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I allow him to lead me. My brain floods with an excess of thoughts, possibilities, and what-ifs. The journey over has taken too long. Rush hour in the city is not the time when you need to get somewhere. Not when someone you care about is in trouble.
We burst through the doors to the A&E department, heading to the reception desk, where an orderly queue is formed. I press forward, but Caleb holds me back.
“That’s not how it works. You know that,” he says.
“I don’t give a fuck,” I hiss, only to have the woman in front of me turn and glare.
“Sorry, he’s stressed. His pregnant fiancée has just been brought in,” Caleb says, holding up a placating hand.
“Oh heavens. Please go ahead of me. I hope everything’s all right.”
I leave Caleb and his charm, moving towards the desk.
“Leah Walker?” I say. “She was brought in by ambulance.”
The lady behind the counter smiles and taps on her keyboard.
“Here we go, yes, Leah Walker. Who are you?”
“He’s her fiancé and the father of her unborn child,” my brother chirps up, reappearing at my side. The woman he was talking to is now being seen by one of the nurses. A smile a mile wide on her face. Trust Caleb.
Fiancé? I look at my brother but choose not to contradict him. If I have my way, that’s precisely what I’ll be, if Leah pulls through this and will have me. This past half an hour is not one I want to repeat. If it’s shown me anything. I can’t lose her, I won’t.
“I’ll get someone to come and take you through. Please give me your name and take a seat.”
“Gabriel Frazer.”
The nurse shoots the pair of us another wider smile. “Of course, Mr Frazer.”
I turn and look at the overcrowded waiting room and grimace. The room is full of people with varying degrees of illness or injury. One man is sitting pressing a towel to his head, dried blood smeared down his face. Another is clutching his arm to his chest. That’s naming only two. The room is packed with people waiting to be seen.
The seal on the inside door whooshes, and a male in scrubs comes through. He walks up to Caleb and me. “Are you Mr Frazer?” he says to Caleb.
“That’s me,” I say, finally finding my voice.
The guy smiles warmly. “I’m Dr Hanson. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll take you through to Ms Walker. Her friend Stella told us you were on your way.”
Caleb and I follow him through the doors.
“How is she?” I ask.
“Leah’s fine. She received a nasty bang to the head and lost consciousness for a few moments. She is currently having a CT scan to check if there’s any damage, but initial tests show this is precautionary. It looks like she might have sprained her ankle in the fall. We’re sending her down for an x-ray to be sure. Unfortunately, the cyclist who hit her was travelling at speed.”
“What about the baby?”
Dr Hanson turns and smiles. “Baby appears to be unharmed. Tests have shown a strong heartbeat. I would, however, suggest Ms Walker take it easy for the next week. Baby is still very young.”
“She won’t be moving off the sofa, you have our word.” Caleb chirps up, making me smile. The doctor looks between us and smiles back.
We’re led into a side room. Stella sits in a chair, her eyes red from crying. She jumps up when she sees us, throwing herself into my arms, her tears restarting.
My arms instinctively wrap around her. She’s Leah’s best friend, the dynamo who stood up for the woman I’m very much in love with.
“Sorry,” she says when she finally pulls away. “When they called... and then...” She chokes on her words.
I lead her back to her seat and sit her down. Caleb grabs a plastic cup of water and crouches down in front of her.
“Here,” he says, wrapping her hands around the cup. “Drink.”
