He was about to quiz Lauren about her job, figuring the wild stories she must certainly have to share would help distract him from worrying about Angela, when two other people hurried inside the waiting room. The woman he knew to be Julia, Lauren’s identical twin, and he assumed the dark haired man with an arm wrapped around her waist was her new husband.
“Jules, Nathan. Thanks for getting here so fast.” Lauren sprung to her feet and embraced her sister and brother-in-law.
“How is she? Any word yet?” asked Julia anxiously.
Lauren shook her head. “Nothing yet. Though if someone doesn’t come out and update us soon, I think it’s going to take all three of us to hold this one back.”
Julia and Nathan were staring at Nick, and he realized they both recognized him – though for vastly different reasons.
“Damn. Nick Manning,” said Nathan in stunned disbelief. “This is – a huge surprise. What are you doing here – and how do you know Lauren?”
But Julia had quickly drawn her own, very different conclusion as to why Nick was here. “He’s not here with Lauren,” she told her husband. “He’s here for Angela. Aren’t you?”
Nick glanced down at Julia, relieved to see the gentle smile on her stunningly beautiful face as well as the look of understanding in her eyes. It was rather obvious that the twins were as different as night and day, both in the way they dressed and in their personalities.
“Yes,” he answered. “I am. I’m, uh -”
“You’re the one,” replied Julia simply. “The one she was so wrapped up in four years ago. The one,” she added, “that she never got over.”
“Yes.”
Nick didn’t know what else to say, but he sensed with Julia that there was no need to speak further, at least not right now. And then, even though it was obvious that Lauren was by far the more controlling and outspoken twin, it was Julia who quietly took charge of the situation. She and her husband had brought along containers of food and drink which she now disbursed among the four of them.
“I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee,” she told Nick. “There’s cream and sugar in one of these bags if you don’t like it black.”
He shook his head urgently. “Black is fine, thanks. I still haven’t gotten the taste of your sister’s disgusting brew out of my mouth.”
Julia nodded in understanding. “Lauren has a huge sweet tooth, practically lives on sugar and caffeine. She should have warned you before offering you a sip.”
Lauren shrugged, unconcerned. “Or maybe he should have asked first.”
Nick’s gaze narrowed as he studied Lauren. “Are you always like this?”
Nathan chuckled. “You mean a pain in the ass? Lauren doesn’t know any other way to behave.”
“Don’t.” Julia laid a hand on her husband’s shoulder and shook her head. “Not now, not today. Especially not when we’re waiting for word on Angie. Let’s all agree to play nice.”
Lauren munched on a container of soba noodles and grilled chicken, wielding a pair of chopsticks with careless ease. “Nathan started it,” she mumbled accusingly. “But I’ll ignore him for now. Be warned, though, bro – this isn’t over.”
Nathan rolled his eyes, spearing a forkful of shrimp tempura. “It never is.” He glanced over at Nick, offering an apologetic smile. “Lauren’s actually harmless, you know. Way more bark than bite.”
Nick glowered. “Except when she’s sweeping your legs out from under you. Or using you for target practice with her nasty little knife.”
Julia’s mouth dropped open as she lowered her spoonful of chicken udon back into the takeout container. “She didn’t. Lauren – you promised Dad you’d stop carrying that knife around with you everywhere. It’s one thing when you’re on assignment somewhere, I realize you need to protect yourself. But not here. You don’t need -”
Whatever further admonition Julia was about to give her sister was interrupted by the arrival of a rather agitated-looking young doctor dressed in light blue scrubs. And when he asked if anyone was there for Angela Del Carlo, all four of them rose to their feet. The doctor – who looked barely old enough to be in college, much less practicing medicine, at least in Nick’s opinion – glanced uncertainly from one to the next.
“Well, looks like you’re all here together, so I’ll give you a quick update on Angela’s status,” began the young doctor, who belatedly introduced himself as Cole McIntyre. “Your friend – uh, excuse me, unless either of you gentlemen are her husband? Fiancé?”
