Page 145 of Trapped
“It’s not my fault you two let us do the heavy lifting,” Jay teased right back.
The banter died down as we waited to hear about John, AJ, and Nathan.
“Mr. Sheppard.” A doctor called out.
“Yes,” John’s sons answered as they stood and hurried to the doctor.
A few minutes later, Jack and Jay returned. “He’ll be fine. The knife missed his lungs and other vital organs.” Jack paused as a collective sigh of relief filled our area of the waiting room. “He needed surgery to repair his muscle.” He closed his eyes and took a second. “But he’ll be okay.”
Cate hugged Jay. I hugged Jack.
Thank God. Now we had to wait for news about AJ and Nathan.
After using the phone at the nurse’s station, Jack said, “The girls will be here soon.”
Oh, my God. “What about Gran?” Why hadn’t I thought of her sooner?
“Sammie’s bringing her,” Jack answered.
It was all too much. Too many things to think about. Too many people to worry about. I turned back into Jack’s arms and cried.
“It’s okay.” He rubbed my back. “Everything will be okay.”
Finally, someone cared enough to lie.
“Ashley!” Gran called out as soon as the automatic doors opened.
“Gran.” I jumped up and ran to her. I thanked Sammie over Gran’s shoulder as I hugged her. A fresh wave of tears, this time from relief, flooded my eyes.
Gran pulled back and glanced at my wounds, puffy face, and awkward appearance. She raised her eyebrows, questioning the scrubs.
“My clothes got ruined,” I answered her unspoken question.
“You okay?”
“I will be. But Nathan’s still in surgery, and I’m scared.”
She hugged me again. “He’s a strong boy. He’ll be okay.”
I prayed she was right.
Not long after, Mary, Beth, Meg, Emily, and Blake rushed in.
Beth handed out cell phones while Mary hugged everyone.
When it was my turn, Mary squeezed me tight. “I’m glad you’re home safe.”
“Thank you.” I wiped my tears when I pulled away. So did she.
“Jackson, take me to my husband,” Mary ordered.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissed the top of her head, and led her down the hall.
After hugging me, Emily handed me a bag. “Jamie said you needed clean clothes.”
I snatched the bag, grateful to change out of the scrubs. “Thank you.”
Jamie and Jack were in the waiting room when I came back, feeling refreshed.And grateful Emily and I are about the same size. I sat next to Blake. We weren’t close, but I reached over andheld her hand anyway. I needed the extra support and figured she did too.
