“Quick, she’s gone. We can sneak in.”
I almost smile. Pesky little troublemaker.
“Come on.” Steering Blair away from the restricted door, I take her to a lounge area. I kiss her temple. “Wait for me.”
There’s a vending machine for coffee nearby. It’s probably bitter and shitty, but she needs something warm to drink. I punch the buttons and watch the cardboard cup fill.
This area of the hospital isn’t busy right now. I passed a few people in the emergency room reception when I came in, but this section is deserted. The lighting is too bright, everything smells of stale air and astringent antiseptic. It creates a sense of liminal space.
I don’t like hospitals.
One of the few memories I have before my parents began dumping me on others was when I was young, maybe four or five. I was playing with Lucas, who could climb better since he was a year older. I wanted to do anything Lucas did. He was my idol. My only friend.
When I tried to climb as high as Lucas, I fumbled my footing and landed badly on a rock. They made me stay overnight in the hospital, alone, with too many beeping machines.
Grabbing the piping hot coffee, I return to find Blair biting on her abused thumb nail. Her brows are furrowed and she stares into space. I pass her the coffee.
“In the ambulance she started seizing or something, I don’t know,” Blair mumbles, looking rattled. “Once we pulled up to the hospital, they took her away.”
I tip her chin up. Her eyes are bloodshot and swollen. “I’m going to find my godfather. Just wait here.”
Blair blows out a ragged breath and shrugs. Taking a sip of coffee, she grimaces.
“This tastes like shit.”
The corner of my mouth curls up. “Tough.”
“Seriously, this is the worst cup of coffee I’ve ever had.”
I leave her with her crappy hospital coffee and head for the elevator in the next hallway. I ride it up to the third floor, questioning what I’m doing the whole way to my godfather’s office.
Whatever it is, I’ll see it through. There’s no point in stopping at this point. If it gets me to my endgame, then it’s worth it.
Uncle Craig is inside the office, seated at a glass top desk with a pair of reading glasses drooping low on the bridge of his nose as he goes over medical records. A white lab coat is draped across a black leather sofa.
Craig is a barrel-chested man with a broad, gleaming white smile, light brown skin, and warm eyes that make you feel his love. He’s not my uncle by blood, but I’ve known him my entire life. He always insists I treat him like family, which I’m glad to. As far as I’m concerned, we are family.
I knock on the open door. “Hey.”
Uncle Craig looks up and beams at me, waving his hand to gesture me in. “Devlin! What a surprise. I was just talking to your dad a couple of days ago. Have a seat.”
Of course. Dad can talk to his colleagues, but not to his own son. I haven’t had a conversation with Dad in over a week. He ignores most of my texts.
I should take the hint and stop dragging myself over hot coals because there’s nothing to gain from him.
I stand on the other side of Craig’s desk. “Actually, I can’t stay long. My—” I falter. What is Blair to me? We’re still not friends. What do you call the girl who drives you crazy that you pay to control? The thought rattles through my head unpleasantly. Craig’s graying brows hike up at my verbal fumble. I’m not usually tongue-tied. “—friend, her mom was brought in. I want to make sure she gets the best care possible.”
“Hmm, I see.” Craig scrubs a big palm over his shiny bald head. He drags his open laptop closer. “What’s the name?”
“Macy Davis.”
The keyboard keys clack as Craig types. Craig pushes his glasses up his nose. His eyes bounce back and forth as he reads the information on the screen.
“Okay. She was given a bed in the emergency department for evaluation of the symptoms she presented with upon arrival. I can’t tell you exact details.”
“Can you have her transferred into a private room?”
I picture Blair biting on her nails and sitting in her duck shorts downstairs. A sigh drags out of me. I can’t provide her with my own health insurance, but I can throw money at the problem.
A niggling instinct has been picking at me since I saw Blair on her knees next to her mom. It’s something fighting against the darker shades of my mind intent on getting what I want out of this.
“If they admit her to the floor, then yes.”
“I want to take care of all of it.”
Craig plucks off his reading glasses and strokes his chin. “Some friend. Are you sure? I can see this patient doesn’t have insurance on file.”
I wave my hand. “Whatever gets her the best testing and care. Make it happen. Will you keep an eye on her case?”
“That’s part of my job.” Craig studies me. “Is everything okay? You look like hell.”
My mouth pulls to the side. “Studying hard, you know? Dad expects me to ace this year to look good for pre-med programs.”
Craig shakes his head. “Get some rest, Devlin.”
I release a relieved breath. “Thanks, Uncle Craig.”
As Craig types on his laptop, I leave the office.
Blair hasn’t moved from where I left her, and that sends a satisfied hum into the pit of my stomach. She listened. Obeyed.
Before I can tell her the good news, the same nurse Blair argued with comes through the double doors.
“Miss Davis? We’re admitting your mom upstairs. Come with me, I’ll take you to see her.”
Blair jumps to her feet and abandons her cardboard coffee cup on a stack of magazines. “Is she okay?”
“She’s stable. The doctor taking over her case will likely run some tests to find out what caused her low blood pressure.”
The nurse walks briskly as she talks. Blair scurries to keep up on shorter legs. I tuck my arm around her waist as we follow the nurse to another bank of elevators.
It’s ridiculous, but I struggle against a bout of irritation. I wanted to tell Blair.
As the nurse directs us through the pristine hallway, Blair stiffens beside me.
“What’s wrong?”
“These are all private rooms. I thought hospitals had some where you share.”
“Your mom’s getting the best care possible. Isn’t that what you want?”
Blair shoots me a conflicted look. “Yes, but…aren’t private rooms expensive?”
Her brow pinches. The math is adding up in her mind. She’s probably factoring in the cost of the ambulance ride, and whatever the charges will be for the emergency room doctor.
“Here we are,” the nurse announces as we arrive at a room at the end of the hall.
Corner room. It’ll have a nice view of the mountain range that stretches across Ridgeview in the morning. I suppress a sigh. I did tell Uncle Craig to take the best care of Macy.
I shouldn’t worry. It won’t even put a dent in the account my parents dump money into each month. Their guilt money.
As if their money could substitute for real parenting.
Besides, if it drained the account, I have my personal accounts I’ve grown with my financial advisor through investments.