Page 35 of Full Circle

The rest of the world faded to black in that moment. It was sad that Mr. Hendricks was sick, I admit, but it didn’t hold a candle in comparison to what I knew Celeste had to be feeling. She needed me, and that was the only thing I could focus on right now.

“What hospital are they at?” I demanded, my voice thin and tight like even that was stretched to my breaking point. So much rage swirled beneath the surface that I might detonate like a bomb.

“Smithson County General,” Marla said. “You should know, it’s…it’s where Rachel died.”

I let out a bellow of frustration as I turned on my heel to storm out of the restaurant. Someone should have told me the minute Celeste had to step foot back in that building. Nothing good could ever come from her reliving that trauma. Everyone around us might be adult in age, but they were infants in maturity and understanding when it came to that girl.

Aunt Shirley might not be willing to take me since it was the first day of school, but I would charge whatever an Uber driver requested on my dad’s credit card if it meant they got me to the hospital.

It took me less than half the time it normally did for me to storm inside Shirley’s house. She popped up from her recliner in alarm. I must have been terrifying because she drew back from me with a gasp.

“Wesley! What’s happened?”

“I need a ride to the hospital. Now,” I added pointedly. “If you don’t take me, I’ll find another way to get there.”

“But why? Are you hurt?” She squinted as she checked my body for open wounds or visible bones.

I shook my head. “Celeste is, so I need to go. Right now!”

Aunt Shirley jumped again at how loudly I cried out the last part, but she immediately grabbed her old purse and car keys from their table by the front door. I followed her outside and dove into the passenger seat behind her. The downside to her transportation was that Aunt Shirley could barely handle driving the speed limit and frequently had cars go around her because she was so slow, but I needed that extra couple minutes to get a grip on my feelings. While Celeste would be glad to see me, she wouldn’t take too kindly to a rage-induced outburst.

That didn’t stop my head from sending me horrible ideas at lightning speed the entire drive there. Images of Celeste huddled and scared in the corner of a hospital room. Montages of her crying next to her dad’s bed. I was sure Desiree was there, too, meaning Celeste probably had to deal with her nastiness in addition to worrying over her dad. However, I made her dad a promise yesterday, and I intended to keep it.

When Aunt Shirley pulled up in front of the hospital, I didn’t even wait for her to stop before I was barreling out and through the glass doors. A receptionist at the desk raised her eyebrows at me when I yelled, “Doug Hendricks’ room, now!”

The smiling ducks on her shirt mocked me, their cartoon eyes bright and cheerful. Who wore ducks as a grown woman anyway? Her name badge was partially covered by a lumpy sweater that looked to be two sizes too big.

“Sir, that’s not how we do things at this hospital,” she said firmly. “You don’t get to yell at any of our staff.”

I rolled my eyes and plastered on a fake smile that was probably equal parts smile and sneer. “I need to know which room Doug Hendricks is in.”

“Are you family?”

I blinked at her like she was an idiot. Which she was. “I’m his daughter’s boyfriend. She needs me.”

The woman’s entire disposition changed and she gripped her hands to her chest while making gooey eyes at me. I drew back in disgust as she cooed, “Aww! That’s absolutely adorable!”

“Yeah, call it whatever you want, lady, I just need to know where she is.” My irritation was spiraling.

She gave me a saccharine smile that she must have stolen straight from the HR training video on difficult patients. “I’m sorry, I can’t give you that information. Family only.”

Both of my hands smacked the counter at the same time, startling her and wiping the sadistic smile off her face. “Did you not hear me? I am dating his daughter! I am family! Where is the room?!” My voice echoed off the walls, making more than one person stop and stare.

The lady’s eyes were about to pop out of her head if they got any wider. “Sir, I need you to keep your voice down or security will have to be called.”

“So call ‘em! Hell, call the damn hospital director and let them know that the Madden Enterprises will be making a generous donation as long as you tell me where my fucking girlfriend is!”

The woman opened her mouth to give me another de-escalation tactic before a tiny, fragile voice cut through them all.

“Wes?” Celeste’s eyes were rimmed with red and entirely gaunt in her face. She was holding a paper coffee cup and looking at me in a way that said she wasn’t sure if I was corporeal or a hallucination. There were several feet between us as she stood off to my left in a lobby area of sorts, but I crossed the distance in two strides to scoop her up into my arms. Only once I could feel her arms wrap around my neck did the vice grip of rage loosen on my heart. Now everything was right with the world again. And if I needed to call the damn Georgia Surgeon General myself to oversee Mr. Hendricks’ care and ease a bit of the tension I could feel in Celeste’s tiny frame right now, I would do so happily.

Drawing back, I gently kissed her forehead and took the hand not holding coffee in my own. “What’s going on, Celeste? I’ve been calling you all night, scared out of my mind. Marla told me y’all were here.”

She nodded, but the halfway vacant expression didn’t leave. “Yes, Daddy’s sick.” She began walking slowly towards the elevators, pulling her hand from mine to grip the coffee cup tighter.

Okay, what the fuck was going on? Celeste never dropped my hand. The situation must be a lot worse than I thought.

“Sir, you need a visitor badge—” Happy Duck Lady called out from behind the receptionist desk.

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