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“Uncle Robert, who do we need to call?” Lily asked.
“No one yet,” he said quietly. “Let’s see what the doctors have to say first. I already called William’s primary care doctor and his cardiologist. They’re both meeting us at the hospital.”
“What do you think happened? Did he sleep at all last night? Why didn’t he go to the emergency room earlier?” Lily asked.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw how tired and upset Robert looked and did the only thing he could. “Are you okay, Robert?” he asked quietly.
The only way he could describe the expression on Robert’s face was devastated. “We watched our younger brother die,” he said solemnly. “By the time we got to see him, he was heavily sedated and had no idea what was going on. But watching William all night and this morning…he’s the strong one. He’s not just my brother; he’s my mentor and my best friend. Things like this aren’t supposed to happen to him. I…I don’t know what I’ll do if…” His voice caught and Noah felt guilty for making him say any of this.
“It’s going to be okay,” Noah said firmly, for all of their sake. “William’s strong. We all know that. And he’s got the best doctors, so…it’ll be alright.”
They drove in silence, and luckily it was only a short drive. He dropped Robert and Lily off in front of the entrance to the ER and then went to park. It was important for them to get inside right away and…well…he needed a moment.
William Montgomery was everything Robert had just described. He might not be a brother, but Noah looked to him as a friend, a mentor, an ally, and…like the father or grandfather he always wished he’d had. As he climbed from the car, he said a quick prayer for healing and walked into the hospital. It was barely six in the morning, and fortunately it was relatively quiet in the waiting area. Both Robert and Lily were at the desk and he had a feeling it was going to be hard to keep them out here while William was anywhere else. He joined them and listened as the receptionist explained that someone would be out to talk to them as soon as they had an update.
“This is unacceptable,” Robert murmured.
“It’s bullshit,” Lily huffed. “We should at least be able to see him. He shouldn’t be alone!”
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he carefully maneuvered her away from the desk and toward the sofas in the corner. “The doctors have to examine him,” he said softly. “I know it’s frustrating, but it’s really for the best that we let them do their job.”
“You sound just like my brother,” Robert said as he joined them. “He was always the level-headed one in an emergency. When our brother Joseph was in the hospital after a massive stroke, we were all freaking out, and William…well…he made sure he sat and talked to everyone and made sure they were okay.” He gave Noah a weak smile. “I appreciate your calming influence, Noah.”
And damn if that almost didn’t make a tear come to his eye. Noah couldn’t ever remember any male role models praising him—other than William—and he didn’t grow up with that kind of influence.
It felt pretty damn good.
They sat in companionable silence for almost an hour before Lily got fidgety. She got up and paced and went to the desk to ask when the cafeteria opened. Walking back over to them, she announced that she was going to get coffee if anyone wanted to join her.
They all went.
At eight o’clock, Noah had to call the office to let Sara and his team know that he wouldn’t be in. He didn’t give specifics and fortunately, no one asked.
By nine, they were all getting restless, and Robert was ready to start throwing his weight around to get some answers. Unfortunately, Noah was feeling the same way and really hoped someone would come out to talk to them soon.
At ten, a nurse came out and asked them to follow her.
Noah’s heart sank and he held onto Lily because he could see she was scared. If he thought it was appropriate, he’d offer his hand or arm or anything to Robert as well. They walked down several long hallways before coming to a private room. The bed was empty and that just made Noah even more nervous.
Please just let this be a random room…
“The doctor will be in shortly,” the nurse said before leaving them alone.
You could have heard a pin drop in the room and no one seemed to want to move or touch anything. There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief when the doctor walked in five minutes later.
“Mr. Montgomery,” the doctor said with a curt nod before turning to Noah and Lily. “I’m Dr. Kennedy. I’m William’s pulmonologist.”
“I take it you’ve seen him?” Robert asked. “How is he doing?”
“Dr. Solaris and I have been with him all morning. We’ve done a CAT scan, x-rays, bloodwork, and an EKG.” He paused. “He’s dehydrated, his blood pressure is low, and he’s is a little bruised from the fall. Luckily there’s no concussion, however…” Another pause. “The spot on his lung has grown. Pathology says it’s cancerous and we don’t see a need to wait to remove it.”
“Oh, God…” Lily quietly sobbed as she curled into Noah, burying her face against his shirt.
“Okay,” Robert said grimly. “Can we see him?”
Dr. Kennedy nodded. “They’re going to be bringing him to the OR in a few minutes, so I’ll have a nurse take you down to see him. He’s awake, but very weak, so please don’t tax him too much.”
They all nodded in agreement and when the nurse came to get them, Noah figured that was his cue to go out to leave. “I’ll be out in the waiting room,” he told her in the hallway. “You and Robert go and…”
