Page 54 of Goose

His fingers move beneath mine and I look up to see his mouth barely opening.

“Bambi...”

I gasp and look around for a nurse when Zane speaks again.

“Don’t leave me...”

“Oh, fuck. I’m here Zane, don’t worry!” I hold his hand to my chest as Striker and Doctor Tickner walk in. “He’s talking!”

Doc smiles and Striker comes to sit next to me.

“He’s been in and out since he arrived. But we were waiting for you to come by before possibly putting him in a medically induced coma.”

I look at Doc and Striker, confused by his comment.

“Why... Why me?”

“He has you down as his emergency contact and that you are to make all medical decisions if he is unable.”

I turn to Striker, and he gives me a sad smile.

“Zane came to me the other day with a concern. Fuck... I wish he could be the one telling you this. He thinks you could be his sister...”

I gasp and pull back. “What the fuck are you talking about? My mama only had me.”

“I know. But your pop could have had another. Zane told me about his pop, who would come around every so often. He fits the description of your father.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Icould have a brother that I never knew about. Turning to Doctor Tickner, I stand up.

“What do I need to do? What did Zane need me to do?”

He takes out a swab from his coat pocket and unwraps it.

“I’ll just need to swab the inside of your mouth, my dear. We’ll get the test results in a few days.”

I nod and open my mouth as Doctor Tickner carefully swabs the inside of my cheek. He places the swab into a tube and hands it to a nurse who had come in.

Zane moves his hand, and I rush over to his side.

“Don’t...”

He thrust his chest into the air then collapses back onto the bed. His one monitor starts to flatline and Doctor Tickner yells out the door.

“Code Blue!”

He pushes Striker and me out into the hallway as the nurses rush in with a cart. They rip open his hospital gown and start chest compressions. Amanda, the head nurse, starts the defibrillator as they continue CPR on Zane.

I watch through the window as they place the paddles on his chest and back away. A pair of strong hands wrap around me and I know it’s Goose.

Amanda yells, “Defibrillate with two hundred joules!”

Another nurse yells back, “Charging to two hundred joules!” She presses a button and Zane’s body trembles. “Two hundred joules delivered.”

They go back to chest compressions as Goose pulls me into him.

“Come on, baby. We can sit in the waiting room while they take care of him. Zane is in good hands.”

I let Goose take me away as they wheel Zane into the operation room. I’m so close to having a family, and it was now being ripped away from me right before my eyes. Happy endings are never written into my story.

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