Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

Author:Jennifer Graeser Dornbush [Dornbush, Jennifer Graeser]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

THIRTY-FOUR

“Pneumonia,” Emily said, conferring with the attending doctor at Freeport Hospital as they stared at the scan in the ER. The dark, affected tissue on the lungs was undeniably infected and inflamed. It was textbook.

“Bordering on acute,” said the doctor. “I’m going to pump him full of antibiotics, put him on O2, and monitor him overnight. He may need a light sedation so he can sleep comfortably.”

Haste was made to get Brandon admitted to the hospital and sent upstairs to his room. Emily spent all day and night with him, sleeping on a small pleather love seat crammed into the corner of the room. While there, she sent frequent check-in texts to Paul, Delia, Aditson, and several others who were searching for Jo and Jeremiah.

The answers all came back the same. Nothing yet. Still looking. Keeping hope alive.

She got interrupted sleep on the two-seater sofa in Brandon’s room. So this was how uncomfortable her patients’ families felt? She could never understand why hospitals didn’t provide a better experience for patients’ loved ones.

Brandon’s sleep was restless and often interrupted for the first part of the night, as was Emily’s every time the nurse came in to take his vitals or check the readouts of his monitors. Around five in the morning, Emily asked if they could up the sedation dosage so he could get a few good hours of sleep. It was approved, and within a quarter hour, Brandon hit his REM. Out of pure exhaustion, Emily dozed off a few minutes later, but still she tossed and turned on the compact sofa, finally rising when the day nurse arrived on shift to check in on Brandon at quarter to seven.

She roamed through the halls, trying to drum up some energy. Coffee: She needed some. Badly.

The cafeteria opened at seven. By the time she got down to the main floor, the doors would be open. She might as well grab a bagel or toast and hard-boiled egg. Who knew when she would be able to eat another solid meal? Based on Brandon’s diagnosis, she didn’t think the doctor would be comfortable releasing him today.

At the cafeteria, she selected a cup of instant oatmeal and a black coffee, then made her way back to the nurses’ station on Brandon’s floor to check when his doctor was expected. There was one nurse sitting in front of a computer working on his charting, or maybe he was blatantly ignoring her.

Emily cleared her throat to get his attention.

“Excuse me, Scott,” she said, reading his name tag.

“Mm-hmm?” He didn’t raise his gaze.

“I’m Dr. Hartford. I wanted to ask about a patient, Dr. Brandon Taylor?”

He looked up, his expression brightening. “Emily?”

“Yeah. How did you⁠—?”

“Jo talks about you all the time,” said Scott.

“She does?”

“She’s so proud of you.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” She was touched. And a little guilty. Emily never talked about Jo to her colleagues. “I was just wondering if you knew when⁠—”

“Have you heard any news? Half the staff went out looking for her last night. I

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