part of me | e.d

fifteen

when we arrive at the hospital, amy and i rush into the emergency room and to the front desk to talk to a nurse.

"h-hi, i'm looking for my father."

"what's his name?"

"robert avery." 

she taps on her keyboard, typing in his name. then she nods. "ah, yes. your father was taken into an emergency surgery about half an hour ago. a doctor will come and inform you of his status shortly."

i nod my head, holding back my tears. i stand there, still in shock just staring into space. amy turns me around, guiding me into the family waiting area. we sit and i look at the ground in silence.

"so, i texted ethan."

i lift my head, making eye contact with amy. "what'd he say?"

"he replied that he's busy right now and can't come."

my chest tightens instantly when she says those words. i feel the disappointment overcoming my body right away. i then feel amy's hand cover mine, trying to console me. "but i'm here, okay? i'll be here as long as you need me."

i just nod, giving her a small smile.

we sit there, pretty much in silence for about an hour. i feel myself drifting off until a doctor finally walks into the waiting room. "avery family? i'm looking for the avery family?"

i stand up, quickly making my way over to him. he had a clipboard in his hand and he was wearing a scrub cap and surgical gown, clearly having just come from surgery.

"are you family?"

"yes, i'm his daughter."

"okay, good. so your dad had to be taken into an emergency surgery due to a severe perforation in his stomach wall from the steering wheel impaling him..."

he goes on and on about all of this medical crap that i don't really understand, so i mostly nod along pretending to comprehend. but i get the gist. my dad was in critical condition and needed to be monitored closely.

"and finally, due to the sum of all of the trauma he experienced in the accident as well as from the surgery, we have declared he is unfortunately in a comatose state."

i finally feel the tears flow down. the doctor gives me an empathetic smile, placing his hand on my shoulder while apologizing that this had to happen.

"can i see him?"

he nods and leads me to my dad's room in the ICU. he slides the door open and when i walk in, i see my dad laying on the bed hooked up to a thousand machines. he has bruises and cuts all over his skin, and several casts and bandages. i have to look away for a moment to collect myself.

the doctor tells me to sanitize my hands, which i do. he then leaves the room, sliding the door closed to give us privacy.

i sit in a chair by his bedside and grab his hand. i gently squeeze it, feeling extremely guilty that i didn't do more to stop him from driving.

i sit there in a comfortable silence, crying softly, until i hear the sliding door open. the moment i see his beautiful hazel brown eyes, my entire body melts with love. i stand up immediately, running over to him and hugging him close to me.

"ethan," i sigh. his large hands wrap around my small torso, instantly making me feel safe. i squish my face into the soft material of his shirt, breathing in his familiar scent that i loved so much.

"hey baby," he speaks into my hair, stroking my back comfortingly. my heart skips a beat when i hear him call me that nickname, my chest filling with warmth.