Late Last Night

Chapter 25

Chapter 25::Stay With Me::Sam Smith

            The hospital was still cold and smelt of cleaners. I took my time walking in. I told Lucas to go home. He has already done so much for me. And it was time for me to face it alone.

            The automatic doors closed behind me and the nurse behind the desk looked up at me. She recognized me automatically and waved me over. I walked over hesitantly and put my hands on the desk.

            "Nadya Sterling, right?"

            I nodded.

            "Doctor Carrey will be out to see you in a minute. Wait here." I almost chucked something at her. Waiting. It always comes down to waiting.

            It felt like I was waiting forever. I watched the tile under my feet with disinterest.

            About five minutes later, a man came to stand in front of me his dress shoes gleaming in the fluorescent lighting.  "Ms. Sterling." I looked up at him. He was an aging man who had peppering hair and smile lines going across his cheeks. He wasn't smiling now, though.

            "Will you come with me please?" He motioned behind him. I got up slowly and together we walked past the receptionist. She gave a sad smile, and I knew that it wasn't good news. We continued walking until we reached a private all white room. The doctor paused at the door and motioned me in first then closing the door behind us.

            "My name is Dr. Sparrow." He smiled warily. "I treated both your mother and your brother." I nodded, urging him to get on with it. "Your brother is fine, my dear."  He started to explain that because of his seat belt he suffered minimum damage, just bruising in his ribs and broken leg. Clean break, easy to fix.

            "What about..." I gulped. "My mother?"

He looks down for a second before looking back up into my eyes.

            "I'm so sorry."

            And then I felt my world crumble in ways I've never known possible.

***

            The problem with grief is that there is no real way to approach it. With my father, it was the hardest time of my life, trying to get over the unfairness of it all. In a way, I have already mourned my mother, when she stopped being a mother towards me. But I realized that this was true grief.

            I was an orphan. Max lost his mother.

            And I have no idea what to do.

            The doctor left me in the private room by myself. I guess that's why he took me away from everyone, he knew I'd need to be on my own. But I wasn't on my own for long.

            "Nadya," A familiar voice called. I looked up at Ronnie as he reached arms wide open.  "Oh babe, I'm so sorry." I fell into his arms as he rocked me.

            "How did you know?"

            "Lucas called." He said. "And Tyler is outside." Ronnie was the only one who knew what my mother did to me. Well know Lucas knows.

            "Okay." I took a deep breathe. "He Is here for Max." Without my mother, he would want custody. "Oh, God. He cannot have him. He doesn't know the first thing about Max."   

            "So you will fight him for it." Ronnie said simply. "Do not let him win; you will fight for your brother. And I will help you every step of the way."