Page 72 of Rematch
I followed behind her, my arms wrapping around her waist.
Audrey scooted close and lay her head on my chest.
We turned our attention to the television as we winded down. The show tried to keep our eyes open, but it was hard to keep them from falling. Before long, we weren’t watching TV. It was watching us.
Chapter 29
Audrey
“Is that a smile I see?” Gianna’s voice rang through my ears. I was sitting at the nurse’s station, typing up some notes from my last patient when I heard her.
I glanced up over the counter to see her leaning her elbows on it and staring at me with a sly smile of her own. “Leave me alone.”
“Mhm.” She walked around the counter and took the empty seat beside me. “You’re over here glowing. Something was cracked all right, and I bet it was that back.”
“Gianna!” I exclaimed.
“What? Girl, it is chaos down here. Nobody is paying any mind to us. And I’m not even going to ask questions because everything I need to know is written on your face.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “That dick was good, wasn’t it?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks.“Oh, my god, Gianna!”
She giggled mischievously.
Before I could scold her, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. My stomach clenched as I dug it out. Unless I was on break or lunch, I usually kept my phone on Do-Not-Disturb during my shifts. Only calls from my fathers were allowed to go through when it was on. And even they tried not to call unless it was an emergency.
The knots in my stomach tightened as I saw Papa’s name at the top of the screen. I stood up from my seat and took a few steps away from the desk to answer the call.
“Papa, is everything alright?” I asked.
A grave sigh was my response. “Not really,” Papa admitted, his voice small. “Benny fainted at work. The staff called an ambulance. They’re taking him to the hospital now.”
“Alright, I’ll meet you there.”
I hung up the phone and hurried back to the nurse’s station.
Gianna frowned as she watched me furiously type some last touches on the file I was working in. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I said. “I have to go. My dad…” I didn’t want to say the words aloud. Didn’t want to make them real.
Thankfully, Gianna was able to read between the silence. Nodding, she said, “Text me if you need anything.”
“I will. Thanks.” I closed the patient file and logged out of the computer. I rushed off to find my supervisor to let them know I needed to leave before jogging out to my car.
Every worst case scenario flew through my head. What if Dad hit his head when he fell? What if his fainting was caused by his organs failing? Or his heart stopping?
I tried to shake the thoughts, and the tears it brought with them, away. The doctor side of my brain reminded me that now was not the time to be freaking out. I didn’t know anything about his condition yet, but the good news was he was in the hands of qualified paramedics. They were going to do everything they could to save his life. And I needed to hope he was going to pull through.
I drove a few miles over the limit and sped through nearly every yellow light to get to the hospital. Once I arrived, I rushed through the parking lot and made a beeline for the reception desk in the emergency room.
The clerk at the desk glanced up at me as I approached. “Hello, how may I help you?” She asked as she offered me a small smile.
“Hello. My name is Audrey Davis. My dad, Benjamin Davis, was recently picked up by paramedics, and this is the hospital he’s supposed to be transported to.”
She murmured his name as her fingers clicked against her keyboard. “Yes, I have his file here. He’s been checked in and is currently being moved to an examination room as we speak. You’re his daughter, correct?”
“Yes, and his husband is on the way as well.”
“I will let the staff know so they can talk to you about any updates.”
