Mr Boo

Chapter 10

It was late when Ghost arrived at the hospital. He ripped off his balaclava without a second thought and headed straight to the reception "Where's Georgia and Emily Banks?" he demanded.

The receptionist eyed the large man suspiciously "Are you family sir?" she asked politely.

"Yes" Simon asked without hesitation. The reception told him where the room was and he bolted in that direction. Rounding the corner, he found the room and slowly entered, his nerves screaming at him about what he would see.

Simon's heart sank as he took in Georgia sitting in the room with her head in her hands, the bed empty. His mind automatically thought the worst "No, no, no" he whispered trying not to lose control.

Georgia calling his name, stopped the panic "Simon, you came?" she said quietly, looking at him. She looked tired and dishevelled, her eyes puffy from crying.

"Where's Emily?" he whispered, dreading the answer.

"They've taken her for a scan and some tests" she whispered as the tears started falling again.

A momentary sense of relief engulfed him and seeing Georgia standing in front of him so distraught, he automatically walked towards her and pulled her into a hug, wanting only to console her. Feeling the warmth of the embrace, he held onto the sobbing woman tightly, vowing to never let go. When her sobbing had subsided and his own breathing had returned to normal, he gestured for her to sit.

"I was called by the creche to say she wasn't feeling well. She had been sick and was running a fever, so I took her home. I gave her some medicine and plenty of fluids, but by night she was so much worse. I was so scared. I brought her straight to ER and they took her away to do tests. By the time I saw her again, she was sedated and hooked up to drips. They said she had meningitis and was seriously ill. I couldn't do anything" she said in a wavering voice before the tears took over again.

Simon knelt on the floor in front of her, holding her hand and caressing her face "You did the right thing love. You got her here in time for them to treat her. You did great." he whispered soothingly.

The door to the room opened suddenly as a gurney was wheeled in, the doctor following. A small figure wrapped in blankets with drips coming out of her arms was gently transferred onto the bed while the nurse checked out the equipment. Both Georgia and Simon stood up, waiting with baited breath, what the news was.

The doctor seemingly satisfied with his patient, turned and stopped as though having seen the two of them for the first time "Ah, Mr Banks, Mrs Banks" he started, looking Simon up and down.

"The scan and tests are looking positive. There's a marked improvement in Miss Emily's swelling and blood count. The antibiotics are working. Now, she still has a long way to go, so if tomorrow, her vitals are good, we'll stop the sedative and let her wake up naturally. We'll obviously have to monitor her for a few more days to make sure there are no more complications" he added confidently.

"Thank you" Georgia whispered with a sigh.

Simon watched the doctor leave the room and let out the breath he'd been holding. He watched as Georgia walked over to the little girl on the bed, gently smoothing her hair and kissing her cheek, murmuring to her "Hey munchkin, good to see you again. Mama's here and she's not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you wake up sweetie".

Simon stood speechless, his heart feeling like it would burst with all the raw emotion flooding through him. He felt like he was intruding in this private moment and he remembered his decision to break contact with them. The guilt and regret felt overwhelming. He hadn't been in touch with them for four months. Why was he here now?