Page 75 of He Doesn't Deserve You

The receptionist stood up and said, “Let me see what I can find out,” before disappearing behind a set of doors. A minute later, she returned and informed Emily, “Someone will be out shortly to give you an update.”

“Thank you,” Emily said before walking to the seating area. She and the boys sat down, anxiously awaiting news. She watched the clock on the wall intently, and after twenty minutes, she was just about to approach the reception desk when a woman emerged from the emergency department and called, “Mrs. Anderson?”

Emily jumped to her feet and approached the woman. “I’m Mrs. Anderson,” she said.

The boys quickly joined her side.

“I’m Betty, the nurse caring for your husband,” the woman introduced herself.

“How is he?” Emily asked anxiously.

Betty tried to reassure her. “We pumped his stomach and administered an antidote to counteract the pills he took. We’re also giving himmedications to lower his heart rate and reduce his blood pressure. We had to place him on a ventilator to stabilize his breathing.”

“But he’s going to be okay?” Emily’s voice trembled, her eyes pleading for reassurance.

“We’re doing everything we can,” Betty responded gently. “We don’t yet know the full extent of the damage. The next twenty-four hours are critical.”

“Can we see him?”

“He’s being transferred to ICU right now,” Betty replied. “Give them some time to settle him before you visit him.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Betty managed a thin, weary smile. “You’re welcome.”

They made their way to the ICU waiting room on the third floor. Emily dialed Agnes’s number. Without getting into too much detail, she explained that Gabriel was in the hospital and asked Agnes to pick Ava up from preschool and keep the news about her father from her. Agnes was understandably upset and immediately offered to stay with Ava until they could get home.

They spent the next several hours taking turns visiting Gabriel two at a time, waiting for Gabriel to wake up, but he never did. At 9:00 p.m., Emily turned to Hunter and said, “It’s getting late. We should head home.”

Hunter nodded and stood up. He walked over to his father’s bedside, gently placing his hand on his father’s arm. “Get some rest, Dad. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

They found Hayden in the waiting room, his feet propped up on a chair, his head resting against the wall, asleep. Emily gently shook his shoulder to wake him up. “Hey, it’s time to go,” she whispered softly.

Hayden slowly opened his eyes, stretched, and let out a long yawn before getting up and dutifully following her out of the waiting room.

On the drive home, Hunter finally broke the heavy silence. “Why would he do this?” he asked Emily, his voice filled with bewilderment.

Emily sighed deeply. “Your father is struggling with an overwhelming sense of guilt over everything that’s happened. Being suspended from work only added to the pressure. I think it was just too much for him.”

“Dad was suspended from work,” Hunter said, surprised. “Why?” he asked.

“He was sued for sexual harassment. He had to settle out of court and pay a large settlement. Our finances are not in a good place right now.”

“He should have told us,” Hayden said, frustration evident in his voice.

“I can’t speak for him,” Emily replied gently. “But he probably didn’t want you boys to be disappointed in him.”

“It’s too late for that,” Hayden said.

41

For the next forty-eight hours, Emily scarcely left Gabriel’s bedside. The doctor had informed her that if he didn’t wake up soon, she needed to prepare for the possibility that he never would. Despite this, she did her best to conceal her growing despair from the kids.

Emily sat by Gabriel’s bedside, sorting through the mail and stressing over the mounting bills that needed to be paid when she heard someone approach. One of the bills she opened was for a safe deposit box at Chase Bank, something she hadn’t been aware of—another stark reminder of how little she knew about her husband. She wondered what could be inside the box when she sensed a presence. Looking up, she saw Roman standing in the doorway.

“I was hoping I’d find you here,” he said.

Emily set the bills aside, surprised to see him. “What are you doing up?” she asked.

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