Page 10 of Not Even A Mouse
Hold it together
Andy
“Do something,” Andy yelled at the nurse standing beside the reception desk at the ER. Talya stirred in his arms, no doubt reacting to the sheer volume of his voice. He and Roger had always joked about who would have to be the bad cop when she gotolder,because both men were normally quietly spoken. Right now, however, the last thing he caredabout was minding his manners. He was terrified. “She’s bleeding so much!” She was, too. The entire front of her nightgown was coated in a broad swath of red, freshened every time Talya vomited again. That had been the most terrifying moment in thecar,when she’d thrown up a second time, the bowl she held falling away as her throat convulsed painfully and he’d realized that more blood had tobe pouring down the back of her throat than had leaked from her nose and mouth. “She just had her tonsils taken out.”
The nurse finally jarred into motion. It felt as though it had taken hours for her to catch up, but when she did, it was with lightning fast reactions. She slapped a button on the desk and started yelling code words, initiating a milling buzz of activity in moments. A man in scrubsgently examined Talya in Andy’s arms, ignoring the hiccupping cries to “stay with Papa” that tore at Andy’s heart. An Australian accent did nothing to soften the urgency of his instructions, “She needs to be upstairs, STAT.”
Andy stared at him, murmuring to Talya, “It’ll be okay honey. Papa’s right here. You’re gonna be all right.”Please God, let me be right.
A male nurse directed them up thehallway and to an elevator behind secure doors, moving at a fast clip as he swiped open the doors, Andy hot on his heels. He heard the overhead speakers paging her doctor’s name, followed by another code. Andy crammed into the elevator, watching Talya’s face. She seemed to grow paler by the second, and he felt his heart stop in his chest as her tiny head toppled sideways,landing againsthis shoulderwith a thud Andy felt down to his soul. “What’s happening?”Please God, make her be okay.
“She’s lost a lot of blood.” The nurse stated the obvious, and through his fear, Andy recognized a return of the fury that’d had him howling down in reception. The man seemed to sense the change in the atmosphere in the tiny space they shared because he angled a glance over his shoulder, pinning Andy witha look. “We’re going to take good care of your little girl, Mr. Kasmouski. As if she were our own. We’ll do everything she needs. You need to hold it together.” The elevator dinged, and just as the doors opened, he spoke firmly, offering sage advice that told Andy just how desperate Talya’s condition might be, comforting words aside. “If you have a partner or good friend, call them. Get yourselfsome support and getyourself intoa place in your head where you can be the best you can be for this little girl.” The dooropenedand the nurse strode out, put his back to a set of doors as he yelled, “Open the suite.” He lifted his arms in a silent demand and Andy placed his daughter—his heart—into the man’s hands. The doors swung open behindhim,and Andy stared at Talya, her beautiful facehidden behind her hair as the nurse moved through, turned, and was gone.
Another nurse was there, hand on Andy’s arm, gently directing him towards anopen door tothe side. Once in the surgical waiting room, with her promises of providing regular updates still ringing in his ears, Andy did as the male nurse suggested and placed a call. It went straight tovoice mailand when he looked at thechat icon saw it was on Do Not Disturb. Andy chewed his lip for another moment then pulled out a card Brute had given him, a single number listed underneath the skull logo he’d seen on the back of so many leather vests and jackets.
“CH, whatcha need?” The rough voice answering the phone wasn’t one he recognized, and Andy stumbled a moment, searching for words. “Yo, ain’t got all day. Got a need?Spit ‘er out.”
Voice shaking so he scarcely recognized it himself, Andy asked, “Myron. Is Myron available?”
