Page 11 of Mercy
“Wow, that’s really impressive for such a young doctor,” she says.
“Come on, I want to introduce you to someone before we pick up the tablets.”
As we stand outside of Ivy’s room Mercy starts to shake and backs away slowly. I watch her as tears run down her face. She fidgets with her shirt in clear agitation. Her eyes dart back and forth as her breathing gets heavy.
“I can’t go in…there.” She turns and sprints back toward the door.
What just happened?
I follow her out to the parking lot to find her sitting on a bench outside with her face in her hands, sobbing.
Quietly I sit beside her.
I watch the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen break down before me. I don’t know what to do, how to help. But something in me breaks seeing her like this. I want to take whatever this pain is away.
I know better than to touch her, but I have no choice. I pull her closer to me and rub her back.
“Shhh… I’ve got you.”
She lays her head on my arm and fuck it feels good to have her so close.
“I’m sorry, Liam.”
I kiss the top of her head, “What happened in there?”
“Room one twelve. My sister died in that room.”
“Mercy, I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I didn’t even know your sister had been a patient here.”
She looks up at me and smiles weakly.
“You were here, Liam.”
Jesus Christ. This is not happening.
“What was her name?”
“Laney Madison.”
It all comes rushing back. Laney had a sister barely older than her. We had to pry her away from Laney when she died. It took four grown men to separate them. I held Mercy while she cried. I had known her and the mother. She was Nash’s best friend. Mercy was a cute kid, braces, glasses. I never would’ve imagined she’d turn into the stunning woman she is today. She looks so different.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t save her. I was early in my career. At that point I did what I was told by my supervising oncologist. But that’s no excuse, I’m sorry.”
She smiles, “I’ve never blamed you. Honestly, you did everything you could. No one could have saved her. It wasn’t detected until she was stage three. There is nothing you could have done, Liam.”
Blowing out a breath she says, “You really didn’t remember me?”
I chuckle, “You don’t look anything like you did then. Even your hair color is different. You were a cute kid but I never imagined you’d grow into a woman this…beautiful.”
She wipes her tears and kisses me on the cheek. “Thank you. Let’s try this again.”
“Mercy, you don’t have to.”
She sighs, “Actually, I do. If I’m going to be working here, I will have to go into that room. But I’m glad that I don’t have to do it alone.”
I open the door and we walk back into the hospital, I stay behind her letting her dictate the pace.
When we get to Ivy’s room she stops, touches the door frame and exhales a loud sigh, “I’m ready,” she says.
