Page 11 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes
We reach a bank of lifts, but I don’t even register what floor we’re heading to. All I can think about is Danny. It’s like a film reel of our greatest hits, all our best moments playing in my head. Panic claws at my chest, and I almost can’t breathe at the thought I might never have that again.
I know in the grand scheme of things we haven’t been together that long, but we’ve saidI love youand meant it. We’re committed to each other and plan to move in together, but I don’t think I’ve realised until this very moment, when I’m confronted with the very real possibility of losing him, just how much Danny means to me.
He’s everything.
I can’t picture my future without him in it. I want more of him snuggling under the covers with me while we listen to the symphony of dripping rainwater from the ceiling into the pans. I want to watch him cheating at Scrabble with my dad, because he knows it makes Dad smile even though Dad doesn’t really understand the concept of humour anymore. I want more disastrous dinner dates when I trip over my own feet and spill the wine and accidentally set fire to the tablecloth with the decorative candles while Danny just watches me with that beautiful smile of his.
I blindly follow the others into the lift and feel the doors close behind me. The panic inside me is rising like a wave and I know any moment it’s going to drown me. Sonia, bless her heart, must feel my tension. I’m not sure what she sees, but she lets go of my hand and wraps her arm around me instead.
“It’s going to be okay, Tris. You heard Maddie. He had a good, strong heartbeat, and his breathing wasn’t compromised. He’ll be okay, I just know it. There’s no way he’s leaving you, the man is besotted with you.”
“I don’t know how to do this without him,” I croak. “I don’t know how this happened. I was so independent. I didn’t need anyone else, I was doing just fine by myself, then he came crashing into my life and made me need him. Now I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“Yeah.” She chuckles. “That tends to happen when you find your soulmate.”
I feel another hand slip into mine and look across to find Maddie watching me with sympathy and concern. “Danny is going to be okay, I know it. He’s just too bloody stubborn not to be.” Being the more pragmatic of the two of them, Maddie has never minced her words.
I manage a tiny smile and nod as I feel Dusty lean in close and whisper in my ear.
“Boo, I’m just going to check something out. Stay with Maddie and Sonia, okay?”
I turn my head to glance in her direction and see her frowning thoughtfully. It’s not possible to ask her where she’s going with others around us, so I simply nod again.
Dusty disappears just as a disembodied voice announces our floor and the elevator doors slide open. Flanked by Sonia and Maddie, I follow behind the nurse as she leads us to a small waiting area.
“There we go,” the nurse announces. “Please make yourselves as comfortable as possible. The nurses’ station is around the corner, and there’s a coffee machine just down the corridor to your left. I’ll tell them you’re waiting and as soon as there’s an update, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Maddie and Sonia tow me over to a large, padded chair and push me into it. “You really do look terrible, Tris.” Sonia frowns as she touches my forehead again. “What do you need while we wait? Some paracetamol? A cup of tea? Something to eat?”
I shake my head. “I’m not hungry and I had a Lemsip before I left, so I can’t have any more paracetamol for a few hours.”
“Tea?” she offers. “Or coffee? I could go and see what the machine has?”
“Sure,” I croak. I don’t really want anything, but I get the feeling she needs the distraction.
“Okay, honey.” She smiles. “I’ll go and see what they’ve got.”
“Thanks,” Maddie mumbles next to me as Sonia ducks out of the room. “I’m pretty certain you don’t want anything, but she hates feeling helpless. She needs to keep busy.”
I nod. “She’s a sweetheart.”
“She is.” Maddie smiles softly at the thought of her wife. “How are you holding up, really?”
“I feel terrible.”
“I’ll bet.” She sighs and glances around the empty, sterile room. Her gaze snags on a TV mounted on the wall in the corner. “Want me to put the TV on?”
“Sure.” I swallow, even though my throat feels like it’s lined with sandpaper. My body starts shaking yet again, and I pull my jacket tighter around me.
“Here.” Maddie slips off the hoodie draped around her shoulders and over the top of her sling. She tucks it around me carefully. “Why don’t you see if you can sleep, Tris? We’ll wake you as soon as there’s any news.”
I don’t think I can with thoughts of Danny circling my brain, but my head is pounding, I can’t seem to stop shivering, and every inch of my body aches.
Maybe I’ll close my eyes just for a moment.
The next thing I know, I’m being shaken awake with gentle hands. I blink and push my glasses back up the bridge of my nose as I sit up in the chair and roll my head a bit to loosen the stiffness in my neck. On the table next to me is a paper cup of what looks like it may have been hot chocolate at some point, but now the cold liquid has a weird skin congealed on its surface. I glance up at the clock mounted on the wall and am surprised to find nearly two hours have passed. I turn my head toward Maddie, who’s sitting so close I assume she’s the one who woke me.