Chapter 18 - The Waiting Room
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The waiting room of St. Jude’s Medical Center was brutally bright and entirely devoid of holiday cheer. The television in the corner played a muted broadcast of a Christmas parade, a stark contrast to the living nightmare Daniel was enduring.
It had been six hours since they arrived at the hospital.
Daniel sat in a plastic chair, staring at the scuffed linoleum floor. He hadn't washed his hands. They were still stained with his wife's blood and the dust from the warehouse. A kindly nurse had brought him a cup of coffee hours ago, but it sat untouched, completely cold.
A detective had come by earlier to take his statement. Rachel had confessed to everything. She had admitted to planting the tracker, stealing the Vanguard files, and collaborating with Silas’s syndicate to pay off her late husband’s debts. The police had raided the syndicate’s remaining hideouts, effectively dismantling the operation. The threat was neutralized.
But none of it mattered if Emma didn't wake up.
The door to the surgical ICU swung open, and Dr. Aris walked out. He looked exhausted, his surgical cap pulled off, revealing sweat-dampened hair.
Daniel shot to his feet, his heart seizing in his chest. “Doctor? Please.”
Dr. Aris sighed heavily, placing a comforting hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Daniel, the baby is doing remarkably well. She’s small, and she’ll need to stay in the NICU for a few weeks to develop her lungs properly, but she is strong. She’s a fighter.”
“And Emma?” Daniel asked, his voice cracking.
Dr. Aris’s expression darkened. “The preeclampsia caused severe swelling in her brain, which triggered the seizure during delivery. We’ve managed to stabilize her blood pressure, but the trauma was extensive. She slipped into a coma shortly after arriving here.”
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Daniel felt his knees buckle. He grabbed the back of the plastic chair to keep from collapsing to the floor. “A coma? For how long?”
“I can't say,” Dr. Aris replied gently. “It could be days. It could be weeks. Or she may never wake up. Her body has been through an unimaginable ordeal. We just have to wait.”
