Lucky Number Four (44 page)

“It’s my fault. I called him and he said he
would come right over. Oh, Jeff, what if he …” I can’t continue as
uncontrollable sobs tear through me. Jeff grabs my hand
tightly.

“Stop it, Dora. Liam didn’t say, but we have
to think positive. It’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. I
made you call him.”

He squeezes my hand, and I turn, trying to
control my sobs. I see a tear roll down his cheek. If this is a
nightmare, I want to wake up. Please don’t let this be real. With
my free hand, I pinch myself and it’s real. It’s so fucking
real.

We arrive at the ER a few minutes later. The
bright lights of the foyer sting my eyes, or it might be the salt
from my tears. Jeff drops me at the front door and leaves to park
the car. I immediately see Liam and Colin as I walk through the
automatic doors. Again, my legs turn to rubber as I see the looks
on their faces. They rush forward and both reach for me before I
sink to the floor.

Liam picks me up and moves to the waiting
room, putting me down on an overstuffed sofa. He takes a seat
beside me

“How is he?” I whisper. Please, please let
him be okay.

“We don’t know. Nobody has come out to talk
to us. We called his dad, his sister, Emily, and we tried reaching
his mom, but she’s somewhere out of the country,” Colin answers,
his face as white as a ghost.

“It’s my fault. He was coming to see me,” I
say, feeling numb and exhausted.

“How is it your fault? He was like a little
kid after he got off the phone. He …” Liam chokes up and I pat his
hand and lean into him, closing my eyes and letting the beat of his
heart try to soothe me.

“How is he?” Jeff’s voice sounds close, but I
have no energy to look at or answer him. I hear Colin mumble a few
words and then nothing but Liam’s heart beating and an annoying TV
that’s blaring from somewhere close by.

An hour later, Drew’s father joins us,
looking worried. He worry turns to anger when Colin tells him we
haven’t been told anything. He storms off. I let Liam’s heartbeat
take me away again. I must have fallen asleep, because when I open
my eyes, Emily is there, and so are a bunch of people I’ve met and
some I’ve only seen in magazines.

Liam explains the late-night news had
reported the accident, and people just started showing up. The
agency also sent over private security to keep the press at bay.
And there is still no news on Drew’s condition.

Emily sees me talking to Liam and comes over,
making Jeff move so she can sit beside me. Her face is
tear-streaked. She grabs my free hand and draws me into a hug. My
stomach starts tumbling, and I stand up quickly. Jeff is right
there, guiding me away from the crowd and into a secluded hallway.
I want to see Drew. I have to see Drew.

“Jeff, I have to see Drew. Please help me. I
can’t stand not knowing if he’s okay.” I cling to him and he pats
my back and then seats me in a chair that he grabs from an open
empty room.

“I’ll be right back,” Jeff assures me, and I
let my head fall into my hands. I hear him on the phone, and then
he’s back with a slight smile on his face.

“What did you do?”

“I called my dad. He’s calling the CEO of
this hospital. In a few minutes, we should have some action. Let’s
go back to the waiting room. I know it’s crowded, but they need to
be able to find us.”

The room is just how we left it, except
everyone is silent. A harried-looking man in a long white coat with
a stethoscope slung around his neck enters a few minutes after Jeff
and I sit down. All eyes focus on him.

“I need to talk to the immediate family of
Drew Johnson.” I zero in on his father and Emily, who for some
reason grab my arm and take me with them. We follow the man down
another hallway and into a small room, really more like a large
closet.

“I’m Dr. Morely, and I’ve been attending to
Drew. The crash was pretty serious and so are his injuries. We lost
him a few times, but he’s stable enough now to undergo surgery.
He’s bleeding internally, and we have to find the source. His right
leg is broken, but we’ll fix that after we get the bleeding under
control. We need you to sign the forms so we can take him to the
OR. We’re sorry we haven’t come out sooner, but it was touch and
go, and my team and I were very busy.” He sounds exasperated, but I
don’t feel guilty. We were in the dark.

Emily and I go back to the waiting room, arms
around each other. Her father follows the doctor to sign the
papers. I know how the doctor felt, because as soon as we walk into
the room, it’s like a spotlight is on us.

“Well?” Jeff comes up to me and holds my
hand.

“He’s going to surgery because he’s bleeding
internally and they don’t know where, so they have to stop it.”

Emily starts crying and Liam and Colin move
in to comfort her.

