by J. G. Sumner
Josh returned with a glass of water. He stuck out his hand and Jillian eyed the two small pills in his palm. “I want to watch you take these.”
Jillian contemplated ways she could get out of swallowing them. She saw no other options and was resigned.
“Come on. You need to take them.”
Jillian took the pills and popped them into her mouth. She grabbed the glass of water and took several sips, and gulped them down.
“That’s a girl. Thank you. This will be better for you in the long run.” Josh’s lips curled up at the corner. He was pleased. More than anything, Jillian wanted him happy. But, she wasn’t about to swallow those pills. They were more of a hindrance than a help. Jillian smiled at Josh, hiding the pills under her tongue and willing them not to absorb.
“I rescheduled your appointment for tomorrow. I expect you to go. In fact, I’m going with you.”
Jillian nodded.
“The appointment is at four. Meet me at the hospital about three?”
Jillian nodded again.
“Everything will be fine. We’ll get through this. Don’t worry.” Josh embraced Jillian in a big, reassuring hug. “I need to get back to the hospital. Are you going to be okay?”
Again, Jillian nodded. Josh took off down the hallway. When he was out of sight, she ran into the bathroom and locked the door. Jillian opened the lid to the toilet and spit out the pills. Two little white tablets sank to the bottom. She rinsed her mouth with some water from the sink and spit it back out. Jillian had become familiar with this routine as she had done it so many times before in the locked facilities. However, the staff there got wise to her ways and checked her mouth to ensure she’d swallowed.
Jillian replayed the events with Josh over and over in her head. She thought she had made significant headway in their relationship. Sure she could be bitchy at times, but what woman wasn’t? She loved Josh, and knew him better than anyone else. Laney was just a bump in the road. Someone he would get over quickly, just as he had done with his other girlfriends. Unfortunately, Josh’s feelings for Laney ran much deeper than she expected. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he want to be with Jillian?
She had worked hard to demonstrate she was worthy of Josh’s affection. She had made tremendous self-improvements. She was able to hold a job—well, except for the fact I was sent home yesterday for wearing my bathing suit to work—she made meals and a home for Josh. She even offered a shoulder when it came to Laney. Jillian wasn’t sure what to do now. She sure as heck wasn’t going to fog her mind with those stupid meds.
Jillian glanced at her watch and realized it was time to go to work. She rinsed her face in the sink and freshened her make-up and then changed her clothes. As she was getting ready, Jillian devised a plan to get rid of Laney for good. No more competing for Josh. He was hers.
She grabbed her keys and headed out the door for work. Her smile was stretched across her face from ear to ear as the perfect plan reared its ugly head into her mind. Tonight, Laney would be out of her life for good.
Chapter 28
Josh
As soon as he arrived at the hospital, Josh went straight to the men’s locker room in the OR. There were toiletries, one in particular he needed immediately, mouthwash. Hopefully, it contained bleach to kill what Jillian put in his mouth.
When he had left Jillian’s room, a wave of nausea washed over him. Josh ran to his bathroom purging the contents of his stomach into the toilet. The visions of Jillian kissing him replayed in his mind leaving his gut empty and loud retching taking over the space around him. Josh brushed his teeth, but he still didn’t feel clean. Her kiss would be a scar he would carry forever.
Josh spotted the mouthwash as soon as he entered the bathroom. It was like a beacon calling for him. He poured some into one of the little cups sitting next to it. He gargled the medicine tasting liquid and spit it out. Josh picked up the bottle and repeatedly rinsed and spat until it was empty, hoping to purge himself of Jillian.
He went to Laney’s room where he found her parents sitting at her bedside, flipping through some magazines and bantering back and forth.
Josh cleared his throat. “Good evening. Do you mind if I come in?”
Herb and Eileen both looked up at Josh at the same time. Herb was first to speak.
“Sure, son. Come have a seat.”
Josh pulled a chair next to Laney and sat down. He took a tendril of curls and held it in his hand. Josh envisioned Laney sitting on top of him and leaning over so her hair could tickle his face. Only when he pulled her hair back to kiss her, Josh saw Jillian’s face. Josh shook his head throwing the vision out of his head.
“How’s she doing today?”
Herb looked up from his magazine. “Things are status quo. She hasn’t done much of anything.” Josh leaned over and kissed Laney’s forehead. “Hey, beautiful. You’re doing just fine. Keep hanging in there.”
Eileen was watching Josh. For a moment, butterflies fluttered inside his stomach. He refused to let Eileen get the best of him. “I understand you have been packing Laney’s things.”
Herb and Eileen looked at each other, surprised. Herb focused his attention on Josh. “Yes, the movers will be here tomorrow.”
“I see. Were there any problems getting her out of her lease?”
“No, actually her lease was done. She’s been paying month by month. She’s paid through the end of August. We talked to the manager, and he was more than willing to work with us. He liked having Laney as a tenant and felt bad about what’s happened.”
“Well, that’s good. It’ll make it easier for her to transition to the next place.” In his head, Josh was crossing his fingers hoping Laney would wake up and say she wanted to stay. He knew the amount of rehab she would need. Regardless if she stayed in San Diego or moved to Missouri, she couldn’t stay alone. He hoped she would choose him.
