The Love of Lady Dimitrescu X Female Reader || One-Shots

The Interview Part 6

In the waiting room of the hospital, your mother was seated near the intensive care unit. The last update she had received about your father was that he was on a ventilator, falling in and out of consciousness. Keeping her head lowered, she stared blankly at her phone, texting and asking you when you were going to show up.

"Mom!"

Looking up, she saw you running over to her from across the entry point, with Alcina right behind you. Her husband's critical state already overwhelmed her; she would not try to understand why your former boss was even with you in the first place.

She got up to greet you. "You made it."

With fear splintered into your heart, you spoke too quickly. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know Dad fell! Is he okay? Have you heard anything? Is he still in the ICU?"

"He's on a ventilator. His condition isn't good."

You hated hearing that. You refused to believe it. "Can we go in and see him?"

"I hope so. They want him more stabilized before we can see him. The ICU unit only allows two visitors at a time. Until your father is moved to the general ward, our visits can only last for ten minutes. I'm hoping that the nurse I spoke with earlier will come out of that door at any moment and let us know what's happening."

"Jennie," Alcina addressed her with respect. "I am very sorry about your husband's condition."

Hearing the sincerity of her tone, Jennie gave her a brief nod, acknowledging her empathy. "Thank you, Ms. Dimitrescu. And, um, what brings you here?"

You spoke up. "Alcina drove me here."

Alcina smiled slightly. She couldn't have been more grateful to hear you call her by her first name. Never again would she correct you.

"Oh, wait. Alcina? I wasn't thinking clearly. We left your car in that parking lot. I need to get you back to your car."

"Don't let that concern you. I'll walk back to the diner if I have to. My car will be fine."

A nurse then came into view, figuring out which person to address. "Excuse me? Are you Jennie? You can visit your husband now. With his current status, we would like only one visitor to see him at this time." She glanced at you and then at Alcina. "Are you Harold's daughters?"

Your mom moved to your side, urging you to step forward. "This is my daughter. Can she see him first?"

"Mom? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Jennie didn't know how long her husband would live, but if he was close to death, the last person she wanted him to see was you. You became his world the day you were born. "You go ahead. I'll see him right after you."

You followed the nurse, who led you through a four-panel automated sliding door. As soon as you entered the unit, there were various noises and beeping sounds coming from common pieces of equipment, like IV pumps, heart monitors, and mechanical ventilators. It was somewhat disturbing for you to hear, yet it was unavoidable.

After the sliding door sealed, your mom sat back down. Then Alcina took a seat beside her, not knowing what to say. Staying silent for several moments, Alcina was rearranging her work schedule in her mind. She planned to call Donna and ask her to cancel all her appointments for tomorrow, and to move her other meetings around next week. If you or your family needed anything, she wanted to make herself available to the both of you as often as she could. Grocery runs. Meals. Comfort. Whatever requests you had, she'd strive to meet all of them.

"Thank you for driving her up here," Jennie said. "I worry about her driving skills sometimes. When she was in high school, she backed her father's car into our garage door and broke it because she was stressed out over her test that week."