“I’m her friend,” I said in a small voice.
“No relation?”
I shook my head.
“Then I’m afraid you need to leave.”
“I’m the only person she has.”
The doctor led me toward the door. “I can assure you your friend is in good hands. We have a strong relationship with the Wagner Company. We take good care of their employees. I’ll send someone out to update you as soon as possible.”
A second later, I was staring at a closed door, holding Evelyn’s coat. Bryony had gone, and I could ask no one else what to do now.
“Miss?” The nurse at the front desk gestured to an empty chair in the waiting room. “You might as well have a seat. It might be a while.”
I sat. My heart felt empty. I wondered if the shock had not yet worn off. Something hard dug into my leg, and I reached into the pocket of Evelyn’s coat and found her phone. I clicked on her favorites list. My name was at the bottom of the list, after Mom, Dad, her sister Elizabeth, and her brother Max. I pressed the Mom entry and put the phone to my ear.
It rang a few times, and I was sure it would go to voicemail, but Evelyn’s mother answered at last. In a muddled, tired voice, she said, “Evelyn, dear? It’s late. Is everything all right?”
“Actually, this is Jacqueline Frye,” I said, trembling. “I’m not sure if you remember me, Mrs. Gray. Evelyn and I went to secondary school together.”
“Yes, I remember you,” she replied, nice but tense. “Is there a reason you’re calling? Has something happened?”
My lip wobbled, but I did my best to control my tone. “I wanted to let you know that Evelyn is in the hospital. She’s sick. I’m not sure—”
“What’s the matter with her?” Mrs. Gray asked. “Is she going to be all right?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, why was she admitted?”
“She passed out,” I answered. “She was pale and sweating before. The paramedic guessed that it might be an infection, something to do with her surgery site, but they won’t tell me anything else because I’m not family.”
“Her surgery site? What surgery site?”
Confused, I checked the screen to make sure I had the right woman on the phone. “From her shoulder repair. Surely, she must have told you?”
“A shoulder repair? What in God’s name are you talking about?”
“Mrs. Gray, do you know what Evelyn does for work?”
“Of course I do,” she said, somewhat indignantly. “She’s a freelance writer for a political journal. She sends me her pieces every once in a while.”
Not a single part of me believed Evelyn set time aside to write political pieces. Obviously, her mother had no idea what her real job was.
“Hello? Jackie, did I lose you?”
“I’m here,” I said. “You should call the hospital. They’ll be able to give you more information.”
“I’ll do that.”
She hung up before I could say goodbye, but I didn’t take offense. A moment later, the phone at the front desk rang, and the nurse answered.
“One second, Miss Gray,” said the nurse. She checked her papers. “She was admitted roughly ten minutes ago. The doctors are with her now. I can call you with an update as soon as I know something.”
I fell asleep in the waiting room. Hours later, the nurse gently shook me awake. The emergency room had emptied out, and the morning sun trickled in. My neck ached from sitting at the wrong angle all night, and my cheek bore button imprints since I had used Evelyn’s coat as a pillow.
I straightened up and muttered, “Is she okay? Is she alive?”
The nurse smiled. “Yes, she’s okay. You can go in and see her. Visiting hours aren’t supposed to start until nine, but since you’ve been here all night—”
I staggered to my feet and stumbled. The nurse caught me and set me upright. “Take it easy. She’s in room 209. Do you need me to take you there?”
“No, I’ll manage. Thanks.”
As the nurse returned to the desk, I made my way up to the second floor to Evelyn’s room. She lay asleep in bed, her matted hair clumped around her neck. She still looked pale, except for the dark circles beneath her eyes. An IV needle was taped to the inside of her good elbow, delivering medication. Her injured shoulder had been placed in a non-invasive sling but remained uncovered. Her new scars were bright red and covered in greasy ointment.
I rinsed a clean washcloth under warm water and used it to wipe the sweat and grime from her face and neck. Afterward, I rinsed the cloth again and did her arms, legs, and feet. Then I fetched a hairbrush from the nurse’s station and combed through Evelyn’s hair. It was the best I could do while she was asleep. At the very least, she would be slightly more comfortable when she woke up.
I pulled the spare chair close to Evelyn’s bedside, held her hand in mine, and rested my chin on top of her good arm. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “This is my fault.”
The doctor from the emergency room breezed in, startling me. “Hello there. We haven’t formally met. I’m Doctor Eaton. You’re Jacqueline, if I’m not mistaken?”
“Yes.”
“So sorry to have dismissed you last night. I noticed too late that Miss Gray has you listed as her emergency contact.” He turned his clipboard around to show me Evelyn’s paperwork. “She’s given us permission to release her personal information to you. As soon as my perpetually late students shuffle in, we’ll give you an update. Ah, here they are!”
A team of three medical students, including James, hustled into the room, stepping on one another’s toes to reach Doctor Eaton first. James smiled politely at me and waved.
“Are you two acquainted?” Doctor Eaton asked.
“We’ve met before,” I said.
“Then James can present.”
The other students hid their eye rolling as James stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Evelyn Gray, twenty-nine, was admitted early this morning because of complications from an infection at the
