Chris was ready to head back into the ER, but Colton put a hand on his arm to stop him.
“What?” Chris asked.
“I grabbed these.” Colton pressed his cell phone and wallet into his hand, but held tight when Chris tried to take them. “Are you okay?”
“No, and I won’t be again until they tell me she’s okay.”
Colton shook his head, but released Chris’s arm and they rushed back into the hospital.
The ER receptionist wouldn’t let them into her room to see Julie yet, so Chris sat in the hard chair rubbing his knee in agitation, his head pounding. “I should have been there for her. What if she dies because I didn’t answer the fucking phone?”
Colton looked at him worriedly, but didn’t say anything. That was almost worse than empty words. Chris knew Colton wouldn’t promise anything that he couldn’t keep. Did that mean he thought she was dying too? He looked around the waiting room in frustration. “What’s taking them so long? Why aren’t they telling us anything?”
“It hasn’t been that long. Try to relax. Julie doesn’t have any family in town does she?”
“Her brother lives here, but he’s in Louisiana right now for his job. He’s supposed to be gone for about another month. Her sister, Rachel, lives in Oklahoma City. Do you think I should try to get hold of them?”
“Let’s wait and see what the doctors say first. It may not be as bad as it seemed once they get her in here where they can keep an eye on her. It may be something as simple as she’s dehydrated and needs an IV.”
Chris gave a sharp nod and looked around the waiting room again before leaning down on his palms with his elbows resting on his knees.
“We never did get that coffee this morning. Why don’t I go see if I can find us some?”
“Okay. Thanks, Colt.”
Colton gave his shoulder a squeeze as he left the waiting room.
They were on their second cup of coffee each when finally an older doctor came over to them, reaching out his hand. “Are you Chris Robertson?” At Chris’s nod, he continued, “I’m Dr. Andrews. Ms. Hyatt gave me permission to share her condition with you.” He looked questioningly at Colton.
“I’m sorry. This is my brother, Colton. He helped me bring her in this morning.”
The doctor gave a sharp nod before turning back to Chris. “Ms. Hyatt is suffering from a severe case of pneumonia. When you brought her in, her pulse oxygen levels were extremely low and her fever was extremely high. She’s also dehydrated and appears to be suffering from general exhaustion. We’re getting her admitted into ICU right now. She’s already on an IV and antibiotics so hopefully, we will see some improvement over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
“Can I go in and see her?”
The doctor gave a sharp nod. “She’s asking for you, but you need to let her rest. Don’t get her worked up. The effects of the medicine on top of her physical condition mean she’s going to sleep a lot. Don’t let it worry you. They should have her in her room in about fifteen minutes. There’s a waiting room in the ICU. You can wait there and I’ll send someone out to get you when they’re ready for you.”
“She’s going to be okay, right?” He needed that reassurance.
The doctor’s wrinkled face became guarded. “She’s young and overall healthy. There’s no reason for her condition to worsen, but we’ll know more within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
For some reason, that tiny reassurance didn’t reassure him at all. Every time he got even the slightest glimmer of hope, it was snatched away. That couldn’t happen with Julie. Not again. Somehow she needed to know that he was nearby and that he needed her to live. She couldn’t die.
* * *
Twenty-four hours later and things hadn’t improved any. If anything, Julie was getting worse. She hadn’t awoken since they’d admitted her. Chris knew that for a fact because he hadn’t left her side. He’d pulled his chair right up beside her bed so he could hold her hand, the one that didn’t have the IV in it. Her dark, inky lashes feathered over her pale cheekbones. He knew the moment that he left, she’d slip away from him and he couldn’t allow that to happen.
He lived in fear that the nurses were going to kick him out, but so far, they had left him alone. Maybe out of respect for Julie since