High Tide

Chapter 15 [Hospitals Suck]

Chapter 15

Hospitals Suck

"Go wake Avery," Lydia whispered, touching Charlie's forearm in passing. "I'll help Marissa get ready," she added. It was close to one in the morning and Marissa was hardly able to stand, yet still she was adamant on changing out of her pajamas and fixing her hair.

She couldn't possibly go out in public looking like a disheveled idiot in pajamas, even if it was to the emergency room.

Giving Lydia and Marissa one last worried glance, Charlie left the room and crossed the hall, pushing Avery's door open. The fifteen year-old was asleep, her back to the door and her legs tucked up to her belly. Charlie walked forward, sat on the edge of the bed and shook her shoulder lightly.

"Hey," he said softly when she started to stir mere seconds later, much easier to wake than Lydia was. She looked at him, groggy and confused. "We're goin' to the hospital with Marissa," he informed her, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

"What?" Avery gasped, sitting up in bed so fast that she almost hit Charlie in the nose with her forehead. "Is she—? What happened?" she asked worriedly, making a move to get up.

"Her fever is a little high and her stomach still hurts pretty badly," Charlie explained. "So just to be sure, we'll go get her checked out. If you want to come..." he said, but Avery cut him off mid-sentence.

"Yeah, yeah, 'course I'm coming," she said quickly, already halfway out of bed.

Charlie was a fast driver when he wanted to be and he got to the hospital faster than an ambulance probably would have. He had Marissa in his arms when they entered through the doors of the ER, making a straight line for the admit desk.

A tired-looking nurse greeted them with a polite smile, telling them to fill out this and that, and then to wait in triage.

"I really don't feel good," Marissa murmured against Charlie's chest. He wrapped her in a tight hug, kissing the top of her head.

"Just hang in there," he whispered.

Lydia focused on the paperwork, trying not to think about the situation too much. She didn't like hospitals, she didn't like needles and she didn't like knowing that there could be something seriously wrong with Marissa.

It was almost a whole hour before they were seen by the triage nurse. She took Marissa's temperature and checked her belly by applying pressure to different areas of the abdomen. She nodded to herself, jotted down a few notes on her clipboard and then told them she was going to be right back.

"She's not even going to tell us anything?" Avery asked incredulously, restless and fidgety in her chair. "Well that's bullshit," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and slumping back in her seat.

Lydia gave her a sharp look.

"Sorry," Avery said a little sheepishly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm tired and worried," she added with a sigh, tipping her head backwards so that it was resting against the top of her bright orange, plastic seat.

"We're all worried," Charlie said calmly; although on the outside one might not have a clue, deep down Charlie was the opposite of calm. Avery was right; this was bullshit. He had half a mind to walk right up to that damn nurse and get all up in her face.