Time seems to stand still, but the hands on
the clock say differently. It’s been four hours since we last
talked to the doctor. In that time, the head of the modeling agency
showed up, followed by a catering service handing out coffee, tea,
and pretty much anything you can think of as far as drinks and
sandwiches and pastries. A few people eat. I notice the models
passing on the food but consuming flavored waters.

“Dora, you should eat something. You didn’t
have dinner. And lunch and breakfast weren’t much either.”

I shake my head at Jeff. I definitely don’t
want a vomiting session in front of this crowd. He insists I drink
a cup of hot tea and it warms me up a little.

“Are all of you here for Drew Johnson?” A
petite woman in scrubs is standing in the doorway looking us all
over. We nod our heads like sheep. “I’m Dr. Galena and I’m the
surgeon. We found the site of the bleeding, and we had to remove
Mr. Johnson’s spleen. While we were in the OR, a scan revealed some
swelling in the brain. We’ve had to place him in a drug-induced
coma in hopes it will give the brain time to heal on its own. Only
time will tell. We were able to repair the damage to his leg once
the bleeding was under control, and he’s now in intensive care.
Only immediate family members are allowed to visit, one at a time,
for a few minutes every hour. Even though he’s in a coma, it’s
believed that patients in his condition can still hear you. We
encourage you to talk to him in a positive manner. Please no
negativity. A nurse will be in shortly to take family members back
to the ICU waiting room.” She turns and leaves quickly before
anyone can ask questions. But what else can she say? We know what
she knows.

“Come on, Dora, the nurse is here.” Both
Emily and Drew’s father are waiting for me. I’m shocked why they’re
still including me, like I’m family or something. Before I have the
chance to wonder anymore, Jeff kisses me on the cheek and gently
pushes me to join them in pursuit of the nurse down the
hallway.

ICU is a scary place. I’m in total shock as
Emily and her dad let me go first. It’s like walking into a tomb,
but with little beeping and whooshing noises. The nurses walk
quietly from one room to another. Rooms are laid out in a
semicircle, with a large island in the middle where other nurses
sit observing monitors. The nurse who came to get me gestures to a
room in the middle of the semicircle, and I prepare myself for what
lies beyond the door.

“Now remember,” she says quietly, “he will
look different. He’s hooked up to machines by many tubes, and has
some bruising.” She made this speech earlier in the waiting room.
How could I have forgotten?

I turn the corner into the room, and I don’t
recognize the person in the bed. Drew’s face is all bruised and
swollen. His leg is in a cast, and there are so many tubes, I can’t
begin to count. I wipe the tears from my eyes. I have to be brave.
This is the man I love, and I have to help him pull through
this.

“Hi, Drew.” I say, taking hold of his hand,
hoping against hope that he’ll squeeze it back. I kind of feel
silly for talking to him like this, but if they think he can hear
me, I don’t care how ridiculous I look. “I’m sorry I ran out on you
in Florida. I just felt out of my league. If it makes any
difference, my heart has been broken ever since. I think and dream
about you. I’ve never in my life ever felt so happy and loved. Yes,
I said the L word. I love you, Drew, and deep down I knew it was
you on Halloween but I thought you were a bad boy, and the parade
of women I’ve seen you with in the magazines, tabloids and on TV
made me believe you were a player. I’m so sorry I judged you. I’m
wrong, and I want another chance if you’ll let me. Please forgive
me. I love you, Drew. I’m not just saying that because you’re in
here, and we’re supposed to only say positive things. I really do
love you, and I want to be with you until you get tired of me.
Please get better soon so we can talk like we were supposed to
before this happened. My mom says things happen for a reason, but I
don’t understand the reason behind this. I love you, and I’ll keep
saying it until you wake up. I love you, Drew.”

“Sorry, time’s up,” a nurse says. “Can I make
a suggestion?” She looks at me with kind eyes. “Go home and get
some rest and then come back. I promise I’ll call you if anything
changes. You have to take care of that baby.”

“How do you know?” I ask, thinking whether
I’ve said anything. I’m so tired it could be possible.

“I was watching you on the monitor, and
you’ve been rubbing your abdomen the whole time you’ve been talking
to him.”

“Nobody knows except my best friend.” I feel
a little panicked that my secret will be out before I’m ready.

“I won’t say a word.” She pats my hand and
then lets me out of the room. I lean up against the wall, not sure
if I can take another step. Just as the thought goes through my
mind, I look up and see Jeff standing there waiting for me.

“Come on, we’re going home to get some rest.
I’ve told Emily and Mr. Johnson, and they’re going back to the loft
to stay a while,” he says while I let him lead me down the
hallway.