by t. h. snyder
326-555-1212 – Pete, Chris and Tony will pick you up at the airport on their way to the hospital
Okay then, so the Taylor & Sons Contracting crew is coming to get me, better than hailing a cab…I guess. I have known Pete, Chris and Tony pretty much most of my teenage to adult life. Not like they are much older than me and Char, but when they started working for daddy they instantly became an extended part of our family. They are great guys and always had our backs if we needed them. I know Char said that Derrick had been hanging out with Riley and Pete a lot over the past few months so I hope him coming to get me isn’t going to be awkward. He really is a nice guy, not quite sure why he’s still single ….hmm that is an interesting thought though. Chris and Tony have both been married for years and have a few kids each so I ‘m sure they haven’t been hitting up the pubs with the guys lately.
Oh well, I’m not here to see them. I need to see my sister and if they’re my ride to where she is, then I’ll suck it up with a smile on my face. I put my iPhone back into my purse and pull my sweatshirt over my head. The line down the main aisle of the plane slowly starts to move. I kindly wait my turn and when the guy next to me exits our row I make my move. I walk out of the plane into the tunnel and try not to breath in the stale air of the airport.
When I exit the tunnel I see all three men standing there waiting. Tony has his hands tucked into his washed out jeans with a white tee-shirt and backwards baseball cap. Chris is wearing darker jeans with a navy blue Red Sox tee arms crossed and a pout on his face. Then there’s Pete, he eyes me immediately and starts walking my way. He too is wearing a pair of faded jeans with a black tee-shirt.
I approach my entourage and give them all a big hug without saying a word. Looking into their eyes I can see the sadness knowing that a member of the Taylor family is hurt.
The guys walk us to Pete’s truck and they insist I sit up front. Chris takes my suitcase and throws it in the back while Tony opens the passenger side door for me. I appreciate the chivalry of the guys, but it makes me even more nervous that they are treating me like glass. The ride to the hospital we’re all silent. In fact I don’t think any of us have said a word since I arrived.
My chest begins to tighten, more so than it has, and I feel the need to take a deep breath. Pete must sense my sudden unease and he looks in my direction grabbing for my hand. He rubs his thumb back in forth along my palm and quietly reassures me that everything will be okay.
I look over in his direction and a small smile appears on his face. As much as I want his gesture to make me feel better and believe Char will be okay, I need to be by her side to know for sure. Thanking Pete with a nod of my head I reposition myself, take my hand back and lean into the soft leather seat of his truck.
We pull into Massachusetts General Hospital and my heart plummets to my feet. My entire body feels numb and the anxiety of what awaits us inside scares me.
Pete turns off the truck and turns to face me.
“Chloe, are you okay to get out and walk to the door? You look like you’re about to pass out.” He asks.
My body is shaking in fear. His warm hand touches my shoulder and a chill runs through me.
“We’ll walk right in with you sugar.” Tony says.
“Yeah, I’ll even hold your hand if it will make you feel better.” Chris tells me.
I turn and look at the three men standing outside the door and small sense of relief fills me. Although they are not immediate family, they’re all still here to show support in our time of need. I grab for Chris’s hand and he helps me out of the truck. I reach for my purse and hop down onto the black macadam. Pete comes around to my other side and grabs my left hand. Walking to the door of MGH I have these three strong men standing by my side. I just wish their strength was enough to erase this day from ever happening. .
As soon as Riley was taken to a room the six of us started our journey up to the fourth floor of Massachusetts General Hospital. The nurses suggested that only two of us should go in at a time and that we needed to keep him calm and relaxed so that he can rest.
Emma and Teresa were the first two to go in to see him and assured me they wouldn’t stay more than a half an hour. I wanted to be there for him, but having his sister and soon to be mother-in-law by his side seemed like a better choice. I walked over to the window in the waiting area and realized that half of the day had already passed. Looking at my watch I couldn’t believe it was four o’clock in the afternoon. We had been sitting around in the ER most of the day. Now we continue to wait to see Riley, two at a time, and hear word from the doctors once Charlie is out of surgery.
