"You cannot be serious," Brian muttered, scanning the parking lot at Bayview Memorial Hospital. "Three hundred spaces and not one of them free."
In the seat beside him, Alex turned to look at Hannah. She had been silent the entire way across town, sitting straight in her seat, her eyes glazed as she chewed her bottom lip. Turning back to Brian, he spoke quietly.
"Let us out at the door. We'll meet you inside."
Brian nodded and pulled the wheel to the left.
"Keep your head down in there," he replied. "We don't need this on the net."
"Rok, it's a hospital. Nobody's expecting us."
Brian signalled and pulled into an ambulance bay, keeping the engine running. Without a word, Hannah unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed the door open.
"Keep your head down and stick close to her," Brian said quietly. "I might have to park on the street."
"Rok," Alex repeated, opening his door. "Stop stressing. Just go park the car, okay?"
Closing the door behind him, he lay a hand on Hannah's back.
"It's this way," he said, gently guiding her towards the entrance.
Brian watched them disappear around the corner before putting the car in reverse and heading for the exit.
Hannah looked around the crowded ER and tried to breathe evenly. Everywhere she looked she saw the sick and injured but Nick was nowhere to be found.
"I'll see if I can find out what's going on," Alex said, moving towards the reception desk where a nurse sat looking over paperwork. In a daze, Hannah followed a few steps behind him.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a buddy of mine," Alex began. "He was in some sort of accident. We don't really know what's going on."
"What's your friend's name?" the nurse asked.
"Nick. Nick Carter."
Hannah set her purse down on the counter, clutching the strap tightly and Alex looked sideways at her. Her bottom lip was bloodied and she passed her tongue over it absentmindedly.
"You want a tissue?" Alex asked.
Hannah shook her head, staring at the nurse as she entered Nick's name into the computer.
"Ok, a Nickolas Carter was brought in twenty minutes ago," the nurse replied. "If you take a seat, I'll see if I can find a doctor to talk to you."
"Can't you tell us what's going on?" Hannah asked but the nurse shook her head.
"I only know he's here," she replied. "I'm sorry."
"Come on, let's sit down," Alex said, leading Hannah towards the only empty seat. "The doctor won't be long."
Hannah sank into the chair and Alex leaned back against the wall, fixing his gaze on the clock across the room. With each passing minute he was more aware of Hannah's restless movements.
"Hannah? Can I get you anything?"
Hannah shook her head.
"You don't want a coffee? Water?"
"No."
Alex arched an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry," Hannah said as she got to her feet. "I just really want to know what the hell is going on. Why can't somebody tell us something?"
Alex watched her move towards the front desk, wordlessly passing Brian on her way.
"We're waiting for a doctor," Alex explained to his friend. "She's starting to get ticked off."
"Can you blame her?" Brian asked. "Hey, have you called Howie or Kev?"
"No, but..." Alex began, catching sight of a tall man in surgical scrubs approaching the desk. "Hold up... This could be us."
Together they crossed the room and joined Hannah who was staring intently at the doctor.
"What's going on?" Alex asked.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" the doctor asked.
"We're friends of Nick's," Brian replied. "Where is he? Can we see him?"
The doctor looked from Hannah to Brian and Alex and back again.
"Nobody's told you anything?" he asked. Met with blank stares, he shot a sidelong glance at the nurse behind the desk. "Your friend was involved in a motor vehicle accident on Keystone Drive. Mr Carter's car collided head-on with a semi-trailer."
"Oh, God..." Hannah breathed.
"A semi?" Alex asked incredulously. "Is he okay?"
The doctor shifted his weight and looked around the room.
"I understand Mr Carter has quite a high public profile," he replied. "If you'd like, we can go somewhere private..."
"Could you please just tell me what's going on?" Hannah asked.
Alex put his hand on her shoulder.
"Sure... Okay..." the doctor replied. "The force of the collision pushed the steering column back into the car and your friend was pinned to his seat. He had some internal bleeding which we were able to stop and we're sending him for MRI and CT scans. It looks as though he has some neck and spinal injuries."
"Oh, God..." Hannah repeated.
"The good news is he's conscious," the doctor continued. "He doesn't have much to say but it doesn't look like he has any head injuries."
Brian looked sideways at Alex, pale faced, his hand still on Hannah's shoulder.
"So, we can see him?"
The doctor looked them over.
“Are any of you family?”
Brian and Alex shook their heads.
“I’m his... his...” Hannah began.
“His partner,” Alex finished for her, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Hannah is his partner.”
The doctor looked at Hannah and nodded.
“Okay. You can have a minute with him now but only a minute,” he replied. “If you’d like someone to go with you...”
Hannah looked from Alex to Brian.
“It’s okay,” Brian conceded. “I need to call some people. You guys go.”
Alex and Hannah followed the doctor through a set of swinging doors and Brian pulled his mobile from his pocket. Walking towards the exit, he dialled his cousin’s number.
“Kev? It’s me...”
I Still... by kebin
