The men pulled him out of the room and walked him to the café to get some much needed coffee. None of them said anything, just drank some coffee and let the girls have some needed time together. Not one of them could possibly understand the female mind and felt safer at a distance, so they didn't accidentally say something that may land them in hot water.
When they'd let enough time pass, they finally made their way back to the room with coffee and donuts to share. The women managed to get Nicole to drink the coffee but no amount of pleading would get her to eat. Ryan was relieved the tears had at least dried up. He didn't know how to handle them.
The hours waiting for the doctor to come back in were the longest of Nicole's life. She paced up and down the hallways, waiting for him to bring her any information. She needed to know her baby sister was going to be okay and she wouldn't feel better until that moment. Ryan tried to get her to eat something but there was no way she could keep any food down. The breakfast she'd eaten was sitting uneasily in her stomach and she feared she was going to vomit all over the pristine floors.
"Ms. Lander," a doctor said, as he stepped into the room. She whipped her head around and looked at him with both fear and hope. Nothing could've happened to Patsy. She wouldn't survive it.
"Yes?" she said barely above a whisper. She was terrified but needed to know.
"Your sister is out of surgery and it looks like everything will be fine. The next few hours are critical but it looks like your sister is going to make a full recovery," he told her.
"Thank you," she sobbed and threw her arms around the doctor, clinging tightly to him. He patted her back and whispered reassurances. She was so relieved the nightmare seemed to finally be over. She had to see for herself she was alive and breathing.
Nicole didn't know when Patsy was transferred but she noticed her sister was being held by Ryan. The doctor was nowhere to be seen. He was rubbing her back and whispering reassuring words to her. She finally managed to pull herself together and was led into Patsy's recovery room.
Ryan sent the rest of the family home, as Patsy wouldn't be awake more than minutes at a time. There wasn't any point in them staying there. They reluctantly left and exhaustion took over Nicole as she lay in the chair next to Patsy's bed. She fell asleep for the first time in a long while, with peace in her heart.
The night was long, with Patsy only waking for short periods of time. Every time the nurses came in to check on her they assured both Nicole and Ryan, who also refused to leave, she was healing fine and it looked like she would be okay. Nicole wouldn't completely believe them until she walked out of the hospital but she was happy.
"You're coming out with us today. You've done nothing but sit here and worry about your sister and she's fine. She has a million magazines, doctors and nurses at her beck and call and food being brought in. You, on the other hand, look like you haven't eaten in a month, have dark circles under your eyes and are in desperate need of a manicure," Jasmine said to Nicole.
Nicole stared at the two women before her, feeling slightly shell shocked. They were trying to get her to leave the hospital room but she would feel so guilty doing so. Patsy needed her there and she had an irrational fear if she left her side something would happen to her.
"I can't leave her," she pled with them.
"Nicole we simply aren't taking no for an answer. You can either walk out of here with us, or we will get the guys to come and drag you out but you're going out for a day of much needed pampering," Trinity said.
"Go with them Nicole. You have been amazing and I love you to pieces but you need to take care of yourself and not just me all the time. Now get out of here and I'll tell the doctors you aren't allowed back in until tomorrow," Patsy told her.
"Patsy, you don't mean that, you need me here," Nicole said, a little hurt by her sisters words.
"I do need you and I love you more than anything. I know how much you sacrifice for me and how much you have always given up for me. Get the shocked look off your face, I'm not blind. You make sacrifices every day to take care of me and I love and appreciate you even more for that but please take care of yourself. Now get out and I mean it when I say you aren't allowed back until tomorrow," Patsy reinforced.
"You're never a sacrifice because I love you," Nicole told her.
"You heard your sister, let's get out of here," Jasmine said.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to get out for a few hours," Nicole conceded. Both women nodded encouragingly to her. She gathered her purse and made sure Patsy was properly covered before reluctantly following the women from the room.