I feel a warm hand touch my shoulder and turn to see it’s my mom.
“Honey, dad and I are going to go grab something to eat. Would you like to come with us? Bryce said he’ll call as soon as he hears anything about Char.”
Her voice is so soft, so sweet and so caring. I’m so grateful to have both of my parents in my life. There isn’t two other people in the whole world who could have taught me more about support and love than my parents.
“Nah, I’m good mom. I want to be here when Charlie gets out of surgery.” I tell her.
“Derrick, don’t be surprised if they don’t let you in to see her. I know you’re close, but you’re not her immediate family.” She says rubbing her hand up and down my back for support.
“There’s no need to worry about that.” Bryce says walking over toward the window. “All three of you are considered to be Char’s immediately family and I’ll make certain each of you are able to go in and see her. She needs to hear all of us telling her to get her ass up.”
“Thanks Bryce that means a lot…to all of us.”
“Oh that is a relief, thank you Bryce. Okay Derrick, dad and I are going to leave for a bit and will be back later tonight. Do you want us to bring anything back for you guys?”
“No thanks mom. I’ll call you if we hear anything.”
I give both my parents a hug and kiss goodbye and then retreat back to the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room.
Thirty minutes later Emma and Teresa walk out of the doors, both of their faces stained with tears. Bryce and I stand and walk toward them.
“How is he?” I ask.
“He looks like shit, but says he’s just in a bit of pain.” Emma says.
“He’s really beating himself up over this Derrick. You need to go in there and tell him this isn’t his fault. He was knocked out with the impact and feels he should have been able to protect Char.”
Tears pour from Teresa’s eyes and Bryce pulls her into a quick embrace.
Emma pulls me to the side. “Derrick I know you and Riley are close, but I do know him a bit better. Teresa wasn’t joking when she said he was taking this hard. Char is his whole world. I’ve never seen him care about anyone as much as he does with her. We need to keep him focused on getting himself better and not about her. I know it’s a lot to ask but can you do that for him? Help him not think about her?”
“Emma do you realize what you’re asking me to do? Those two have been attached by the hip since the moment they met. They have a magnetic pull and without the other they are a fucking mess. How do you suppose I help him not think about her?”
“I don’t know Derrick, but I do know my brother. If he has his way he’ll unhook every cord attached to him and march his way up to the ICU.”
“I can’t promise you anything Emma, but I’ll stay by his side. Are you going to come back in with me?”
“No, I’m going to run home. I need to shower and change. Do you want me to bring you anything back?”
“Nah, I’m good thanks Emma. My parents just left to go get something to eat. I’ll see you guys when you get back.”
Emma walks over to the chairs and picks up her things. Before she leaves she gives a hug to both Bryce and Teresa. As she walks past me she pats me on the shoulder and mouths, thank you.
I look over to Bryce and Teresa who are sitting on a loveseat. Bryce has
his head in his hands and Teresa is sitting back against the cushions with her eyes closed. I want to go in to see Riley, but I also want to be out here when the doctors come out to talk to them.
Teresa opens her eyes and sees me pacing.
“Derrick, why don’t you go on in?” She asks.
“I want to be here when they come to talk to you. I don’t want to miss seeing her.”
“Honey, I promise I’ll come in and get you as soon as they come out. You have to know that she won’t be awake right away anyhow. Go in and talk to Riley, he needs you right now.”
With that, I nod my head and make my way over to the two large doors. I push the button for them to open and I walk around the hallway till I find room 1030.
I clench my fists and feel my palms begin to sweat as I enter his room. When I walk around the curtain I see Riley is asleep. Emma was right, he does look like shit.
His head is wrapped in a white bandage and a few strands of his hair are poking through the top. I walk over to the side of his bed and can see that blood has stained his face, neck and chest area. His arm and shoulder are in an odd looking cast that is supported with a rod that is attached to somewhere on his body near his right side.
