Gray ended the call quickly after. His hand was trembling slightly as he lowered the phone.
’Shit...’ His mind was racing. They were filled with images he didn’t want to imagine. He imagined Lily crying, clutching her stomach, looking pale, scared, and in pain.
His heart thudded painfully in his chest the more that he thought of it.
"No... please no..." Gray shoved the phone into his pocket.
Across the table, Chloe had gone completely still. Her smile was now gone. It was replaced by a look of alarm as she watched him.
"Gray?" she said quickly, standing up. "What happened?"
He couldn’t even answer at first. He just grabbed his coat with shaky hands, his breath shallow and uneven.
"It’s my sister, Lily," he finally said. "She’s at the hospital. A friend of mine said she collapsed and that she’s in pain. They’re at St. Francis right now."
Chloe didn’t say another word. She stepped toward him, her hand brushing lightly against his arm as if to calm him.
"Come on," she said softly, initiating the lead now. She knew that Gray’s mind was clouded with worry right now, so thinking clearly might be hard for him. "Let’s go."
Gray took a deep breath and nodded.
"Let’s go."
The two of them left in a hurry. Chloe threw a quick apology to the staff as they passed, one hand already reaching for her car keys. Gray barely noticed any of it. The world had turned into a blur for him.
In his mind, all he could think of was Lily.
Lily rarely gets sick. He could count how many times Lily got a cold, so her actually crying in pain scared him so much.
Gray followed Chloe out in silence. He climbed into the passenger seat the moment she unlocked the car. His jaw was tense, and his one leg bounced restlessly the moment the engine roared to life.
Even though the ride was fast, those few minutes of his life were the slowest for him. Chloe also didn’t try to speak to him. She just drove fast and carefully.
Gray stared out the window, his fists clenched on his lap.
He hated this. He hated not knowing. He hated the fact that he wasn’t there,
Was it serious?
What happened?
Did Lily eat something bad?
She was fine this morning. She was even laughing and joking around about their upcoming field trip. He’d even texted her before lunch to ask if she wanted him to bring home snacks.
And now she was in the ER?
The seconds stretched into hours in his head.
Selina said she got there fast.
He pressed his hand over his mouth, eyes narrowed as the city lights flew past them.
’She’s tough... I know that Lily is tough. She’ll be okay. She has to be okay.’ He kept repeating it to himself. Over and over.
Ten minutes passed like an hour.
Finally, the glowing blue sign of St. Francis Hospital appeared ahead of them. Chloe pulled up to the front entrance without hesitation. Gray unbuckled before the car had even stopped moving.
"Thank you," he muttered without looking back, already moving to open the door.
"Go on, don’t mind me." Chloe said. "I’ll find parking. I’ll look for you after."
"Thank you, Chloe."
Just like that, Gray left the car and rushed into the building. The cold hospital air hit him immediately. The interior was too white and too quiet for how loud his heart was pounding.
"Excuse me!" Gray called to the front desk. "My sister, Lily Adams, she was just brought in. She was with a woman named Selina."
The nurse behind the counter blinked at him, then nodded quickly as she typed.
"They were just admitted. Emergency room. Room 3C. Take the hallway to the left and follow the blue line."
"Thanks," he breathed and turned immediately, breaking into a quick walk.
Each step he took echoed like a drumbeat.
Please be okay. Please be okay. Please—
He turned around the corner with a big lump in his throat.
After a few more walks, he saw them.
Selina was seated in one of the chairs. She was in her home clothes with a jacket on top to relieve the cold of the hospital.
"Gray!" Her eyes widened in relief when she saw him that she stood up immediately.
"Where’s Lily?"
"She’s inside the room," Selina said with her voice still a little shaken. "The doctor’s just finished to checking on her. I waited out here in case you had trouble finding us."
Gray didn’t respond, but he was thankful to her. Really thankful.
However, right now, he just wanted to see Lily. To know how she was doing. To know if she was okay.
Gray pushed the door open.
Inside the room, Lily lay on the hospital bed. She was small and pale beneath the white sheets. There was an IV drip attached to her arm, and her face looked a little flushed. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of the door.
"Brother...?" she called for him weakly. She tried to show him a big smile, but she was too weak to do so.
"Hey," Gray breathed out. His voice cracked the moment he called for her. He rushed to her side and knelt beside the bed, taking her hand gently. He didn’t care if the floor was cold.
"I’m here. I’m here, Lily."
Lily gave him a tired smile.
"My tummy hurts, brother..." she mumbled. "But I feel better now."
Gray swallowed hard and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
"It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re going to take care of you."
Behind him, Selina stepped into the room slowly, her arms wrapped around herself.
"The doctor said it might be food poisoning or a stomach virus," she said quietly. "They’re still running tests to make sure."
Gray just nodded, his focus still on Lily.
He brought her hand to the side of the bed so he wouldn’t touch the IV on the side. Then slowly, he lowered his head, resting his forehead gently on the edge of the bed.
He didn’t say anything after that. However, tears pooled in his eyes for an unknown reason.
Maybe because he was so relieved that she was safe. That she was still smiling.