27. Always The Bridesmaid

Chapter 27

Always The Bridesmaid

S abre

Grizz and I walked side-by-side behind Pretty as we crossed the parking lot. Fear spread over us as each step brought us closer to the older woman who'd stepped outside to flag Pretty down. Sweat dripped off my forehead, and my hands felt clammy to the touch. Grizz kept curling his hands into fists and then releasing them. Each step felt like a thousand pounds dropping on our shoulders.

"Dr. Matthews requested that someone show you back to the waiting room. He said nothing else." She squinted her eyes at me, officially warding off any questions I'd try to get her to answer. "He said he'd be with you shortly."She turned and walked back through the double doors to her desk.

"Dr. Matthews," Pretty snorted. "She wouldn't be so uppity if she knew he liked threesomes."

"You will not tell her," I said."Scrub has to work with these people."

Taking our seats, we waited, staring some more at the white fucking walls. This day would never end.

It was a half an hour before Scrub walked out of the double doors that led to the emergency room. I couldn't help but notice the irony that he now wore a pair of blue scrubs, a surgeon's cap covering his auburn hair.

He took the chair next to me and swung it around before sitting so that he could see all the brothers behind us.

"Aunt E is out of surgery, but she's going to have a long recovery. Broken bones. Jarred ribs. Cuts and bruises. You name it, she has at least one. However, luck was on her side. She had a few internal bleeds, but we stopped them. The rest of her injuries will heal." He hung his hands in between his legs and lowered his head, taking a minute.

"What is it?" I knew him well enough to know that he wasn't done. He was only gearing up for more.

"This is the worst part about it. I made sure she was alive when we arrived. Now, they're assessing her in the back, and she's still unconscious. There's no way to know if she has a concussion or the severity of it. Neurology is flying blind, because they can't safely evaluate and treat her. They're making accurate guesses based on the data, but no one will know what damage has already been done. She may need severe help."

"I am not worried about it. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, even if it means hiring a nurse or some shit like that." I was serious, and I wouldn't let Aunt E hurt. I'd make sure she had what she needed to move on. "For her safety, how long will she be here?" I asked him, turning to face his direction.

"At least a week or two, maybe more. Since she was going to be in severe pain anyway, ortho made a plan to reset her broken bones in order of severity. She'll have at least one or two more surgeries, depending on how well she's healing. When I left, they were working on temporary casts for the first round. Since they don't expect her to regain consciousness soon, they're confident that she wouldn't cause any further damage. When they're done, she'll head to the ICU."

"I want to do right by Aunt E. Can we keep a guard detail on her in the ICU?" I asked him.

"Eh," he said, thinking out loud. "The ICU has standard visiting hours. I think it closes at either nine or ten. A brother can sit with her."

"I'll do it," Thunder volunteered.

"Later," I told him, shaking my head. Brother was probably feeling guilty, and I wouldn't let him overdo it.

"The ICU is round, so the nurse's station is in the middle, with each room around the outside. The front is all glass, but the problem will be when visiting hours are over. Someone could sit in the waiting room, but they will only see the entrance." Scrub took off his surgeon's cap and twiddled it in between his fingers.

"What are her odds of pulling through, Scrub?"I asked.

"She'll have a better chance at a full recovery, depending on the damage from the concussion. However, that's a long, drawn-out road of doctor's appointments, physical therapy, and the like. The hospital did a quick search. Her next of kin is sitting in the triage room right next to her." He rubbed his eyes. "Speaking of which, did anyone call their father?"

"No. I'll have to do that." The longer I could wait, the better off I'd be with that phone call. Grace's father, Gerry, would blame me when it was Matt who'd set this whole thing into motion.

"What about Meredith?" Grizz asked Scrub, leaning back in his chair.

Scrub looked at Grizz and shook his head. "I will tell you what I know, but it's not much. When Meredith jumped, she turned and landed on her left side. It's not surprising that most of the damage is on that side, since it took the most impact. No broken bones. No internal bleeding. Dislocated shoulder and a sprained knee. She's actually not doing too badly, but she has severe road rash. They're not sure if it's going to heal on its own or if they are going to have to skin graft certain parts of it."

"The baby?" Grizz pushed.

Scrub rubbed at his eyes again, as if he didn't want to answer or didn't know how much to tell Grizz.

"Tell me. That was my kid, too."Grizz tipped his chair back. It was a good thing I was in between them, in case Grizz tried to beat it out of Scrub.

"Again, this is what I know. They wheeled both Meredith and Aunt E into surgery when we first got here. It's easier and quicker to fix things when you're assessing. That didn't surprise me. However, they called Stands down to check the baby. I swear I know little after that."

"That's it? Did she lose it or not?" Grizz was flexing his left hand, preparing to reach over me and knock Scrub out .

"I wasn't involved in Meredith's care." Scrub sat straight up in his chair. He'd recognized the same thing I had. Grizz was a ticking time bomb.

"They wheeled Grace in, and the residents have been running back and forth to ask Stands questions. She can't leave Grace, but they don't have anyone to replace her to look after Meredith. It's the best they can do for right now, and it's working."

"Why aren't you in there?" Grizz was two seconds from an all-out war in the waiting room.

"I am not specialized enough to be in there. Pregnancy is not my thing, and I didn't check for any new updates before coming out here."

"Hey, Grizz. You should name your kids Tick, Tick Two, and Boom. You know, because you're about ready to explode," Pretty said out of the blue, trying to diffuse the situation. Grizz did not find it amusing.

"If you and Wreck ever adopt, I am naming them Run, For, and Cover." Grizz raised his middle finger at Pretty.

"What about Grace?" I quickly asked to change the subject.

"Last I heard, they were going to do an emergency c-section. Grace's blood pressure is spiking, which is putting the baby in distress. Stands hasn't left her."Scrub patted me on the shoulder.

"Grace fucking wins again. It's getting easier to see why Meredith runs in the opposite direction. There's no use competing with someone who's perfect." Grizz stood from his chair.

"Sit your fucking ass down." I wasn't in the mood to hash this bullshit out. He was hurting, but I would not let him take it out on Grace. Meredith had done enough of that.

He crossed his arms and tried to kill me with his stare. Maybe they were perfect for each other.

"When will they transfer Aunt E to the ICU?" I turned back to Scrub.I was done with Grizz for now, and I knew he'd never take a cheap shot with my back turned .

"In an hour or two. They're prepping her room, so she's sleeping in recovery."

"Chef's out of commission, so Thunder, you'll switch off with How. One of you will be here every 12 hours until we can get her settled." No one said a word as I gave orders. Taking out my phone, I let How know his assignment. He'd taken the second shift since he was at the clubhouse.

"When I head back, I'll put them on her visitation list. No one will say anything to them. You know, Aunt E might like some flowers to brighten up her room." Scrub looked at Cyph.

"Yeah, I think her favorite flowers are daisies. I'll get her some," Cyph commented.

How did Cyph know what Aunt E's favorite flowers were? It took me a minute to realize that Scrub had just encouraged Cyph to wire up a camera in the flowers for Aunt E's room. Cyph had just picked something, letting us know that he'd caught Scrub's message. I clapped Scrub back on the shoulder, not wanting to voice how smart that was.

Scrub stood from his chair and walked over to Grizz. "The next time you want to play favorites, pick another fucking brother. I don't do that shit, and you know it. It's how I lost my woman." He pivoted and walked back through the emergency room doors.

I watched Grizz drop his head in between his legs. It was getting harder to breathe, not knowing what was going on.

Scrub never came back out to the waiting room, and I finally made the call that I had been dreading.