[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

 She has to be, she murmured quietly.
Tobi glanced out the car window, not noticing the scenery
going by; instead, her mind kept replaying the events of the last
hour. Was there something she could have done differently to
prevent Ryan s injury? Would Grace forgive her for putting her
daughter in the middle of this whole fiasco? Would she be able to
forgive herself?
Jake pulled into the emergency drive and had barely parked
before Tobi jumped out. She rushed through the doors and
followed as they wheeled Ryan into one of the trauma rooms. Tobi
listened while they evaluated Ryan until a nurse approached her.
 Dr. Drexler, I know you want to be here, but I have to ask
you to step out while they assess her status. I m sorry.
 Please& 
 Let them help her, Tobi, she pleaded.
With a short nod of understanding, Tobi opened the door and,
with one last look, walked out and into the waiting room. Jake
stood up as she approached and encircled her in his arms.
 How are you doing?
 I don t know, Jake. I , Tobi faltered momentarily.  I feel
like the best part of me is lying in that room and there isn t a
damned thing I can do to help.
 I know, sweetie, I know.
Tobi burrowed into the warmth Jake s arms provided, failing
to notice someone else approaching until she felt a hand at her
225
Tara Wentz
back. Tobi looked up into the face of the one person she wasn t
prepared to see.
As her eyes teared up, Tobi whispered,  I m so sorry.
 Oh, baby, Grace said, wrapping her arms around Tobi.
Tobi held on tightly to Grace and was unable to control the
tears that flowed freely down her face.
Whispering in Tobi s ear, Grace assured her,  It s going to be
all right. Ryan s a fighter, and she s got something to fight for
standing right here.
With a tremulous smile, Tobi replied,  Thank you.
Time passed slowly as they waited for word about Ryan s
condition. Finally, Tom Asher came through the emergency room
doors and approached Grace and Tobi.
 Tobi, he said, acknowledging her.
 Hi, Tom. I d like you to meet Grace Thomas, Ryan s
mother.
 Hello, Mrs. Thomas. I wish we were meeting under better
circumstances.
 I wish we were, too, and please, it s Grace.
He nodded and continued.  Sorry to keep you all waiting out
here so long, but we were doing some diagnostic tests. Since there
was a blunt trauma to her head, we did a CT scan, which
confirmed what s called an intracranial hemorrhage or bleed.
Essentially that s bleeding within the skull that occurs when a
blood vessel in the head is ruptured or leaking. The bleed is
causing some increased intracranial pressure. We had already
called the neurosurgeon when we found out that Ryan had a
significant head injury and was in route to the hospital. He s here
and has gone over the findings on the CT of her head. We also did
a CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis. She has some internal
bleeding, which appears to be coming from a lacerated spleen.
She s being prepped for surgery as we speak, so we ll know more
once we get her in there and take a better look.
 Tom, was she awake at any time? Tobi asked.
 No. As soon as she arrived, they intubated her. Turning
toward Grace, he said,  Right now, we are more concerned with
the swelling around her brain, so we have put her into a medically
induced coma. The neurosurgeon, Dr. Timothy Stafford, is going
226
Traffic Stop
to be in the operating room at the same time we are, so when he s
done, he can come out and brief you. Are there any more
questions?
Tobi looked at the others and waited until they all had an
opportunity to ask questions before speaking.  Thanks, Tom.
We ll be in the surgery waiting room.
Tom placed his hand on her shoulder and patted it gently
before leaving. As he disappeared through the double doors, Tobi
blew out a deep breath and turned to the others.
 I guess we just wait now.
 Why don t you show us where the waiting room is, Tobi?
We may as well get settled because I think we re going to be here
awhile, Grace said.
They made their way through the halls in silence, and Tobi
couldn t prevent the one thought that kept pressing on her mind.
She felt so responsible for what was happening to Ryan, and the
guilt was consuming her. They entered the waiting room, and she
found a chair in the back and out of the way. Sitting down, Tobi
leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. She listened
to the sounds around her and valiantly tried not to think.
Tobi heard voices coming their way, so she opened her eyes
and raised her head. Patrick, Morgan, and a group of police
officers walked into the waiting room and approached Grace. Tobi
watched as Ryan s brothers hugged their mother, and the guilt she
felt threatened to overwhelm her. She stood and paced in front of
the large window overlooking the hospital parking lot. Tobi
stopped and leaned her forehead against the glass and clasped her
arms around her torso. She closed her eyes once again and prayed
that Ryan would come out of this without any complications.
Tobi felt hands on her shoulders and looked up into Grace s
reflection. Raising a hand to cover one of Grace s, Tobi looked
down at her feet.
 Tobi, I know what you re over here thinking, and you can
stop it right now. None of this is your fault. That man was very [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]