I still can’t believe this is happening. It’s like a fucking nightmare. I know my friend needs me and will probably be a wreck when he wakes from his nap. I decide to take a seat in his room and wait it out till either he wakes up or Teresa comes in to give me some news.
Once inside the main doors of the hospital Tony walks over to the information booth to see where Riley and Char are within this huge place. I’ve never had the need to go to the hospital in my entire life, just lucky I guess. Tony walks back over to us and I watch his eyes as they glance down to my hands. Both Pete and Chris are still hanging on to me for dear life and I just smile at the expression on Tony’s face.
“You would think these two douche bags were your only life line Chloe.” Tony says with a smirk.
“Well if this is the lifeline I need to survive, I think I’ll just deal.” I tell him while looking back n forth between these two handsome men on either side of me.
Pete looks me right in the eyes and squeezes my hand. “You ready to do this doll?”
“As much as I would like to say no, I think we better get up there. Lead the way Tony.” I say lifting my arms to get Chris and Pete moving.
Accompanied by the three amigos we get into the elevator and Chris hits the #4 button. My heart rate increases as the elevator lifts up to the fourth floor. When the doors open I can see the visitors waiting area. We get off the elevator and Chris leads up around the corner through a set of wooden doors. Just pass the entrance is another room where I see mom, dad, Rose, Bud and Derrick holding hands with some girl.
Oh god. Not only am I about to panic about what may be going on with my sister, but I have to stand here and watch Derrick and his girlfriend. Okay breathe Chloe, breathe….in and out…in and out.
“Hey, you okay Chloe?” Pete asks.
I shake my head no and he leads me back out the doors and to the restroom. Without even hesitating he opens the women’s door and follows me. He escorts me over to the sinks and splashes some water into a paper towel.
“Here take this and wipe your face. You need to calm down your breathing before you have a panic attack. And believe me I’ve been on drugs for years for those fuckers.”
I have no clue why he’s doing this, but I listen as he talks and calm myself down.
“I know you’re freaked out about Char, but she’ll be fine. You two girls are the biggest fighters in Boston, you can get through anything.” He tells me with a big smile and his blue eyes sparkling.
“Pete it’s not that. I mean it’s not Char. Well yeah I’m a nut case with everything that happened today, but seeing Derrick here with his girlfriend. Damn it, why did he have to bring her here. Was she close with Char? Is that why she’s here?”
Pete looks at me like I’ve grown a second head.
“Chloe, what the hell are you talking about. Of all people I should know if Derrick has a girlfriend, which he doesn’t. Who are you talking about? The only girls out there are your mom, his mom and Emma. And she sure as hell is not Derrick’s.”
Oh my god Emma, I didn’t even think about her. I look up at Pete and feel like a complete ass.
“I’ve been so consumed about Char, I totally forgot about Riley. Emma is Riley’s sister and I…I thought she was with Derrick. I mean when we walked in there, I saw…well they were holding hands and ugh, I’m a stupid idiot.”
Pete takes the ripped up paper towel I’ve been destroying from my hands and throws it in the trash. Lifting my chin with his fingers he makes me look him straight in the eye.
“Look Chloe, I’ve know Derrick as long as I’ve known you. The two of you are perfect for one another. Just get your shit worked out because honestly I’m sick of hearing him bitch like a girl about you. He loves you and you love him. Deal with it and make it work. Capice?”
I laugh at the tone Pete is using and the words he says. He’s totally right, I do love Derrick and need to find a way to make this work. I just hope it isn’t too late.
“Capice.” I respond.
“Okay then, get yourself cleaned up and meet us back out in the waiting room.” He tells me with a stern voice and points his finger at me as if to scold me.
And with that Pete walks out of the women’s restroom and I plan to do exactly as he says. He just told me that Derrick still loves me. With all the pain I feel about what Char is going through, I still feel a sense of happiness knowing that Derrick still loves me.
