Skips A Beat ::Wattys2016::

Chapter 16

"Clifford?" I hear, and my head instantly snaps up. It's not the same doctor as last time. This guy is shorter, and tanner. Karen and Daryl stand up, but I can't seem to move. I stare at the guy, knowing that he is going to give us bad news... I just don't know what.

"Is he okay?" Daryl breaks the silence. His voice is rough, like he's trying to not cry.

"Michael is fine." The man says, smiling. "His heart rate is a little bit high, but everything else is okay. We're going to keep him here for a while, however, just to make sure."

"A while? How long is a while?" Karen asks what I'm thinking. The doctor's face changes into a look of pity.

"It could be a long time." He says solemnly. Karen nods, keeping a brave face. I bite my lip hard. "We can take you back to be with him." He nods once, turning around and leading them down the hall. I stay seated, my brain telling me to get up and go with them, but my body is still in shock. Am I really ready to go back there? No. I'm not. I stay seated for a long time, staring down at the tile floor.

"Who are you here for sweetie?" A feminine voice asks. I jump, looking up. It's another nurse. A quick glance around tells me that I'm the only one still here.

"C-Clifford." I stutter. She looks down at her clipboard, pursing her lips.

"They already took his parents back, hon." She sits down beside me. "How are you feeling?"

"Huh?" I'm caught off guard by her question.

"How are you?" She repeats. I bite my lip, taking a moment to figure myself out. Sure, I'm a little scared and worried, but I'll recover.

"I'm okay." I decide. She smiles at me.

"I'm Joy." She stands up. "I happen to be one of the nurses assigned to Michael. I can take you back if you're ready?" I nod, standing up with her.

"What do you mean by assigned?" I ask as she takes me down the hall. She smiles at me, looking at me like a mom.

"Assigned just means that we think he's going to be staying here a while, and to make him more comfortable, they assign nurses so that he'll always be with the same people. He'll learn to trust us more." She explains briefly.

"How many nurses are assigned? To Mikey, I mean?"

"I believe for now two. Someone will take over for me in the morning." We stop in front of the door. 217. I pause, remembering that the last time he was in this room was to wait for an MRI. I hope he won't have to take another. She nods her head to reassure me it's okay to go in. I open the door, my mind making up the worst scenarios for him to be in.

"Luke!" I hear Michael's weak, raspy voice. A smile breaks across my face, but it's quickly wiped away. Michael's hooked up to things. Like... an IV and one of those heart monitor things. I flinch at the beep of the machine. I stay in the corner of the room. I'm so scared I might cry.

"It's not as bad as it looks, hon." Joy says, patting my back. "The IV is just there to keep him hydrated. It's only water in that bag. The heart monitor will go away tomorrow."

"It's water?" I ask softly, sounding like an idiot.

"Only water." She says. I watch as she does some things with him. She checks his eyes with one of those flashlight sticks and reads his blood pressure, before leaving. I stay in my corner of the room.

"Boys, we're going to go get drinks from the food court. We'll be back." Karen says, leaving a kiss on Michael's forehead. She walks over to me, kissing my cheek. Even after they leave, I stay firmly planted in my corner staring at Michael. I can feel how tight my chest is getting.