Finding You (By You #3) (32 page)

"It's no problem," the nurse said, waving a hand. "We do our best to keep the family's as updated as possible."

He rapped his fingers on the counter top.

"Sounds like a fine place you're running here." He turned back to the girl in the line. "Thanks, again. I appreciate it," he said, tilting his head in a nod. She blushed and said it was no big deal.

The three of them waited off to the side of the nurse's station as the lady phoned back to someone that was going to be able to help them. It was nice having Braden and Thom around. The company of more people always made things easier. But they weren't whom she really wanted to be there with her.

They didn't have to wait long before a girl not much older than Sarah emerged from the swinging double doors that led back into the patient center. She didn't have to look around long to know who she needed to talk to.

"Are you the Daltons?" she asked, her tone polite.

Both brothers nodded.

"How's she doing, Doc?" Braden asked, his voice tense.

"She's still in surgery, but she's hanging in there. The doctors found some internal bleeding and they're working to stabilize her."

Fear flashed across both of their faces.

"But they can stop it, can't they?" Braden said. "They'll stop the bleeding and then she'll be fine, right?"

The nurse gave them a courteous smile. "The bleeding is their primary concern, right now. Once they get that stopped, they'll be able to start running other tests."

"Other tests?" Thom asked. "What kinds of other tests? What else is wrong?"

She gave him a courteous smile. "Given the seriousness of her injuries, they want to run a few tests to make sure there's nothing else going on. I wish I had more to share right now, but I'll know more in another hour."

"When can we see her?" Braden asked, his voice urgent.

"It's hard to say. We have to take everything one step at a time. We'll know more in another hour or so."

Thom wrapped an arm around his brother, and nodded at the girl.

"Thank you, kindly. You let us know if there's anything we can do."

Her smile turned even wider. "Just hang in there," she said. "I'll be back in an hour with another update."

They nodded at her, and she disappeared back from where she'd come.

"There's something they're not telling us," Braden said. He shook his head, worried.

"They're doing everything they can," Thom assured him. "We'll know more, soon."

"You were there with her?" Braden said, looking at Sarah. "In the accident--you were there?"

She hesitated, and nodded, slowly. His face was red, and she wasn't sure if he was going to break down crying or explode in anger.

"How did she look? I mean..." He shook his head. "What are her chances? Was it bad?"

Sarah shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know."

She wished there was something she could say, something she could do, but there wasn't. They were all upset and wanted to know more, but Braden looked absolutely crushed. She was pretty shaken up and she'd only known Reagan for a little over a month. She couldn't imagine what it would be like for her brothers, the loved ones she'd grown up with.

Thom threw his other arm around Sarah and pulled both of them close to his chest.

"She's strong, she'll pull through," he said, his voice quiet so only they could hear. An intimate moment of unity and strength. "And we're going to be right here waiting when they're finished fixing her."

The words were encouraging, but Braden slumped against his brother. There wasn't a thing any of them could do but wait.

As the three of them turned to head back to the waiting room, Sarah glanced at the doors leading outside. Reagan wasn't the only one she was worried about. There was nothing in the world she wanted more right then than to see Jeremy walk through those doors and into her arms. The nurses could bring all the updates they wanted, but no one was there to tell her where he was, and when she'd get to see him again.

She hadn't even been able to tell him what she wanted to tell him, what she was now desperate to tell him. She needed him. Now more than ever.

The mood in the waiting room was as somber as ever. Braden and Thom shared stories about Reagan from when they were growing up. It relieved some of the tension, but Sarah couldn't stop thinking about Jeremy. He should have gotten there a long time ago. With each passing minute she got more and more convinced that something must have happened to him.

The first hour slipped past and they didn't hear from the nurse. Braden had even started talking about making another scene to get some answers when a tall man in blue scrubs walked into the waiting room and called out their name.

"That's us," Braden and Thom both said, leaping to their feet.

