Rainbows after Hurricane

12. |p r e s e n t|

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Zach has been pacing outside the OT, back and forth since the moment the doctors dragged Dianna inside, putting the oxygen mask over her mouth. He is fidgeting with his thumb and forefinger, the trait he'd developed since childhood whenever he was nervous or afraid and this time, he was both; which is even worse.

                    "Will you stop moving now? My head is dizzying." Jason remarks from the chair, near the OT.

                   "Then, stop looking at me." Zach barks, not even bothering to look at him, as he continues to pace back and forth like it would make everything okay.

                  "Hard to do that when you're pacing right in front of me." Jason shoots back without missing a beat.

Zach stops to glare at him, burning holes through his head and opens his mouth to retort when Meredith intervenes, swiftly silencing both of them.

                 "Will you two stop arguing? We're in the hospital, for Christ's sake. We all are worried, ok. Cut each other some slack."

Jason opens his mouth to protests, but shuts it upon registering the thundering look Meredith is directing at him as if daring him to argue with her. Once Jason leans back to the chair, sulking, Meredith goes back to lean against the head of the chair, closing her eyes.

Zach continues on pacing back and forth, thinking of all the times he had spent with Dianna, mentally cursing him for the condition she was in. If he had just thought rationally and waited for few hours, things would have gone differently. Dianna would be home, watching "The Vow" and fawning over Channing Tatum, instead of lying on a cold bed inside an OT with numbers of doctors and nurses poking and probing her body with various torturous equipment.

One weak moment, and look what happened? His sister is struggling with her life. He doesn't even know what's wrong with her and what's the extent of her injury? Is it bad or is it really bad or isn't bad at all? He fucking doesn't know and the doctors aren't so helpful. He can't even blame them; they are all worried about their patients.

Instead of going home to their family, they are in the hospital tending to their patients and taking care of them with new patients adding to their list while the cursed hurricane is bellowing their town. And, that's something Zach appreciates about doctors, wishing if he had even quarter of their sanity, Dianna would never have been in this situation.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighs aloud, the stress of the night weighing down on him. "Zach?" he hears his name. Tilting to the side, he sees Asher standing in front of him. In that moment, the urge to punch Asher and pummel him to the verge of death is bordering in overwhelming. It's all because of him. If it hadn't been Asher, he would have never gotten so mad. He wants nothing more than to stalk off away from him where he won't have to deal with him ever again.

And, as much as the thought is tempting, right now he knows he can't do that. As much as he hates to admit it, he and Asher are stuck together in this predicament which is partially his fault too. With a deep sigh, shoving all the thoughts at the back of his mind, he says, "What?"

                   "Did you tell Lilly about Dianna? She must be worried sick about you two. You should inform her." Asher suggests; his voice calm and collected as if nothing wrong is happening around him. For which Zach detests him even more.