9.
Much later, Tammy awoke, cold and confused as to what she was doing on the couch. Remembering what had happened, she glanced at the clock and frowned; it was almost morning and Terry should have returned by now. Stretching, she padded into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea and it was as she was waiting for the kettle to boil that she heard the phone ring. She ran into the living room to answer it, hoping it was Terry but that he had not been delayed again.
"Hello?" she asked expectantly, "Terry?"
However, she did not recognise the voice and the question which was posed to her instantly made warning bells ring in her head.
"Yes, I know Terry Gerin - he's my boyfriend." she said anxiously, "Who is this?..... Yes, I'm Tammy. How do you know my name? ..... Hospital?" Tammy gasped and a shaky hand pressed to her stomach, "An accident! Oh my God, is he okay? .....Oh please, God, don't let anything happen to him ..... I'm on my way."
Blinded by tears, Tammy didn't give them a chance to fall but dashed the back of her hand across her eyes and frantically tried to gather her wits.
"Car keys," she thought automatically, rumaging haphazardly around various places she thought they might be. Considering the state she was in, it was a miracle that she found the keys, but eventually she did and, within minutes, she was running out of the house and jumping into her car. Paying no heed to the warnings she herself had given to Terry, she broke just about every traffic law created and, luckily for her, arrived at the hospital in record time and in one piece.
Oblivious to the storm howling around her, Tammy ran through the carpark and into the hospital, shaking her damp hair, which had fallen from its ponytail, back from her face. She made her way to the reception area and before she could speak, the receptionist took one look at her pale face and flushed cheeks and hurried from the desk.
"Do you need a doctor, Miss?" she questioned anxiously, "Maybe you should sit down?"
"No, no," explained Tammy quickly, "It's not me - I'm looking for my boyfriend, Terry Gerin. Someone rang me and told me that he had been in a car accident and was brought here."
"I'll just check for you."
The receptionist returned to her position in front of a computer screen and after a brief pause, looked up at Tammy with sudden sympathy.
"I'll just go get a doctor to speak to you." she said, avoiding eye contact.
"Can't I see Terry?" begged Tammy, "Where is he?"
"I'm afraid not. Please, just hold on and the doctor will be here in a minute."
Although it seemed like a long time to Tammy, the receptionist was as good as her word and soon a womn in a long white doctor's coat approached her.
"You must be Tammy." she smiled gravely.
"That's right. Please, can you tell me how Terry is?"
"Perhaps we should go to my office." suggested the doctor, "If you follow me, we can have a little chat about your boyfriend's condition."
Icy fingers of dread clutched at Tammy's heart as she silently followed the doctor, knowing that it must be serious. In a daze, she took the seat which was offered to her and sat ridgidly, staring straight ahead. There was a pause and then she felt a hand placed on her shoulder, making her start and look up. The doctor was handing her something which it took her a moment to recognise - it was Terry's leather jacket. Tears filled her eyes at the sight of it and she took it, holding it close to her and inhaling the familiar, comforting scent of Terry's aftershave mingling with the smell of the leather.
"I thought you might like to hold onto that for safe keeping." said the doctor. "Now, when he was brought here, Terry was shifting in and out of consciousness; we caught your name, but after that he remained unconscious until he was taken up to surgery ....."
"Surgery!" cut in Tammy, looking stricken.
"I'm afraid so." confirmed the doctor, "Terry sustained some very serious internal injuries and ..... I'm going to be perfectly honest with you here - he was lucky to survive the surgery as there were unforseen complications."
Tammy tightened her grip on his jacket and bit her lip, frantically trying to blink back tears and only succeeding briefly.
"B-But he did, right? So now he'll be okay?" she tried, her voice taking on a pleading tone as she desperately searched for confirmation, tears running down her cheeks.
"We'll have to wait and see." the doctor said apologetically, "I wish I could give you a definite answer - a positive one - but I can't. We have to hope for the best, but I have to tell you he's in a critical condition and the next twenty-four hours will be a real test ....."
"Oh, God." whispered Tammy, "Oh, God, this can't be happening - not to Terry."
"I'm so sorry, this must be an awful shock." said the doctor, handing her a box of tissues, "But I assure you, we are doing everything we can."
"Is he awake now?" she asked, trying to hold back a sob.
"He is conscious," said the doctor carefully, "And you can see him, but don't expect too much - he's recovering from surgery and in a lot of pain."
"I want to see him." she said determinedly, drying her eyes with her crumpled tissue and standing up.
"Of course." nodded the doctor.
*****