He nodded at them and motioned for them to follow as he stepped out of the waiting room. They hurried to follow, but after a few steps, Thom turned back to Sarah.

"You coming?" he said.

She nodded, quickly and ran after them. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries with their family affairs, but she didn't need to be asked twice, either.

The doctor led them to a tiny corner where they could have some privacy. He introduced himself as Dr. Butler and said he was the surgeon that had operated on Reagan.

"It's good to meet you, Doc, but how's she doing?" Braden asked.

Thom and Sarah both glanced at him. It was the moment of truth, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what he had to say, she wasn't sure if she could handle it if there was bad news.

Please, Jeremy, get here soon!

"She's stable, but she's not out of the woods yet. There was some internal bleeding in her abdomen that we were able to stitch up, but we also found a bleed in her brain that is causing some swelling."

"A bleed in her brain? Swelling?" Braden said, his eyes pained. "That sounds bad, Doc."

He nodded once. "It is. But she's not in any immediate danger. We're keeping her asleep for the time being so we can monitor her progress."

"Asleep?" Thom said. "Like in a coma?"

Braden looked horrified, and cut off the doctor before he could respond. "Her brain is bleeding and you guys are going to let her
sleep it off
?"

Dr. Butler held his hands up in a placating way. "I know it sounds bad, but I promise we're giving her what she needs. We're watching her closely, and if things get worse we'll have to go in to correct the bleed and reduce the swelling."

Braden took a few deep breaths and looked at Thom, his face twisted in pain.

"Can we see her?" Sarah asked, speaking up for the first time.

The doctor looked at her and was silent for a moment while he considered it. His lips pursed together and he nodded.

"We've moved her to her own room in the ICU, and we're keeping a close watch on her, but I don't see why two family members couldn't go back and see her. If you'd like, I'm heading back there now..."

Sarah jerked her head in a nod, understanding. She took a step back, but Thom put a hand on her shoulder.

"Could you give us a sec, doc? We'll be right behind you."

The doctor nodded once and walked off a few steps to give them some privacy.

"What are we waiting on? Let's go."

Braden had a hurried look in his face, but Thom turned to Sarah.

"You go with him. I'll wait out here until you get back."

Sarah shook her head. "No, I can't do that, you're her brother. Besides, you heard what he said..."

Thom held his palm up, cutting her off.

"You're family in all the ways that matter, and you've been here with her all night. I insist."

Sarah considered it, but the look in his eye told her that there wasn't anything to debate. She nodded and then she and Braden followed the doctor as he led them off to the ICU.

Sarah hadn't had many experiences with hospitals in her life. The only real time she'd spent much time in one was when her Aunt Patty was sick. She remembered the pain and anguish everyone had felt when they'd first found out just how sick Aunt Patty was--that she was terminal, and that she didn't have long. A similar feeling settled onto Sarah as they followed Dr. Butler. She was anxious because there were so many unknowns, and because she was reminded just how short life could be.

They stopped at a brown door with a tiny window. Dr. Butler hesitated before he opened it.

"Now, when we go in here, you're going to be surprised by what you see," he said. "I just want to assure you that she's not in any pain right now, and we're keeping a very close eye on her."

Sarah and Braden looked at each other, and then back at he doctor, nodding. Sarah wondered if it could possibly be worse than the way she'd looked back at the accident. But Braden hadn't seen that. He hadn't seen all of the blood, and he hadn't seen them pronounce Dylan as Dead On Arrival.

As they followed him in, there were steady beeps and thrumming sounds coming from the multitude of machines all attached to the girl lying in the single bed in the center of the room. Sarah let out a gasp when they saw her, and Braden put a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. They both rushed to her side, careful not to bump anything.

She was barely recognizable as the beautiful girl Sarah knew. Her face was dark and swollen, and nearly her entire body was wrapped in bandages. A large tube came out of her mouth, and there were multiple IVs attached to her hands and arms. At least they'd cleaned the blood out of her beautiful, auburn hair. It was a little thing, but it made Sarah feel better.

