Level Me Up (Gamer Boy #1)

by Lauren Helms

  I just nod.

  “There are still plenty of seats on the next flight out of here. Do you guys want me to get them for you?” Simon asks Wade and Bernie.

  “Naw, man, I’ll take care of them. Dex, give me your hotel key, I’ll get your stuff from the hotel,” Wade states grimly.

  I mutter my thanks as I hail a cab. I pull out my hotel key card and hand it to Bernie.

  “Simon, key card,” says Bernie. “Go. We will be on the one after.” Right as I open the cab door, Wade grabs my shoulder pulling me back to him, and hugs me.

  "Everything is going to be ok, Dex," he says in a gruff voice. He lets go of me, and then he and Bernie head back in the direction to the hotel as Simon and I get in the cab and head to the airport.

  ***

  Link is sitting with Ruby and Gia when we arrive in the ER waiting room hours later. Morgan's dad is already there too, but only just beat us. There is no time for awkwardness when I introduce myself to Mr. Lawson. I’m too consumed with worry about Morgan to notice the skeptical look in his eyes that a father gives the boy who shows too much interest in his daughter.

  “Any news yet?” I ask Gia and Mr. Lawson.

  “No, nothing yet. They have her in surgery. That’s all we know. The nurse at the desk said a doctor will come and update when they can.,” he answers.

  “What happened?” Simon asks. I haven't talked much. I’m too far in my head thinking about all the possible outcomes. I’ve tried really hard not to think about the worse-case scenario, but it’s haunting me.

  Shakily, Gia says, “The cab she was in tried to beat the train at a crossing, but the train ended up nailing the back end of the cab.” She takes a deep breath, seemingly preparing for what’s left to say. But she starts to cry again, and Ruby, with tear stains down her face, wraps her arm around her and hugs her close.

  “All we know is that the car ended up smashing back into the train, and they had to use the Jaws of Life to pull her out of the cab,” Mr. Lawson adds somberly.

  My vision becomes spotty again, and the room starts to spin. I’m being pulled over to the nearest seat. My head is being shoved down through my knees. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

  I stay here for several minutes before being able to get myself under control. My head whips up when I hear my parents. My dad is talking to Mr. Lawson, and my mom is heading straight for me.

  I’m not surprised that they showed up, Wade must have called them. My mom loves Morgan, even though we aren’t together anymore. When I had that awkward conversation about how the girl I brought home broke up with me, she wasn't convinced it would stick. She said, “She knew it in her heart that Morgan was the one for me.” She has always been a romantic.

  I’m so out of focus, I didn’t realize I was sitting next to Gia when I hear Simon bring her a cup of water. She takes a deep breath before saying, “Dex, I think I know where she was going this morning. Why she was in that cab."

  "Yeah?" I gulp.

  "To you," she whispers.

  She was coming to me. I repeat this over again in my head. And focus on breathing.

  ***

  Finally, after more than an hour of waiting, the first doctor comes looking for Morgan's dad. He tells us that Morgan is in critical condition due to internal bleeding, and that they just brought her out of an emergency surgery. In addition to a severe head laceration, she has a broken leg and cracked ribs. He then tells us that no one can see her yet, that they are still trying to assess the damage and hope there isn’t any more bleeding.

  I want to scream. I want to punch something. I needed to see her, to be by her side, but not being able to is almost too much to bear. The panic and fear that I am going to lose her haven't gone away. I don’t know when Bernie and Wade show up, but they arrived with coffee. I can’t drink it, though.

  What seems like hours later, I spot a female doctor I haven’t seen yet come through the same doors the last doctor exited through. She walks to the nurse’s station; a nurse jerks her head toward our group. A pained expression falls quickly across her face, but it’s gone in a blink of an eye. I jump out of my seat, my heart racing with fear. As she walks to our group of ten, she asks for Mr. Lawson. As he stands, I join him to talk with the doctor.

