Five pairs of eyes instantly turned in the direction of Hannah’s doctor as he strode briskly down the hallway, still clad in his surgical scrubs. He was flanked by four others, presumably doctors or nurses, including one individual who was wheeling a metal cart that Jackson knew was used to administer IV’s to patients. There was a plastic bag already attached to the pole, though the liquid within wasn’t clear like it would be for a normal IV. Rather, there was a reddish tinge to the contents, and he guessed this was the precious, long awaited bone marrow that would hopefully save Hannah’s life.
As the rest of his team entered the ICU unit, David hurried over to where the family was anxiously awaiting to be updated.
“Sorry it took a little longer than expected,” he mumbled, not offering any particular reason for the delay. “But we’re good to go now. I need to suit up in more protective gear before I can enter Hannah’s room but I’ll be hooking her up to the infusion as soon as I do that.”
Laura closed her eyes, her thin hand visibly trembling as she pressed it over her heart. “Oh, thank God! I was so afraid that something had gone wrong, that the donor backed out at the last minute, or that there was going to be some major delay in getting the donation here. But now my baby is going to get the help she needs, and she’s going to be good as new. Isn’t she, Doctor Parks?”
David hesitated briefly before smiling at Laura reassuringly. “That’s the hope, Mrs. Brockmeyer. You all know, though, that it’s going to be awhile yet before we know if this procedure will put Hannah into remission. It’s going to be weeks, maybe more like a month, before we know for certain that the engraftment is successful. So while we’re very hopeful that this will be the answer we’ve been hoping for, Hannah is nowhere near out of the woods yet. Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I want to personally oversee the infusion, and check on Hannah.”
“Can - can we see her?” asked Laura quietly.
David shook his head regretfully. “Not for a few days, I’m afraid. The risk of infection is incredibly high right now, so medical personnel only. Besides, she’ll remain rather heavily sedated so she won’t be able to respond to you. If she doesn’t have any unexpected reactions to the transplant, and starts to perk up, she can have visitors for a few minutes at a time by the end of the week. I’ll check back in with you after awhile.”
Before anyone - especially Barton, who looked positively thunderous - could ask anything else, David dashed through the doors of the ICU unit.
“Well, that didn’t tell us very much, did it?” groused Barton. “Damned insolent doctor. I knew we should have found someone else.”
Jackson exchanged a knowing look, first with his mother and then with Neil, before telling his father calmly, “Dad, we’ve been through this countless times. There’s no one better than David Parks. And Hannah has always liked him and trusted him, so that should count for something. Besides, David worked his ass off trying to find a donor match, so give him some credit, hmm?”
Jackson exchanged another brief look with Neil, both of them knowing that it actually hadn’t been because of David’s efforts that a donor had finally been found. But since they could never, ever reveal this piece of information to anyone else, Jackson was more than happy for Hannah’s doctor to get the credit.
“And why the hell can’t we know the identity of this donor?” fumed Barton. “I don’t understand why it’s got to be such a damned secret.”
Jackson shook his head, having also gone round and round with his father multiple times on this same topic. “You know exactly why,” he replied tiredly. “It’s been explained to all of us too many times to count. Privacy issues, plain and simple. The donor chose to remain anonymous and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Why the hell do you care so much, anyway? All that’s important is that a match was finally found for Hannah.”
Barton shrugged, obviously displeased at his youngest son’s continual challenges. “I suppose I’d just like the opportunity to thank this person, maybe send them a token of appreciation from the family. But I guess that’s not likely to happen, is it?”
There was silence all around after that, while Candace excused herself to make a phone call, Neil and Barton checked their phones for messages, and Laura appeared to doze off, the exhaustion and stress catching up with her. Jackson pulled out his own phone, intent on finally sending Scarlett a message, when he happened to glance up and see Devon walking into the waiting room.
Even to pay a visit to a hospital, his girlfriend was dressed to the nines, as though she was attending a fashion show or fancy luncheon instead. A couple of inches taller than medium height, she worked extremely hard to maintain her slender, subtle curves, hitting the gym or Pilates studio seven days a week. She wore an impeccably tailored sheath dress of pale blue, the sleeveless style showing off her tanned, toned arms, and the fabric skimming over her firm breasts, flat belly, and gently curving hips. Her stiletto sandals were nearly the same shade of blue as her expensive designer dress, as was the leather satchel she carried. Her wheat blonde hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, without a single strand out of place, and she’d perched a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses atop her head. Her lovely, sculpted features were perfectly made up, emphasizing her large, green eyes, pert little nose, and full, lush mouth. Discreet gold jewelry - necklace, earrings, and bracelets - completed her ensemble, and pulled together the look of pampered sophistication that Devon had perfected.
“Hey, baby,” she purred, as she pressed a kiss on his cheek, giving him a quick hug.
Had his parents not been present, Devon would have certainly greeted him in a far more amorous, demonstrative manner. But she’d figured out very early on in their relationship that Barton and Candace were both old fashioned and somewhat prudish, at least in public, and that they frowned on overt displays of affection. And since Devon sought out the elder Gilmores approval almost slavishly, she always behaved like a perfect lady in their presence.
Jackson gave her a brief hug in return but didn’t kiss her. “What are you doing here?” he asked warily.
Devon had offered multiple times to come by the hospital today, but each time he had tried to gently imply that it was really just the immediate family who was supposed to be present, and that even his two brothers and their families probably wouldn’t be here. He had tried his hardest to get this message across to her tactfully, realizing that she was trying to be supportive, but at the same time oh so subtly implying that he didn’t consider her to be part of the family - despite her increasingly bold hints that she would like nothing better than to become Mrs. Jackson Gilmore.
But to tell her now in front of his family that she shouldn’t be here, that this wasn’t her place, would be both rude and thoughtless. And since the last thing he wanted to do, or felt capable of handling, was to create a scene, he kept his mouth shut.
Devon pouted prettily, her lips glossed over in a shiny pale pink. “Why, supporting my boyfriend, of course,” she murmured. “And his family. I know this is a big day. How’s my little sweetie Hannah doing anyway?”