The physician took out his light pen and shined it in her eyes. “Ms. Hinsdale, how are you feeling?”
Braylee squinted as she put her hands up to block out the brightness of the light then managed to croak out, “Where’s Nate?” Speaking was difficult because her throat was raw and ached terribly, but she had to know.
Her doctor answered, “We’ll get to all of that. In the meantime, I just need to make sure you’re okay.” He continued to examine her eyes carefully. “You took a pretty nasty hit to the head and inhaled a lot of smoke. Can you follow my finger?”
Frustrated, Braylee whispered, “I’m fine.”
The physician lifted his index finger and slowly panned it from side to side. “Then show me and follow my fingers.”
Stephanie was relieved that Braylee had finally woken up but irritated that she didn’t want to listen to the doctor. She had no idea how worried they all had been. Braylee was always so tough and as long as she could remember had been the rock of their crazy family. For the first time, Braylee looked vulnerable—hurt, and it terrified her. It was that fear that made her sound more angry than concerned when she spoke. “Braylee for once in your life can you listen to somebody? My goodness, the man is a doctor. He’s trying to help you.”
Braylee made the calculated decision that she wasn’t going to get any answers until the doctor finished checking her out. Therefore, instead of trying to convince everyone she was fine, Braylee thought it was best just to get the exam over. Silently, she listened to the instructions of the doctor and followed his fingers. He performed a few other motor skills tests. After he was finished, he put his pen back into the pocket of his lab coat. “Okay. Ms. Hinsdale, all of your x-rays came back normal, but you do have a severe concussion. Because of the amount of smoke you inhaled, we’re going to keep you, at the very minimum, overnight for observation.”
She nodded. “Is that necessary? I said I'm all right.”
“No. What you are is lucky. If there had not been a physician on the scene, who was able to administer first aid immediately, we could be looking at a different set of circumstances. ” He then regarded everyone in the room going from person to person. “I’ve got a couple more patients to check in on. But, if any of you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I’m the physician on staff tonight.” After getting nods of understanding, he smiled and walked out of the room.
Braylee directed her bloodshot and somber eyes to Alex, then whispered, “I just want to know if Nate is okay. Can someone please tell me that?” When their eyes connected, it was hard to breathe and not just because her chest hurt like hell. His sorrowful expression confirmed what no one in the room was willing to say.
He stood with his arms folded across his chest. After taking a deep breath, she finally heard his voice. “I need to speak with Braylee alone.”
Stephanie and Cecily looked at one another before returning their gazes to Braylee. Stephanie was glad Alex was there because she didn’t want to have to deliver the bad news. “Okay. I need to call Mama and Daddy, but I’ll be right down the hall in the waiting room if you need me, Braylee.”
A wide-eyed and scared Cecily nodded. “Can I come back later?”
Alex answered. “If Braylee’s up to it. In the meantime, sit tight with Stephanie, Fabi, and Lisa in the waiting room.”
Reluctantly, Cecily agreed to leave. Before following Stephanie out of the door, she spoke to Braylee. “I’m glad you’re awake.”
Braylee did her best to give Cecily a reassuring smile. She wasn’t sure how successful she’d been because her heart was shattered into a million and one pieces.
Alex followed Cecily and Stephanie to the door and closed it after they left. His hand still rested on the doorknob as he hung his head low.
*****
Initially, Cecily and Stephanie walked down the hall towards the waiting room in silence. Cecily spoke first. “I’m glad Braylee is going to be okay.” She paused her voice full of anguish. “I met Nate a couple of times. He seemed nice.”
“I won’t lie; I was a little nervous about Braylee at first until I remembered my sister is a fighter. She wouldn’t give up that easily. And, Nate.” Stephanie sighed. “He was a very nice guy. He’s been a very important constant in my sister’s life for a long time.” Stephanie wasn’t sure if it was the slouched shoulders or the tone in her voice, but it made her examine Cecily carefully. Sadness was written all over her. Then she remembered, not that long ago, she lost her father.
Cecily nibbled on the corner of her bottom lip. “I lost my dad earlier this year. Braylee and I are becoming awfully close. I couldn’t imagine if something….” She couldn’t even finish her sentence.
They were about to enter the waiting room, but Stephanie stopped Cecily. She put her hands on each of her shoulders. She stared into her eyes. “I’m so sorry you lost your dad. That’s got to be awful.”
Those beautiful eyes welled up with unshed tears. With all the confidence Stephanie could muster, she attempted to transfer some of it into Cecily. “Braylee is going to be fine. Just remember your family is here for you and so am I, if you need us for anything.”
Unsuccessfully trying to blink back her tears, they managed to overflow
