Oliver shifted from sitting, to standing, to pacing from his seat to the vending machine every few minutes. The color was still gone from his face and you could see the tension lines. An observant person would also notice the slight tremble to his hands and breathing that was faster than it should be.
When they had arrived, they were told that Shane was in surgery and the ER doctor would be by to talk with them soon. They had already been waiting half an hour. Oliver had questioned the receptionist three times and was told each time he would have to wait.
Norman and Rita sat together holding hands, just as anxious as Oliver, but wanting to comfort him as well. Rita noticed Oliver, though clearly agitated, had not been crying. He must be in shock.
"Um, Oliver," tried Rita, "could we get you a coffee or a Yoo-Hoo or something?"
He paused his pacing and said "No thank you, Rita." in a detached voice.
Rita whispered to Norman, "I wish Joe were here. He would know what to say."
Norman watched Oliver as he leaned toward Rita, "I already called him. Well, I left a message on the machine in his room. Told him what happened and that he needed to come as soon as possible. Oliver needs him."
"Norman, that was very thoughtful. Oh! I should call Shane's mom!" exclaimed Rita.
Just then a doctor with a white coat and a clipboard walked in. He looked young, but professional. "Oliver O'toole?"
Oliver shot to his feet. "Here!" The doctor quickly walked over to where the threesome sat and pulled up a chair. "Hi, I'm Doctor Marks. I was here when Shane McInerney was admitted. You two are engaged, correct? Looks like she had you listed as her number one emergency contact?
Oliver nodded, as did Norman and Rita. "Is she going to be alright?" Oliver blurted, his voice shaking slightly.
"I can tell you what we know so far. Her vehicle was hit from the driver's side. When she arrived, we didn't know the extent of her injuries. She was unconscious and required oxygen. After a quick exam and x-rays, it became clear that one of her lungs was compromised and would have to be surgically repaired immediately. She also has a serious head wound, two broken ribs, a potential problem with the base of her spine, and a broken arm. All of her other vital organs appeared unharmed thus far. We still need to gather information after she comes out of surgery."
Oliver sat there stunned, the color draining from his face once again.
"Mr. O'toole, she is in with one of our best surgeons. Surgery could take up to two more hours, depending on the extent of the problem. We will provide you with more detailed information as we receive it. After surgery, she will be kept in a medicated coma for at least 24 hours for pain management." He placed his hand on Oliver's shoulder, "I know this is hard and a lot to take in. There are no guarantees, but we are going to do all we can to help her. Do you have any immediate questions?"
Oliver swallowed hard and stared, not saying anything.
"Um, is this the best place to wait for news regarding surgery?" asked Norman.
"Actually, there is another waiting room just down the hall to the right, directly across from the chapel. It's just outside the surgery center. Give them this paper at the desk and they will provide you with a pager to let you know updates or when surgery is complete." said Doctor Marks.
Oliver didn't move. Norman took the slip of paper and thanked Dr. Marks.
As they walked toward the waiting room, Oliver walked straight into the chapel instead. The tears had started and he wanted to be alone.
Norman and Rita stood, peering through a crack in the door, with matching concerned expressions.
"What should we do Norman?" whispered Rita. "He's been in there a while. Should we go in too?"
Norman slowly shook his head. "I don't think so. We should be as helpful as possible. Were you able to get a hold of Shane's mom?"
"Yes, she will be on the first available flight tomorrow morning. I'm to call her immediately with any updates." answered Rita.
"Good." said Norman. "I finally heard from Joe. He is on his way, but it's a three hour drive. He wanted updates as well." Norman thought for a moment. "Once Shane is out of surgery, I'll head to Oliver's house and pack some things for him. He's not going to want to leave the hospital."
"That is a great idea, Norman." said Rita with a small smile. Her face suddenly looked afraid. She clutched Norman's arm as tears filled her eyes and she vocalized what everyone had been thinking, "What if...what if Shane doesn't make it?"
Norman was silent. He put his arm around Rita. "I don't know, but we'll help each other. And we will do whatever we can for Oliver."
Rita nodded through tears, "Well, what can we do next?"
Norman suddenly noticed how tired she looked. It was nearly nine o'clock and it had been a long day. "You need to rest and take care of our little one. Let's get a pillow from a nurse and you can rest in the waiting room while we wait for news. And I'll go get us some food."
