Sparks, Nicholas - The Wedding by Sparks Nicholas

Author:Sparks, Nicholas
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2008-09-22T22:18:12+00:00

Chapter Nine

Tears brimmed in Jane’s eyes as we drove to the hospital. Though I’m usually a cautious driver, I changed lanes frequently and bore down on the accelerator when the lights turned yellow, feeling the weight of every passing minute. When we arrived, the scene in the emergency room was reminiscent of this spring, after Noah had his stroke, as if nothing had changed in the previous four months. The air smelled of ammonia and antiseptic, the fluorescent lights cast a flat glare over the crowded waiting room.

Metal-and-vinyl chairs lined the walls and marched in rows through the middle of the room. Most of the seats were occupied by groups of twos or threes, speaking in hushed tones, and a line of people waiting to fill out forms snaked past the intake counter.

Jane’s family was clustered near the door. Kate stood pale and nervous beside Grayson, her husband, who looked every bit the cotton farmer he was in his overalls and dusty boots. His angular face was weathered with creases. David, Jane’s youngest brother, stood beside them with his arm around his wife, Lynn. At the sight of us, Kate ran forward, tears already beginning to spill down her cheeks. She and Jane immediately fell into each other’s arms. “What happened?” Jane asked, her face taut with fear. “How is he?” Kate’s voice cracked. “He fell near the pond. No one saw it happen, but he was barely conscious

when the nurse found him. She said he hit his head. The ambulance brought him in about twenty minutes ago, and Dr. Barnwell is with him now,” Kate said. “That’s all we know.”

Jane seemed to sag in her sister’s arms. Neither David nor Grayson could look at them; both of their mouths were set into straight lines.

Lynn stood with her arms crossed, rocking back and forth on her heels.

“When can we see him?”

Kate shook her head. “I don’t know. The nurses out here keep telling us to wait for Dr. Barnwell or one of the other nurses. I guess they’ll let us know.” “But he’s going to be okay, right?”

When Kate didn’t answer immediately, Jane inhaled sharply.

“He’s going to be okay,” Jane said.

“Oh, Jane . . .” Kate squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t know. Nobody knows anything.”

For a moment, they simply clung to each other.

“Where’s Jeff?” Jane asked, referring to their missing sibling. “He’s coming, right?”

“I finally got hold of him,” David informed her. “He’s stopping by the house to pick up Debbie, then he’s coming straight here.”

David joined his sisters, the three of them huddling together as if trying to pool the strength they knew they might need.

A moment later, Jeff and Debbie arrived. Jeff joined his siblings and was quickly updated on the situation, his drawn face expressing the same dread reflected on their faces.

As the minutes dragged by, we separated into two groups: the progeny of Noah and Allie and their spouses. Though I love Noah and Jane was my wife, I’ve come to learn that there are times when Jane

needed her siblings more than me.

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