“How do you...” Josh’s voice cut off, and Brad heard muffled voices in the background. “Brad, I gotta go. Bad accident. Multi-car. You should come in early.”
The phone disconnected.
“Hey Mister,” said the cab driver. “You decide where you want to go yet?”
If he’d had anything but half-inch stubble on his head, he would have pulled all of his hair out. He grunted, “Just take me to Mercy General.”
Out of desperation, he called his brother, but again was forced to leave a message. He growled into the phone, “Ben! You told me you had talked Grace out of this stupid plastic surgery. She has an appointment somewhere this morning at eleven, and if I find out it’s anything more than a consult, I might take a scalpel to your neck. Not only that, but it appears her stalker has discovered where she works. So all bets are off—I’m not keeping anything a secret anymore!” He hung up, feeling a little better. He always felt a better after yelling at his brother—it was quite satisfying. Not as satisfying as doing it in person, but still satisfying.
He tried Grace’s number three more times with a futile hope she might have removed his block in her phone. He prayed Josh’s assertion was correct since he wouldn’t have another chance to talk to her before her eleven o’clock appointment. Time to switch off his emotions and go to work.
Chapter Ten
Spencer frowned as he listened to Brad’s message. He must have called during his accounting class. According to Brad, Grace had called him and left a message, but still had his number blocked in her cell phone. He felt a sense of relief Grace had finally come to her senses. Spencer would’ve been upset if Emily had had a biopsy without telling him about it. He was certainly glad she’d decided to tell Brad before the procedure. He glanced at the time—eleven o’clock. He had another class, but he could text Grace to unblock Brad’s number and call him again. She still had a few hours to reach him before her biopsy appointment. His stomach felt tight as he thought about Grace. He really loved his little sister, and he couldn’t help but worry about her. Even though she’d assured him it was unlikely to be cancer, he felt like a rock was wedged inside his stomach. He was glad he had another class to distract him from his anxious musings.
*****
The man’s voice droned on and on while Grace drummed her fingers on her knee. When he stopped speaking, Grace knew he must have asked another question.
“I’m sorry. What did you ask me?”
The hospital admissions clerk repeated the question as she fidgeted with her phone. He seemed unaware of her tension. Or perhaps he simply didn’t care.
“Excuse me, Mark?” She read his name from is ID badge. “It’s almost eleven o’clock now, and I’m supposed to take my premedication right at eleven so it will have time to work.” Her heart felt like it was trying to leap out of her chest.
“Yes, well this will only take ten minutes or so.”
“You don’t understand. I need that medicine now, or I may not be able to stay for my procedure.” She tried unsuccessfully to slow her breathing.
“Do you have another appointment after this?”
“No, but I need to have that medicine.” Grace felt the room closing in on her. “I think I may be about to pass out.”
Now she had his attention. “Oh! Okay! I’m going to get someone. Do you think you’re having a heart attack? Does your chest hurt?”
Grace leaned down to stick her head between her knees. Her voice was muffled when she answered. “Please just get the nurse with my premedication. I talked to him a minute ago. He has it ready to go.”
She was answered with silence. And the room grew dark.
*****
Grace cracked her eyes open, blinking at the light glaring from the ceiling. After a moment she managed to focus on the suspended ceiling tiles. Where was she? She was lying down somewhere. She remembered... She was having a biopsy. She was at Mercy General.
“Ughh! Is it over?”
She heard a male voice chuckling. “No, Ms. Marshall. It’s not over. You haven’t even taken your premedication yet. We couldn’t give it to you while you were unconscious.”
“Is it too late to take it? I’ve got to have plenty of time for it to work before they give me the IV.”
“It’s only eleven-o-five. I’m sure you’ll be out of it long before twelve o’clock with what your doctor has prescribed for you. Let me help you sit up and swallow this pill. Luckily you got through enough of the registration for us to give you your meds. But now you’re going to need to finish answering questions before this takes effect.”
He helped her to her feet, and she wobbled a bit before regaining her balance. “I don’t feel any calmer yet. How long before I’m relaxed?”
“You should start feeling it in about twenty minutes. Believe me. You’ll probably be sound asleep by twelve.”
“What if I can’t wake up to get ready?”
“You’ll be able to wake up and respond to us, but you probably won’t remember any of it. Once you finish your admission, you can get ready and wait in here if you’d like.”