“I’m at New York Methodist Hospital. You need to get here as soon as you can. It’s Nina.”
CHAPTER 29
Ryan wouldn’t tell me much about Nina’s condition. He said he had just gotten there himself after her roommate called him and that he didn’t know details yet but that she was alive and stable. I let out the longest sigh of relief of my entire life.
Thank God.
He just told me to hurry and then hung up.
My entire body was shaking and I scrambled to find a shirt. As I flew out the door, I didn’t even know if I shut it behind me. I just started running and dialed a cab company on my phone in case I couldn’t hail one.
Thankfully, a red cab came around the corner a few minutes later and took me to the hospital. Nina’s eyes were all I could see as I rested my head back on the seat and prayed for her to be okay. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything ever happened to her, especially since there was so much left unsaid.
When we arrived, I threw a fifty-dollar bill at the cabbie and told him to keep the change as I ran across the street and nearly got hit by a departing ambulance. I blew through the front doors of the emergency entrance. The room was spinning with the sounds of intercoms, kids whining and stretchers being wheeled in. Dammit, I just needed to get to her.
Out of breath, I told the woman at the front desk, “I’m looking for Nina Kennedy. She was brought here about an hour ago.”
“And you are?”
I couldn’t even think straight and hesitated, not sure how to answer. “I’m her…friend…Jake Green.”
She lifted her phone and dialed it. “Where did they take Nina Kennedy?” she asked someone on the other end.
My chest pounded in nervous anticipation as panic set in.
She hung up the phone. “She’s in a room now on the ninth floor. Go down that hallway and take a right. You’ll see the elevators. The nurses will be able to direct you.”
I started running before she even finished her sentence and nearly knocked over an old man behind me.
When I got to the floor Nina was on, my heart sank when I noticed Mister Rogers getting out of another elevator.
What the fuck was he doing here?
I was too scared to be pissed. We walked side by side over to where Tarah, Ryan and Daria were standing.
“Where’s Nina?”
“A doctor is examining her right now. We were asked to wait out here,” Tarah said.
“What happened?”
Ryan looked at Tarah. Tarah looked at Daria. Daria looked at Mister Rogers. Mister Rogers looked at me.
What the hell was he looking at? And why weren’t they telling me what was going on?
The look on Ryan’s face was especially suspicious.
Daria’s voice was shaky as she put her hand on my shoulder. “She was losing blood. We don’t know what’s happening, but she’s been conscious the whole time. She’s going to be okay. I am sure of it. The doctor is just examining her.”
“I guess we’ll know something soon,” Ryan said looking over at me.
Something wasn’t right. I didn’t buy that they knew nothing.
I glared at Mister Rogers. “Who are you?”
“I’m her friend, Roger. Daria called me.”
Roger. You have got to be kidding me…
“Friend, huh? That’s bullshit. I saw you two last week holding hands and kissing outside of her apartment. You didn’t look like friends to me.”
He shook his head. “We’re just friends, Jake.”
“How do you know my name?” I seethed.
“She talks about you all the time. How could I not know who you were?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s how we bonded actually, over our break ups. I am a friend of Daria’s. I am at their house a lot. Nina and I have become close over the past month.”
“Let me get this straight. She’s been talking about me while she’s kissing you?”
Daria and Roger looked at each other smiling, when he said, “I don’t know what you think you saw…but that was no kiss, maybe a peck on the cheek. Jake…I’d rather kiss you…okay? I’m gay.”
“I know what I—” I stopped talking realizing what he just confessed. “Did you just say you’re gay?”
“Yes.”
“Gay…”
“Last time I checked.”
My body relaxed. I felt stupid but relieved. Euphoric. She hadn’t moved on from me. I was so happy I could have kissed him…and he would have loved it.
Roger was gay. It was a beautiful fucking day in the neighborhood.
Now, I just needed Nina to be okay. God, please make everything be okay. The doctor was taking forever. I paced the hallway, stopping at one point to look over at Roger. “I’m sorry for overreacting, man.”