Deadly Infatuation

Chapter 51

Lily

"Is there any news?" I ask the nurse for the third time tonight, or morning, I guess, as she walks by the door. Max has been in surgery for over five hours and we haven't an update for over an hour now. With a sad smile, she shakes her head and carries on with her duties.

"I hate this," I whisper, resting my head in my hands.

I hate the unrelenting waiting, not knowing what is happening. I'd give anything just to see his face and hold his hand, but I can't. To pass the time, I've been sitting in the waiting room with my mom and Max's family. We shared worried hugs and words when they arrived, and Paige has been sitting next to me ever since. Even though I'm sad that she's here because it's Max who's in the theater room, I'm comforted that I have my best friend with me through this uncertain time. Fortunately, at this hour we're the only people in here and I'm grateful for this as I don't think I can be a viewer to another person's worries over a loved one. Ours is enough to tip me over the edge.

I feel my mom rub small circles on my back while I stare at the chipped tile floor, trying to keep it together. "I'm sure they're doing everything they can to help him."

My eyes fill up with water as I think about Max lying on an operating table while the doctors work on saving his life. He shouldn't have to be fighting for his life; if it should be anyone, it should be me. I'm the one who let Callie into all of our lives. I'm the one who kept giving her chance after chance to redeem herself. I'm the one who let her around Max, to begin with.

"Why aren't they giving us any more information?" Beth stresses to her husband. "Shouldn't they have told us something else by now?"

I can feel her frustration. No news can't be good news. I involuntarily shiver as I recall how Max looked so pale at the house and when the paramedics arrived and began working on him, it was excruciating. I could tell Milo sensed something wasn't right as well as he whimpered next to me.

"They probably don't have any new information to give us, dear."

"How can they not? They've been in there for hours working on our son! He's our son, William. He's our son," she chokes.

"Mom," Paige whispers, tears spilling down her own cheeks.

I look on in remorse as William pulls his wife into his arms, with Beth breaking down into tears almost immediately. The sobs escaping from inside her provide me with a painful reminder of why we're all here tonight. Why did you have to leave our room, Max? Why did you have to tackle Callie for the gun and let your wound bleed out? Though I know why; he did it to save us both. He acted while I stood there frozen. I was too scared to do anything and if Milo hadn't had done as I asked and helped Max by pulling on Callie's leg with his teeth, then maybe Max wouldn't have even had made it to the hospital. When I see Milo next, I'm going to give him a big hug for being brave and protecting Max against Callie when he was at his most vulnerable. I didn't know at the time if he would have done anything as his nature isn't to be aggressive, but I guess he must have realized that Max was in dire trouble and his primal instincts kicked in to protect his family and for that, I will be forever grateful.

"Why don't you three go for a walk? You've been sitting here for hours," my mom suggests gently to Paige, Oliver, and me. I can see that she's trying to give William and Beth some privacy as they share this raw moment and I wonder how my mom must feel seeing them support each other like this after discovering what my dad did to her. We haven't spoken about it since I told the detectives what we had learned, though from the small gasp she inhaled when I revealed Callie's claims that she is my sibling tells me she didn't know about it.

Oliver nods in agreement with my mom and whispers something into his wife's ear. After Paige looks sadly at her mom, still in her husband's arms, she quietly rises from her chair and walks out of the room with Oliver's arm draped around her waist. I follow them at a distance, allowing them some privacy. Paige rests her head against Oliver's shoulder as they walk and I can hear him softly speaking to her. She nods along to whatever he's telling her and in this sad moment, I'm glad that she has him. Oliver has always been gentle towards her and knows Paige better than even I do. If anyone can keep Paige calm at this moment, it's him.