“How is he?” Jerry asks with concern written on his face.
“Not sure. They just brought him back there. As soon as there’s an update, they said they’d let me know.” Owen sits next to me as Belinda pulls me in for a hug. Just as she lets go of me, a frazzled Gemma and Tyler rush through the door.
As soon as she’s close, Gemma pulls me into her as close as she can. “You okay?” she asks when we break apart.
“I will be once I know he’s fine,” I admit.
“He will be,” she confidently says.
Everleigh arrives, and we sit in the waiting room, but no one really says much. Owen has his tablet and headphones, which keep him occupied. Although he’s next to me, he leans in as close as he can until we’re touching. Having him here brings me comfort. As Gemma and Everleigh ask me a myriad of questions, I lose track of time.
“So what the hell happened?” Everleigh finally asks.
I keep my voice low, trying to put all the pieces together. “Noah called and said he was gonna help Brittany because she had a flat and didn’t have a spare. She was stranded on the side of the road with Anthony and needed help.”
Everleigh gives me the side-eye. “Why didn’t she call someone else? Why him?”
“Exactly,” I mumble. “I asked, and he said he was her last resort. Anyway, we were getting pastries for our movie night, and I saw Belinda, who explained Brittany had left early. Her SUV was parked behind the deli.”
Gemma looks as confused as I feel. “I thought she had car trouble?”
“Apparently, she had a rental,” I say. “I’m not buying any of this. There’s something deeper going on, and while I hate to admit this…” I glance over at Owen, making sure his headphones are still on, and drop to a whisper. “I’m not convinced Brittany is solely responsible for this, but I think Loretta is paying her to do her bidding. Brittany’s a single mom struggling to get by. Today, Loretta conveniently withdrew twenty thousand from the bank. I don’t think any of this is coincidental.”
Gemma places her hand on her chest over her heart, and I don’t want to upset her any more than she already is because of the baby. “You think they’re conspiring against Noah together?”
I nod, unable to meet her eyes.
Everleigh clears her throat. “Looks like Imma need to stab two bitches then.”
It’s the only thing that makes me smile. Before we can continue our conversation, the doctor interrupts us. Jerry stands and greets him. We wait with bated breaths as he informs us of Noah's condition.
“He's doing fine. Noah has a concussion, some bruised ribs, and a lot of cuts and scrapes. We'd like to keep him overnight for observation. He’s been given medication for the pain, and we’re in the process of moving him to another room. I believe the nurse said he’s going to room 327, but it might take some time to get him transferred. In the meantime, do you have any questions for me?”
“No, sir, I don't think we do,” Jerry says after he looks at us, and we shake our heads.
“Not many people have walked away from such a severe accident. From what I've heard, his slow speed, along with the side airbags, helped with the impact. He's lucky to be alive.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I'm happy to hear my son will be okay. We're thankful,” Jerry says.
The doctor gives a slight head nod. “If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“We will.” Jerry lets out a long breath and sits when the doctor is out of sight. “Good. My boy’s gonna be fine.”
I relax slightly, feeling better.
“Noah being moved to a room is a good sign,” Gemma says, and Everleigh agrees.
“Yeah,” I let out. “That's positive news.”
Thirty minutes pass before we're told we can go upstairs to Noah's room. I'm nervous as we step onto the elevator because I know what he looked like when I found him. When the doors open on the third floor, my anxiety spikes, and Owen grabs my hand. He's such a good kid, very empathetic, and I couldn't be prouder to have him as my son. I'm positive he doesn't fully understand what's going on, and I make a mental note to explain the accident to him on the way home.
Jerry opens the door, and when he and Belinda enter, I can see the foot of Noah's bed. It brings back the bad memories of seeing Gabe on life support, but I keep it to myself.
“Go ahead,” I tell Gemma. “Go see him.”
She tilts her head at me. “We'll go in together,” she says. She and Everleigh wait for me to gain my composure as I try to be strong.
After a few minutes, we enter the room together. Noah’s sleeping, but his breathing is steady. His eyes are black, and there are gashes on his arms and scratches on his face. His hair is matted in places from the blood, and it hurts my heart to see him lying there so broken. Owen looks up at me, and I place my hand on his shoulder, then bend down and whisper in his ear. “He’s going to recover.”