She felt a tug on her fingers and looked over at her niece, who raised her brow suggestively.
Nikki rolled her eyes at her playfully. Just then, she felt her phone vibrate against her leg, and she reached into her pocket to retrieve it. Her brows furrowed, and her heart froze mid-thump at the number calling. Slowly, she brought it to her ear.
“Hello?” she answered. “Yes, this is Nikki,” she replied, listening attentively to what the person on the other end of the line was saying.
Paul and Amy stared in concern at her.
When she finally ended the call, she turned to them.
“That was the hospital…Trish is awake.”
ChapterTwenty-Six
Amy held on tightly to Nikki’s hand as they settled in the back seat of Paul’s car while he and Reed rode up front. The closer they got to the hospital, the louder Nikki’s heart pounded against her chest. She was about to see her sister alive and awake after coming so close to losing her. She could feel the angst emanating from her niece, who stared out the window of the moving car while keeping a tight grip on her hand. Nikki looked down and noticed that her knuckles were drained of color. She wished she knew what she was thinking.
When she’d broken the news to Reed, and he had shared it with the guests, there had been loud cheers of joy. The relief on some of the faces was palpable. Reed had left his right hand in charge of the rest of the afternoon as he opted to go with them to the hospital. A couple more cars were traveling behind them with some close friends and well-wishers. Amy had frozen in place when she first broke the news, and after that, she seemed to be on autopilot. She hadn’t said one word since entering the car. Nikki stared worriedly at her for a few seconds. Just then, the hospital came into view.
Nikki wasn’t sure what she was expecting to see when she finally made it into the room, but in the meantime, her anxiety seemed to be getting the better of her.
“You guys okay?” Paul turned to ask them after he’d parked the car.
“I don’t know,” Amy answered truthfully, releasing a heavy sigh.
Nikki looked over at her to see the uncertainty flickering in her eyes. Tamping down her own insecurities, Nikki squeezed the hand she still held in hers and used her other hand to run soothingly down Amy’s arm.
Amy turned to her, looking lost and afraid.
“Everything will be okay,” she said with a reassuring smile. Opening the car door, she pulled Amy along until they stood face-to-face on the pavement. Nikki reached over and pulled her niece into her arms.
“I’m scared,” Amy whispered to her.
“I know, sweetie, I know,” Nikki replied, smoothing the hair at her temples lovingly. “Everything will be fine,” she repeated, taking Amy’s cheeks into her palms so she could stare into her eyes. “I promise.”
Amy finally nodded, and the two women turned to the men waiting for them. After pushing through the lobby’s entrance, they made their way to the elevator to take them up to Trish’s wing.
Nikki’s feet felt like someone had thrown cement in her shoes. The others followed closely when she made it off the elevator and walked over to the nurses’ station.
“Hi, I’m here to see Trisha Murphy. They called to say she’s awake,” she managed to say.
“And you are?” the woman asked, looking through the files on her desk. Nikki had never seen this woman before when she visited Trish, which would explain why she didn’t know her.
“My name is Nikki Murphy. I’m her sister.”
“Okay. Just a moment, let me get the doctor for you.” The nurse reached for the telephone and spoke into the receiver before hanging up and turning to Nikki. “He’ll be here in a few minutes. In the meantime, you and the others may have a seat,” the woman informed her. Nikki couldn’t sit. Instead, she paced the waiting area impatiently.
“Dad?”
Nikki looked up to see Sarah, Paul’s daughter, walk toward him.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Paul greeted her with a hug and a kiss against her temple.
“I was making my rounds when one of the nurses told me they saw you come up here. Is everything okay?” Sarah asked when they separated.
“It’s Trish. They said she’s awake,” Paul replied.
“Oh, that’s great news,” Sarah responded.
“We haven’t been in to see her yet, though. We’re waiting on the doctor.”