“Look, I recognize Eileen and I haven’t exactly given you a chance. Perhaps we could start over and get to know each other a little better.”
Josh choked on his breath. He hadn’t expected Herb to extend an olive branch. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted one. If their recent actions reflected the type of people they were, he preferred not to know them. For Laney’s sake, Josh made the effort. “That would be nice. Perhaps when all of this is over, all four of us can go out for dinner. That’s if you’re still in town.”
“Eileen and I have been reconsidering some things. We’ve realized it may not be such a good idea to up and move Laney. It needs to be her decision. We may be hanging around a while to make sure she has all of the support she needs once she wakes up.”
Disbelief, shock, and amazement took turns battling their way through Josh’s emotional index. He didn’t know which feeling to settle on first. He needed a moment to process what he was hearing. “What are you going to do with all of Laney’s things now that the movers are coming?”
“Peyton went to Laney’s apartment this afternoon to grab the things she needs the most. We’ll put the rest into storage for now.”
Josh wanted to pinch himself to make sure he was hearing correctly. “If you don’t mind me asking, why the change of heart?”
Eileen looked at Herb and squeezed his hand. “Herb reminded me it was okay for Laney to choose a different path than the one I would have chosen for her. If I keep trying to force my beliefs on her…well, I might push her away. That’s the last thing I want.”
Were his ears tricking him? Josh understood the first step in changing is accepting the way things are and then try to figure out how to make them better. It seemed as though Eileen had finally come to her senses. Hopefully, this wasn’t some kind of ploy.
“I think Laney would appreciate that. I know she’s very happy with her friends and her career.”
“And you?” Eileen probed.
“Yes, I think she’s happy with me.”
“How about you tell us a little something about yourself. Why did you become a surgeon?”
For the
second time this evening, Josh was caught off guard by Laney’s parents. They hadn’t cared in the least about him when they first got there. Although, it was understandable since their daughter was battling for her life. Again, Josh used caution when discussing his past. Nobody likes being thrown into the lion’s den and Josh was no exception. He needed to maintain his self-awareness and control over the situation so he wasn’t blindsided by Laney’s parents again.
The conversation had been going well and Josh felt comfortable delving into Laney’s childhood. Learning about her as a little girl warmed his heart. She was independent and sassy even at a young age. She was a tomboy. She liked to play with frogs, dirt, and go camping. Eileen had been sad because she wanted a girly girl and Laney was anything but. Herb loved taking Laney to baseball games, football games, and fishing. She had even mastered shooting guns by the age of nine. Everything Josh learned about Laney cemented what he already knew. Laney was meant for him.
He looked at Laney’s sleeping face. He longed to hold her and make love to her until they both fell asleep. He wanted to see her green eyes shine like jewels when she smiled. He longed to talk to her and make new memories. He wanted her. Baby, please fight for me. Fight for us. I don’t want to live this life without you.
“I think we’ve probably talked your ear off. We’ll get something to eat and leave you two alone.” Herb stood up from his chair and grabbed his wife’s purse off the counter before helping Eileen from her chair. “Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We really appreciate it.”
“No problem. Have a great night. I’ll see you in the morning and hopefully, we’ll have some good news.” Talking with Laney’s parents over the last hour had left him completely floored. It was like they were completely different people. Maybe he could learn to like them.
“One more thing. We received another letter this morning. We found it on our car.”
The euphoria Josh had settled into, disappeared. His olive skin paled before Herb finished his sentence. “Wh-what did it say?”
Herb looked Josh straight in the eyes. “It said something like, ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, hurry up and take your daughter home with you.’”
“God, who’s doing this to her?” Josh put his hand to his forehead and bowed his head to his legs. “Did you notify the detective?”
“Yes. He’d mentioned you thought maybe it could be an ex-girlfriend?”
“Peyton and I were discussing it, and she thought perhaps it could be. I provided the police with a couple of names of women I dated in the past. I don’t know, though. I can’t imagine anyone doing this to Laney.”
“The police don’t seem to have a lot of leads. Hopefully, they’ll figure it out before Laney wakes up. We need to get this resolved. Josh, don’t tell anyone we’re reconsidering taking her home. At this point, it’s just the three of us plus Peyton who know. I’d like to see if that helps narrow down who might be doing this.”
“Works for me. I’m on call tonight and won’t be leaving the hospital until tomorrow afternoon.”
“We’ll keep our fingers crossed. See you in the morning.” Herb took Eileen’s hand as they left the room.
Josh laid Laney’s hand in his and studied her. He watched her chest rising and falling. He watched as the bed rotated Laney from side to side, but mostly, he noticed how peaceful she looked lying there. She was oblivious to everything going on around her. For that he was thankful. Even if everything wasn’t resolved by the time she woke up, at least she was resting peacefully
Josh’s pager went off. A trauma case was arriving in five minutes. It was seven o’clock. Fatigue had set in. The past few days had left him physically and emotionally drained. This day can’t end soon enough. Josh got up from his chair, kissed Laney on the forehead and nose before he rushed out the door to save another life.