"You can touch her," Dr. Butler said when Braden looked up at him.

He nodded and slid his hand around hers. Sarah brushed a hand down her shoulder, lightly. She looked like she could just be sleeping, like if Sarah called her name she'd wake up, even though she knew that wasn't the case.

"Like I said, we're keeping a close watch on her. I'll be back in a few hours to check on her."

"Hey Doc," Braden called out, before the man could leave. Braden gave him an appreciative nod. "Thanks for keeping my baby sister alive,"

Dr. Butler gave him a weak smile before pushing his way outside.

Braden and Sarah sat there with her for a long time, neither of them saying anything. Sarah knew that could be
her
lying in the bed. If the truck that hit them had been just a half second faster, it
would
have been her. She supposed life was funny, that way. Funny and uncontrollable--not to be taken for granted.

"Your boyfriend was driving, wasn't he?" Braden asked. "When you guys got hit?"

Sarah nodded, but didn't say anything. Her stomach twisted in knots as her mind flooded with worries about where he might be, about the millions of things that might have happened to him to stop him from coming to the hospital.

"You should go find him. Make sure he's alright."

Sarah shook her head. "He was fine, I'm sure something came up. He just can't call to tell me because I took his phone."

Braden shrugged. "Still, being with him will make you feel better."

"I can't leave Reagan like this. I have to be here in case..." She swallowed hard, before continuing. "I have to be here when she wakes up."

She didn't want to think about the alternative.

"You heard the Doc. They're keeping her asleep so she won't wake up. Go get cleaned up and find your boyfriend--I'll give you a call if anything comes up."

Sarah looked at him, and he nodded one more time. She knew he was right. She knew she needed to go find Jeremy, she needed to make sure he was alright. Then she remembered something that actually made her crack a smile and shake her head.

"What is it?" he asked, confused.

"I just realized that I can't leave," she said. "I don't know if you heard, but my car got destroyed tonight."

Braden let out a tiny chuckle, a big smile spreading on his face.

"I think I
did
hear something about that, actually." He considered her for another moment before digging in his pocket and pulling out a set of keys. She gave him a confused look as he held them out to her. "It's the black Dodge Ram out in the corner of the lot."

She shook her head. "I can't take your truck, you'll be stranded here."

"You sure can, and you will. Go on. Our parents will be here soon, anyway." She looked between him and the keys for a second, considering the offer. He jingled them one more time. "I'll haul you out there and put you in the truck myself, if I have to."

Sarah took the keys from him, giving him a soft smile.

"Thanks," she said. "I'll bring them back as fast as possible."

She looked at Reagan one more time, and then bent over and kissed her lightly on the forehead. As she was walking out of the room, Braden called out to her one more time.

"Hey, Sarah," he said. She held her hand on the door as she turned and looked at him. "If that boyfriend of yours tries to drive my truck, he's going to end up looking worse than my sister here when I get finished with him."

Sarah grinned. "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

Braden nodded once, and turned back to Reagan, still cradling her hand gently in his.

* * * * *

Braden's black Dodge Ram wasn't the first big truck Sarah had ever driven, but it was definitely the first she'd ever driven on the big city streets of Houston. Before leaving the hospital, she pulled up directions to get back to campus, and was happy that it was only about a fifteen-minute drive. She was happy her phone didn't break in the accident, or she wouldn't have been able to drive anywhere.

The drive was quick, and she headed straight for the tiny parking lot nearest Jeremy's dorm. She didn't know where else to look for him, so she figured it was best to start there. She just hoped he didn't show up at the hospital looking for her, after all this time. That would just be her luck.

It was just after four in the morning by the time she made it to the dorm. There hadn't been a soul in sight as she walked across campus. She wished she could be fast asleep like all those other people. She wished they had all just stayed home and never gone to that damned rave.