I quickly splash water on my face and dry my eyes to remove the melting mascara. Now that I look presentable I take a deep breath and head out of the restroom and into the room that holds our families.
As soon as I walk through the doors my parents stand and walk over to me. Mom is the first to get within a close enough range to grab a hold of me and she does just that. Right behind her is dad and as a family we all begin to cry. The three of us hold one another so tightly that I begin to struggle for a breath. I loosen my hold from mom and dad soon follows suit.
“Hey kiddo, glad you could get here so quickly. We just wish it was under different circumstances.” Dad says.
“I know. Me too.” I reply.
Mom wipes at her eyes and does the same for me giving me a kiss on the nose.
“Have you guys heard anything more about Char or Riley? I feel like such an ass. With all my worry focused on Char I completely forgot to ask about Riley.”
“Riley is a bit banged up and has a broken humerus and collar bone, but other than that he’s just beating himself up about the whole thing. Rose and I were just in to sit with him for a bit, but they wanted to get him in for a cat scan so we had to leave.” Mom tells me while playing with my hair.
She always has a need to do something with her hands when she is nervous. Thankfully I love to have my hair played with when I’m scared. We are a perfect match right now.
“Well that’s good, but what about Char? Is she okay? I mean I know she isn’t okay right now, but is she out of surgery yet?”
“She’s out of surgery and they’ve been able to stop the bleeding on her brain. They’ll have to do a bit of restructuring to her right arm and leg once she is out of the coma they placed her in, but for right now all we can do is wait for her to wake up.” Dad says rubbing his hands up and down my back.
My hand flies to my mouth as I gasp for air.
“She’s gonna wake up though, right?”
The tears begin to fall from my cheeks and the fear of losing my little sister increases the longer my parents take to respond to my question.
“We don’t know yet kiddo.”
I move away from my parent in need of a seat. My legs begin to feel weak and I don’t know how much longer they’ll be able to support me. Once I sit, I throw my head into my hands and begin to sob.
Char has to wake up.
She has to be okay. Char is the rock that holds us all together. She is the one that makes us a better family.
This waiting around shit fucking sucks and I don’t know how much more patient I can be. I know that there are hundreds of other patients in this hospital, but how hard is it for one nurse or doctor to let us know how Char’s surgery is going?
I’ve been sitting in Riley’s room for the past two hours and he’s knocked out. If it weren’t for the damn beeping of the machines I’d think the guy was dead. Oh wait, I shouldn’t even think that. I’m grateful he’s alive and breathing. Fuck this whole day is turning me into a nut case.
I know when he wakes up he’s going to go off the grid and if it were me I would do the same damn thing.
God if it were me and Chloe in this situation I’d be going bat shit crazy trying to get out of this bed and up to find her. There’s no way I could lay here knowing she was somewhere else in pain and I couldn’t help her heal with my touch.
Fucking shit, what am I even thinking? Chloe and I will never even be together again to get us in a situation like this.
I lean forward on my legs and put my head in my hands. Feeling the need to relieve some pressure I run my fingers through my hair and pull.
A knock on the door jolts me from my mood of irritation. I look up and see my mom standing in the door way. She walks toward me and grabs for me to stand. Pulling me out of my chair she silently walks me out of Riley’s room and into the hallway.
Once we’re in the hallway, she moves me to turn and face her.
“Dad and I just got back a few minutes ago and I wanted to come in and see how you were holding up. The doctors just came out to talk to Teresa and Bryce about Char. Why don’t you come on out and hear what they had to say. Then I suggest you go home and get a shower and something to eat. You look like you could use a recharge.”
“Thanks mom, if I didn’t already feel like shit, I sure do now.”
She gives me a smile that warms my heart and I wrap an arm around her shoulders as we walk out of the hallway and back into the waiting room. Walking into the room I see Teresa and Bryce stand and walk toward us.
