* * *
Turning left down the hallway, Rob headed for the nurses’ station. In the hall, he was surprised to see the nurse, Eleanor, from the emergency room downstairs. He caught her sleeve as she walked by, and she stopped, looking irritated but determined to be patient.
“Yes?” she said. Her whole body was rigid, as if she were going to stalk away at any second. Her eyes darted up and down the hallway, as if she were afraid of being caught off-task.
“Hi, my daughter is the one who was admitted for stomach cramps. Can you tell me what is going on with her case?”
At this, Eleanor seemed to appraise him more thoroughly. “Yes, I know who you are talking about. Has no one come in to talk to you?”
Rob shook his head. “Not since we’ve been upstairs. Dr. Sparling said they’re bringing in a specialist?”
“Well they’re probably just waiting for him to get here then,” Eleanor returned dismissively. She started to walk away, but Rob cut her off.
“Hey, come on. Nurses always know the scuttlebutt. Off the record, what can you tell me?”
For a moment, Eleanor looked like she would rebuff him again. Her eyes searched his concerned face, and she seemed to make a decision about him. Then, she leaned in and said, “I need a few minutes alone with your daughter. I can’t risk talking in front of anyone else. Can you arrange that for me?”
Startled, Rob blurted, “What’s wrong with her?”
Eleanor rolled her eyes and then looked meaningfully down the hall at the nurses’ station. One of the nurses was coming toward them. In a normal tone of voice, Eleanor said, “I’m sorry, sir. I am a triage nurse, so this isn’t my area. I can’t really tell you more about your daughter’s specific case, but if you’d like, I can send your nurse in to check on you.”
The other nurse was passing them now. Rob said, “No, that’s all right. I guess we’ll keep waiting.”
Once the other nurse was out of earshot, Eleanor muttered, “I’ll be back in half an hour,” and then continued down the hall.
Stunned, Rob turned and shuffled back into Meredith’s room where the others were waiting. He wasn’t sure what he would tell them, as he hadn’t really processed the exchange himself. As he entered, they all looked up expectantly.
“I couldn’t find anyone,” Rob lied, sinking down into the chair he had vacated only a few minutes before. His mind was working furiously over Eleanor’s request to see Meredith alone. What was going on with Meredith? Rob had never before found himself in a position where he questioned whether to trust a health care provider, and here she was asking him to trust her alone above the hospital at large.
He considered what Vi had told them while Meredith was asleep--that it seemed like Dr. Sparling was keeping something from them. Was Dr. Sparling just trying to keep them from worrying overly about Meredith’s condition? Or was she hiding something bigger? Furthermore, if Eleanor were some sort of rogue nurse, it seemed unlikely that she would arbitrarily choose to harm Meredith out of all the patients in the hospital.
Something important had to be happening with Meredith specifically; it seemed like the only thing that made sense. On the other hand, there could be good reasons why the doctors weren’t being more forthcoming. Perhaps the doctors didn’t want to give them misinformation and preferred to wait until they were sure of her diagnosis. He felt trapped in indecision. Should he trust one nurse over the team of doctors who were supposed to care for his baby girl?
“Dad!” Meredith’s voice cut through Rob’s train of thought.
He looked up at her. “What?”
Meredith laughed. “I can smell your brain burning. What’s up?”
“She’s had to say your name three times,” Amelia added, looking at him with a curious expression.
For a moment, Rob was at a loss for what to say. He wasn’t ready to confide in them about Eleanor. Suddenly, something occurred to him. “I was just wondering who the celebrity patient is. I’m going to go down and ask one of the reporters.”
“Ooh I hope it’s someone good,” Vi said, clearly hoping for some delicious gossip.
Rob smiled and left the room again, this time turning right down the hallway. He found the stairs and jogged down them, anxious to discover whether his supposition was correct. Downstairs, he strode purposefully down a long hallway to the front lobby, where the reporters had been camped earlier.
He passed a nurses’ station and through a pair of heavy double doors, which clanked loudly shut behind him. In the lobby, a few different news teams were lounging around with bored expressions.
Rob rolled his shoulders back and casually walked over to a cameraman who was leaning against a wall with his camera between his feet. “Hey,” Rob said with what he hoped was a friendly smile.
The cameraman gave him a polite nod and went back to picking at a hangnail.
Rob tried again. “Waiting around is the worst, isn’t it?”
The cameraman looked up again, confused. “Do I know you?” he asked.
Rob chuckled nervously. “No, no. I’m just making small talk.”
“Oh.”
Rob decided to just go for it. “How come there are news crews here? Celebrity overdose?” He laughed to show that he was a good-times sort of guy, to say, Hey, you can tell me, we’re buddies!
