Mike paced the floor of the waiting room. He hated hospitals so much. Everything about their pale white walls, fluorescent lights and antiseptic smell made him sick, which was sort of ironic. He didn't really know where his dislike stemmed from but had a feeling it had something to do with his parents' death, just like every other psychological issue he seemed to have. He wondered if there would ever come a day when the death of his parents would stop haunting him around every turn in his life. Today was obviously not that day, because not only were past losses haunting him, the fact that the same thing could be happening right now was the most terrifying thing he could think of.
It was almost 2:00 am when Mike got the call. He had been fast asleep when the shrill ringing of his phone woke him up. At that moment he noticed two puzzling things: the fact that it was almost 2:00 am and his phone was ringing and that Rachel was not lying beside him in the bed. When Mike answered the phone he soon found out why. Rachel had been in a goddamn car accident on the way home from the school library. She had been studying late, decided to take a cab and they got hit from the side. Mike was up and out of the apartment so fast he'd forgotten to grab shoes or a jacket, which was really stupid considering it was the middle of March in New York City.
So now there he was, pacing the cold, tile floor in socked feet, waiting and waiting and waiting to hear if his fiancée was even still alive. His heart pounded sporadically in his chest as if it was caught in someone's grip and was desperately trying to squirm its way out. He ran his hand nervously through his hair, trying to keep his mind from spiralling into its darkest thoughts. What if she's not okay? What if he loses her just like he lost his mom, dad and Grammy? He could feel tears brimming in his eyes, and didn't know if he had the strength to hold them back. He was about to crumble and break down right there in the middle of the hospital waiting room if someone didn't-
"Michael?" A woman's voice called from behind him.
Mike whirled around to see Mr And Mrs Zane come bursting into the waiting room.
"Laura. Robert. What are you...?" Mike started a little confused but stopped when his brain came to a realization. His hand flew to his pocket where his phone should have been but wasn't. "Oh my god, I didn't call you! I'm so sorry. I must've forgotten my phone in the rush to get here."
"I don't think that was the only thing you forgot, Sweetie..." Laura said eyeing his socked feet. Mike looked down for a second as if he only just noticed his lack of shoes.
"Yeah... I might have panicked a little when I got the call..." he said, embarrassed.
"Come here!" Laura said, her arms outstretched. Mike awkwardly let himself be pulled into her warm embrace. Speaking of which, Mike hadn't realized how cold he was, being in only a t-shirt, until...
"Michael, you're freezing!" Laura said, pulling away.
"To be honest I couldn't even tell!" Mike laughed half-heartedly. Laura looked at him sympathetically and Mike tried to avert his eyes. He hated when people looked at him like he was some pitiful little puppy, even though sometimes he felt like one.
"Here," came a deep voice. Mike looked up just in time to see Robert Zane taking his jacket off and holding it out in Mike's direction. Mike tried to protest, backing away from the offer but there was no escaping Robert Zane. He slung the jacket over Mike's shoulders and Mike couldn't help but succumb to the comfort and heat the jacket provided. He pulled the jacket tighter around his body.
"Thank-you, Robert," He said quietly. Mike could swear he saw a slight smile on the older man's face.
"Why don't we take a seat?" He motioned to the chairs Mike had been pacing around. Mike nodded gently and Laura put her arm around him and led him to a chair. It was only until he sat down that Mike realized how exhausted he was but also how truly helpless he felt. Mrs Zane must've had that superpower that all Mothers seemed to have because she put her arm around Mike and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.
"She's going to be alright, Michael..." she said soothingly. Mike only had enough energy to nod back.
•••
It had been at least an hour since the couple arrived and four since Rachel had first been admitted to the hospital, and still, the family had no news. They waited, Robert and Laura, holding hands while their future son-in-law slept soundly on Laura's shoulder, still wrapped in Robert's oversized jacket. It had taken him a long time to finally relax and succumb to the exhaustion that was pulling his eyelids closed, but when he finally did Laura didn't want to disturb him in any way. She knew about his past, and how much pain and fear was boiling to the surface the minute she saw him pacing a groove into the hospital floor and she was determined to be there when it all boiled over. Because former fraud or not, this boy was her family and she was not going to let him be alone in any of this. And despite his tough appearance, she knew her husband felt the same way.
The nurse finally came and told them the news. Rachel had just come out of surgery and was heading to recovery. More importantly, she was stable and set to make a complete recovery. They would be able to see her in less than an hour. When the nurse returned to show them to her room Laura shook Mike awake gently.
"Mike? Michael, wake up." His piercing blue eyes blinked open blearily. It took him a few seconds to figure out what was happening and remember where he was. When he did he sat up quickly, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry Laura I-"
"She's okay, Mike" She interrupted.
"What?" Mike replied hopefully.
"She's out of surgery; we can go see her now. She's going to be okay."
Mike sat there stunned for a second. Then he squeezed his eyes closed as if to hold in tears.
"Thank God..." he said shakily.
"C'mon..." Robert prompted him. "Let's go see our girl." Mike nodded, stood up from the chair and the three walked to Rachel's room together.