Page 48 of Rival Hearts

“Oh my God!” she heard being screamed. It sounded like Dr. Everett’s voice.

Riley didn’t know what was going on, but happy that she had sorted the patients she was overseeing, she headed to the ambulance bay.

She bumped into Lucinda on the way, her face screwed up, and a phone to her ear, but when she saw Riley coming toward her, her face dropped.

“What’s going on?” Riley asked. Lucinda looked at her with a calculated expression. She put the phone down and put an arm around Riley, trying to walk away with her.

“You need to be away from there,” Lucinda said.

“What do you mean?” Riley asked, resisting as Dr. Everett tried to lead her away from the ambulance bay. “Why?”

Riley looked toward the entrance of the Emergency Room.

Her world stopped as she saw who was being carried inside.

She went slack and the last thing she heard was Lucinda saying, “Damn it,” before her ears started ringing and all of the noise of the hospital faded into the background as she saw Jett being wheeled in on a trolley.

* * *

Riley’s hands were shaking as she sat on the floor of the ER. She didn’t know how long she was there, but she was suddenly reminded of the patients. No matter what was going on, she was a surgeon and she had a job to do.

Riley stood up, but almost as soon as she started walking toward the room of the patient that she left with Dr. Carroll, she saw Dr. Mars coming toward her with Dr. Everett beside her.

Riley felt that they were coming for her, so she let them, and when Dr. Mars stood in front of her, she crossed her arms, and Dr. Everett looked at Riley with a concerned expression on her face.

Lucinda started off, “Jett has a head injury and smoke inhalation. She isn’t conscious. Dr. Sullivan from Neuro is with her now, and we will update you as soon as we know more.”

Riley nodded. She felt like she wasn’t really there, that this couldn’t really be happening, that surely it couldn’t be Jett on that trolley unconscious and her fire gear covered in filth and debris.

“Okay,” Dr. Mars said. “This is absolutely not an ideal situation, but I can’t lose both trauma surgeons right now. Lucinda, will you be okay to stay on the floor?”

“Yeah,” Dr. Everett said.

“I can still work,” Riley protested and Dr. Mars and Lucinda both looked at her in disbelief.

“Love,” Dr. Everett said, “I don’t mean to offend you, but your hands are shaking so badly there’s no way in hell I’m letting you into an OR.”

Riley looked down at her hands and sure enough, they were shaking. She raised a fist to her face and wiped a couple of tears that had fallen down her cheeks.

Dr. Mars looked at her with a pitying expression. “Go,” she said. “Either go home or go to the waiting room and I’ll get you when Jett is stable.”

Riley nodded and walked to the waiting room. She didn’t know how long she sat there, but as she did so, she could barely think or focus on anything, and just spent the time staring at a piece of thread on the tiled floor.

As Riley waited, she knew that it was wrong, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty about Jett’s state. She knew that Jett felt a drive to be the hero, even when it was dangerous and would put her life in danger, and now here Jett was, fighting for her life in the hospital.

Riley wished she could have done more to reassure Jett that she didn’t need to risk her life to be worth something, but she also supposed that was part of who Jett was, why Riley fell so hard for her. She cared so much for others, even random strangers. Jett was a hero in every sense of the word.

Riley didn’t know how long it was until Jett’s mom and brother joined her in the waiting room, along with Jett’s Aunt Becky and cousin Ember. There were a few greetings, and Brody explained that Hannah had stayed home with the baby, but for the most part, their group sat in silence.

Dr Everett rounded the corner, “Just a quick update, Jett has a bleed on the brain. She is going into surgery now. Dr. Sullivan will do her very best for her, but she won’t know how bad it is until she gets in there.”

Riley was starting to lose hope the longer it went on. She didn’t know what she would do if Jett died. She didn’t want to think about it, but it was starting to become a real possibility, and she was terrified.

Riley wasn’t like Jett’s family. She hadn’t know Jett for years, but she had grown to care about her, and she didn’t want to lose her before they even had a chance to really connect fully. They were still telling everyone that they were just friends, for crying out loud! It wasn’t fair.

Riley wiped another tear from her face as she tried to remain stoic in the waiting room, but it was hard. Everyone around her was crying and filled with nervous energy, and Riley couldn’t help but be affected.

After a while longer, Riley eventually saw Dr. Mars making her way to the waiting room. Riley sat up straighter in her chair, giving Dr. Mars her undivided attention as the head of the hospital stood in front of the group.

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