Deadly Infatuation

Chapter 52

Lily

The sound of approaching footsteps causes my tired eyes to open, and I look up just in time to see Paige walking back into the waiting room. Her face somehow looks even whiter than before she left us, and I can tell that seeing Max alone in the ICU must have been a lot for her to handle. As I readjust my slumped appearance from the mini nap I was having, Oliver quietly greets her by the door and gives her a tender kiss before guiding her back to her chair next to me. I kind of wish in this moment that Paige didn't persuade her parents to both go home as I did to my mom to get some sleep, though she may have done this to stop them from seeing her like this as I know she doesn't like to worry them. "Are you okay?" I ask, reaching my hand out and squeezing her cool hand.

"Yes. It's overwhelming seeing him lying there," she replies in a hush and I nod my head, remembering again how my dad had looked like when he was in the ICU.

"It's never easy seeing someone you love like that, but you just have to remind yourself that it is there to help him."

"And it's only temporary," Oliver tells her, kissing her forehead. "He'll be awake before you know it."

"It's still hard, though. I don't know how I'm holding it all together right now."

"I do," Oliver tells her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

She's right, this is hard for all of us. I recall how Beth burst into tears before she even left the room to go see Max and when she came back; she was still weeping. William didn't cry when it was his turn, but he looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders when he returned. I can't begin to even imagine how painful it must be for a parent to see their firstborn lying in a hospital bed, unable to speak or move. Seeing them like this, a far cry from their normal joyful selves, puts all of this into stark perspective for me on how serious this situation is. We're all quiet for a minute in contemplation before Oliver clears his throat and looks at his watch. "It's probably wise to go visit Max yourself Lily before they stop allowing visitors."

He's right, they have already made exceptions for us to see him this early in the morning, and I don't want that opportunity to pass before I see Max for myself. I've been waiting forty-five agonizing minutes for my turn ever since the doctors gave the okay for us to visit Max one at a time, and even though his parents asked me if I would like to go before them it didn't feel right of me to go ahead of his family no matter how much I want to see him. My stomach is sick with worry of what I'll be greeted with when I walk into his room, but my overriding need of wanting to be reunited with him outweighs this. I run my hands down my legs and then blow out a breath. "I'll go now."

"Do you want me to walk with you to the ICU?" Paige asks me as I stand.

I shake my head and give a small smile. "No, that's okay. Will you still be here when I come back?" I don't know if she'll want to go home as well to get some sleep or if she wants to stay here until Max wakes up.

"We'll be here. I'm going to wait for Mom and Dad to return before we go home for some rest."

"Okay. I'll see you in fifteen?"

"Sure."

I blow out one last breath and then exit the waiting room and make my way along the corridors, following the signs to the ICU unit. The hospital is busier with people now and I have to weave around cleaners and their carts and fresh-faced doctors who look like they are coming on their first shift.

When I make it to the ICU unit, I stop by the nurse's desk and look for Max's name written on the board and see that he has been placed in room four. Curling my hands into the sleeves of my jacket, I slowly make my way down to Max's room and push the door open. I can hear the low beeping noises from all the machines and as I step further inside, my eyes land on Max lying unconscious in the bed. The reality of what has happened to Max hits me like a wave and my legs feel like they could give out under me. I clumsily make my way across the floor to him and I have to hold back a sob when I get a good look at him. He is so pale and there are various tubes attached to his body. My heart clenches in fear, and I gently brush his hair back from his forehead and press a kiss on his forehead. When I lean back, I look at his closed eyes and it's as if he's simply asleep, though, as my eyes sweep across the rest of his face. The tube protruding from his mouth tells me he isn't.