The cameraman leaned away slightly, understanding that Rob was there to press him for information. With a resigned sigh, he said, “We got a tip that there is a woman here with an unprecedented medical condition.”
Rob’s eyebrows knit together. “What is it?”
With an irritated eye roll, the cameraman said, “Do I look like a doctor?”
Noticing their exchange, a handsome reporter standing nearby turned and introduced himself as Nate Dowering, asking, “So are you here visiting a family member?”
Rob could have smiled. The reporter wanted to know if Rob was connected to their story. He decided to play along. “Yes, my daughter is here.”
Nate Dowering was smooth, but Rob detected a glint in his ambitious young eyes. Nate said, “Oh, that must be so worrisome.”
Rob nodded somberly. Then, “So why are you news guys all here? She’d love to hear if a celebrity is here with her.”
The reporter was all affability. “Well, for all we know, the celebrity could be your daughter!” He chuckled, maintaining eye contact and watching Ron’s face closely. “We heard there’s a girl here who has grown a completely new organ that beats almost like a second heart.”
Rob forced his face to remain impassive. “That’s not my girl,” he said. “Mine’s here for pneumonia.”
Disappointed, Nate was still persistent. “Oh, well if you hear anything at the nurse’s station, make sure you tell me.”
They both laughed together, the best of friends, and Rob walked away. He kept his gait deliberately casual, though he wanted to race all the way back to Meredith’s room. With such precious information that had been kept from them, Rob was convinced that they should trust Eleanor. He glanced at his wristwatch. He still had ten minutes before Eleanor would be back to talk to Meredith. Plenty of time.
He walked back to the double doors and pulled. They were locked. He looked around and saw a call button on the wall. He pressed it, feeling impatient but hiding it from Nate Dowering, who was still keeping an eye on him with some interest.
The doors opened and Rob walked through them, only to be stopped at the nurse’s station. “Hold on, sir.” A security guard stepped toward him with a polite but authoritative manner. She was a tall woman with dark black hair slicked back into a bun at the nape of her neck. “We have a high profile patient here in the hospital, and because the media is here, we can’t let anyone back here who isn’t on the visitors list.”
“Oh, well I am here visiting my daughter. My name is Rob Carpenter.”
“Great. I just need to see your ID.”
Rob reached down automatically to his pocket and found it empty. His heart sank as he realized t
hat he had left both his wallet and cell phone in the pockets of his jacket, which was neatly folded over the back of one of the chairs in Meredith’s room. “I left it in my daughter’s room. Can you just escort me there so I can show you?” He glanced down at his watch. Down to eight minutes.
The security guard shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t leave this station unattended.”
“Okay. Is there a phone I can use to call my wife?” Rob asked impatiently.
“There’s a pay phone out in the lobby.”
“I don’t have my wallet!” Rob cried, exasperated.
The security guard looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry, I can’t let you use this phone. It’s for the doctors and nurses only.”
Frustrated, Rob turned and walked back out to the lobby. His eyes searched the room for someone who might be willing to help him. His gaze came to rest on Nate Dowering, who returned his stare with a small smile. Rob approached him. “Would you believe they won’t let me back there now?”
“That’s too bad,” Nate said with a shake of his head. He ran a hand through his wavy dark blonde hair.
Rob continued, “And I left my cell phone and wallet up there, so I can’t even call my wife to let her know. Do you think I might borrow your cell phone to call her?”
“Sure,” Nate said with a generous smile. He fished down into his pocket and pulled out a sleek, top-of-the-line phone. He turned it on and navigated to the calling screen before handing it to Rob.
Rob dialed his wife’s number and was listening to the second ring when he realized his mistake. He berated himself; now Nate Dowering had Amelia’s number. He would have to convince the reporter that they weren’t worth remembering. Amelia picked up on the third ring, and Rob explained his predicament. His eyes moved to Nate furtively. How could he tell Amelia to hurry without piquing Nate’s interest?
Finally, he said, “You should have Vi come down with you, too. There are some really cool things in the gift shop that I think she’d like.”
Amelia’s laughter came loudly through the phone. “Honey, have you met Vi? A hospital gift shop is the last place she would buy anything!”
“Well, this one’s different. Just bring her. See you soon, okay?” He hung up the phone before Amelia could press him for more information with Nate listening so attentively. He handed the phone back to the reporter, saying, “Thanks so much. I’ll be happy to get back with my family.”
He started to walk away, when Nate asked, “How old is your daughter?”
“Twenty-three,” Rob said. “Thanks again.” He stepped away quickly before he could be asked any more questions, and hoped that no damage had been done.