Page 205 of After Midnight
That same helplessness I felt when Kendrix died came crashing back so hard I thought I might pass out right there in the waiting room. I slid down into the chair burying my face into my hands and prayed harder than I had prayed in years.
I felt my son's little hand on my knee. Looking up and seeing his sad little face fucked me up even more.
"Is GG hurt, Daddy?" he whimpered.
I scooped him into my arms wiping my face. "She is buddy, but she's gonna be okay. She's strong."
"Okay." He sniffled burying his face into my neck. I closed my eyes and rubbed his back as silence filled the space.
Time passed…slowly.
My eyes stayed locked on those double doors waiting for them to open and for somebody to come out and tell us something. Anything.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, they opened and an older Black doctor strolled out. "Family of Gianna Taylor?" he looked around.
We all jumped up, Ronnie rushing forward first. "Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay?" she pleaded wringing her hands.
The doctor's expression softened. "Miss Taylor made it through surgery."
The breath left my body so hard my knees buckled.
"Thank God," Ronnie said covering her mouth.
I closed my eyes briefly lowering my head as emotion flooded through me.
Alive.
My baby was alive.
"She lost a significant amount of blood," the doctor continued carefully. "The bullet entered the lower abdomen and caused internal bleeding. We were able to stop it and repair the damage."
My chest tightened. "When can we see her?" I asked.
"She's still unconscious right now." He looked between all of us. "The next twenty-four hours are very important, but as of now…she's stable."
Stable. I clung to that word like a lifeline.
"Can she hear us?" Ronnie asked tearfully.
"Possibly." The doctor nodded slightly. "Sometimes patients can still process familiar voices even while sedated."
Melo lifted his head from my shoulder. "Is GG okay?" he asked softly.
The doctor's face softened completely at the sight of him. "Your GG is very strong, little man."
Melo nodded.
I swallowed hard trying to get myself together enough to ask the question clawing at my chest. "Can I please see her?"
The doctor studied my face for a second before nodding slowly. "One person for a few minutes."
Ronnie turned to me. "You can go first, Remy," she offered softly.
"You sure?" I asked.
She touched my arm. "Yeah."
"Thank you." I set Melo down. "Daddy will be right back, buddy."
