Letting in Light ✔️ [Completed] [Book two]

Chapter 63

Staring blankly at the clock in the relatives  waiting room, the hands move in slow motion as though time is about to stop altogether. The tick of each passing second echoes in my ears like I can hear the bang of Georgia's gun on repeat.

The door gently opens. I jump up from the uncomfortable plastic chair ready to hear news about Daniel's surgery. My heart plummets when I see a nurse enter the room rather than the surgeon.

"Any news at all?" I grimace when I ask, hearing the desperation in my voice.

She shakes her head sympathetically. "Nothing yet. Daniel is still in surgery, but I promise you will hear as soon as there is any update."

Collapsing back into chair, I feel the adrenaline evaporate from my body. The waiting is killing me. What could be taking so long?

She kneels down beside my chair and grabs hold of my hand. "I've got a doctor waiting to see you to stitch your head wound. Please come with me. It won't heal without stitches, and you need to make sure you're at your best when Daniel wakes up. He's going to need you." She smiles sadly before standing to lead me out of the room. I pull back a little, not wanting to leave in case there is some news about Daniel. "I've already told the surgical team where to find you if you're not in here." She reassures me.

*****

Returning to the relatives room with fresh stitches and a diagnosis of concussion, I resume my endless wait in the same chair. Thankfully, the nurse made me change into blue scrubs, so now my blood soaked dress sits in a plastic bag at my feet.

"She will want to see me!" I hear Sarah exclaim in frustration from the hallway. The door begins to open. "I may as well be family." She comments firmly towards whoever is blocking her way before confidently stepping into the room.

As soon as we make eye contact, my resolve crumbles and I begin to sob uncontrollably. Sarah rushes to the seat next to me, pulling me to her. My chest heaves as I grasp for breath in between my cries. "How's Ben?" I finally mumble into her shoulder.

"They did a CT scan... he has some compound, open skull fractures..." Sarah's voice begins to wobble, but I hear her clear her throat before she continues. "So, he's been taken down for surgery to take the pressure off his brain."

I feel the walls close in on me. "Oh God, Sarah. Has he been awake at all?"

"No." She says simply. "Any news on Daniel?" Sarah asks tentatively.

I shake my head in response, not trusting myself to speak.

"Nothing at all?" She seems surprised after all these hours.

"No, not one word since they rushed him down to theatre... I held his hand until we got to the theatre doors, but they wouldn't let me go through with him. He's in there all alone..." a fresh deluge of tears escapes, but I fiercely wipe at my eyes.

"Hey, hey. Look at me right now..." Sarah orders, and I stare up at her. "That boy is a fighter, just like Ben. They will both be fine. Do you hear me?"

I nod while taking a deep breath. "Yes, they will." I whisper, wishing I could feel her confidence. "They have to be."

"Have you seen Detective Phillips yet?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah, he was in here a couple of hours ago to understand what happened before he spoke to Rhys...." I abruptly stop talking as we hear people arguing loudly in the corridor outside the relatives room.

"Who the fuck is that?" Sarah's tone is clearly irritated as she gets up to take a closer look. She opens the door to see out into the corridor, but whoever is on the other side forcefully opens the door. Sarah stumbles backwards a little before straightening her posture again. "Can I help you?" She asks formally.