I’m running out the double wooden door before the entire sentence escapes her lips.
Twenty-Nine
Ava
I flinch when Hugo’s boss wraps his arms unexpectedly around my shoulders.
“It’s okay,” he mutters softly, his voice shifting from the angry roar that pulled me out of my state of stupor, switching to a soothing purr. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and guides me towards the door Hugo just bolted out. “I’m going to take you to the hospital.”
Suddenly, he stops walking and looks down at me. The sincerity in his unique gray eyes causes new tears to fall from my mine.
“Do you want to go to the hospital?” he asks, his voice crammed with concern.
My chin quivers as I nod my head. He smirks, attempting to ease the haze of fear clouding my mind, trapping me in a trance-like state.
“Roger, bring my car around,” he demands, peering over my shoulder.
The ten minute trip to the hospital is made in silence. Hugo’s boss offers silent support the entire way. He grips my clammy hand in his and runs his thumb over the veins profusely bulging in my hand. Due to Roger breaking every possible traffic law, we enter the hospital emergency bay not long after Hugo.
A crippling pain twists my stomach when he throws open his truck door and rushes through the automatic glass doors. I unclasp my seatbelt, throwing it off my body before taking off after him. I shake my head, begging for the images that are going to haunt my dreams to stop playing through my mind. Once the fog hampering my brain is clear, I increase my pace. My urgent steps are guided by the need to ensure both Jorgie and Hugo are safe. When she was carried off in an ambulance, she turned her inert eyes to me.
“I’ll see you soon,” she whispered faintly before they slammed the ambulance doors shut.
When I round the corner of the emergency department, I spot Hugo standing at the nurses’ station in the middle, frantically requesting information from the only nurse at the station. He runs his trembling hand through his hair, frustrated by the nurse’s lack of knowledge. His posture shows his first emotion is fear, closely followed by anger.
Suddenly, his head cranks to the side when Rhys walks out a set of doors in scrubs. Hugo charges for him, reaching him in two heart-thrashing seconds. The concerned mask on Rhys’ face causes my stomach to churn. He only began his surgeon internship three weeks ago, and he already looks exhausted.
I can’t hear any words they speak to each other, but their conversation looks heated. Hugo’s clenched fists firm with every second that passes. My hand darts up to clutch my neck when Hugo grabs Rhys by the neck and throws him against the wall. I stand still, frozen in shock. Two security guards race across the room and attempt to drag Hugo off Rhys. Their effort is pointless. Hugo is too strong and too angry.
Rhys is only released from Hugo’s death clutch when Hugo’s boss bolts across the room and drags Hugo away. Rhys falls to his knees, gasping for air. Hugo pulls away from his boss and storms towards the emergency department exit doors. My heart is torn into shreds when I see the devastation on his face. The broken look in his eyes after his nightmare was nothing compared to the soulless look his eyes have now.
A waft of air hits my face when Hugo storms past, tossing over a medical equipment cart on the way by. Unable to secure a breath, I crumble to the floor. When my devastation becomes too much for me to bear, I give permission for my tears to fall. Loud, howling sobs bounce off the hospital walls and jingle in my ears. My distressed cries become even louder when I realize the howling is coming from me.
When a pair of black polished shoes appears in my field of vision, I lift my tear-drenched face. The scent of expensive cologne engulfs my senses when Hugo’s boss crouches down in front of me. Accepting the handkerchief he is offering, I wipe my tears and blow my nose.
A pain I’ve never experienced before in my life tears through my heart when his gray eyes stare into mine and he says. “You need to get Jorgie’s family here. She isn’t going to make it.”
* * *
My eyes liftfrom draining lettuce leaves in the sink to the tree house in the backyard. A handful of the kids from the neighborhood, too young to understand the complexity of the situation, are climbing up the rickety wooden ladder. Their bright smiles are amplified by the sun hanging in the sky.
That was the treehouse I sat in, quivering like a bag of nerves, when I confessed my crush on Hugo to Jorgie. I’d expected her to take the news a lot worse than she did. Although she said it was “totally gross” that I'd ever find Hugo attractive, she also said she'd support me no matter what.
I'm going to miss her every day of my life.
Against doctors’ advice, the Marshall family kept Jorgie on life support for three days, giving Hawke the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to the love of his life. Three hours after Hawke returned home, they switched off Jorgie’s life support. She passed away a few hours after that, surrounded by her family and friends. She was buried this morning with her son, Malcolm, resting in her arms.
It was a beautiful service, packed with attendees as far as the eye could see. The Marshall family has always been a well-respected and much-loved entity in the Rochdale community and that shone through at Jorgie’s funeral. No expense was spared to give her the heartfelt sendoff she deserved.
I run my hands down the front of my black sheath dress, smoothing out the invisible crinkles I believe are there before pouring the washed lettuce into the salad bowl. Once Mrs. Mable has placed the cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices on top of the lettuce, I walk the bowl into the dining room.
Keeping the food table stocked is helping to keep my mind off my grief. Mrs. Hamilton, Jorgie’s fourth grade teacher, watches me as I pace across the room. She doesn’t speak, but her eyes relay her silent sympathies. After placing the tossed salad onto the table, I roam my eyes around the space. Everyone here had some significant part in Jorgie’s life. Either a family member, teacher, friend or work colleague. I was the only one lucky enough to class her as both my family and friend.
As I pace back into the kitchen, I stop frozen in my tracks, believing I saw Hugo’s profile. Although I saw him at the funeral, I haven’tseenhim since the night they switched off Jorgie’s life support. I don’t have solid evidence, but I'm fairly certain he is sleeping at his office. I want to help him through his grief, but I'm at a loss on how to do that while also coping with my own anguish. Through shaky steps, I move to the direction of where I thought I saw him. Several eyes lift to mine to issue silent sympathies as I pace by.
Although I can’t see Hugo, I know he is here somewhere. I can feel it in my bones. When I turn down the hallway, I spot him… and a flurry of blonde. I shake my head, certain I haven’t seen who I thought I’d seen.
My heart thrashes against my chest as I walk down the hall and take a left at the end. I freeze at the back screen door of the Marshall residence, giving my eyes a chance to assess the situation, ensuring I don’t make an irrational decision.
