The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

39.

If you're thinking that Luke and Harry let me go to the hospital alone, you're wrong. They followed me in Luke's car, probably bickering the entire way.

If I could focus on anything other than my desperate need to check on my Aunt, I might have thought about how sweet it was that they were coming to the hospital. But I couldn't think about that right now.

Once I parked the car, I rushed through the emergency ward like a crazy person, leaving Luke and Harry behind. The nurse at reception calmly gave me the room number for my Aunt and I nearly ran into another nurse on the way down the long, cold corridor.

Practically falling into room 384, I finally found Aunty Peg, who gave me a small smile. I took a moment to catch my breath, my eyes never tearing away from hers. 

The kind doctor that called might have been right: she did seem okay. Not that it relaxed me at all. Even though she looked tired, she had enough energy to scold me when she realised how worried I was. "It was just a little mishap," she brushed off.

"Mishap? What happened? You don't just faint for no reason!" Apparently it didn't matter that I knew she was okay. Seeing her like this, in a hospital bed and without her usual bright coloured ensembles rattled something maternal inside of me. I was supposed to take care of her. I was pacing around the small curtain room trying to figure out where I'd gone wrong. "Where's the doctor?"

"He'll be back in a moment," she said in a distant voice. There was an IV drip feeling liquid into her veins. I winced, and looked away. I'd been lucky enough not to spend much of my life visiting loved ones in hospitals. Still, it made this seem so much worse. "What until you see him," Aunty Peg continued. "He's a real looker." 

Well, at least she still had enough strength to be her usual perverted self. The curtain was pulled back then, but it wasn't the doctor. Aunty Peg straightened up a little on the bed, adjusting her blue hospital gown. "Hello boys," she beamed. "What a lovely surprise."

Harry handed her a bunch of yellow flowers that looked like they'd died three days ago. "I know they're awful," he apologised profusely. "It's all the gift shop had left."

"I got you this." Luke handed her a teddy bear. For someone who was sitting in hospital in an unflattering hospital gown and an IV drip in her arm, Aunty Peg was beaming like she won the lottery.

"You didn't have to make a fuss," she said. Only her expression and tone of her voice gave away how much she was loving every moment of this.

Given that Aunt Peg seemed to be in no immediate danger, I left her with Luke and Harry and went off to find the doctor. She was right about him being a looker. He was tall with blonde hair and bright blue eyes.  He reminded me of a Disney prince.

"She's going to be fine," he reassured me again. "But I hope she learned from today's episode. She really shouldn't be drinking while she's on her medication. It's a dangerous combination."

"What medication?"

"Norvasc."

This was all news to me. "What's that?"

Dr Disney Prince sighed. "I really shouldn't being discussing the patient's heath problems with you, without her consent anyway but - "

"Please," I begged. "I can't help her if I don't know what's going on."

"Norvasc is used to treat high blood pressure. There's no need to worry, it's perfectly fine as long as it's not mixed with alcohol. That's when it will cause dizziness and fainting."

"High blood pressure? Why does she have high blood pressure? Is she going to be okay?" Here I was, getting all crazy and frantic again.

The doctor touched my shoulder gently. "It's okay, Stella. Things like high blood pressure are common as people get older. I've got other patients to get to. The nurse will be by your Aunt's room soon to check her obs."