Chapter 29
Laney
“Laney…Oh, Laney…can you hear me?”
Laney was startled into semi-consciousness. She couldn’t understand what the voice was saying. It was muffled. Why is it so familiar? And why do I keep smelling peppermint?
“Laney, can you hear me? Do you have anything you want me to tell Josh for you? He’s going to be devastated when you’re gone. I’ll help him get through it. When I do, he’ll love me forever. Just think, the two of us happy together, married with little Josh’s running around. You’re nowhere in that picture. I can’t imagine a better scenario.”
Oh my God, is that Jillian? What is she talking about? Laney willed herself to get past the drug-induced state and come to complete consciousness. The drug was too overpowering, and she was persistently in a state somewhere between dreaming and reality. Is this a dream? Is Jillian really there?
“You shouldn’t have gotten so close to Josh. You should’ve recognized our connection. I can feel it, and I know Josh can, too. You need to just accept that.” What in the world is she talking about? Is she delusional? Why is she playing with my hair?
“I’m sorry it has to end this way. My letters told you to leave him alone. I tried to make you think you had a stalker. I had hoped they would scare you, and make you stay away from Josh. Why didn’t it work? Are you too stupid? Do you really think he’s in love with you? I thought the chicken’s blood was a nice touch. I figured it would have you running for the hills. All of this could’ve been prevented if you would’ve just stayed away. Now you will pay the ultimate price.” The voice walked to the other side of the bed.
“I don’t know much about medicine, but I’m pretty sure you need that little tube in your mouth to help you breathe. It looks like that tube is connected to this little machine over here. I bet if I unplug the machine, I won’t have to worry about poor Laney messing up my life any more.”
The machine went silent. It stopped giving her breaths, and she couldn’t take her own. She tried gasping for air, but her chest wouldn’t move. Her lungs didn’t work. Laney’s heart beat faster as she panicked. She wanted to scream but couldn’t. The machine next to her bed was alarming-blaring in her ear. Then all of the sudden there was nothing. Her world was dark and silent.
***
Code Blue to room 547. Code Blue to room 547.
Josh had just finished closing up the trauma patient who had a ruptured spleen. Normally it was a relatively straightforward surgery. However, this patient had been on blood thinners, and had extensive bleeding throughout the operation. Josh had to give him platelets and FFP to stop the bleeding. The patient also had some other complications causing the surgery to last much longer than expected. Josh was getting himself cleaned up and changed when the overhead page blasted throughout the hospital. Oh my God, it’s Laney!
A surge of adrenaline rushed through his veins. He sprinted toward Laney’s room all along cursing himself for not being there as planned. Josh didn’t wait for the elevator. Instead, he ran up the stairs two at a time moving at a speed faster than his pounding chest was used to. At one point he almost tripped, but quickly recovered and was again hurrying toward the next floor.
At the top, he threw open the door and ran down the hall to the ICU. Normally, staff did not run anywhere in the hospital. It created concern and panic among the visitors. Josh didn’t care. He wasn’t wasting another minute getting to Laney.
As he rounded the corner and entered her room, staff was gathered around Laney’s bed performing CPR. One nurse was calling out times and medications, another was giving chest compressions, and the respiratory therapist was providing ventilations through an ambu bag.
“What’s going on? What happened to her?” Josh barked at the staff. He recognized the nurse who turned to speak with him as the one who had been taking care of Laney the past two nights.
“Dr. Stone, she went into asystole. We’ve been doing CPR for about three minutes now. We also gave her one dose of epi.”
“How did this happen? Were you in the room?” Josh watched the respiratory therapist as he was trying to pump the life back into Laney’s chest
.
“No, Doctor. I had stepped out to get her medications. When the alarm rang, we started CPR right away.”
Another nurse walked into the room with strips of paper showing what Laney’s heart had been doing prior to it stopping. “Do you want to see her strips?”
Josh snatched the pieces of paper from the nurses’ hand. “Look here, she was tachycardic in the one-thirties and then within a couple of minutes her heart rate slowed and she went asystole. That’s really strange.”
“I think I know the cause,” yelled one of the respiratory therapists. He held up the plug to the ventilator. “Someone did it intentionally because they pushed the plug underneath the machine. It didn’t just come loose from the wall. She wasn’t getting any air.”
Josh gaped at the plug. Who could do this to Laney? Why didn’t anyone see it happen? Josh’s blood surged through his veins, causing his heart to pound erratically. Things had gotten very out of hand, and he couldn’t put the pieces together to fix it. Unfortunately, Josh didn’t have the luxury of worrying about it. He had a more important task of making sure Laney would be okay.
“All right, hold CPR. I want to see what her heart is doing.”
The respiratory therapist performing the chest compressions stopped and backed away from the bed. Everyone watched the monitor, waiting for the return of a constant beat—one that represented life. Josh held his breath. The room had turned eerily quiet as everyone waited for their prayers to come to fruition. The frown that took residence on Josh’s face slowly curved up as he realized Laney’s heart was back in a normal sinus rhythm. He sighed in relief that Laney once again beat the odds and had returned among the living.