Page 12 of Don't Forget Me
“Nick Jacobs, star of the Boys of Blue franchise, is in critical condition after being involved in an accident in Florida where he has been filming the upcoming romantic comedy Paradise.”
The kids ran into the room, looking like complete opposites. Owen wore a pair of khaki shorts and a navy-blue button-down shirt.
Evelyn, on the other hand, had on yellow leggings with a goofy rainbow skirt made partially of tulle. The unicorn on her pink shirt was the same color as the ribbons tied haphazardly in her hair.
Trying to erase the injured movie star from her mind, Elizabeth lifted one brow. “Shoes. Then, we’ll go.”
As far as kids went, hers were pretty great, so she made a point to always let them be themselves, even when that meant one looked like a businessman and the other Rainbow Bright.
They got to the hospital before lunchtime as the parking lot teemed with visitors. Gulf City wasn’t a large town, but the prevalence of money meant the hospital was larger and grander than it needed to be.
It always struck her as strange since Tampa and its vast network of hospitals was only an hour south.
Inside, the sounds of the hospital felt like home. The chatter of visitors and doctors who spent their lives saving people within these walls. The beeping and whirring of life-giving machines. By the smiles on Evelyn and Owen’s faces, she knew they agreed.
Smiles and laughter and some tears.
Life happened here.
Hers certainly had.
Grabbing each kid’s hand, she made her way past a gaggle of cops and reporters standing near the ICU doors. In the cancer ward, things were much quieter. Many of these patients had been here long term. Their visitors weren’t as plentiful. Elizabeth experienced it herself. The more days one spent in the hospital or being sick, the easier it was for their old world to forget.
“Liz.” A doctor walked toward her, a kind smile on his face.
“Dr. McCoy.” He’d always been one of her favorite oncologists—and not only because he was easy on the eyes. He had every nurse and patient in this hospital completely charmed.
“Hi, Doc.” Evelyn bounced on her toes. Not to mention the kids.
He smiled down at her and her brother. “You’re here as visitors, I hope?”
Elizabeth’s smile fell. “Booker told me Molly is here.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “She’s at the end of the hall. Room 234. It’s good to see you looking so healthy.”
“Thanks.” Her face flushed, but she shifted her eyes over her shoulder as she caught sight of Booker standing at a rolling monitor outside a patient’s room.
Dr. McCoy flashed one more smile before continuing on his way.
Booker looked even more tired than usual. Weariness lined his face, casting dark shadows under his amber eyes—eyes he lifted as Elizabeth neared. She let go of the kids, and they ran to Booker, wrapping him in hugs she knew could cure anything, even the bone-deep darkness the surrounding cancer created.
“Hey, kiddos.” He bent to hug them more fully as if stealing their strength.
When he straightened, Elizabeth stopped moving. “She’s not doing well, is she?”
His eyes told her everything she needed to know. Placing a hand on Booker’s arm, she passed him to peer into her friend’s room. Molly lay in bed, her ashy white face lifted to the ceiling. Her favorite green wig—that she’d always insisted on wearing even in the hospital—sat askew upon her head.
The only light illuminating her sickly face filtered in through the window overlooking the parking lot.
“Molly.” Evelyn tried to run forward, but Elizabeth held her back.
Molly turned her beautiful green eyes on them. “Hi,” she whispered, her voice growing louder. “Don’t just stand there. Let me see my favorite kids.”
Elizabeth released Evelyn and let her run forward to hug Molly. She knew more than any six-year-old should how to handle a sick person with care.
Owen waited for his mom to move closer into the room, his glassy eyes darting back to the door. He was her emotional boy, the one who felt too much of what he saw.
Booker walked in behind them, giving Molly a bright smile she could probably tell was forced. “Looks like your fan club has arrived.”
