“Will do.” I clean up our trays and drinks and then use the washroom. I grab Jake’s hand when I enter the bedroom and tell both of them we’ll be arriving in a half an hour.
“Great. That was the best airplane meal I think I’ve ever had.”
“I just heated it up,” I smile. “I’ll see both of you after we land.” Leaving the bedroom, I stow my phone and backpack again, grab my headphones, and take a seat beside Zander. Although we’re landing at a private airfield, it’s really close to the international airport, so we have to circle around before landing. Thanks to Zander, we have a smooth landing, and we’re soon taxiing to a hangar. Once we stop, I wait for Zander to do his thing, and then go back to check on Jake. Caroline has everything ready to go, so I grab all our bags out of the compartment and set them on the two big chairs.
Zander joins me once he’s done and then opens the stairs. “I’ll check on the lift and transport and be back,” he tells us before deplaning. Looking out a window, I watch him go into an office area, then he walks out of sight. Minutes later, I see a van pull into the hangar with Zander coming out of the passenger seat. That must be our medical transport.
Zander climbs the stairs and lets us know it will be about 15 minutes for the lift because we arrived early. He goes to the washroom and then sits down on the couch. I grab my phone and text Sue, Mal, Ray, and the guys that we’ve landed safely, then take a seat beside Zander. “Thank you so much for doing all this today.”
“No thanks needed, darling. I was happy to,” he smiles. “I think I’ll grab some snacks and drinks for the evening. The cleaning crewwill most likely throw the rest out, so we might as well take it with us.” He gets up and opens his bag, pulling out a reusable tote.
“Not your first rodeo,” I smile.
“No, it’s not,” he winks. “Caroline, do you want any food or snacks to take with you?” He asks.
She grabs an iced tea and a few bags of pretzels with thanks, and then Zander fills his tote with everything else. “I think I see the lift coming. Let’s get our bags into the medical van.” He says. I grab my bags and follow Zander down the stairs. The driver gets out and opens the back for us, showing us a storage box we can put our things in. Zander hops in the back as I hand him our bags. It’s similar to the van in Virginia, but there’s a bench seat on each side in here. The lift arrives, so Zander goes back up to help Caroline maneuver the bed.
It’s the same idea as Virginia. The lift goes up and out. Once the three of them are on, it lowers to the ground. I grab Caroline’s bags so she and Zander can get Jake into the van. “I have to do a final check of the airplane, darling, then I have paperwork to sign in the office. It should take only 15 minutes or so. Do you want to come with or stay with Jake?”
“I’ll stay here,” I tell him.
He nods and goes back inside the plane while I turn to watch Caroline get set up in the van. There’s not much to do except secure everything. Once she’s done, she takes a seat on one bench. I hop in and take the other, grabbing Jake’s hand. The driver chats with us about the flight and the weather while we wait. He works at the hospital, which is a research and teaching facility, and he tells us there’s a wing dedicated just to research, so we'll be apart from the regular hospital crowd. That’s good to hear.
I see Zander lock up the plane and then head back to the office. A few minutes later, he returns. The driver closes the back doors, then he and Zander get into the front. The drive doesn’t seem too long, but the traffic gets heavier as we get into the city.
The driver turns left off the road into a parking lot, continuing around to the back of the vast hospital, pulling into an ambulance bay. Several people in scrubs are waiting nearby, watching. Zander quickly hops out and comes around to the back of the van, opening the doors. “Come out, darling, before it gets crowded.”
I give Jake’s hand a squeeze and then jump down to see Ray walking over to us. “You made it,” he smiles, shaking Zander’s hand. “Thank you both. This is Dr. Crosby. She’s the lead researcher for the trial,” he introduces.
“Nice to meet you both,” an older woman says, wearing a lab coat. “We’re happy to have you here. Let’s get Jake up to his room and settled, and then we can talk. Does that sound good?”
Zander and I both nod, so she asks the people with her to get Jake. I don’t like strangers handling him and realize that’s part of the reason I’ve been anxious all day, but we step back so they can do their job. I’m happy to see they are being careful with him. Once he’s out, I remember our bags. “Can you wait a minute? We need to grab our bags.”
“Certainly. There’s no rush,” Dr. Crosby smiles kindly. She seems genuine.
Zander climbs up and hands me my bags before grabbing his own and Jake’s, and then we follow behind everyone into the hospital. It’s pretty quiet once we get inside. “We are in the research wing of the hospital. I work on the sixth floor, and that's where Jake will be staying. Room 623 will be his. It’s a private room with a full washroom, tv, and couch,” she explains as we walk along. “We have a full medical staff working 24 hours a day, just like a regular hospital.”
We enter a service elevator, and I’m able to stand on one side between Zander and Ray. A quick ride up, and we exit into a typical hospital hallway. At the end of the hallway are several rooms in a semicircle. They wheel Jake into the second room on the left. It’s surprisingly nice with a soft cream color, like vanilla icecream, on the walls, contrasting nicely with the dark tile floors that mimic wood. Several large windows on either side of the bed let in abundant natural light. To the left, a plush navy couch sits beside a matching armchair, with a wall-mounted tv hanging above a walnut entertainment center, giving the room a modern feel. The bed, unlike typical hospital beds, looks to have a deep, pillowy mattress covered in crisp white sheets. Two walnut nightstands with glass lamps flank the bed. On the right, comfy-looking chairs separate a small closet and a white bathroom. Bright landscape paintings adorn the walls.
I watch as they transfer Jake to his new bed, hooking him up to the monitor and IV. Caroline checks him over before signing some paperwork. Once she’s done, she comes over to shake Zander’s hand. “My job is complete. I’ll catch a cab to the airport. Summer, I wish you all the best. I hope everything works out for you and Jake.”
“Thank you, Caroline. Have a safe flight home,” I smile.
Dr. Crosby asks the two men who helped bring Jake to his room to show Caroline to the main arrivals area of the hospital, where there are cabs waiting. Once they leave, I go over and check on Jake myself. I brush his hair back from his forehead and tell him he’s in his new room in Charlotte. “If you would like to grab a chair, Summer, we can discuss what will happen next?” Dr. Crosby asks.
Zander brings me a chair from the right wall to sit on. Ray grabs the other and sits on Jake’s right. Once Zander pulls the armchair beside me, Dr. Crosby begins. “First, Ray told me I should share all information about Jake with you, Summer. So if you have questions, please let us know.”
I smile at Ray in thanks.
“We'll conduct a physical examination tomorrow morning. I will do that myself, along with a nurse. I have offered for Ray to be present for the exam, and that offer extends to you as well. On Monday, we'll run scans and blood work so we have our ownset of data. I want him to rest over the weekend. Despite being unconscious, it is taxing to travel.
“If everything looks good after the tests, then we can proceed with the trial. We'll attempt to wake Jake three times. Ray said you would like to be present for that. Since you're in school during the week, he suggested we discuss which days would be easiest for you to come here. It has to be a weekday, though.”
I look over at Zander. “Fridays or Mondays, probably?” I ask.
“Yes, that would work best for you, darling.”
“We can work with that,” Dr. Crosby nods. “I think we can discuss everything else tomorrow. I’m sure you are all tired after traveling here today. I have his physical scheduled for 9am in the morning. Any immediate questions?”
