The glass doors to the hospital swoosh open, and we stop at the front desk. Zeke leans over the counter. “I’m here to see Adeline Sewell.”
“Let me see what room she’s in,” the elderly woman at the desk says with a smile before looking down at the keyboard. “Here she is.” She stops typing and looks up at Zeke, who’s impatiently tapping his hand on his thigh. “Room 256, take the elevator to the second floor and make a left.”
With no response, Zeke turns toward the elevator.
“Thank you.” I smile and run to catch up with him, wondering whom Adeline Sewell is and what she means to Zeke.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I’m worried about Addy. I get it. They can’t say anything over the phone about how the patient’s doing, but damn, I hate this feeling. Last time I felt this helpless was after the fire when Jax and I were at the hospital waiting to hear about how Slate was doing. The time before that was Gram’s heart attack. Then, there was Mom and Dad. I don’t like to think about that, though. Unless I’m in the ring and the other person knows it’s coming, I don’t like to see blood, and I can’t take it when anyone is in pain. I think that’s why I love to fight. Unlike with Slate, Grams, and my parents, when I’m in the cage, I’m in control.
The elevator dings and I grab Lurlene’s hand. It feels good, safe, and right. I’m glad she’s with me. We step out of the elevator and I pull her along as I search for Addy’s room.
“Hey,” I hear a guy’s voice call out behind me. “Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?”
I stop and look over my shoulder to find a dude in dark blue scrubs. “Yeah, I’m looking for Adeline Sewell’s room.”
The guy walks up to us. “Are you family?”
“No.” My hand tightens around Lurlene’s. “I’m Zeke Declan. You guys called me.”
“Oh.” The guy tilts his head back. “You’re Mrs. Sewell’s health care proxy, right?”
“Yeah.” I squeeze Lurlene’s hand, patience weaning.
“Good, the doctor wants to talk to you.”
“Is she, ah ...” I thumb back at the rooms. “Can I see her first?”
“She’s fine, just resting. I’m Sean, her nurse. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll have the doc meet you in the waiting area, and after you speak to him, we can see if she’s awake.”
“She’s,” I swallow hard, “she’s all right?”
“Yes, there’s nothing to worry about. She’s okay. Follow me,” he says, and I drag a quiet Lurlene along with me, thankful she’s not hammering me with questions. I couldn’t deal with that shit right now. I glance at her and her eyes find mine. Her thumb runs over my hand as a hesitant smile touches her pink lips.
A few minutes later in walks a middle-aged man in a white lab coat. “Mr. Declan,” he stretches a hand out to me, and I meet him for a quick shake. “I’m Dr. Sanford. Hello.” He smiles at Lurlene, releasing my hand. “Mrs. Sewell had a transient ischemic attack. It’s like a mini stroke. She has no residual side effects. Actually, she’s doing quite well. She’s a feisty woman,” he says with a cheeky smile. “The reason I called you was because she wants to go home and she’s threatened to sign out AMA, against medical advice. I don’t really want to see that happen. She tells me that she lives alone, and right now, she’s a little unsteady on her feet. So, it’s not safe for me to discharge her home alone. I’d need to keep her for another twenty-four to forty-eight hours. You understand?”
“Yeah.” I nod, dropping my tense shoulders and sighing with relief.
“Will you speak to her to see if maybe we can come up with some kind of plan?”
“I’ll talk to her,” I say, releasing and tightening my fingers around Lurlene’s hand. “Can I see her now?”
“Sure, I’ll show you to her room, and we can chat after you meet with her.”
“Sounds good.” I nod and follow the doctor down the hall. He points to a room before heading back to the nurse’s station. I keep a good grip on Lurlene as we walk into the room. The lights are dim, but I can make out the outline of Addy’s small, frail body.
“Addy,” I quietly say.
“Oh, shit,” she says, clicking on the lights above her bed. “They called you, didn’t they?” She tries to sit up, falling back with a sigh. “I told them not to do that!” She pulls the sheet up, then pats it, keeping busy and making sure not to make eye contact.