Page 6 of Finding Home at Hearts Hotel

“Take the car. I’ll go with Michael in his car to the hospital.” Linda looked at Darius. “Sorry, I have to go.”

“Of course,” Darius said, standing up and kissing her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Linda said with a sigh. “Another day of summer competition fun.” She rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on, Linda,” Maggie scoffed. “Once you and Isabel got out there…”

“You were the most vicious competitors of the day,” Penny said, brows raised. “In fact, we’re thinking of getting trophies for both of you.”

“Funny!” Linda and Isabel said in unison as Michael came back to them.

“Sorry, are you all okay to pack up for the night?” Michael glanced around the group.

“Yeah, we’ve got this,” Martin assured him.

“I’m taking the kids home,” Maggie told him.

“Thanks,” Michael said, kissing Maggie's head. “We’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow morning.”

Linda and Michael walked down the brightly lit hospital corridor toward the location Anna had specified in her text message. The linoleum floor was scuffed by carts, and the air smelled faintly of lemon disinfectant recirculating through the air conditioner.

They found Anna sitting on one of the plastic chairs near the corner, her coat folded on her lap and her shoulders curved inward with fatigue.

"I’m waiting for the nurses and doctors to get him settled before we can go in," Anna said as soon as she saw them approaching, her voice tight with exhaustion.

Linda looked down at Anna with immediate concern, noting the dark, bruised circles beneath her eyes and the way her fingers clutched her handbag strap. Anna had been at the hospital every single day since George was moved to the intensive care unit, running on little more than worry and grit.

"How long have you been sitting here, Anna?" Linda asked, sitting down beside her and placing a hand over Anna's cold fingers.

"Not too long. They only just got around to moving him when I messaged you," Anna answered, offering a thin, tired smile that didn't reach her eyes. "The doctor and nurses are just finishing up the transfer to the step-down unit now."

Just then, the heavy wooden door of George’s room clicked open, and a nurse in teal scrubs stepped out into the hallway, holding a chart against her chest. She offered them a reassuring smile.

"The doctor said Mr. Heart can have visitors in twenty minutes," the nurse announced, checking her watch before walking down toward the nurses' station.

Michael looked at his watch, then down at Anna. "We have twenty minutes. Let's head down to the cafeteria so you can get some proper food, Anna."

"I'm not really hungry, Michael," Anna protested, shaking her head.

"You're going anyway," Michael insisted gently, helping her up. "Even if it's just coffee and toast. You can't sit here running on fumes."

“I could do with a cup of coffee,” Linda told them.

The hospital cafeteria smelled faintly of diluted bleach and fragrant coffee, a refuge from the sterile hum of the upper floors. They found a small round table near the corner by the vending machines, where the morning rush had long since cleared out.

Michael went to the counter and returned a moment later, balancing a heavy cardboard tray. He set a ceramic mug of black coffee in front of Linda, another for Anna, and slid a plastic-wrapped container holding an egg salad sandwich across the laminate table.

"You need to eat that, Anna," Michael said, sitting down and pulling his own coffee closer. "It's an egg salad sandwich on rye. They're actually edible here, and you need something in your system besides hospital air and worry."

Anna looked down at the plastic package, her hands wrapped firmly around her coffee mug as if drawing warmth from it. A reluctant, tired smile touched the corners of her mouth. "An eggsalad sandwich at six in the evening. Truly the pinnacle of fine dining."

"It's a classic American hospital tradition," Linda said, carefully unwrapping the crusts of her own small packet of crackers. She looked across at Anna, her voice transforming into a softer, grounding rhythm. "How are you holding up, really? You've been here from dawn till dark every single day since they moved Uncle George to the ICU."

"I'm managing," Anna murmured, peeling back the plastic wrap on the sandwich and taking a small, dutiful bite. She chewed slowly before looking up between the two of them. "How were the games today? I heard the loudspeakers all the way up on the third floor before they closed the windows for the evening shift."

"Chaotic," Michael answered, leaning back with a dry grin. "We're currently just ahead of Eagles Nest in the standings, but it was touch and go during the obstacle course."

"Mostly because Isabel talked herself into participating in the three-legged race and managed to trip over her own ankles within three feet of the start line," Linda added, shaking her head with a faint laugh. "She tried to blame the lawn layout, but the whole town saw it."