They all waited. No one had seen Tommy since the ambulance wheeled him off the stage. The lack of information was killing Jessi. It left her mind to wander, and she imagined the worst. It was the unknown – the unanswered questions – that manifested into morbid details of what might be wrong with Tommy. The same silent thoughts were shared by all. No one spoke. Angel held her hand and constantly rubbed her index finger with his thumb. Jimmy sat on the opposite side of Jessi, bouncing his knee so hard it shook the entire row of plastic seats. Audra fiddled with the strap of her handbag and fidgeted almost as bad as Jimmy.
Jessi turned to Alyssa and their eyes locked. Her best friend’s black rimmed eyes held a confident stare. Alyssa sat straight in her chair and gave Jessi an assertive nod of her head without blinking. It was the positive assurance that Jessi needed right now, although she was still terrified, not for herself, but for her baby. Tommy’s baby.
“It’s my fault.” Everyone turned to Damien. He had his long legs stretched out in front of him, and he stared at his boots. His head was lowered, so all that Jessi could see was the top of his bright blue mohawk.
“What are you talking about?” Angel asked.
“I’m the reason Tommy’s here.” Damien finally looked up and met Angel’s eyes. “He ran into my bass. Took a hit to the head. I didn’t think it was that bad. He seemed fine, and then he was on the floor.”
Angel abruptly sat forward. “I didn’t see that happen.”
Damien pressed his lips together in a thin straight line and lowered his head again. “You were at the front of the stage. We were behind you. I nodded to the stage guy to bring me my Ibanez, and he collided with Tommy.”
“That’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault,” Angel told Damien. “It was an accident.”
Jessi had been watching Tommy run around the stage. The collision happened so quickly, she never saw it coming. It couldn’t be prevented, but the word “accident” sat heavily in the forefront of her mind, and she wondered if the blow to his head had triggered the injury from the plane crash.
Two of the band’s bodyguards stepped aside, and a doctor penetrated their tight circle. “Mrs. Blade?”
Jessi shot to her feet, but the added weight from the baby slowed her momentum and distorted her balance, and she fell back into her seat. Angel quickly grabbed her elbow and helped her rise. She didn’t know what she would do without him right now. “How’s Tommy? Can I see him?”
“He’s awake. And he’s asking for you and . . . his husband,” the doctor replied.
“Oh, thank God,” Angel sighed.
A collective murmur of relief echoed in the background from the group.
The doctor’s statement did little to ease Jessi’s tension. There was a reason Tommy had collapsed, and until she knew what it was and the severity of his condition, she couldn’t relax. “What’s wrong with him?”
The doctor hesitated. “Let’s discuss this in private. With your husband.”
She took a step forward, still holding Angel’s hand, but the doctor didn’t move. He stood with a manila folder in his hand and scrutinized Angel behind his wire-rimmed glasses.
“Why are we still standing here?” she questioned the doctor. “We want to see Tommy. We want to know what’s wrong with him.”
“Uh . . .” The doctor addressed Angel. “I’m sorry. The treatment area is for immediate family only.”
Angel’s shoulders wilted. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious. It’s hospital policy.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Jessi snapped at the doctor. “Angel is part of our marriage.”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Blade, but you can’t both be legally married to the patient.”
“The patient?” Angel said with a sarcastic influx to his voice. “His name is Tommy, and he’s my husband. There’s no way you’re stopping me from seeing him. You’re gonna have to kill me to keep me out of that room.”
The doctor paled slightly and pressed the manila envelope to his chest like a shield. “I . . . um . . . you’re not supposed to, but I guess we can make an exception,” he mumbled.
They followed the doctor through a set of double doors that led to the patient area. There were people everywhere. Doctors, nurses, hospital workers and family members crossed each other’s paths without much regard for anyone else. All of the beds were occupied with patients. Some were sleeping, and others were in various states of distress. Monitors and machines beeped incessantly. Jessi checked every bed they passed, hoping the next one would be Tommy’s, but the doctors kept leading them deeper into the hospital.