Without Him

Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"I'm on my way," I barely spoke as my throat constricted from the sobs I was trying to hold in.

Grace immediately told me which hospital he was at before I hung up. I tried to clean my cheeks from the waterworks that were falling non-stop before quickly picking up my stuff and leaving my office.

"Julia, I have an emergency and I need to leave. Please tell Mr. Kerrington I apologize for leaving at such a short notice," I informed her.

"Um... Okay and Ella, if there's anything else I can help with, let me know" She replied with sympathy.

I nodded, leaving before she could notice the fresh tears that had started to fall again.

The drive to the hospital had felt like the longest drive of my life. It was a cliché thing to say but it did feel that way. I always caught the traffic light on red when all I wanted was for them to be green so I could there as soon as possible. I didn't know want I was going to be told when I arrived but no matter how severe his injuries could be, he couldn't leave me. He has to be okay. He has to be okay. He has to be okay was the mantra I repeated over and over again. The more I tried to convince myself that he had to be okay, the more that void of pain in my heart started to grow. I was in denial about possibly losing him. Grace hadn't told me how bad he was only that it wasn't good but I couldn't help but think the worse about his accident. The ambulance arriving to the scene of the accident and paramedics taking out Max's lifeless body out of his damaged vehicle. Just picturing that image, nearly sent me into a panic attack.

I arrived to the hospital and parked on the first parking space I spotted. I power walked my way in and instantly spotted Grace and Patrick seating in the waiting room. My drive to the hospital was full of tears but as soon as I entered the building, I became numb. It was my way of not having to admit and accept what really was happening. I hugged Max's parents and sat next to them.

"Have you heard anything about him since you last called me?" I asked Grace.

She shook her head against Patrick's shoulder as she leaned into it.

"We only know doctors have been with him since he arrived about forty five minutes ago" Patrick explained.

As minutes went by and we waited, I called Mum and filled her in on what was going on. She offered to help (more than she already was) but I politely declined, knowing she was most likely going to babysitting Mia for the rest of the day. After one hour, a doctor emerged and walked into the waiting room. This time, I begged to God that this was the doctor that had attended Max. Countless doctors had walked into the waiting room but none of them had worked on Max. While we waited, I started to tap my foot against the floor in an anxious manner. It served as a distraction and a way of keeping myself seated instead of pacing.

As I saw the doctor approach us, I murmured a silent thank you. The misery finally over. I hoped, prayed, begged he told us good news. I didn't know if I would be able to handle anything less than that.

"Are you Max Wilde's family?" The doctor questioned as we stood up from our seats.

Patrick nodded as he held Grace against him.

"I'm Dr. Samuels, I attended Mr. Wilde" He said, extending his hand. We shook it and waited for him to continue. I could feel the tears started to well in my eyes - for the first since I arrived at the hospital - as I waited for him to speak, "He has several bruised ribs, a few cuts and scrapes and a severe concussion caused by the impact he received. Nevertheless, his vitals and brain activity are stable and normal so we expect him to have a full recovery. I do have to say he was lucky, considering the severity of his accident. He has been moved to a room to be able to rest and recover peacefully. Mr. Wilde might not come around for a while but you may visit him for a few minutes, if you wish" He finished, offering of emphatic smile.