Page 71 of All Autumn
Helo lifting off. Driving Adam to hospital.
I texted him back. How is Connor?
Stable
That wasn’t nearly enough information, but it was better than serious or critical. Or was he just saying that so we wouldn’t worry too much? I was back to feeling sick.
I handed Jenn her phone. “How long will it take the helicopter to get here?”
Jenn shrugged. “Faster than a car, but other than that, I don’t know.”
“Let’s walk outside so we can hear when it arrives.” MAMA’s landing pad was on top of the hospital. They probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I went up to the roof.
Outside, I strained to hear the sound of a helicopter while staring up at the western sky in the direction of Blue Ridge Valley. At least it had stopped raining. Approximately twenty-five minutes later I heard it, thewhoop, whoopof a helicopter.
I grabbed Jenn’s arm. “He’s here.”
We returned to the waiting room, Jenn taking a seat and me pacing in front of her, watching the closed doors blocking my view from seeing when they brought him down. I went to the window. “Will you tell me when they bring Connor Hunter down?” I asked the woman behind the counter. “They just brought him in on your helicopter.”
“Are you family?”
“No, a close friend.”
“I’m sorry. We can only give information to family,” she said with a kind smile.
What I’d expected her to say, but I tried again. “I’m only asking if you’ll tell me when they bring him down.”
“Give me a minute.” She walked away.
“The doctor’s with him now,” she said when she returned.
“Thank you.” I walked back to Jenn and sat on the edge of the chair. “The doctor’s in with him. I wish Adam would get here so we can find out how he is.”
She squeezed my hand. “He’s going to be okay. He has to be.”
“It’s just the waiting to hear something that’s killing me.”
The revolving doors opened, and Adam and Dylan walked in. I ran to Adam. He opened his arms, and we hugged. “He’s here, with the doctor. They won’t tell me anything because I’m not kin.”
He took my hand, pulling me with him to the counter. “My brother, Connor Hunter, was brought in by helicopter. Can you tell me his condition?”
“The doctor will come talk to you shortly. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can tell you.”
So we waited. An hour passed before a doctor appeared. His gaze traveled over the four of us, stopping on Adam. “You have to be his brother.”
Adam nodded. “How is he?”
“The worst of his injuries is a concussion. We’ll be keeping him overnight to monitor him. He has eight stitches across his forehead. As for his ankle, he’s lucky. He has a severe strain, but it’s not fractured. We’ll fit him with a boot before he leaves. He’ll need to stay off it for a few days.”
“It probably would have been worse if the ground hadn’t been soft and muddy,” Dylan said.
“Yeah, I was hating the rain. Now I’m thankful for it. When can he go home?” Adam asked the doctor.
“Possibly tomorrow. Like I said, his concussion is the most concerning, and it depends on how he does tonight.”
“Can we see him?” I needed to see for myself that he was okay.
“He’s been moved to a room, and yes, you can go up. He’ll probably be asleep, though.”
