The Polaroid Girls

Chapter 14

A/N: Hello, my lovelies and happy Coffee Day! (Caught you off guard there, didn't I? c;)

Did you know September 29th, 2020 is National Coffee Day? Check out your favorite coffee places large and small and get--that--free--coffee! :D (Here is a link to some places that are offering special deals to its customers today: https://www.wral.com/free-coffee-for-national-coffee-day-2020-on-sept-29/19299965/)

Question of the week: What is your favorite animated movie? Could be Disney, Pixar, Studio Ghibli, or any other kind of independent studio/artist. My all time favorite is Spirited Away because it's artistically beautiful, the characters are memorable, the storyline is interesting and unique, and boii, it's made the one and only Miyazaki so that's all I have to say. Check it out and let me know your favorites!

This week I've posted a long chapter. So I hope you enjoy the lengthy reading and please don't forget to vote, comment, and follow! Thank you so much for your continued support and I hope the rest of your week is splendid! (っ◔◡◔)っ

Royce's shoes clicked on the tile floor in a steady rhythm and the older woman sitting across from him kept giving him irritated glances, but he couldn't stop the motion.

After arriving at the county hospital twenty minutes out of Windsor, the EMT's rushed Laina inside on the stretcher to meet a group of doctors. They transferred her onto another rolling bed and Royce followed as the doctors rolled her into an examination room. He had asked a million questions and avoided doctors coming in and out of the room, but at some point, a nurse stepped in and pulled him out. She said they had to run a series of tests on Laina and do an ultrasound to check on her baby. As she guided him to the waiting room, she told him it wouldn't be long and that it was just easier for everyone if he gave the doctors room to work. So she had dropped him off at a chair in the carpeted and wallpapered room that reeked of cleaning solution, and promised him she'd let him know when the tests were done.

He glanced at his watch for the sixth time. It had only been an hour and a half, but it felt like he'd been sitting there for days. He pushed himself up from the chair, stretching his legs and his back as he ignored the glares from the woman across from him. He walked over to the vending machine at the side of the room and popped in a few quarters for a pack of peanut butter crackers in the top row. He munched on one as he peered at the state news playing on the large flat screen TV in the corner of the room. Natalie's story had stopped playing on the state news channel weeks ago, replaced by stories of highschoolers' homecoming dances around the state, a murder by a homeless man in Atlanta, and daily blips on their new cooking segment that boasted easy-to-make family meals that tasted gourmet.

He swallowed another cracker and shook his head as he made his way back to his chair. Since when had making homemade stroganoff become more pressing than the case of a missing nine year old girl? He sighed, collapsing back into his chair, the cushion still flat from before. The foot tapping resumed and after another ten minutes, the old woman across from him finally got called by a nurse and she gave him one more long look before disappearing behind the swinging doors to the back area. He watched the doors shimmer back and forth until they finally settled in place.

Laina, he thought, please be okay.

After finishing up his crackers and chucking the wrapper in the trashcan nearby, he was making his way back to his chair again when the nurse who had guided him out before pushed through the swinging doors. She caught his eyes and waved him over before leading him into the back.

"The doctor just finished up the final test and gave her a pain medication that should make her a little more comfortable and help her sleep. She's been going in and out of consciousness, but she's awake now if you'd like to see her."