horizontal surface and pass the fuck out. Instead, I walked into a different kind of pain entirely. Lavender sat alone in the dimly lit room, her back to the door, shoulders shaking with silent sobs as she scrolled through photos on her phone.
For a moment, I froze in the doorway. The absence of Brynn’s small form in the hospital bed registered dimly -- she still had another thirty minutes or so before I expected her back -- but the sight of Lavender, so completely broken, knocked the wind from my lungs.