You'll Be Okay

Chapter 10

I didn't even have time to brace myself before Bree Richardson threw her arms around me.

"Oh my God, Lex!" She pulled away, mascara streaks running down her face. "I live on the same block as Kayley and her mum. I was driving this morning and I saw her on a morning run and when I looked back she just collapsed –"

"Whoa, slow down." Heart hammering, I led her over to the chairs, sitting with her in hopes that it would help calm her down. "Were you the one to call an ambulance?"

Bree might have just saved Kayley's life.

"She was so pale." She hiccuped, a fresh wave of confused tears flowing down her cheeks. "And she was having trouble breathing. I didn't know what else to do."

There was a scuffle as Jarred shoved Tyler forward and after shooting him a glare, Tyler sat down gingerly beside his girlfriend. Bree laced their fingers together.

"She has asthma," I said and realization dawned on me. "Could it –?"

"Some kind of asthma attack," Dennis spoke up, expression grim. "As long as it's not pneumothorax or respiratory failure, I think she should be fine."

Seeing the look on my face, Jarred added for him; "Dennis is going to be a doctor. His father was actually Andreas Sinclair. The government covered up his murder, by the way."

At first, I thought I'd misheard him. "Whose murder?"

Jarred sighed as if I was being particularly difficult. "Andreas Sinclair's. It happened eight months after he had that famous breakthrough in stem cell research. They called him a prodigy in his field, a trailblazer who would change modern medicine. Right, Dennis? May the great man rest in peace."

Dennis smiled modestly but understandably, didn't want to go into the detail of his father's death under questionable circumstances. "They'll probably give her some bronchodilators to relax the muscles around her airways. If it's serious, they'll put a catheter in her lungs."

I was still processing what Jarred had said but forced myself to breathe through the panic that was rising like bile in my throat. My stomach churned and not for the first time today, I was thrown back into another waiting room two years ago. Across the room, I was only vaguely aware of Tyler who helped Bree to her feet and the couple left to get some air outside.

"Lex." Reid's voice was steady and I felt his hand on my arm, his grip firm. I looked to him and for once, there was no hint of malice in his gaze - only cool pragmatism and concern. "Can you provide a contact? In case they encounter complications, Kayley's parents need to authenticate additional procedures."

"Elena," I mumbled and then cleared my throat. "Elena Brewer."

Maybe it wasn't fair to blame Kayley's mom but all I could think about was my best friend putting up with all the shit Elena put her through. Rotating boyfriends, endless criticism and being otherwise absent, Kayley had silently endured all of it because she prioritised my grief after my dad and brother died. And for the past week when she was struggling, I hadn't been there for her.

Maybe it made more sense to blame myself.

"I'll do it," said Reid quietly and for once, I was grateful for how perceptive he was. "Stay here in case the doctors have news. I'll call her family - Elena, was it?"

"Are you sure - ?"

"It'll take two seconds." Reid gave me a reassuring half-smile. "You should stay here."

Silently grateful, I pulled up Elena's contact and Reid left. While Jarred went to harass one of the nurses, this left Dennis and I in the waiting room. He seemed to sense that I needed a moment to recompose myself and remained silent.