Chapter 5 - The Hospital Waiting Room “How is he? Did the doctor say anything yet, Helen?”
“Don't you dare speak to me, Adrian. Just stay back.”
“I’m his father, Helen. I have a right to know.”
“Your rights ended the moment you locked him in that car.”
“It was an accident, you know how crazy things got today.”
“An accident is dropping a plate, Adrian. This was criminal.”
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The harsh fluorescent lights of the county hospital waiting room buzzed with a low, agonizing hum that mirrored the pounding headache behind Adrian’s eyes. He stood near the vending machines, several feet away from the plastic chairs where Helen sat rigidly, staring blankly at the beige linoleum floor. Lily was curled up asleep on the adjoining chair, her head resting on a folded-up white blazer, completely exhausted by the afternoon's trauma. Adrian’s right hand was heavily bandaged in stark white gauze, the pain throbbing rhythmically beneath the thick layers of cotton, serving as a permanent physical reminder of his failure. The heavy double doors at the end of the sterile hallway swung open, and Dr. Harrison stepped through, stripping off a pair of blue latex gloves with a solemn snap. Helen bolted upright from her chair, her face contorted in a desperate mix of hope and terror as she rushed toward the physician. Adrian started forward as well, his long strides eating up the distance between them, his heart hammering against his ribs. Dr. Harrison looked between the two parents, his expression unreadable beneath the harsh glare of the ceiling lights. The silence stretched for an eternity, heavy with unspoken fears and the looming threat of permanent consequence. Adrian reached out a bandaged hand to steady himself against the wall, his breathing shallow as he waited for the verdict that would determine the rest of their lives. Helen clutched the lapels of her blouse, her lips trembling as she begged the doctor for any shred of good news regarding their ten-month-old son.
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