  "Hello, I'm Doctor Davis. I'm the doctor working with your daughter. Morgan has lost a lot of blood in addition to her other injuries. She ended up having more internal bleeding than we initially thought, and after we had rushed her back into surgery, her body went into shock.” She pauses to give us time to process what she just said. “When a body loses more than 20% of its blood, it goes into hypovolemic shock, which makes it hard for the heart to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. We have to monitor her extremely carefully right now because going into shock like this can cause a heart attack, damage to several different organs, even brain damage. Right now, we are prepping her for a blood transfusion."

  Numbness climbs through my body. I think I'm going to be sick this time, but I manage to keep down the bile and try to focus on the doctor who is still talking.

  "When can I see her?" her dad asks.

  "Unfortunately, she is unconsciousness right now, and since the transfusion will start soon, it won't be possible until sometime after that process is complete. I will come back out and update you when that is finished. Or," she pauses, "if there are any new developments in her condition." She gives us a tight but sympathetic smile and walks away.

  I just stand there and stare at her retreating back, but the trance is broken when Link is by my side and says, "Come on, Dex. You need to sit down. You look like you're going to pass out."

  I think I am going to pass out, but I say nothing and let him steer me to the seat next to my mom. She hugs me, and I lose control over my emotions and start to cry. I think the last time I cried I was ten. My mom had been right by my side then, too.

  Time seems to stop in the waiting room after that. I hear quiet murmurs around me, but I sit staring at the door, waiting for the doctor to return.

  Finally, she does, and to my relief, she looks less distraught, tired as hell, but less distraught for sure.

  This time, she addresses the group instead of waiting for someone to come to her.

  "Morgan is conscious, and her body took well to the transfusion. We’ve removed her from critical condition. We need to monitor her closely, and run more tests, but if those results come back and look how I suspect them to, we are going to move her out of ICU and into a private room, hopefully by morning. I can take one person back right now, but that's it, as visiting hours are almost over. Once she is in a private room, more can go back at a time.”

  I'm relieved, and I want nothing more than to run to her room, but I know it's her dad who will go see her now. For the first time since I found out about the accident, I'm able to breathe.

  ***

  Eventually, Simon, Link, and Ruby leave to go get food, but ultimately, we all pretty much camp out in the waiting room all night. While most of the group manage some sleep, I’m awake the whole night.

  It's 9:00 a.m. the next morning when she is moved into a private room. Her dad, Gia, and I go back to see her. I'm the last in the room, but I come up short before I even get four steps in the room due to the sight before me. She is bruised and battered. She looks so small in that hospital bed, but I can see my Morgan through all the tubes, wires, bandages, and bruises.

  I continue to the side of her bed. I want to hold her hand, but I don't want to hurt her. I stare at her hand, and it has an IV coming from it. There are tubes everywhere. The nurse I didn't see standing by several machines softly says, "You can hold her hand, sweetie. It won't hurt her."

  I look up to see an older woman with a short, brown hair wearing dark blue scrubs. I look back at Morgan's hand and gently pick it up. It's warm in mine, and I start to mentally plea with her to wake up.

  The doctor told us that she is just sleeping right now, that she may wake up, but might not stay awake for long. She will be grog
gy and might not be able to talk. She also said that it could even be days before she wakes up and is coherent.

  One thing's for sure, though. I'm not leaving her side, if I get my way, ever again.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Morgan

  I hear a consistent beep of a machine. I try to focus on the noise and where it's coming from, but my brain is so foggy. As quickly as I hear the beeping, it starts to fade into the background, and I hear nothing more.

  ***

  I don't know how long it's been since I heard the beep of a machine, but in addition to the beeps, quiet fans, and machine motors, I hear voices. Several, actually. I try to move my head in the direction of the voices, but it’s too heavy. I can't make out whom the voices belong to, but I know they are starting to sound familiar. It sounds like two men and a female voice, maybe more. If only I could hear what they were saying, but all too soon the voices fade, and I fall back into silence.

