Page 73 of Don't Forget Me
The two men stood in a halo of light in the doorway.
“Yes,” Dr. McCoy finally said. “No. I don’t know, Book.”
“Colby.” Booker’s voice was measured, and Elizabeth knew that tone, she knew it like it was her own. He wanted Dr. McCoy to agree with him and thought he knew best. “She can’t handle it. Not in her state.”
“Her friend is dead.” The doctor blew out a breath.
Everything in Liz froze like she hadn’t really woken up, she wasn’t in this reality. She couldn’t be. Every moment she’d spent with Nick raced through her mind. How did Booker and Dr. McCoy know what Nick meant to her? She hadn’t told them.
Tears lodged in her throat, but she didn’t release a sob. It wasn’t real. How was she supposed to live in a world where Nick Jacobs didn’t exist?
A middle-aged woman stopped to talk to Dr. McCoy, her rough voice winding its way into Elizabeth’s room. “How is he tonight, Doc?”
Dr. McCoy turned away from Booker, giving her his full attention. “There’s been no change, I’m afraid. We’re still monitoring him, but I’m beginning to worry his injuries are too severe.”
She put a hand on his arm. “We all are.”
“I’ll come to Mr. Jacob’s room in a moment for a full update.”
The sob Elizabeth had been holding back tumbled out of her, echoing in the empty room. And then another. Nick wasn’t dead. Tears spilled over her cheeks, and she didn’t notice Booker rushing into the room.
“Lizzy.” He brushed hair out of her face. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Dr. McCoy followed him in, flipping on the lights too look at the monitors.
Elizabeth shook her head, unable to get the words out.
Understanding dawned on Booker’s face, but he couldn’t possibly understand. “Someone told you?”
“Told me what?” She sniffled. If Nick was still alive, that meant someone else was gone.
The corners of his lips turned down as he met her gaze, not looking away to deliver whatever bad news he had. She’d always respected that about her friend. His courage.
“It’s Molly.”
Molly? Guilt wound through her. She hadn’t thought of her friend since waking.
“No.” She wiped her face. “No, Book, she was healthy.” Until only a couple weeks ago. “It can’t have happened that fast.”
Only, she knew it could. If they didn’t catch the recurrence early… Booker didn’t say anything because he knew her, knew she wouldn’t believe her own words.
Instead, he sat on the bed beside her and gathered her into his arms, avoiding the IV line and her cast.
Dr. McCoy put one hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Liz. We all loved Molly.” With a sad nod, he left her alone with Booker.
“It’s not fair, Book.” Cancer. It just wasn’t fair. It took and it took, causing so much heartache. The disease didn’t care how much kindness a person had. Death was the one part of life that didn’t distinguish between good and evil.
Molly hadn’t deserved to die. Elizabeth hadn’t deserved to get lost in a coma. Nick didn’t deserve to remain stuck between life and death.
The tears came faster and more furiously as she gripped Booker’s shirt. Their last conversation played in her mind, but she pushed away thoughts of his feelings for her. Right now, she just needed him to be here, to hold her together when the world threatened to tear her apart.
Yet, she couldn’t help thinking it should be Nick, that they should be the ones keeping each other from breaking.
As she wiped her face for like the thousandth time, she realized what she needed to do.
Get stronger.
And find a way into Nick’s room.
