I go through a small mudroom that opens into a spacious kitchen full of white cabinets and granite countertops. My eyes pick up a kitchen table for four, and stainless-steel appliances, butfocus on the man preventing Bryn from getting any closer to the island, and what must be on the other side of it where voices talk back and forth.
“Bryn, you can’t be over there,” he says.
Surprise almost has me stumbling backward. Brody is holding her by the arms. That’s when I realize two things: Bryn’s place is in our district, and Brody is still on shift after taking a mandatory OT shift from me so I could enjoy Fourth of July.
He doesn’t look as surprised as I feel when he glances over her shoulder and finds me moving through the room. After a few shifts of working alongside the guy, his eyes convey everything to me without saying the words aloud.
Deal with her.
“I need to see her,” she says forcefully, trying to yank out of his grip, tears streaking down her cheek.
“Bryn,” I say as calmly as I can from her side, touching her forearm so I don’t startle her.
She flinches anyway, whirling towards me. “I need to see her!”
“I know, and you will, but Brody needs some information first,” I explain, trying to slip into work mode.
The complete and utter devastation in her eyes prevents it. The largest tears I’ve ever witnessed are pooled there and streaking down her cheeks, crushing my soul. All I want to do is scoop her into my arms and promise that everything will work out perfectly. I want to shout to whoever might listen that I’ll sacrifice anything to make sure that she’s okay in every possible way. Want to beg some higher power to heal the hell she’s currently in.
“I need her to be okay,” she whispers.
“I know, baby.” Then I pull her into me, wrapping my arms around her. “I know.”
A second later, two paramedics walk through the door, andkeeping Bryn close to me, I move her out of the way. Further from the island, giving them space to work. There’s a flurry of activity, even more now that the paramedics are here, but my focus has mostly been on Bryn. Now that I’ve had a few moments to take everything in, I recognize everyone from shift change, but it’s Brody who stays close to us, his eyes meeting mine over Bryn’s head.
He needs information.
“Does Gran have any medical conditions?” I ask, pulling back some of her hair from her face. She’s got it turned towards Brody, and he gives me a nod of thanks.
“No,” she whispers. “No, she’s healthy.”
Despite the answer, I have to ask, “Is she on any medications?”
There’s a sniffle against my chest, but she shakes her head. “None.”
“Any surgeries we should know about? Heart-related things? Strokes?”
Bryn’s head moves back and forth. “Nothing. She… she has allergies. Springtime when all the pollen gets to her. Besides that, nothing.”
“Do you know if she took anything today, Bryn?” Brody asks.
She lifts her head, and the agony in her voice ricochets in my chest. “I haven’t been here. I haven’t seen her.”
His jaw works, like he’s fighting to keep his composure. Things are always tougher when you know the patient and their family. “Anything like this ever happen before?”
“I don’t know what happened!” she explodes, pushing away from me, thrusting her hands in her hair. “So, I don’t know!”
There’s a quiet moment between the three of us, and I can feel Brody’s eyes bouncing between Bryn and me. I have this sense that if I were to touch her right now, she’d try to throw me off like whenI grabbed her earlier. Scared and panicked, her eyes a little wild, her chest heaving with short, shallow breaths.
In the quiet of our bubble, a voice from the other side of the island says, “There she is. Hi Ruby.”
“Gran!” Bryn lunges forward, but Brody steps in front of her, and she sneers at him. “Get out of my way.”
“No.”
I try, “Bryn—”
“Move!”
