Brent: The Heart Reader by Wagner Wynn

Author:Wagner, Wynn
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Mystic Ways Books
Published: 2012-03-25T04:00:00+00:00

I raced to the hospital breaking every speed limit that I could find. It was easy to find a parking spot because they just built a new high rise garage. I’m sure parking would cost a fortune.

I ran up to the information booth.

“Takoda Renville,” I panted, still crying.

The lady behind the desk pecked on the computer keyboard and squinted at her flatscreen display.

“Trauma three,” she said. “Second floor. Elevator is—”

I didn’t wait for directions because I knew where the elevators were. I pressed the UP button. I pressed it again and again and again.

DING came a smooth electronic sound. Finally.

It opened and about fifty thousand people got off, and they took plenty of time about it. When I finally got in, I pressed “2” and was on my way.

The second floor had a waiting room and a big door on the far end.

“I’m here for Takoda Renville,” I told the woman through the glass. “Trauma three.”

“Trauma only lets immediate family,” she said, like she had to repeat the phrase a zillion times a day.

“He’s my fiancé, ma’am,” I said. She squinted. Okay, woman. Just try to give me shit about two guys being fiancés. Make my day, bitch.

“BUZZZ,” said the door.

“Come on in, sir,” the woman said. Sorry, universe. I jumped to a really bad conclusion.

The lobby hadn’t really looked like a hospital. It looked plain and commercial, but it could have been part of any office building. Bad artwork. Stacks of magazines with “DO NOT REMOVE” stickers. There were plastic holders for brochures, touting the benefits of who-knows-what. Everything was icky green, pastel.

What was behind the buzzing door was pure hospital. There was a fat wooden railing along each wall so gurneys wouldn’t mar the walls. Each door had a plastic holder for sheets of paper. There were handwritten notes and signs everywhere. Doors, walls, computer workstations were all plastered with notes. You almost needed a bookmark just to walk down the hallway.

I saw a sign that said Trauma Three. I trotted there, skipping all the notes and signs.

“Takoda Renville?” I said to a nurse sitting at a counter just inside the Trauma Three door.

“Brother?” she asked.

“Fiancé,” I said.

“Danny,” the nurse said, “could you escort him to C?”

It was awful. He was so swollen and broken. There was a nurse working on a tube going into his mouth. Trauma is a step up from Intensive Care. Patients apparently get their own nurse full-time.

I walked up and gently stroked his hand.

“Takoda, love?” I said.

“I don’t think he can hear you, but talking’s good.”

“Takoda, it’s Brent.”

“Brothers?”

“Lovers,” I said and the nurse nodded and smiled.

I told Takoda all about Nick and his forensics banter. I described the police officers and about me using so much smudge that I had to turn on a fan. I tried to keep my voice calm, but I was crying all the time.

There wasn’t much to do but stand around and try not to get in anybody’s way. I kept up my one-sided conversation, speaking softly into Takoda’s ear.

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