Rita nodded appreciatively. They glanced once more at Oliver and then walked hand in hand back to the waiting room.
Oliver felt a tap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Norman. He had not been sleeping, but had closed his eyes as he prayed and thought, hoping that when they opened again, this would have only been a bad dream.
"She's out of surgery. The surgeon wants to speak with you." said Norman, quietly.
Oliver stood, "Is she...is…"
Norman nodded his head, understanding. "He just said she was out of surgery and being sent to recovery in the ICU. He wouldn't share more details with us."
Sent to the ICU? That meant she made it through! Oliver quickly walked to the waiting room and found Dr. Marks there, instead of the surgeon.
"Mr. O'toole, hello again. Dr. Sims was called for another emergency and asked me to follow up with you. The repair went much better than expected and her lung is functioning very well already. She's not out of the woods yet, but this is a huge step in the right direction. They are currently running some more tests, but of greatest concern is the seriousness of her concussion and the extent of damage to her lower spine." He glanced down at the chart in his hands, "Looks like they also set her broken bones and stitched her head wound. They are currently running more tests upstairs and then they will get her situated in the ICU. She is to be kept in a medicated coma 24 hours for pain management."
Oliver took a deep breath and exhaled. "When can I see her?"
"There is a waiting room just outside the ICU. When she is in her room and stable, they will come get you. You'll have to show them this wrist band to gain entrance." he said as he handed Oliver the paper band with Shane's name and room number on it. He glanced over at Norman and Rita apologetically. "I'm sorry, but only two visitors at a time while she is in the ICU. If one of you would like to enter as well, they can help you upstairs. I have to go talk to another family now. ICU, third floor."
"Thank you for..." Oliver found himself at a loss for words.
Dr. Marks just smiled and nodded at the group of intent listeners and then he walked away.
"Well, he is very kind," said Rita.
"Oliver, would you like one of us to go in with you?" inquired Norman.
Oliver looked at his two friends, really seeing them for the first time in hours. "You two go home and rest. Shane won't be awake anytime soon. I'll stay with her tonight."
"Are you sure?" said Norman.
Oliver nodded.
Rita looked reluctant to leave, but took a deep breath and announced, "We will be here first thing in the morning! Here." she said, shoving her cell phone into his hands. "I want you to keep this. I changed the password to 1-2-3-4. Norman, your dad, Shane's mom, my dad, and the DLO are all on speed dial. Call us if anything changes. We can be here in 15 minutes."
Oliver half smiled as he took the phone from Rita without a bit of protest. He knew that's what Shane would have done.
They both hugged him with tears in their eyes. Rita said quietly, "Please try and eat something. And tell her hello from us."
Oliver nodded and Norman and Rita walked towards the elevator.
Oliver sat there alone, waiting for word he could go see Shane. He was absentmindedly twisting the band on his wrist, saying Shane's name in his mind as he read the typed letters with each rotation. He felt numb. He couldn't think of anything but his desire to walk towards her room, regardless if he had permission. He needed to distract himself.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out Rita's phone. 11:15 PM. How could it still be Friday? He clicked on an icon, thinking he would call his dad.
He inhaled sharply as tears sprung to his eyes once again. He'd mistakenly opened Rita's photographs. The first one was of Rita and Shane in the DLO, proudly holding up an empty letter bin, making exaggerated excited faces. Another with them from their girls night, donning matching pajamas and face masks. Oliver smiled slightly. There were then a few of Norman and Rita and then he paused scrolling. It was them together. He couldn't even remember where it had been taken. Oliver was standing with his arm around Shane, she was leaning in with her left hand on his chest, perfectly showing off her ring. They were supposed to be smiling at Rita, but they were smiling at each other instead. She'd captured the moment so perfectly.
Oliver stared at the smile on his face, knowing that Shane was the reason for that smile. It wasn't just that he was happy, it was more than that. She really knew him, who he was at his core, and she loved him still. And he knew her. There was no pretending. It was a content smile. An in love smile. He shifted his gaze to Shane's face. She could look at him that way a million times and he would never tire of it.
Oliver's thoughts were interrupted as a nurse approached. "Oliver O'Toole?"
"Yes?" Oliver quickly shoved the phone in his pocket and stood as he spoke.
The nurse smiled warmly, "You may see her now."
