Actions Speak Louder Than Fortune Cookies

55 - And Waiting

Rylee couldn't get much sleep. She woke up each time the nurses came into the room, which had turned out to be about every hour.
She would talk with them, learn about what they monitored, and also just learned about the nurses themselves.

Laura was his overnight shift nurse. She was 32 and had been an ICU nurse for 6 years, but she had just moved to New York City last year. She had a husband named Josh and they had two beautiful twin two year olds named Cooper and Layla.

Michelle was his morning shift nurse. She was 28 and newer to nursing, being in the field for two years but she loved helping others. She had a boyfriend named Adam and a Labrador puppy named Bandit.

Both Michelle and Laura said she'd probably be seeing another nurse named Jasmine at some point, but she didn't come in until later in the day.

Rylee had mentioned to Laura that she was surprised that Sebastian didn't have a bunk mate, but Laura quickly told her that celebrities didn't get duo rooms, only singles, per protocol. They always followed HIPAA laws but they were extra careful about celebrity privacy and keeping distance from media.
Rylee appreciated knowing this. She knew how obsessive and harsh the media could be. And no one needs that in recovery.

Rylee looked at her phone to see it was now 6:38 am. She was finally beyond exhausted. After the events of yesterday, and the lack of sleep, she was running on fumes.

Michelle strolled in at 6:45, and was out by 6:50. As soon as Michelle left, Rylee fell asleep on the small sofa as soon as she laid down again. She was surprised though that when she woke up, it was now 9:30. Honestly the only reason she really woke up was because she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket continuously. At first she looked and saw a missed call from Chris and then a few texts from him.

Chris
Hey Ry
How's everything going?

Rylee
Hey..pretty much the same.
Sebs still asleep.

Chris
Ah, well. I'm in the lobby with coffee and breakfast if you want a bite.

Rylee
Not sure I'm hungry, but I'll be out.

Rylee slid her phone in her pocket, took another parting glance at the still sleeping Sebastian, and walked out the door and down the hall to meet Chris in the lobby.

When he spotted her, he helped close the distance and gave her a hug.

"Wanna sit outside? Get some fresh air?" Chris offered.

"Sure." Rylee said as she followed Chris out to sit on a bench. He opened the bag he brought and offered her a breakfast sandwich but Rylee declined.

"You need to take care of yourself too, Ry. At least take the coffee."

"I'm fine Chris, I'm not hungry, thank you though." She did take the coffee that he unceremoniously shoved in her hands. "So...what's happening at work now?"

"Productions on hold the rest of the week minimum, could be longer. OSHA is coming in to complete a report..." Chris said through the bite of his sandwich.

Rylee hummed, acknowledging what Chris just said, taking a sip of the vanilla latte.

"Well I know for sure you've barely slept. So why don't you head home and I'll stay with Sebastian for a while."

Rylee wanted to say no, but she was exhausted...it couldn't hurt to go sleep for a bit and come back.

Chris smiled when Rylee accepted his offer. Even if she wasn't taking food from him, at least she'd accept proper sleep.