Title Pending

Chapter 3: The ER on a random Tuesday afternoon

I'm pacing back and forth in the ER waiting room at Albuquerque Southern Hospital. There's an older woman in there knitting a sweater, seeming not to have a care in the world. There's also a middle-aged couple. The man is reading a magazine he seems uninterested in. The woman is asleep on his shoulder. There are two empty McDonald's bags at their feet.

My thoughts are racing. Why can't I go in with him? What are they doing to him? Is he dead? Will he have brain damage? How did this even happen? Why didn't I listen when he said his head hurt, twice? This is all my fault. He's just a kid, and I'm 16. I'm supposed to know better.

I'm walking wherever there is space in this tiny waiting area with a few adjacent hallways. There are two vending machines, an ATM, and a coffee machine.

I've texted and called Mom, Dad, Audrey, Bianca, and called both the middle and elementary schools for Stephie and Brett. No reply from Mom. Dad says he's at work and that he "probably just had a migraine," claiming that this ambulance will cost "a shit ton of money." He's obviously furious. Audrey says she's got detention, and is on thin ice in terms of possibly getting suspended again. Bianca says she'll find a way to bust out of school asap. Both school receptionists said that unless a parent was able to pick them up, Stephie and Brett were not allowed to leave campus.

"WOULD YOU SIT DOWN ALREADY?!" The older man yells. I snap out of my tunnel vision enough to see him glaring at me, with his wife woken up, looking startled.

"Yeah ok, jeez..." I roll my eyes.

....

It's 5:00, and finally a young-looking dude in a white coat emerges from the restricted area. Just then, Bianca rushes in. I run over and give her a good, long hug. What a relief.

"Carmen Herrerra?"

"Yes? Hi. What is it?"

"Come with me please."

Since the doctor implied only family was allowed, Bianca takes a seat and gives me a supportive smile. He takes me basically through a maze, until we reach a room with the door closed and curtains shut.

"So, Will is stable at the moment. We were able to stop the bleeding in his brain, and thankfully it didn't appear to have bled long enough to cause significant damage. It seems he suffered a seizure and some pretty severe trauma as a result on the playground."

"Is he awake? Can I see him?"

"Will's still asleep from the anesthesia, and may not wake up for an hour or two. But let me please be clear, Carmen, that seizures like this typically signal an underlying problem. We're going to run some tests in a few minutes and hopefully get to the bottom of this."

"Wh-what kind of pr-problems?" I stuttered. I only stutter when I'm choked up.

"Most commonly, it's epilepsy, but we've determined that's not the case for Will. It could be a brain tumor, an untreated TBI, or perhaps untreated meningitis. We'll let you know as soon as we get results."

I focus on random details to get myself out of this moment. I stare at the nurse's blue and black shoes who walks by, and the wheels on the stretcher she is pulling.

The doctor lets me in to see Will. His head is elevated, and he's connected to an oxygen tank. He's got a huge bandage on the right side of his head, where the damage was. He's also hooked up to an IV. I never thought I'd have to see my little brother like this.

I hear a knock on the door. The doctor answers, and I hear Mom's voice outside. I hate myself for immediately groaning. He cracks the door as they chat outside. I can hear the stress in Mom's voice. And then she gets angry. Starts yelling, dropping some F bombs. I run out there, and assure Mom that Will is okay right now, and the doctor did everything he was supposed to. She gives me the worst death stare I've ever seen, and in a low, controlled voice, says, "Get. Out. Go. Home."

Normally, I would argue, but I really don't want another outburst to stress out or wake up Will. Plus, the doctor will be in there, so she won't be alone with him. I run back in, give Will a big hug, tell him I'll be back, and dash out to the waiting room where Bianca is waiting for me.