Page 5 of Playing the Game
They both glance at me. The nurse’s eyes fill with concern. She says something to Melanie and they have a brief discussion.
Mel comes back to me. “He’s still in surgery. The wound on his head was a surface wound like your shoulder. That’s the good news.”
“What’s the bad news?” I wrap my arms around my waist.
“He’s lost a lot of blood and he needs more.” She sitsbeside me and hugs me. “They’re calling around to the different blood banks.”
“I’ll give him mine. Why didn’t they ask me?” I push away to go to the nurse.
Melanie grabs my arm. “What’s your blood type?”
“I’m O positive. Why?”
“He needs O negative. That’s the only blood he can receive.” Her eyes soften. “I’m sorry, Dori. You can’t be a donor. I can’t either, but they’ll find someone who can.”
A fresh wave of hopelessness overcomes me. My heart hollows out as I sense Jamison slipping away. I sink into my chair.
Mel brings my attention to her. “Have you called Hunter?”
I glance her way. “Um…no. He’s not supposed to be back until tomorrow. He wouldn’t know anything about this.”
“Are you sure? If he’s seen the news, he knows.”
“He doesn’t watch TV very often, especially when he’s traveling. His days are packed with meetings and events. There’s no way he would’ve seen it.”
Her wary gaze connects to mine. “Are you going to call him and tell him?”
“I will when I have more information about Jami. That reminds me.”
“About what?”
I grab the bag of Jami’s belongings and dig into it, searching for his phone. “I need to call Chuck. Hopefully, Jami doesn’t have a code to open his phone or I won’t be able to reach him.”
“Everyone has a code on their phone.” She places her hand on mine to stop me. “Do you know Chuck’s last name?”
I freeze. “No. But I know where he lives.”
She nods. “Let’s search for him that?—”
Jami’s phone rings. I reach into the bag and answer it before checking who it is.
“Hello.”
“Who’s this?” a gruff older man asks.
“Chuck, is that you?” I peer toward the operating room doors, dread filling me at the thought of telling Chuck about Jami.
“It is. Who’s this?”
“It’s Dori. I have Jami’s phone.”
“I just saw the news. You were easy to spot with your red hair. Was that Jamison who was with you?” Chuck’s voice catches. “It looked like him, but I needed to make sure.”
I swallow the sludge that’s stuck in my throat. “It was. He’s in surgery. He’s hurt pretty bad, Chuck. He was shot in the back and head.”
Chuck doesn’t say a word for a few beats. “Tell me what hospital he’s in and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“We’re at Health Central near work.” I suck in a breath. “Chuck, will you call Lauren and let her know?”
