Lift // Hamliza

• chapter 52 •

• Eliza •

3:21 am on January 2nd, and it's coincidentally the day Alex and I were supposed to compete. My phone began to ring loudly, an unknown number flashing on the screen. I groaned and fumbled around for it, answering just before it finished ringing.

"Hello? This is Elizabeth Schuyler speaking." I mumbled into the phone, turning my bedside lamp on and rubbing my eyes.

"Yes, Ms Schuyler. This is Dr Hosack, I'm calling about Alexander Hamilton." A mans voice said in a slightly urgent tone.

That's when I knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" I said, suddenly awake. I tumbled out of bed and pulled my winter coat on over my long sleeved shirt and sweatpants. I shoved my glasses on my face instead of putting in my contacts and scribbled a note in case I had to leave and go to the hospital. I grabbed my car keys but didn't leave my room, just in case nothing was wrong.

"Mr Hamilton's condition in worsening. He may not survive the night but we think we'll be able to get it under control in time. We recommend you come to the hospital now, just in case we can't save him." He said. I felt myself sway on my feet, feeling dizzy and almost sick. Alex is getting worse. I nod then realize they can't see that through the phone.

"Y-yes, thank you. I'll be there in less than 10 minutes." I said, hanging up and grabbing the note. I set it on my pillow and ran to my sisters rooms. I didn't bother keeping quiet, knowing that I'd need to wake up my dad and Angie and Peggy anyways.

"Angelica!" I said loudly, running into her room and shaking her with urgency.

"Jesus Eliza, I'm trying to sleep!" She said.

"Alex is worse. I need to go to the hospital." I replied in panic, running out of her room to Peggy's. She sat up straight like I did when I found out and began to get ready, pulling on her coat and boots quickly as I repeated what I did to her with Peggy.

"Wake Dad up and meet me there." I yelled once I was downstairs. He'd probably wake up from that but if he didn't I knew my sisters would get him up.

I felt surprisingly calm during the ordeal of waking my sisters up. But once I got in the car, it all slammed into me. Alexander could die tonight. I could leave that hospital tomorrow with a broken heart and a funeral planning obligation.

I sped all the way there like I usually did, although paying close attention and being overly careful. I didn't want to get hit by a drunk driver or anything. Pulling into the parking lot, I sprinted to the elevator and pushed the floor 7 button. I willed the elevator to just go a little bit faster so I could get there in time. I raced to the desk where a very exhausted lady sat. I had become very used to her over the past month or so, with my frequent visiting.

I didn't even bother to ask if I could go see him, she just nodded and let me go. I thanked her as I speed walked down the hallway (the doctors very much frowned upon running where patients where being kept), and burst into his room.

Silent tears poured from my eyes when I saw him. There were four nurses attending to him, checking his vitals and attaching more and more wires and IV's of things to him. He was seemingly unconscious, his now-bald head motionless against the pillow. His heart rate was bouncing all over the place and his breathing seemed forced, probably since the ventilator he was hooked up to was doing it for him.

A surgeon spotted me standing there and ushered me over. I recognized him from previous encounters, and remembered his name as Anthony.

"Miss, I'm afraid you only have a few minutes. We're waiting for a few more nurses and doctors to get here so we can do an emergency surgery. The tumor in his brain is spreading despite the chemo, and surgery is the only way he'll survive this. But, since he has no family members and he is currently unconscious, we need your permission to operate." He said, jogging across the room to me. I nodded mindlessly as I wiped my eyes.