We're going to need more than five minutes

I love you too!

„WHAT??", Trish and Antoinette jumped up from the couch at once, „Why, what happened? Is he alright?"

Lana stammered, looking around helplessly as if trying to figure out what to do next. „I... I don't know, that was the police, apparently I'm his emergency contact. He got into some kind of fight. I have to go to the hospital."

She walked over to the kitchen table to take her car keys, Trish immediately grabbed her hand. „No no no no! You're definitely not driving! You can barely walk straight and your entire body is shaking. Plus, you've had at least one more glass of wine than us, if not two. We'll drive you."
„It's okay, really..."

„Do you think it'll help him if you end up in the hospital right next to him because you drove your car into a ditch? Don't be ridiculous... No back talk!"

They got her properly dressed, grabbed her purse and gently pushed her out the door, Antoinette pulled her into the backseat of Trish's car next to her.

„Come here, stay with me!", she pulled her friend into her arms and tried to calm her down as best she could, she could feel Lana's heart pounding in her chest, „It's alright, sweetie... He's going to be fine."
Finally, she lost the fight against her tears and started to sob, shaking her head again and again. „I didn't even get to tell him I'm sorry... I", she wailed, „I didn't even tell him how much I love him."

Antoinette stroked her back. „I'm sure he knows. You'll tell him when you get there, huh?"

The world outside the car window flew by like the past month with him inside her mind. Absent-mindedly, she let the heart pendant of her new necklace run between her fingers again and again. She was scared to death and couldn't stop crying. Was he in pain? Would he be alright? He had to... It tore her apart from the inside, not being with him right now. Could she have somehow prevented this from happening? What had even happened??

When they had reached the hospital and parked the car, her two friends supported her from left and right as they walked down the hallway to the reception desk. They could barely manage to dry her tears even just for a few minutes. Out of breath she stated: „Hi, I'm... looking for a patient here, he came in tonight. His name is Jordane Christie."

The woman behind the desk took a long look at her. „And, you are?"

„I'm his...", ‚girlfriend', she thought to herself, ‚you're his girlfriend, that's why you're a complete mess, you can say it, Lana', „emergency contact. My name is Lana Parrilla."

„Are you family?"

„No. His family lives in Atlanta, he has no one else here but me."

„Alright then, could you repeat the gentleman's name?"

„Jordane... like Jordan with an e in the end, and Christie, like Agatha."

She typed something into her computer. „I See. Follow me, please. But just one visitor at a time!", she said looking at her friends.

„You go on ahead", said Trish, „We'll wait here."

„Thank you", she mouthed and followed the lady.

Memories of her time prepping for and playing trauma surgeon Dr. Eva Zambrano on ‚Miami Medical' came back to her with full force as she was pacing down the hospital corridors until they stopped in front of one of the many doors.

„Is he okay? Is he awake?"

„Ma'am, I'm really sorry, but I cannot possibly know every single patient's condition by heart. At least he's still alive if he's here, that much I can tell you", she opened the door, „Please ring the bell if there are any issues or you need anything."