"How long?" Stevie was sitting in the private waiting room, a cup of coffee in her hand and her sunglasses hiding her tired eyes as she stared blankly over at Karen, who was so anxious, she couldn't stop pacing.
She had tried to sit down next to her boss, but the unbearable silence that engulfed the room after Lindsey had been taken back was too much for her and she had to stand up to move around... calm her mind.
"Um," She paused for a second, heart practically beating in her throat as her shoulders sank down. "I'm not totally-"
"How fucking long, Karen?" She repeated in a much harsher tone of voice, not at all enthused with her or anything else in that very moment.
The ride to the hospital was incredibly strange all around, but especially for Stevie, who felt like she had been totally left in the dark for who knows how long. And then there was Karen, who didn't seem nearly as shocked, nor did she have as many questions about how Lindsey was feeling, whereas his wife definitely did... She had not a single inkling that he was having any sort of health issues.
She looked up at her, eyes finally melting into the older woman's as another hint of nerves washed over her. "About a year..." Karen announced, even though she really hated to... She knew how much Stevie despised being out of the loop with her family, but she was and she had been for quite a while.
"An entire fucking year?" She raised a brow, heart sinking into the pit of her stomach as her forehead began to wrinkle. "He's been seeing a heart doctor for the last year and no one has said anything?" She repeated, tears already lingering in her eyes.
She felt so betrayed- so sick to her stomach, she wanted to scream... How could they keep that from her for so long?
Karen let out a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment and secretly wishing that she could just disappear. "He should be the one to explain this to you, Stevie." She didn't want to be in the middle, but as usual, there she was- stuck right in between Stevie and Lindsey, which was probably the worst place to be. "I'm sure he will be more than willing to tell you every-"
"Okay, please just stop." She held up her free hand, silencing her as she shifted in her chair to get more comfortable, even though that was nearly impossible. "I just need a few minutes alone..." her voice grew a little softer, trying to assure Karen that she wasn't upset with her, but just the whole situation.
She loved nothing more in the whole world than the family that she had created and it pained her, so deeply to know that that man was keeping something like that from her.
Karen felt as small as an ant, nodding her head before she began to travel towards the door. "I'll go get some more coffee, but let me know when you're able to see him." Her voice was so soft and weak, it almost came out as a whisper. "Try to relax for a while, Stevie."
~~~
Relaxing wasn't really an option. Stevie ended up sitting there for almost an hour, staring at the television but not focusing on a single thing the lady on the nightly news had to say. Instead, of course, she was far too caught up in what was happening there, at the hospital, where her husband was experiencing chest pains and heart attack symptoms... Her worst fear.
It wasn't until almost one in the morning when his nurse finally came to the waiting room, assuring Stevie that everything was okay and that she could go in and see him, which felt like a huge sigh of relief... She just wanted to be with him, that was all.
And it felt like a thousand pounds lifted off her shoulders when she stepped into the room, eyes melting into his right away.
He was sitting up in bed, a soft smile on his handsome face as he watched her trail towards him slowly. He looked fine, but all the machines and monitors that he was hooked up to was enough to upset her... She never wanted to see him like that, ever.
"Lindsey..." she practically whined his name, creasing a brow as her vision began to blur.
He cracked a soft grin, even though he really felt awful for worrying her like that. "Hi, baby girl." His big blue eyes were so tired, and so weak- it broke her heart.
"You really scared me." She whispered, tears rolling down her red cheeks as she came to a stop right at the edge of the bed. "I'm so glad to see you." Stevie added with a soft, sad smile as one of her hands carefully met the side of his face.
He brought his hand up to hers, moving it to his lips to kiss the inside of her palm. "It's okay." Lindsey assured her, even though he knew that he shouldn't make promises, not in times like that.
They had no idea what was going on yet and since he was already on so many different preventative medications, they weren't sure what was causing the tightness again... He didn't know if it was really okay, but he would do and say just about anything to make sure she felt better.
"Come here and crawl in." He slowly slid to one side, still holding her hand as he motioned for her to get in to bed.
She bit down on her lower lip, not hesitating to slip right out of her heels and press herself into the mattress. "I love you so much." Stevie reminded him as she curled up next to him, being mindful of the monitors but still wanting to snuggle.
He nodded his head, fingers instantly getting lost in her long blonde curls as he left a couple of soft kisses on her forehead. "I love you way more." Lindsey's eyes fell closed, feeling so content with her wrapped in the safety of his arms. "We'll be just fine."
