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They waited in the hall for Mary so they could walk down to the waiting area together. Dani was the first one to speak.
“So, hunky Dr. Anderson stitched you up? What kind of accident?”
Sam told them the story about her brother and her mother passing, although not how she died, and the commotion that took place afterward. Dani walked to Sam and gave her a hug.
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother passing, Sam. My condolences.”
Mary walked out just then, and they walked to the waiting area.
After entering the brightly lit room, everyone helped themselves to coffee and tea and looked for places to sit for the four or five hours they would be waiting. Unable to forget the last time she’d sat in a room like this, she pushed the morose thoughts away. She had to believe the outcome would be different this time. Gray sat in a recliner and pulled her down on his lap. He put his finger under her chin and pulled her face around to look at him.
“Do I have to worry about Dr. Anderson, Sam?”
Sam let out a quick breath. “No, Gray, you have nothing to worry about. I like him, and he’s a nice person. He helped Adam and me when we needed it. He asked me out. I declined. That’s it. Nothing else.”
Gray let out a breath, nodded his head, and kissed her lightly.
A nurse walked in a few minutes later and called her name. She held her hand up as everyone else pointed to her and the nurse walked toward Sam. She had a rolling tray with her, and as she approached, she smiled. “Dr. Anderson asked that I come in and take a look at your stitches. He’s concerned about infection. Is this a good time?”
“Sure,” she said as she pulled her sleeve up and noted the nurse’s name badge—Nancy. Nancy asked if she wanted to sit somewhere else and Gray cleared his throat.
“No, she can stay here.”
He tightened his arm around her waist. Nancy nodded and opened pouches with ointments and bandages and a syringe. Nancy then turned and removed the gauze covering Sam’s stitches.
When they were uncovered, Gray sucked in a breath. “Geez Sam, you really downplayed the stitches. Shit!”
Sam looked at them. They were red and swollen, and the cut was crooked, but she thought overall, Eric did a great job of making it not look so bad. Nancy held Sam’s arm in her hand as she took a good look at it, gently touching it to see how feverish it was.
“Well, all in all, it might be a little infected, and I’ll give you a stronger antibiotic in a shot which will kick-start the healing process. It doesn’t look too bad though, and Dr. Anderson did a nice job with the stitches. Your scar will be minimal in a year or so.”
Nancy cleaned the stitches with alcohol and put on fresh antibiotic ointment and new gauze. She said she needed to give Sam the shot and thought the other arm would be better. Sam switched herself around on Gray’s lap and slightly winced as the needle poked her arm.
“Continue to keep these clean, keep this antibiotic ointment on them.” She pulled a few packets of ointment from a box on her tray. “Try and get some rest, that helps more than anything. Nice meeting you.” Nancy turned and quietly left the room.
Gray pulled Sam back to him, and they reclined in the chair, her freshly bandaged arm resting over his heart. The family softly chattered and kept Mary occupied. Sam fell asleep. Occasionally, Sam would hear voices, soft and murmuring, then drift back off. She wasn’t sure how much time passed, but something woke her up, although she was having a hard time waking up completely.
She heard Gray’s voice and felt the vibration through his chest, which is what initially woke her. She felt a palm on her head feeling for fever.
“She feels a little warm. Has she been sleeping the whole time?”
“Most of it,” Gray said.
Then there was silence for a long moment, and she heard Gray say, “Is there anything else you need?”
What made Sam come around was his tone.
“She snuck up on me, you know.” It was Eric. Opening her eyes, she turned to his hand over his heart.
“She does that, but she’s mine!”
The two men silently stared at each other.
“How long has surgery been over? Is Harry okay?”
Eric stood back. He turned to find Mary, pulled a chair close to her, and began explaining the surgery and Harry’s condition.
The surgery had gone well, and Harry was expected to make a full recovery. Eric answered questions and told everyone they could see Harry in about an hour. They were relieved and happy about the news. The conversation was livelier after the news, and it seemed like time passed quickly. Before they knew it, a nurse came in and informed them they could see Harry.
