I went to bed around five, but sleep didn’t come. I was anxious and on edge, and my mind wouldn’t stop thinking or even slow down. After tossing and turning for hours, I moved to the couch and found a marathon of Law and Order on TV to keep me occupied while I waited for the paternity lab to send the results. Both JC and I had listed our email as the preferred method of communication, but if I hadn’t heard from the company by five, I planned to call them. They were on the west coast, so that would still give them plenty of time to dig up results if need be.
At noon, Norma called.
“He’s going to be fine,” I said, which was easy because it was true. “They’ll probably release him today or tomorrow.”
“So the wedding can still go on as planned. What a relief!”
Here I got choked up. I wasn’t usually so attached to the pomp and ceremony associated with weddings and the like. It had to be pregnancy hormones.
Glad that she couldn’t see the tears forming in my eyes over the phone, I forced out my response. “Yep. Total relief.”
“Gwen? Are you okay?”
Goddamn Norma could always see through me so easily.
“I’m tired,” I answered honestly. “I’m overwhelmed with the ups and downs over the last week. But I’m okay.”
“That’s natural. I don’t know if this helps or not, but Dad’s lawyer contacted me. He’s back in custody, as you know. They arrested him and three other people from the house he was living in on charges of dealing and possession. Two of them have been charged with statutory rape and assault of a minor. They’re still investigating Dad’s involvement with that. If they find out he had any physical interaction with her, he could see some serious time. Either way, we don’t need to worry about him for quite a while.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Though, honestly, I didn’t really care, not in the way I once had, anyway. My father didn’t have power over me anymore whether he was behind bars or not.
“Me too. Well, you have a big weekend coming up. Get some rest and let me know if there’s anything you need.”
She was just about to hang up when I stopped her. “I love you, Sissy.” I paused, swallowing past the tightness in my voice. “Not just because you’re always taking care of me but because you’re also an amazing person.”
We didn’t often share our feelings, so I worried my declaration would raise red flags. Fortunately, I had near-tragedy as a motivator if I needed to explain.
I didn’t need to. “I love you too, Gwen. Not just because you let me boss you around but also because you’re a pretty swell person yourself. Rest. And eat! I’ll see you Sunday morning.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent refreshing my email and pacing and nibbling on fruit and crackers. It was half-past four when my lids began to feel heavy. I leaned back on the couch and closed them, just for a minute.
When I opened them again, it was 8:10.
I jumped up from the couch, cursing. I needed to leave in the next fifteen minutes to get to the hospital before visiting hours ended at nine. I scrambled for a few minutes, looking for my shoes while I scanned my emails. Nothing from the lab. “Shit, shit, shit!”
A call to the company went to voicemail. It was after five in California, and the message said the company was closed for the weekend.
Panic surged through me, and I had to fight the urge to sob. I tried JC’s cell, hoping he’d gotten the results even though I hadn’t. It rang only once before going to voicemail. Which made sense. His phone was probably dead. I started to look up the hospital number but changed my mind. If his phone was dead then he didn’t have email access. And if I talked to him, he could try to dissuade me from going with him again. My best chance was to just show up. He couldn’t turn me away if I was there in person.
Without wasting another minute, I grabbed the overnight bag and left our condo for what could be the last time. I managed not to dissolve into tears on the elevator ride down to the lobby, but just barely.
Downstairs, Russ, the bodyguard on duty for the night, met me. He hailed us a cab, and soon we were on our way to the hospital.
We made it to the ICU ten minutes before visiting hours were over. Drew had said I’d have clearance to get in after as well, but I wanted to make sure I got there on time so that they didn’t have an excuse to leave without me. At the security desk, I showed my ID and waited for the attendant to buzz open the doors.
But he didn’t. “Our system shows Justin Bruzzo isn’t currently a patient,” he said.
“No. That’s not possible.” I tried not to get worked up. He’d probably only just been discharged, or maybe Drew had arranged for JC’s name not to show up on the computer patient list. “I’m sure he’s back there. Let me in, and I know exactly where to go.”