Page 79 of Jack

Why does the preacher’s daughter keep showing up in the darndest places?

“I’m a student at Staten Medical College. Most of us intern here.” She steps to the side so I face the doctor again, not that I can’t see him over the top of her head. “Doctor McCormick is a great doctor. Lily couldn’t have asked for a better surgeon. Please don’t hurt him.”

“Lily? Is she going to be okay?” I don’t have the praise she does for this doctor, but I trust Finley.

“I wasn’t in there, Jack.” Finley shakes her head. “But Doctor McCormick and his team are her best chance at pulling through.”

“Okay.” My eyes meet the doctor’s again. “Is Lily going to be okay?”

“I can’t promise that just yet. The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are crucial,” he replies.

“The coma? Why’s she in a coma?” The word alone scares me.

The doctor behind him on the left answers, “The body heals while it rests. Miss Harman couldn’t rest. Her body was fighting against us. We couldn’t stabilize her. Putting her in a medically induced coma was our best chance at saving her.”

This little doctor is better at explaining things. I might like her. Time will tell.

“The coma saves her?”

She sighs. Nope. I don’t like her, either.

“It helps give Miss Harman…”

“Lily,” I insist. I want them to say her name.

“Lily,” she corrects. “It helps Lily’s body fight how we need it to and not against us.”

“Who are you?” I look at the people behind the two doctors. “Who are they?”

“This is Trudy Shaw. She’s a medical student.” Doctor McCormick has said enough.

“No. No students. She needs doctors who know what they’re doing.” I glare at the surgeon. “I wanna see Lily.”

“Doctor McCormick, please forgive our son. What more can you tell us about Lily’s condition?” Mom asks.

“She was shot once. Another bullet grazed her shoulder. We were able to remove the bullet. However, it did puncture her right lung. She’s stable for now. We’ll move her to ICU shortly. The ICU nurses will give your family the visitation times. These will be short and limited. Lily will need quiet.” He glances at meand back to Mom. Yeah, she’s his best bet to talk to right now. “Any disturbances and the visits will stop.”

“We understand,” Mom says.

I glare at Doctor McCormick’s back as he and his medical team walk away. Finley and another nurse remain behind.

“I know you are scared. You probably don’t understand all the medical terms or what Doctor McCormick is doing, but I promise they’re fighting hard to save Lily,” Finley assures me. She motions to the nurse with long brown hair. “This is Dana. She’ll be Lily’s nurse tonight.”

“Are you a student, too?”

“No, Mr. McLeod. I graduated last spring,” Dana replies.

That’s about six months. Better than a student, I guess.

“I wanna see her,” I demand.

“I can take you and one other person to see her for a few minutes once she’s settled in ICU. You have to stay quiet, though. The more she rests right now, the better her chances are.” Dana steps back and waits for me to follow her.

I take Mom’s hand. “Go with me?”

“Of course I will.” Mom wipes tears from her cheeks with her palm. She slides under my arm, and we follow Dana to ICU. To Lily.

Chapter 35

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