Present
I stood there, the speakers at the nurses’ station going off with calls, shoes squeaking against the linoleum floors, and the T.V. broadcasting a news channel as I leaned into the wall, rubbing my hands together and feeling his dried blood now grainy on my skin.
There’s so much you’re forgetting.
What was I forgetting?
What did he want me to have?
He’d said it as if he were leaving me something. Like he wouldn’t be back for it.
Needles pricked my throat, but I swallowed them down.
He was just going to bleed out? Because he couldn’t choke down his pride and ask for help?
I couldn’t believe him. He was insane.
And—in the back of my mind where I would admit it to myself—he was going to leave me. He was just going to let go.
I steeled my jaw, refusing to cry another damn tear for him.
Banks and Rika wandered about, offering me coffee or to find some scrubs, so I could get out of my bloody clothes, but I was rooted to this spot, waiting for the doctor or a nurse to come and let us know what was going on with him.
Kai and Will had also shown up, and it occurred to me to call my sister to let her know he was in the ER, but that fleeting thought left as quickly as it came. He wouldn’t want her here, and all she’d be worried about was if she still got her settlement if he died.
I heard doors swing open and closed and felt people surround me suddenly.
“Well, he lost a lot of blood,” a woman told us. “Right now, the doctor is working to close the wound, but Mr. Torrance does need blood. We’ve gone through our supply of B-negative, but it’s one of the rarer blood types, and he can only have a transfusion from other B or O-negatives.”
I was O-positive, so I was out.
“We’ve had to request more from a hospital in Meridian City,” she told us. “It’ll hopefully be here soon.”
“Banks?” Will spoke up. “You’re O-negative, right? We all did that blood drive last summer. He can get blood from you.”
Oh, good. I started to breathe a little easier, but she didn’t say anything for a moment, and I starting worrying again.
“Um…yeah,” she finally stuttered, “but I, uh…I can’t donate blood, I don’t think.”
“Why?” Will prodded.
She laughed nervously under her breath. “I’m, um… I’m pregnant.”
Everyone fell silent, but I couldn’t help but smile a little at the irony.
Uncle Damon. That would be fun.
“I was trying to find a way to tell you,” she said to her husband, I assumed. “Something special. Sorry it happened like this.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Will added, clearing his throat and realizing the sudden announcement was sort of his fault.
There was movement, some kissing, and a few whispered words I couldn’t make out.
“Okay, well…” the nurse chimed in again. “We’ll get the blood we need. Don’t worry.”
“I’m B-negative,” someone spoke up, and I realized it was Rika.
Her tone sounded like mine did when I had to agree to something I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to do.
“Oh, wonderful,” the nurse chirped. “Come with me, then.”
“Thanks, Rika,” Banks called out as they left.
I drew in a deep breath, relaxing a little, but still not moving from my spot.
“I’m sorry,” I heard Banks say.
“Why are you apologizing?” Kai asked, a smile in his voice. “This is the best surprise. My parents will be ecstatic.”
“I didn’t want you to find out like this,” she explained.
“Well, are you okay with it? Are you ready?”
“I didn’t think I would be,” she replied. “I wasn’t sure I wanted kids, but since I found out on Monday, I’m just…”
She giggled, and then I heard jumping and a barely audible little squeal.
“No wonder you’ve been smiling so much,” Kai commented. “And I thought it was because of me.”
“Well, technically it is.”
He snorted. “We’ve got a lot to look forward to.”
“Let’s go sit,” she whispered.
I rubbed my eyes, forgetting my hands were covered in blood. Shit. I needed to go wash up.
I started to move, but then I heard Kai’s voice.
“What are you doing?” he asked, and I stopped, thinking he was talking to me.
But it was Will who answered, “She said B-negative was a rare blood type. It’s actually the second rarest in the country, according to this website. Only 2% of the population has it.”
He must be looking at the stats on his phone.
“So?” Kai said.
“So isn’t it a little convenient that Damon and Rika both share the same, exact, rare blood type?”
My eyes rounded.
Oh, geez.
But I just made my way down the wall, reading the braille signs to find the restroom Banks told me was a couple doors down from here.
It was one thing after another with this group, and for now, I was just fine without any more drama than I had on my own plate to deal with.
They could have that one.