  ***

  Once again, I'm startled by the damn beeping. Where the heck am I? I hear a familiar voice again. It's one of the several voices I heard from before. His voice is close, like right beside me, and while his words are fuzzy, I recognize the voice. I've heard it before, and it makes me feel safe. He sounds like he's pleading with someone. He sounds so sad.

  Who is he talking to? I'm so close to figuring it out when the voice starts to fade again. No! I want to scream. I want to hear his voice; I need to hear his is voice.

  ***

  My brain feels funny, but my eyes flutter open, and I take in the white walls and rows of lights on the ceiling. It smells like cleaning supplies. I hear a machine consistently beeping next to me, and I listen to the perfectly timed interval of a click from another machine. I focus on myself and realize I'm in a bed. It’s an uncomfortable bed, but I'm warm, so I must be covered up.

  I move my head just slightly and see Gia and Ruby sitting on a small couch that looks just as uncomfortable as the bed I'm in. I try to move, but it hurts. Oh my God. My whole body hurts. I let out a gasp, and I hear movement from the couch.

  "You're awake!" I hear Ruby squeal. I turn my head and see Gia and Ruby rush to my bed. They both look exhausted, and tears trickle down Ruby’s face, and Gia looks like she is fighting to keep hers at bay.

  I open my mouth to speak, but it feels like it's full of cotton. I lick my lips as I try to wet my mouth. Gia turns slightly and picks up a cup of water and brings it towards my lips. She holds the straw still as she puts it to my lips, and I take a drink. Oh, that tastes so amazing.

  Ruby squeezes my hand, says, "I'll be right back," and leaves the hospital room.

  Gia places the cup back on the tray and says, "It's about time, slow poke," with a small smile. "You've had us all on our toes."

  I clear my throat before trying again, "What's going on?"

  Her face turns remorseful, as she grabs my hand and says, "You were in an accident. Do you remember that?"

  I just stare at her, because I don't remember.

  Gia continues. "Well the cab you were in tried to beat the train, and didn’t. You were badly injured. You're going to be fine, but we didn’t know for sure at first. The doctor said you'd wake up when your body was ready, and now you’re awake." She squeezes my hand. I take my eyes off her and turn to look out the window. It looks like its early evening.

  I try to sit up, and a jolt of pain shoots through my body. “Ouch!" I say, but I continue to push through it.

  Gia pushes the pillows up behind me for support and says, "Yeah, try not to move much. I think they are going to have to give you more painkillers."

  "How long have I been here?" I ask.

  Gia worries her bottom lip as if she doesn't want to answer my question. "Gia?"

  "Three days. Your last surgery was two days ago, so we've all been waiting for you to wake up since then."

  "Was I in a coma?"

  "No, but your body went into shock with the extent of your injuries and surgeries. The doctors have been monitoring you around the clock, but for the past twenty-four hours or so, you've been fine, just in a deep sleep. The doctor said you'd wake up at any time."

  I'm taking this all in, and honestly, I'm overwhelmed. I'm about to ask Gia something more when the door opens, and a doctor and nurse come in the room. The doctor is an attractive, older woman, probably in her forties. She looks a bit harried like she hasn't had much sleep. She takes in my state and smiles warmly at me.

  "Hello, Morgan. I'm Doctor Davis. I've been tending to you since you were admitted to the hospital a few days ago. Has…" she looks to Gia for a second like she is trying to recall her name, "Gia. Has Gia had a chance to talk to you about what's going on at all?" She asks me but looks toward Gia.

  Again, with a dry throat, I say "Umm, kind of. The cab I was in was hit by a train, and then I went into shock after my last surgery." My answer sounded more like a question than a statement.

  "Yes, that is correct. You suffered some severe injuries. We had to perform two different surgeries to stop internal bleeding. When you came out of your last surgery, your body went into what we call, hypovolemic shock. This happens when your body loses too much blood. We had to give you a blood transfusion. After that, you came out of shock, but you haven't fully woken up until now. We've been motoring your vitals so we could tell if your body was healing, and it is. This kind of thing happens when your body goes through lots of trauma."