“I’m her – significant other. Boyfriend. Whatever the hell you want to call it,” muttered Nick darkly. “We’re – together.”
Nick ignored the three startled glances sent his way and prodded young Dr. McIntyre to continue.
“Well, Angela has got a few different things going on,” he stated. “I’ll start with the more minor issues first and then discuss the most serious of her injuries. She definitely exhibited all the classic symptoms of heat stroke – dizziness, drifting in and out of consciousness, hot, dry skin but very little sweating, rapid heartbeat. We were able to get that under control fairly easily, pumping her full of fluids and cooling her body temperature off. She was competing in an endurance event when this happened, correct?”
Lauren nodded. “A hundred kilometer trail race. I told her she was nuts to even think about it but she’s a stubborn one. But I’m sure she took precautions, drank plenty of fluids, that sort of thing.”
Dr. McIntyre shook his head. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter in cases like this. In fact, drinking too many electrolytes can wind up throwing them off balance. In any event, the heat stroke has been dealt with and shouldn’t cause any additional problems. Next, we took an x-ray which revealed three cracked ribs. Not much to do for that except wrap them up a bit, restrict her movements, and give her something for the pain. There are also a number of scrapes and bruises, again relatively minor compared to the real issue.”
“That bump on her head,” Nick stated flatly.
“Yes,” agreed the doctor. “We did a quick CT scan, which revealed a subdural hematoma. In other words, Angela has bleeding between the layers of tissue surrounding the brain. And it’s a very good thing we got her in here and were able to make the diagnosis so quickly, because time is of the essence in treating an injury like this. Ironically, suffering from heat stroke and passing out is probably what’s going to save her life. If she’d simply tripped and hit her head, she might not have lost consciousness. Often times with this sort of condition the patient falls and bumps their head, feels fine and just walks away, not realizing that the bleeding going on beneath the surface is quietly killing them.”
“So what happens next?” Nick asked, trying to stay calm, though it was growing increasingly harder to remain so with each passing minute.
Dr. McIntyre took a deep breath before continuing. “She needs to have a procedure done. It involves drilling what we call a burr hole into her skull, and then draining the blood out. She’s being prepped for that surgery right now.”
“And that will take care of the problem, get rid of this bleeding?” demanded Nick. “Any other problems or complications that you haven’t told us about?”
The doctor hesitated before replying, rather obviously intimidated by Nick’s size and the ferocity of his expression. “It’s a fairly common procedure, sir. And very low risk. However, I will tell you that this is an acute hematoma, so it’s a very, very good thing we’re treating it this quickly. As far as the complications – I will warn you there is always the risk – a low one, mind you – that this doesn’t fix the problem. She could need additional surgery, possibly a craniotomy where part of the skull is removed. Or, in some cases, depending on the severity of the bleeding, a patient can suffer a stroke or sometimes paralysis. But that’s a relatively small risk, and again, the fact we’re catching this so quickly is a huge plus. Now, do you have any other questions? Otherwise, I should get back to help them prep her.”
Lauren and Julia glanced at each other worriedly, before Lauren gave a quick nod and asked the doctor, “Should we – that is, in your opinion – do you think her parents need to be called? We haven’t contacted them yet until we knew more about her condition.”
Dr. McIntyre paused for several seconds, and Nick could tell the young physician was trying to maintain an air of calmness, whether it was for his own sake or for theirs.
“Yes,” he replied decisively. “I think that would be a good idea. I need to go now but someone will be out when the surgery is finished to update you. It will be a few hours before it’s over and she’s in recovery. Stay positive, okay? Chances are very good that everything will be just fine.”
“Wait.’
Dr. McIntyre gazed at Nick inquiringly. “Yes? You have another question?”
