Page 36 of Full Circle

“Yeah, thanks for the offer. Catch you next time!” I snapped back, rushing to catch up with Celeste.

She moved as if in a daze, waiting for the full elevator to evacuate passengers before getting on and pressing for the sixth floor. Her eyes were staring off into space and it was then that I noticed her wrinkly clothes and messy hair, indicating she had, in fact, been here all night. I wondered if I could give Marla enough of an apology over the phone that she’d run fresh clothes and toiletries out here.

“Celeste, please tell me what’s going on.” I hated the pleading tone in my voice, but this was beyond my range of comprehension. Celeste was always smiling and full of life. I didn’t know how to interpret this shell of herself.

“Um…it might be easier for Nana to explain,” she offered. “I’m not sure I totally understand yet myself.”

Shit. That couldn’t be a good sign.

On the sixth floor, we found Nana in a small lobby area near the elevators. Celeste handed her the cup of coffee, which she accepted with a wane smile. She didn’t say a word against my presence, only nodded to me in greeting.

Celeste sat down in a hard chair on her left, but I kneeled down in front of Nana and tried my best to keep my face kind. “Can you tell me what happened? Celeste didn’t know how to explain."

Nana sniffled. “They think Doug may have a brain tumor. Their imaging isn’t too great here, so they’re seeing about sending him to the bigger hospital in Savannah, I think. It all sounds expensive and scary.” She absentmindedly rubbed Celeste’s knee and offered her a small smile of reassurance, as if any could be found.

Expensive and scary, huh? I could fix that. Without a word, I stood up to kiss Celeste on the forehead and went out into the hall towards the bathrooms I spotted in an alcove opposite the elevators. The men’s room was empty, not that I gave a shit, but then again, Mr. Hendricks wouldn’t want anyone to know what I was about to do.

“Phillip,” I barked out as soon as I heard the line click. “I need you to make arrangements for a patient named Doug Hendricks to be moved to Emory University Hospital. I want the best doctors they have. Pay them to give all their other patients to someone else. Mr. Hendricks is the only one they care about until he’s better, understand?”

He sighed on the other end of the line. “Your father isn’t going to like this, Wesley.”

I snorted. “My father isn’t even going to notice, but nice try on the guilt trip. Just make it happen. I want transportation arrangements from Smithson County General to Emory within the hour. Oh, and we’ll need the jet to get his family up there, too.”

“Gee, anything else?” The sarcasm in his voice made me want to throttle him.

“Yes, they’ll need a VIP suite at the closest hotel to the hospital. Anything they want or need. This is important to me, Phillip.” The gravity of the situation finally hit me and I choked up a bit on his name, trying to hold back what felt like tears. I hadn’t cried since the Fourth of July when I shared my first kiss with Celeste.

His sigh this time was a bit softer, as if he actually cared about my feelings. “I’ll make it happen, but Wes, I can only keep your dad out of the loop for so long. I can’t throw his name around without it getting back to him.”

“Yeah, well, when have I ever asked for anything?” I argued. “I’ll be coming with the Hendricks family, so he can tell me off in person. That oughta make it worth his while.”

Phillip snorted and tried to cover it up as a cough. “The jet is on its way to the Savannah airport now to pick everyone up. I’ll text you info on Emory within the next 30 minutes.”

“Good.” I didn’t bother thanking him as I hung up.

Out in the waiting room, Celeste was still sitting next to Nana, her eyes glossy and vacant. I squatted down in front of her, gently cupping her cheek to force her to look at me.

“Hey, Lovebug,” I whispered with a soft smile. “I’m gonna take care of this, okay? Your dad is gonna get through this, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

This was enough to finally get through to her and she returned my smile with a watery one of her own. She looped her arms around my neck, taking a deep inhale against my shaggy hair, and whispered, “I love you.”

My sap of a heart melted at those three little words. It meant something when they came from Celeste’s lips. She said them with conviction, like every fiber of her being believed in their absolute truth. I would drain every penny from my dad’s bank account if it meant I could show her just how much I loved her in return.

“Come on, let’s go see your dad and let him know he’s gonna be moved.” I laced my fingers through hers and pulled her up beside me. From the corner of my eye, I swore I saw Nana grin at the sight of our hands, but she dropped it too quickly for me to be sure.

“Am I invited, too?” Nana quipped.

I held out my other arm for her. “You get my best side,” I offered.

The three of us went down the hall towards what must have been Mr. Hendricks’ room. Desiree and her two kids were inside, Hillary perking up and fluffing her hair as soon as she saw me. Mr. Hendricks was sitting up in bed, with a wire looped into his nose to help him breathe, and an IV plugged into his right elbow. A doctor stood on the other side of his bed, who glanced at us briefly before turning back to Desiree. She looked flustered and angry.

“I don’t understand!” she whined. Actually whined, like a damn toddler. Jesus take the wheel because my patience left the car. “What do you mean ‘there’s been a change in plans’? Why isn’t he being sent to Savannah?”

“Because I want the best care possible for Mr. Hendricks and that ain’t gonna happen in Savannah,” I interrupted snidely. Unlooping my arm from Nana, I held out my hand to the doctor instead. “I’m Wesley Madden, Benedict Madden’s son.”

The doctor’s eyes widened in surprise and he vigorously shook my hand. “Please thank your father for his generosity to our hospital. All of Mr. Hendricks’ files have already been sent to Emory. The helicopter should be here shortly for transport.”

I smirked at the gaping hole Desiree’s mouth made as her jaw dropped. Her shock quickly morphed into something else, a mix of jealousy, anger, and resentment. She regained her composure enough to smooth back Mr. Hendricks hair.

---