He really needs to add some emojis. In my head I imagine angry emojis, but he has no reason to be angry … at least, not with me. Maybe he has issues at work or with Dr. Hathaway and needs someone to talk to.
Me: Okay. (smiley emoji, high-five emoji)
After a car wash and dog wash, I take my routine walk, eat dinner, shower, and play Xbox, waiting for Eli. At 10:20 p.m., my phone chimes. Stomach-flu Hailey from the ICU messages me—well, it’s actually a group message. I hate group messages.
Hailey: OMG – Dr. Hawkins is seriously injured!
I stare at my screen, not fully believing what’s popping up—the long string of responses from everyone else in the group text. I have nothing to say because my brain is stuck in denial.
WTF? What happened?
Is he going to live?
When? What happened?
OMFG are you serious?
Deets … we need ALL the deets.
He fell off a ledge on a trail.
Had to be airlifted.
Took two hours to get him out.
Really fucking steep cliff.
They’re taking him to surgery now at General.
I’m off in ten. I’m going straight there to find out more. I’ll update soon.
After reading all the texts from the group, I run straight to my parents’ bedroom and throw open the door.
They look up from their adjustable bed, illuminated by the TV screen. Grey’s Anatomy. Always Grey’s Anatomy.
“What’s wrong?” Mom asks.
“Dr. Hawkins is going into surgery. He was jogging. Fell off the steep ledge of the trail. Hailey sent out a group text. He was supposed to come see me tonight. I’ve been waiting for him. I don’t know what to do. Stay? Go? I’m not family. I know they won’t tell me anything. Hailey will give better updates to the group text. But his parents will be there. Oh my god … poor Roman. He’s with Julie, but still … she’ll take him to the hospital, right? Or maybe not. I mean, if it’s bad, it could scare him. He’s three. Oh god …” I blink and feel a lot of tears fall down my face all at once. “What if he doesn’t live?”
It’s like they’re in bed one minute, and in that single blink, they’re hugging me.
“Go,” my mom says. “You definitely should go. I’ll drive you and stay with you until we know how he’s doing.”
I nod, batting away the tears. “Okay.”
We drive to General, and we’re met with an over-capacity waiting room of family, coworkers, and friends. I’m completely out of place—more so than usual. There’s no place to sit, so Mom and I huddle in a corner next to a window.
“I can get us coffees?” she suggests.
“Okay.”
After she leaves to grab us coffees, a tiny peephole forms in the throng of people, and on the other side of the room, I make what feels like accidental eye contact with Lori Hawkins. She looks oddly calm. No real decipherable expression on her face. Not that I’m an expert at that.
She slowly stands, releasing Kent’s hand, and worms her way toward me. “Dorothy, dear … come sit with us.” Her arms embrace me. I stiffen. After a few seconds, I flatten my hands and give her a few comforting pats.
“They’re trying to stop the internal bleeding. He was unresponsive when they arrived with him. God … we’re just so lucky someone happened to see him go over the edge, otherwise …” Her voice cracks.
Otherwise, he would have died and it would have taken days if not longer to find his body. Those lines I can read between.
“Where’s Roman?”
“He’s at home with Julie’s mom, Peggy. Come on.” She takes my hand and pulls me to the other side of the waiting room.
Kent gives me a sad smile as Lori introduces me to Eli’s sisters, Kendra and Molly, and their husbands and children. Julie is on the other side of Kent with red eyes and a tissue wadded in her hand. I smile at her. She glances in the other direction and wipes her eyes. Kent rests his hand on her back and rubs circles on it while she leans into him.
“Sit, Dorothy. I’ve sat far too long. I think I need to take a walk. Kent, message me if you hear anything.” Lori releases my hand and points to the seat on the other side of Kent.
“My mom’s here. She drove me. She went to get coffee. I’m good. I don’t need to sit right now.”