AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll eat when I know my boy is okay. Please, stop fussing over me.”
That spark is still there. I like her fight.
Growing up, she was the nanny all our friends wanted. She wasn’t just a nanny, she was our friend, our confidante, our mother. She played games with us, took us out, and put a smile on our faces when we were down. She was everything any child could ever wish for. I’m glad she landed on our doorstep because it isn’t worth thinking about what could have happened if we got a nanny from hell.
“Guys, I’ve had several missed calls from Kally, and I’ve spoken with her doctor.” I sit forward and give Caleb my attention. “They’ve had to sedate her to stop her leaving. She knew something was wrong, attacked a nurse, and was adamant she was leaving.”
“Of course the girl would know something was wrong.” Jared shakes his head as he sits opposite me. “Sedating her is for the best. I hope by the time she wakes up, we have something positive to tell her.”
“As long as it isn’t that Clark is dead then anything is positive,” I say.
“He isn’t going to die. He can’t.” Nancy sobs uncontrollably.
I hate this. I can’t stand the pain we’re all going through. I push off my seat and walk over to the desk. I wait for the receptionist to finish her call, and even that feels longer than it actually is.
“Can I help you?”
I snap out of it. “Yes. My brother. He has been in surgery for hours. Can we get an update? Anything?” I feel my throat constrict with emotion.
“I’ve just started my shift. What’s his name? I’ll see what I can find out for you.”
I sigh with relief. “Thank you. His name is Clark Collinson.”
“Give me a moment.” She writes down his name and walks away from her post.
I run my hands through my hair and pull at the ends roughly. It’s only now that I look around the hospital and see other families sitting in the same position as us. Death and darkness surround us. I watch one woman break down as a doctor talks to her. It can only be bad news. I can’t help but hope and pray that isn’t us any time soon.
“Mr. Collinson’s brother.” I turn on my heels quickly and nearly stumble.
“Yes. I’m Clark’s brother. Do you have news?”
“I’m Dr. Ishwar. I’ve been working on your brother. Would you like to sit down?”
I shake my head. “No. Please, just tell me how he is.”
“Please, Doctor. Tell us how he is.” Nancy rushes over to us, and I wrap my arm around her shoulder.
“I’m not going to tell you it was an easy surgery, because it wasn’t. We’ve had to restart Clark’s heart three times. He had a punctured lung that needed to be drained and repaired before we could even deal with the injuries. If the bullet in his left side was an inch closer to his heart, this would be a very different conversation. He lost a lot of blood…”
“But he’s alive?” asks Nancy.
“He is. However, he is extremely ill. As I was saying, Clark lost a lot of blood before he even got here, which had a big impact on his body. We’ve done all we can. The rest is up to him.”
“Are you saying we could still lose him?” I ask, dreading his answer.
The doctor looks down at his feet and rocks on his heels. “The next forty-eight hours will be critical. After that, we’ll reconvene and take it from there. I’m sorry I don’t have better news at this stage. Clark is young, fit, and healthy. That is something he has going for him.”
“Can we see him?” I ask.
“I’ll get the nurse to come and get you once we’ve made him comfortable outside of recovery. He needs lots of rest to recover.”
“Thank you.”
Nancy falls into my chest, and I hold her in my arms. I know I said I wanted news, but I was hoping for more than what we got. The next forty-eight hours will be a waiting game. Neither Nancy nor I are patient people.
“I know that wasn’t the best news, but it proves Clark is fighting,” says Caleb as he pats my arm and rubs Nancy’s back.
A throat clears, and I look over Caleb’s shoulder to see Clay holding a folder in his hands.