  Internal bleeding, shock, blood transfusion. Oh my God. My eyes fill with tears as the memories of seeing the train and feeling the impact rush back to me.

  "I remember. The cab driver was driving really fast."

  Gia winces and sorrow fills her eyes.

  I look back at the doctor as she continues to speak, "Yes. Since the car was traveling at a high speed, it made the impact worse. Fortunately, the train was not going the normal speed. You are very, very lucky to be alive, Morgan."

  I gulp down the acid in my sandpaper throat.

  "I'm going to be ok?" I immediately do a mental check of my body. Obviously, I had control of my upper body since I was able to sit up. I could move my fingers, my legs, I tried to wiggle my toes, and while it was painful, the test was successful.

  "Yes. Surprisingly, yes. Your left femur is broken, plus you have a sprained wrist, and you have several cracked ribs. You have a deep gash on your forehead, but it was a clean cut, so you shouldn’t have a horrible scar. The internal bleeding, which we've discussed, and lots of cuts and bruises, but all of that will heal in time."

  No wonder I hurt. I sigh, "I feel like I've had the crap beaten out of me," and Gia lets out a laugh through unshed tears. I smile at her because this must have been hard for her to see me like this. "And I bet I look as good as I feel," I add.

  "You sitting up and awake and talking looks a thousand times better than what you looked like twenty minutes ago." She smiles and wipes at her eyes.

  Doctor Davis looks up from my chart and adds, "Your friend called your father after she found me. Once he is here, we will discuss what needs to be done for you to heal at home. I'd like to keep you here for a couple more days. If we don't have any more issues, then you can go home." She smiles. "I'll have the nurses notify me when he arrives."

  She gives me a kind smile, turns, and leaves my room. The nurse that came in with her was quiet, busying herself with the machines and updating my charts. She finally speaks. "If you have any pain, push this red button, and an appropriate amount of pain medication will be released through your IV. We will be able to monitor how often you push it, and that will help us know the extent of your pain. And don't worry. You can't give yourself too much. Now that you are awake and moving around, you're probably going to need this." She hands me a small pump-like device with a red button on the top. I say thanks and set it in my lap. Then she leaves the room with a nod to Gia, leaving us alone in the quiet room.

  ***

  Shortly after the nurse leaves, Ruby returns. Ruby looks relieved but tired as she comes to
stand beside the bed. Gia walks back over to the couch, pushes it a little closer, as it seems to be on wheels, and sits down. Ruby takes her place next to me.

  "So, my dad is here?"

  "Yes, I've just talked to him. He is finishing up a conference call at his hotel. He will be here as soon as he can," Ruby replies.

  "I see that work is still more important." I try not to sound too disappointed, but it hurts to know that he wasn't here waiting for me to wake up.

  From the couch, Gia says, "He's been here since the day you were admitted, and he has been a mess worrying about you. We overheard him trying to cancel his call when we both urged him to go back to the hotel to get some rest than to go ahead and take it. We promised him we would call if anything changed and we did. It just happens to be at the exact same time as his call."

  Ok, well now I feel like a shrew. Of course, my dad cares about me. Have I become that jaded?

  I try to smile, hoping it doesn't look as forced as it feels. "So, about that train," I try.

  "Morgan, what the hell were you doing in that cab?" Ruby's brow is furrowed.

  Heat flushes my face, “I was going to see Dex.” Thinking of Dex makes my heart hurt.

  Quietly, I ask, “Does he know what happened?”

  "Yes. I called him when we found out about the accident from your dad. The hospital called him from your phone once you were admitted," Gia says from Ruby's side.

  I close my eyes in relief. He knows, and he’s been here. Is he here now?

  Gia continues, "Dex, Bernie, and Simon were still in New Orleans. He and Simon took the first flight back to Chicago. He's been here in the hospital ever since."