Riley
For the first time today, I'm actually grateful for the snowstorm because it means less traffic and has allowed us to get to the hospital a lot quicker than normal. Once we are in there and Julia is taken away, Nina and I spent almost an hour waiting on news of her mom. It takes so long that by the time that the doctor has come to see us both my mom and Josh are here with us.
"Are you the family of Julia?" I nod as I stand up. "Yes." I'm lying but I don't care, I need to know what's going on and now! "OK, so Julia is suffering from hypothermia. It's not as bad as it can get but still, she isn't very well and she will need to stay in for a while so we can monitor her. I am also concerned about her weight, she appears very underweight and it is something that we will need to address once she comes around."
My mind whirls with the news even if I did suspect it already but at least she isn't as bad as she could be... small mercys and all that. "Is she awake yet?"
"She is but she needs to rest so only one visitor at a time. Of course, her daughter can also be in there with whoever visits. We also need Julia's insurance information. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find any information on her." Of course, he can't find any information on her, she's homeless not that I'll tell him that.
"She doesn't have insurance but I will be covering all of the costs. Please make sure that she has everything that she needs and the best care possible." he nods before we chat a little more and then I follow him out of the room and then he shows me where Julia's room is. Nina is with my mom for the time being as we don't know what shape Julia is going to be in so I'm going to check on her first then I'll go fetch Nina. As I come to a stop outside of her door I stop to take a moment and a deep breath then slowly push the door open as nerves suddenly swarm my stomach. Oh well, here goes nothing I guess.
Julia
My whole body hurts, I feel like I'm burning up yet cold at the same time. I also feel sick as a dog and like my body has been battered. I start opening my eyes but instantly close them when a blinding light makes them sting. I take a moment then slowly start to open them again, the brightness makes me wince a little but I manage to open them fully but as I look around I'm left completely confused. Where the hell am I? I look around the room and quickly realize that I'm in what seems to be a hospital room but why?
It only takes a few seconds for the flashbacks to begin and I'm instantly panicking. The last I remember was the tent being torn to pieces and me covering Nina with my body but if I'm here now then where is my daughter? I sit up In the bed fast and groan as my whole body feels like it's been run over then I see that I have a drip attached to me which instantly irritates me. I go to rip it off my arm so that I can get out of bed when the door to my room opens and in walks a man that I can only assume is my doctor.
"Miss, Willow. It's lovely to see you awake. How are you feeling?" How am I feeling? how am I feeling? Is he kidding me? My first reaction is to give him shit but this isn't his fault and from what I can see he's been helping me. "I feel great so thank you for looking after me but I need to leave now."
"I'm glad to know that you are feeling better however, I'm afraid that you won't be able to leave for a couple of days at least as we need to monitor your vitals and make sure that your heart rate stays up. You were a very lucky lady, Miss Willow and you need to rest.
"I need to find my daughter." If he doesn't let me go then I'll leave as soon as he's out of the room because there's no way that he's keeping me from her, there's no way that she's going to be out there all alone without me. Oh God, where is my little girl? What if she really is alone? Oh, God what if child services have gotten their hands on her, I'll never forgive myself.
"Nina, right?" Wait... what? "Yes, that's right. Do you know where she is? Is she ok?" please don't let her be a patient here and be sick. "Yes, she is fine. She is here at the hospital in the waiting room with your friends." Friends... What friends? Maybe some of the others from home are here? I hope so, I hope that she is with people she knows and I hope that everyone is ok.
"Can I see her please, doctor?" he starts checking out the machine that's beside me that keeps beeping like a bitch then nods his head. "Yes, of course. I'll have one of your friends bring her in. I only want one visitor in at a time and we will be checking both your heart rate and oxygen levels every hour." I nod agreeing but the truth is that I would agree to anything right now if it means I get to see my baby girl.
He smiles as he leaves the room while I lay here impatiently waiting for her to arrive. Thankfully just a few minutes later I hear the door opening and I'm more than ready to see her only it's not Nina that comes through the door, it's Riley. What the fuck? am I seeing things here?
"Riley, is that you?" he closes the door behind him and steps closer to me. It's defiantly him but why is he here? "Yes, it's me, Julia."
"What... what are you doing here? Wait... do you have Nina?" a small smile graces his face and it's a beautiful sight but not one I can enjoy until I know who the hell has my daughter. "Yes, she's out in the waiting room with my mom. She's okay."
"Ah fuck God for that!" Without realizing it tears start to stream down my face. It's been an insane day and night, combined with the storm destroying our home and then me waking up in here and not knowing where Nina was is just too much and before I know it I'm a sobering blubbering mess but I don't have the mental space to care right now.
I jump a little when I feel a hand on my face then I calm down a little when I hear Riley's voice. "It's ok, darling. You're ok and Nina's ok." I try to slow my tears but I'm struggling, I look up, and it's only now that I actually notice how he looks. His white shirt is covered in mud and his hair looks like he has run his hand through it a thousand times. He looks tired and worn out and yet, still so handsome. I'm not sure how long it takes me to calm down but the whole time Riley stays by my side with his hand on my face all while he whispers reassuring words to me.
"How did you end up with Nina?" Only now that thought enters my head. "My mom found her downtown on the street. She was looking for help and that's what my mom did. She led my mom to you and the others and my mom called me. I told the paramedics and doctors that I am a friend... family of yours so that I could go in the ambulance with you and stay here in the waiting room."
"Wow. Thank you. You didn't have to do that but I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for looking after Nina. I'll never be able to repay you for keeping her safe."
"You never need to thank me for that, Julia. Never." It's clear that he means every word that he says but I don't think that he'll ever be able to understand just how much I appreciate it. I give him a gentle smile while I still silently thank him. "Can I see my daughter?" A strange look comes over him then he simply nods before backing out of the room.
The look on his face combined with his behavior instantly has me on edge and panic starts to set in. Why would he react like that to me wanting to see my daughter? A knot forms in my stomach as the panic only intensifies. Somethings not right. I need to get to my daughter and now!
It takes me longer than I want but finally, I manage to get to my feet and pull the wires from my hands. The machine starts beeping making my head pound but I ignore it. I walk... well more like stumble towards the door and take deep breaths when a wave of dizziness hits me.
I make it out of the room and start heading down the corridor, I don't even know where the waiting room is but I keep going forward while I use the wall to help keep me steady. "What the hell are you doing?" I jump when I hear his pissed voice and for a moment i feel like a schoolgirl caught trying to bunk school but then I remember why I'm here and straighten my spine as i turn to face him.
"I'm going to find my daughter." My words are somehow firm but I can feel myself slowly fading as if I'm about to faint but I can't, I need to find my daughter. " I am on my way to get her. I just needed to use the restroom first." he looks confused but my gut instinct is still telling me that something is wrong.
"Where is she? Something isn't... isn't," I don't get to finish my sentence as blackness quickly takes away my vision and I feel myself falling... falling and I can't stop it.