Nick glanced around the waiting room, taking in not only the worn floor but the peeling paint on the walls and the old fashioned furniture. “Not a question so much as an opinion. Two of my clients are considered top of their field in neurosurgery. Do you think it’s worthwhile to call one of them, maybe both, and get their opinions on this? I mean, no offense, Doctor, but the facilities here look a little on the shabby side. I just want to make sure Angela is getting the best possible care.”
Dr. McIntyre shook his head. “I understand your concern – you
are
Nick Manning, aren’t you?” At Nick’s brief acknowledgment, the doctor continued. “At this point, Mr. Manning, it wouldn’t do much good to bring in another doctor, no matter how qualified or highly regarded they are. Angela needs to get into surgery without delay, and we simply can’t wait for a consult at this time. And, look – I know this place isn’t as spruced up and plush as some of the private hospitals in town, but we are a very highly ranked trauma center. And the surgeon who’ll be performing the procedure on Angela is extremely experienced with traumatic brain injury. Trust me, she’s in very good hands. Now, forgive me, but I really need to go check on our patient.”
Nick shoved his hands inside his jeans, his fists tightly clenched as he debated whether to call his clients and get their opinions anyway. He felt a slight tug on his shirt sleeve, and glanced down to find Julia gazing up at him in understanding.
“Hey, I get it,” she assured him gently. “You’re really worried about Angie and I don’t blame you. But the doctor’s right, this place isn’t the fanciest but they have the most experience with trauma cases. I should know – I was one of them.”
As Nick regarded her quizzically, Nathan put a comforting arm around his wife’s shoulder and explained. “An ex-girlfriend of mine – a
crazy
ex-girlfriend,” he clarified, “blamed Julia for my breaking things off with her. And she, uh, sort of shot her. Fortunately, it was just a deep graze but last year I was the one standing where you are right now, Nick – worried sick about my girl and feeling helpless.”
“Angie’s condition sounds a lot more serious than my little bullet graze, Nathan,” admonished Julia. “Which is why we’d better place that call to her parents. Lauren – do you want to do the honors or should I?”
“Hmm. Let’s think about that for a minute here,” replied Lauren carefully. “On the one hand, I’ve got no doubt I can bully the two of them into getting their butts up here pronto. But on the other hand, I might piss Rita off too badly and that could, uh, complicate matters.”
Julia sighed. “Hand me Angie’s phone, would you? I’d better make the call.”
***
“Marisa, I’m very sorry that this happened right in the middle of your son’s birthday party. But I think it’s pretty important that your parents at least are here. What? No, we don’t know exactly when she’ll be out of the surgery. Ah, no, I don’t think it’s a good idea to wait until she’s out before you tell your parents. Omigod, are you really trying to suggest that all of this is Angela’s fault? I can’t believe you’re even thinking such a thing. Now, please, can I speak to one of your parents? Honestly, Marisa? Don’t you think
they
should be the ones to make that decision?”
Nick was just about at the end of his rope with what he was overhearing from Julia’s end of the conversation. She’d first tried calling Angela’s parents at their home, and when the call went to voice mail she’d dialed Marisa, the older sister. And from what Nick could make out, there was some sort of child’s birthday party going on, and Marisa was balking at the idea of ruining the brat’s celebration by putting her mother or father on the line. Poor Julia was struggling to be polite and remain calm, but Nick could see her growing angrier and more frustrated with each passing minute. Lauren, who was perched on the arm of her sister’s chair, looked ready to burst a blood vessel and at one point Nathan actually laid a restraining hand on her arm.
“Marisa, I swear that this is important –
really
important. For God’s sake, if it was just some cracked ribs and bruises I wouldn’t have even called. But Angela is about to go into -”
Nick had had enough, his tolerance at the very end of its limits, and he plucked the phone from Julia’s hand impatiently. “Let me take it from here,” he mouthed to her, and Julia nodded gratefully.
“This is Nick Manning,” he announced brusquely. “I’m Angela’s – let’s call it her significant other. She’s had an accident and your parents need to get up here as quickly as possible. So I’d appreciate it if you could put your father on the phone.”