As she ran into the reception area, she spotted Dr. Landry. She almost fainted with relief when the doctor raced forward with agurney.
“Set him here,” Dr.Landrysaid.
She placed her son on the sterile white sheets. As she stepped back, she swayed only to be caught in Brady’sstrongarms.
“Come on,honey.”
Guided by Brady, she followed the doctor down the hall toward a set of doors marked:Stop! Operating Rooms.StaffOnly.
Dr. Landry spun to face her. “You can’t go any further. I’ll send someone out to keep youupdated.”
Rachel blurted, “Brady didn’t shift. I mean. We don’t know.Oh,God.”
The doctor waved over a nurse. “Get something to relax her and take her to thewaitingroom.”
The nurse smiled softly. “Come withme,dear.”
“Wait! Wait!” Rachel ran over to Jimmy and kissed his hot cheek. “It’s going to be okay, baby. Mommy loves youverymuch.”
She turned to find Brady climbing onto a gurney. After rushing to his side, she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “You’ll be okay too. You have to be… you havetobe.”
Brady said, “We’ll be fine, sweetheart. I’ll be out soon. Everything’s going tobeokay.”
“I have to take them now,” Dr. Landry said. “We needtogo.”
Rachel nodded. “Please, take careofthem.”
“I will. I’ll send someone out to talk to you as soon asIcan.”
As the doctor rolled Jimmy through the doors, Rachel let out a small cry. Watching Brady disappear behind him set the worldspinning.
The nurse caught her and half-carried her to the nearest chair. “Let me get you some water and something to help you stay calm. I’ll berightback.”
Rachel put her head between her knees until the room stopped spinning. She couldn’t stop thinking that they could die. If her son died, she’d die with him. And if Brady died, she’d wilt into a shadow of the woman she once was. The doctor had better be right. She’d better be able tosavethem.
The nurse returned with a paper cup filled with water and a white pill. “Take this. It will help yourelax.”
Rachel took the cup and shoved the pill into her mouth. As she slurped the water, the pill slid down her swollenthroat.
“When you feel okay to walk again, let me know and I’ll take you to the waiting room,” thenursesaid.
“I’mokaynow.”
She wasn’t. But the sooner she got to the waiting room, the better she’d feel. What if they came out to give her news and she wasn’t there? She had to get there immediately. She rose on unsteady legs and took a wobbly step toward thenurse.
The nurse frowned. “Let me get a wheelchair. You sitbackdown.”
Rachel fell back into the chair. Her heart clenched so hard that if she didn’t know better, she’d think she was having a heartattack.
The nurse returned with a wheelchair. After climbing into it, the nurse rolled her down the hall and through a series of doors. The white tiled floor rolled past ominously. She hated hospitals. When she was ten, her best friend had fallen off a snowmobile and had been struck in the head. She’d been in a coma for three weeks. Rachel had visited her and had prayed over her every day, hoping that her friend would open her eyes. If she had just woken up, everything would have been okay. But sheneverdid.
Rachel shivered and pulled her sweater around her shoulders. The waiting room was cold and empty but for one other woman who sat in the corner with a shocked expression on her face. Rachel met her eyes for a moment before quicklylookingaway.
The woman crossed the room and sat next to her. “I hope you don’t mind. I just can’t be aloneanymore.”
“How long have you beenwaiting?”
“Hours.” The woman’s gray-green eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Black lines of mascara had left trails of sorrow down her cheeks. Blonde hair stuck out from what had probably once been an elegant chignon. She wore a sparkling reddress.
