Page 28 of Private Exhibit
Andy fled the room before he could think about someday having to tell Devon's next-of-kin that the boy was dead.
Because it was going to happen. And sooner rather than later.
But Andy couldn't think about that now. Didn't want to think about that ever.
He strode down the hallway, then stopped when the sitting area came into view. A woman sat hunched in a cozy chair, her expression hollow, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
Andy's stomach twisted again.Gods. These cases really were the worst. Moving slowly and keeping his voice to a soft murmur, Andy approached the woman and said, “Nina Sampson? I'm Doctor Anderson Gerard.” He crouched down, knowing from experience that it helped to not have him looming over people in their grief. “I know you've probably heard this too many times already, but I am very sorry for your loss.”
Ms. Sampson sniffed and wiped her nose with a handkerchief clutched tightly in her first. “I don't know what to do. Jess is–” She winced. “Was,” she corrected herself, then let out a cry before she went on: “Jess was my only child. How do I–” She broke off with a sob.
Andy winced. “I lost my only child, too,” he murmured. “Trust me, you're not alone. I understand what you're going through.”
The woman looked up at him. “Does it ever get any easier?”
Andy considered that. “Yes and no,” he admitted.
Ms. Sampson covered her face and cried quietly for several minutes.
Andy waited. There was nothing else he could do. Nothing he could say that could fix this situation. Just like himself, Nina Sampson would never be the same.
“I'm sorry,” the woman choked out.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Andy told her. “Take as much time as you need. When you're ready, we can go see her. Alright?”
Ms. Sampson gave a shaky nod.
Andy waited in silence, fully prepared to sit there all day if he had to. After only a few minutes, Ms. Sampson said she wanted to get it over with, so Andy helped her up and led her into the viewing room. Andy nodded at the nurse who had alerted him to Ms. Sampson's arrival. The nurse had already brought out Jess's body, staged on a table and covered with a sheet. Andy reached out and slowly drew the sheet back, uncovering Jess's face.
Ms. Sampson wailed, her hands fluttering all over her daughter's remains.
Andy had to turn away and pinch the bridge of his nose, remembering all too well what this moment had been like for himself and Lydia. Seeing their only child lying there, unmoving, cold to the touch. The body had looked almost fake, stripped of life and motion and personality, leaving something hollow. Leaving a gaping void inside Andy's chest.
Until Junior's ghost had finally appeared to him almost two days later.
But even still having Junior in his life could never erase the pain of that moment. Could never erase the wrongness of it all. His greatest joy, turned to ash. The guilt and regret, the utter failure as both a parent and a doctor. Even knowing he could be with Junior for all eternity, Andy would never forget the memory of seeing his son's lifeless body.
He glanced to his left, picturing the boy just down the hallway, almost swearing he could feel him through all the walls that separated them.
Andy turned back to the scene of grief, wishing he could stop time so he'd never have to experience a moment like this ever again.
Chapter 11
DEVON DIDN'T catch so much as a glimpse of Dr. Gerard for the rest of the morning.
Gods. He didn't know how the man did it. Having to face grieving families like that? Having to explain how their loved ones died? It soundedawful.
Devon had to fight to concentrate on what he was doing, too caught up in thoughts of what must be going on just down the hallway. Eventually, he got sucked into the rhythm of the work, becoming hyper-focused to the point that he almost missed lunch hour. Thank gods, he had alarms on his phone, reminding him to eat at regular intervals since he couldn't always rely on his body to send the necessary signals to his brain.
He clocked out for lunch and went to sit in the corner while he ate, not wanting to go up to the cafeteria and be surrounded by a bunch of noisy strangers. When he was done, Devon went back to the desk and tried to jump straight back into work.
A knock at the door interrupted him.
Devon hesitated. “Come in,” he called.
The door opened, and Devon caught a glimpse of a doctor's lab coat as someone entered the room.
“Well, I heard you were here, but I had to come see it for myself.”
