“Wow,” Danielle said, impressed. “She must be a great employee.”
“You have no idea,” I replied.
“I’m on my way,” she said.
“There’s no need.”
“No.” I could hear noises in the background that indicated she was gathering her things: the clink of keys, the swoop of a purse leaving a table, and the sound of little footsteps coming to investigate. “You need someone to support you.”
“I have support.” I wished I could tell her that the guys who were with me were more than just friends. We hadn’t slept together, but we shared Meara between us, and that was enough to bring us closer than any other adult could be.
“I’m coming,” Danielle repeated.
I shook my head. What had I expected? Maybe I had hoped for some phone support, a little bit of “poor Damien,” without the added bodies in the waiting room. The way this was shaping up, there would be a small army on Meara’s side when she finally got through it. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I hoped we weren’t raising the alarm for nothing. Stomach pain could be a lot of things, only a few of which were life-threatening. But I wasn’t a doctor. I tried to tell myself that she was in good hands, but after Millie’s experience, I wasn’t so sure.
Vlad knew exactly what was on my mind when I wandered back to the group. “She’ll be okay,” he said. “You made the right decision coming to Mercy.”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“Go ask for an update again,” Kent suggested.
“You go ask for an update,” I shot back.
“Hey.” Sean got between us.
I sat back down, my nerves getting the better of me. Danielle arrived twenty minutes later with Nova in tow. It was just the thing to get my mind off my own problems. The little girl made a beeline for me, ignoring all the other men surrounding me.
“Damien!” she squealed, hopping up into my lap. “I’m so sorry your girlfriend is in the hospital.”
“Thanks, kiddo,” I said.
“Did you hear anything new?” Danielle asked, coming up behind her daughter with considerably less excitement.
I shook my head. Without waiting for an invitation, Danielle walked back to the nurse’s station to demand answers.