INFERNO (The HEAT Series Book 4) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Deborah Bladon
dear. It wouldn't take him but a minute to get up to speed on your dad's case."
She obviously knows that Ben isn't my dad's primary physician. I suspect Dr. Foster has been so focused on caring for Tyler that he has little to no understanding of my dad's condition.
"I can speak to Dr. Reynolds about it." I rest my hands against the arms of the chair. "I need to go to the ICU now. My dad might wake up."
"I can go with you." John reaches for my hand as I push to my feet. "The girls will go see Ty. I can stop by later."
"Thank you for the offer." I look toward where Sophia is now standing behind me. "My friend and I can go up. I think Tyler would want to see all of you."
John nods. "We'll go see our boy but if you need anything at all you let Ben know. He'll get word to us."
"I will," I say wearily even though the only thing I need is for my life to go back to exactly the way it was this afternoon.
CHAPTER 8
I stand at the foot of Sergio's hospital bed staring at his face. It's difficult to find his features under the swollen, bruised mess. His entire forehead is bandaged, part of his hair shaved to reveal a row of stitches. The area around both his eyes is purple, the skin tone uneven. Several clear tubes are protruding from between his lips held in place by strips of white medical tape. I wince at the sight of the cervical collar around his neck.
An intravenous line is in his left arm, the right secured next to him by a splint. He looks broken and battered. He's unrecognizable, so much so that I look up at the monitor that is tracking his heart rate to check his name.
"When will he wake up?" I ask the nurse who brought me in here. She insisted that Sophia remain in the Intensive Care waiting room. She had clear orders from the doctor, she said, to only allow one visitor at a time. I was grateful because it meant I would get to see my dad by myself. There are things I need to say that I don't want anyone, including my best friend, to hear.
"Dr. Reynolds will be here to speak to you within the next thirty minutes." She jots something down on a paper attached to a clipboard. "You can sit in that chair and wait for her if you want."
I glance at the green plastic chair that is sitting next to the window. They've drawn the curtains even though it's dark out. My dad used to love the sunlight when I was a kid. He liked it so much that he'd rarely lower the blinds in his condo. He told me he did that so he'd never miss a second of sunlight. I tried doing the same when I moved to my nonna's apartment but the light so early in the morning always felt intrusive.
"I'll wait here." I sigh. "Can you tell my friend I'll be in here until the doctor comes in?"
"I can do that." She smiles softly. "There are chilled water bottles for visitors on the counter behind you. Help yourself."
I'm grateful for the offer. I turn back and grab a small bottle. I open the lid and down half the cold water in one gulp. It does little to chase the dryness in my mouth away.
"If you need me, press the call button."
I pivot on my heel so I'm facing her again. I watch as she points at a red button attached to a cord that leads to a panel on the wall. Her eyes lock with mine and I realize that she's waiting for confirmation that I heard what she just said.
"If I need you I'll press the call button," I parrot back. "I'll sit next to my dad and wait for the doctor."
***
"He was conscious briefly, Cadence." Dr. Reynolds rests her fingertips on my dad's wrist. "He only spoke once to ask about Tyler."
I'm hit with a wave of disappointment. While I waited for her to arrive, I thought about what I'll say to him when he opens his eyes for the first time. Now, she's telling me that he was awake and I wasn't here for him. "I should have been here. He would have wanted to see me."
She looks over her shoulder to where I'm standing. "It actually happened right after the MRI. The technicians were the ones who
She obviously knows that Ben isn't my dad's primary physician. I suspect Dr. Foster has been so focused on caring for Tyler that he has little to no understanding of my dad's condition.
"I can speak to Dr. Reynolds about it." I rest my hands against the arms of the chair. "I need to go to the ICU now. My dad might wake up."
"I can go with you." John reaches for my hand as I push to my feet. "The girls will go see Ty. I can stop by later."
"Thank you for the offer." I look toward where Sophia is now standing behind me. "My friend and I can go up. I think Tyler would want to see all of you."
John nods. "We'll go see our boy but if you need anything at all you let Ben know. He'll get word to us."
"I will," I say wearily even though the only thing I need is for my life to go back to exactly the way it was this afternoon.
CHAPTER 8
I stand at the foot of Sergio's hospital bed staring at his face. It's difficult to find his features under the swollen, bruised mess. His entire forehead is bandaged, part of his hair shaved to reveal a row of stitches. The area around both his eyes is purple, the skin tone uneven. Several clear tubes are protruding from between his lips held in place by strips of white medical tape. I wince at the sight of the cervical collar around his neck.
An intravenous line is in his left arm, the right secured next to him by a splint. He looks broken and battered. He's unrecognizable, so much so that I look up at the monitor that is tracking his heart rate to check his name.
"When will he wake up?" I ask the nurse who brought me in here. She insisted that Sophia remain in the Intensive Care waiting room. She had clear orders from the doctor, she said, to only allow one visitor at a time. I was grateful because it meant I would get to see my dad by myself. There are things I need to say that I don't want anyone, including my best friend, to hear.
"Dr. Reynolds will be here to speak to you within the next thirty minutes." She jots something down on a paper attached to a clipboard. "You can sit in that chair and wait for her if you want."
I glance at the green plastic chair that is sitting next to the window. They've drawn the curtains even though it's dark out. My dad used to love the sunlight when I was a kid. He liked it so much that he'd rarely lower the blinds in his condo. He told me he did that so he'd never miss a second of sunlight. I tried doing the same when I moved to my nonna's apartment but the light so early in the morning always felt intrusive.
"I'll wait here." I sigh. "Can you tell my friend I'll be in here until the doctor comes in?"
"I can do that." She smiles softly. "There are chilled water bottles for visitors on the counter behind you. Help yourself."
I'm grateful for the offer. I turn back and grab a small bottle. I open the lid and down half the cold water in one gulp. It does little to chase the dryness in my mouth away.
"If you need me, press the call button."
I pivot on my heel so I'm facing her again. I watch as she points at a red button attached to a cord that leads to a panel on the wall. Her eyes lock with mine and I realize that she's waiting for confirmation that I heard what she just said.
"If I need you I'll press the call button," I parrot back. "I'll sit next to my dad and wait for the doctor."
***
"He was conscious briefly, Cadence." Dr. Reynolds rests her fingertips on my dad's wrist. "He only spoke once to ask about Tyler."
I'm hit with a wave of disappointment. While I waited for her to arrive, I thought about what I'll say to him when he opens his eyes for the first time. Now, she's telling me that he was awake and I wasn't here for him. "I should have been here. He would have wanted to see me."
She looks over her shoulder to where I'm standing. "It actually happened right after the MRI. The technicians were the ones who
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