“Okay. Who’s doing it?”
“Dr. Mackey.”
“Good.” He was the best. “Take good care of him, okay?”
“We will.”
Claire rose and helped unhook various monitors and after Natalie wheeled Graham out of the room, went to the waiting room.
Three pairs of eyes looked at her when she walked in.
Claire fell into a chair opposite them. “They just took him for surgery.”
“What do they do, exactly?” Noah asked.
“I only have a basic understanding of it, but they’ll put the bones back into place using screws, plates, or rods, depending on the damage.”
“And after it heals he’ll be back to normal?” Chris asked.
“It’s too early to tell. I expect it won’t be the same, but hopefully he’ll regain near normal function.”
Noah blew out a heavy breath and Mia rubbed his back. “Being on this side of things is worse than being the one in the hospital,” she said.
Claire couldn’t compare since she’d never been admitted. She could only relate it to caring for patients in the ER, and this was way worse. At least when she was on shift, she was actively doing things. The helplessness of being a visitor at the bedside was difficult to wrap her mind around. She’d been there for Mia during her chronic illness, but Noah had usually been the one to barge his way in to guard the bedside while Claire took second, making sure everyone had changes of clothes, cell phone chargers, and snacks from the vending machines.
“Did anyone call Graham’s parents?” she asked.
“I did,” Noah said. “Found his dad’s number in his phone. I got voice mail, so I left a vague message asking him to call back.”
Claire nodded and slumped farther into the uncomfortable chair. Mia eyed her.
“When’s the last time you ate?” Mia asked.
Claire opened her mouth, then paused, unable to remember.
Chris stood. “I’ll go get her something.”
“I’m not hungry,” Claire protested, but he was already walking away. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. Several minutes of silence passed, and in that moment she was thankful for Noah’s natural quiet and Mia’s ability to pick up on the emotions around her.
The same emotions swirling through Claire were probably sifting through her friends’ bodies, too. Maybe even more so in Noah’s, who was arguably the closest to Graham and the one who’d known him the longest.
He’s okay. He’s alive, and that’s what matters.
Claire repeated the words in her head. She knew they were true, but she also knew how difficult the road ahead would be.
And as his friend, roommate, and a registered-nurse/nurse practitioner, she’d be with him every step of the way.
Whether he wanted her there or not.
8
Everything hurt.
His leg. His face. His throat. His torso.
His dick felt okay, though, which was a nice surprise.
Graham swallowed, wincing at the sensation, like glue sliding down sandpaper, and a bolt of agony shot through his jaw. His eyes flew open, the pain bringing him completely awake.
As he gripped something soft beneath him, his eyes darted around his surroundings. White ceiling, a hospital bed, a dry-erase board posted on the opposite wall. A thick, white cast on his right leg.
Slowly, it all came flooding back.
Standing at the top of the cliff.
The fall.
The crack of his bone. Or bones…it was unclear at this point.
A few flashes of Noah’s face, and others from inside the ambulance. One of Claire’s blond hair, though he didn’t know when or where. Maybe he was projecting, because a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and her face suddenly hovered over him.
She spoke softly but quickly, her wide, hazel eyes reflecting an emotion he’d never seen there before. “Graham, don’t talk, okay? I know that’s the first thing you’ll try to do, but you can’t right now. You had a climbing accident. You had a tube in your throat for a while and it will hurt if you try.”
Before he could even process what he was doing, he immediately opened his mouth to ask what the hell she was talking about, but the pain stopped him short.
Shit.
“I just said don’t try to talk.”
He turned wide eyes on her, his brain screaming, What? What are you talking about? I don’t understand what’s going on!
He swallowed again and grimaced.
“Take a breath.”
He took two. Through his nose. His mouth felt weird. It hurt, but it also felt numb, like it was disconnected from the rest of his body.