He’d been right.
The ambulance was parked in front of Dr T’s house. The front door stood wide-open. Two uniformed men carried out a body on a stretcher.
Dr T? No!
Oz ran the distance between him and the driveway. His chest burned from the exertion, burned from fear his friend might no longer be with him, that he hadn’t been there when his friend needed him, that maybe he could have done something. He didn’t slow until he stood next to the ambulance.
“What’s going on?” he asked no one in particular. The two paramedics had lifted Dr T into the truck. Stephanie stood with her arms around Addy on the front porch stoop. Both of them sobbed uncontrollably.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded, preparing to climb into the back of the ambulance. “Somebody tell me what’s going on!”
Saying something he couldn’t quite make out to the paramedics, Blair stepped out of the ambulance and the men closed the door.
Pale, Blair pulled him out of the way so the emergency vehicle could back up.
“Blair!” He grabbed her shoulders. “Is he alive? What’s happened? Tell me.”
“Alive. Weak, thready pulse. Incoherent. In and out of consciousness.” Her gaze never left the truck, never blinked. The emergency vehicle sped down the road, sirens blasting. “We’ve got to get to the hospital.”
Oz looked down at his sweat-drenched body and shorts. “Let me grab a shirt.”
As if noticing for the first time that he wore only jogging shorts, Blair’s gaze ran over him. Whatever her thoughts, she only nodded.
When he came back out, Blair and Addy were gone and only Stephanie waited.
“Where’s Blair?”
“She’s gone to the hospital. Her sister is meeting her to take Addy home.”
“Fine,” Oz bit out, trying not to read anything into the fact that she’d left him. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER NINE
DR TALBOT had gone into renal failure due to hypovo-lemia, an electrolyte imbalance and severe anemia. With IV fluids and multiple blood transfusions, he was slowly coming around.
Oz sat next to his friend’s hospital bed, along with Stephanie and Blair.
Blair hadn’t said a single word to him. Had barely even acknowledged his presence. Instead, she clung to Stephanie. The two women had hugged, crying, while they waited on news of their friend. The emergency room doctor had acted quickly, got treatment started, then admitted Dr T to the ICU. His and Blair’s employment with the hospital hadn’t hurt, but only because of Dr T’s status had the three of them been allowed to stay in the room.
Oz’s gaze went from the hospital bed to the woman sitting across from him. She looked devastated. Tired.
She leaned forward, her head resting in her hands.
God, he wanted to go to her. He wanted to hold her.
But without words being spoken, he knew now wasn’t the time to confront their feelings for each other. He’d rubbed her back earlier, but she’d gotten up, paced the floor.
Damn, this was all so complicated. His gaze settled on Dr T. So painful.
Oz said a silent prayer for his friend—that he pull out of this, that the cancer would miraculously disappear.
What would Oz do if he lost his friend? How would he cope losing the man who meant so much?
“You should go home and spend some time with Addy.” Stephanie reached over to touch Blair’s arm. “We’ll call if there’s any change.”
Blair glanced at her watch and nodded. Her gaze returned to the sleeping man with multiple wires and tubes hooked up to him. “I hate to leave him.”
“The doctor says he’ll sleep most of the evening, anyway. Go home and give Addy a hug for me.” Stephanie’s hands clenched together. “I hate that she had to witness everything this morning. I’m sure Reesee has smothered her in love, but you know she’s anxious for you to return home.”