Free Give Me Hope by Zoey Derrick

rest.” Seeing me scowl at that second option, Dr. Alston adds, “Or eat something, take a walk, or find something to read or talk to her about. Regardless, if she is having that kind of subconscious reaction to your presence, I wouldn’t recommend leaving. It’s obvious that it is helping her.”
    “I feel so helpless though.”  
    “That makes two of us. All we can do right now is wait. It sucks, I know, but all her vitals are good, and the baby is doing great, all things considered. Some more time to heal is all she needs right now, and that is something we can all give her.”
    I nod in agreement, though I’m not sure this conversation has made me feel any better.

    After a couple more minutes, they finish up. Dr. Alston and Amanda are leaving the hospital for the night, but the nighttime nurses have specific instructions to call immediately if anything changes. I’d honestly be surprised if Dr. Alston is really leaving the hospital instead of taking up residence in her office.

    Once I make up my cot, I look dubiously at the basket Red brought in and decide that I can’t really eat anything right now. The idea of having a meal, here in Vivienne’s room without her, is unsettling.  
    I sit back down in the chair next to her bed. Resting my head next to hers, I start to play with a strand of her hair. I start thinking about the last time we were here. And how we got here.  
    I don’t know what came over me that day, but something kept nagging at me to get her to a hospital, have her checked out, make sure she was okay. I try not to smile at the memory. She is like a kitten that thinks she's a tiger, and it is one of the many things that attracted me to her.  
    I never expected her to kick me out that day. Again, my need to protect her overcame any other rational emotion, and I pushed too hard.  
    The minutes that followed killed me. I paced around the emergency room, hoping that maybe she would ask me to come back. Then I saw Alston and a couple other nurses running toward her room. When I got back to the door, a nurse stopped me from going in. I paced. I hadn’t a clue what was going on.  
    Eventually Dr. Alston emerged and explained what happened and what they were going to do at that point. I felt better knowing she was doing better, but guilt quickly set in because I realized that I was the cause of that. I don’t know what set her off – whether it was a trigger or me leaving.
    “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” I say as I lift my head and gently kiss her forehead. “I miss your baby-blue eyes. Come back to me. Please.”

Twenty-Five
    I stay by her side for another minute or so, kiss her forehead once more, then grab my phone from the bedside table and go sit on the cot.  
    Turning my phone back on – I’d turned it off when I came into Viv’s room – I silence the ringer and check my email. There are several emails from Jack, ranging in subject from video footage to other, non-Riley related information. There’s one from my assistant, letting me know she’s cleared my calendar for the next three weeks, and an email from Sydney – who is not only one of my business partners but also a very good friend – letting me know she’s got things covered in my absence.
    A second email from Sydney captures my attention. The subject line reads Elton Bennett .  

    Mikah,  
    Elton is on a warpath – he’s attempting to destroy MSBE. We’re choosing, at this time, to maintain a low profile and let him run his mouth in hopes that he digs his own grave. I have John and Phil working on maintaining our relationships with our top clients. The remaining managers are working on the rest. The general consensus among our top companies is that Elton is an idiot. However, we’ve prepared our own team to defend at a moment’s notice, and legal’s working on a defamation suit against him.  
    Will keep you updated as more develops.  

    Regards,  
    Sydney A. Harper
    Sr. Vice President
    M.S. Blake