Chapter 71: The Waiting Room

Chapter 71: The Waiting Room
The cab came to a slow halt outside the hospital building. Lydia was the first to push the door open, stepping out as if the ground beneath her feet might suddenly collapse. Melissa and Julia followed closely behind, their faces drawn with concern.

The cold air outside had nothing on the chill in Lydia’s chest. Her hands trembled as she held the strap of her bag. She walked stiffly toward the entrance, each step feeling heavier than the last. They hurried through the sliding glass doors into the hospital, where the white lights buzzed overhead and the sharp, sterile scent of disinfectant clung to everything.

Just past the reception desk stood a police officer. He looked up as the girls approached and stepped forward with a clipboard in hand.

“Are you Miss Lydia?” he asked.

“Yes,” Lydia replied quickly, her voice almost cracking. “Is Dennis here? What happened?”

The officer nodded solemnly. “He was in a traffic accident. A hit-and-run. The driver fled the scene, and we’re still working on identifying the vehicle. He’s currently in surgery.”

Lydia’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart slammed once and then seemed to freeze.

The officer gestured toward the nearby waiting area. “You can wait over here. I’ll stay with you in case you have any questions.”

The girls sat down heavily on the hard plastic chairs, the cold seeping through their clothes. Lydia could barely keep her legs from shaking. Her fingers fiddled restlessly with the hem of her sweater as her eyes locked on the hallway that led to the surgical unit.

“Do you know how bad it is?” she asked the officer, unable to hold back the question.

He sighed, clearly reluctant to speak carelessly. “How are you related to him?”

“I’m his girlfriend,” Lydia said quickly. “These are my friends—Melissa, and my younger sister Julia.”

The officer nodded with understanding. “His phone was badly damaged, but your number was the only one we managed to recover and get through to. You’re the first person we could reach.”

Lydia swallowed hard, her throat tight.

“I wish I could tell you it’s not that bad,” the officer added, glancing at her with sympathy. “But it wouldn’t be true. He’s in critical condition. It’s serious. We just have to wait and pray the doctors can pull him through.”

Lydia’s eyes welled with tears. She pressed her face into her hands and began to cry quietly, shoulders trembling. Melissa reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder, while Julia slid closer, offering a silent presence beside her sister.

“I should never have doubted him,” Lydia whispered through her tears. “I should have known…”

Melissa gave her a soft, understanding look even though she didn't quite understand what Lydia was talking about, as Lydia never mentioned to her or anyone else that she was suspicious of Dennis. “You didn’t know this would happen, Lydia. Don’t do that to yourself. He knows you care.”

The officer excused himself to continue trying to reach Dennis’s parents. The girls were left in the waiting area, with only the soft hum of the overhead lights and the distant beeping of machines breaking the silence.

Every time the door to the surgical unit swung open and a nurse stepped out, Lydia’s head jerked up, hope flaring for a moment. But none of the nurses stopped to speak to them. They moved quickly, eyes focused ahead, not pausing long enough for questions. It was as if they were trapped in a loop—waiting, hoping, waiting again.

Time slowed. Minutes crawled. Lydia stared at the hallway until her eyes burned. The white walls around them felt like they were closing in, the air too sterile, too quiet. She couldn’t sit still. At times, she stood up, paced a little, then sat back down, only to stand again when the next nurse passed by.

Melissa’s phone rang suddenly, piercing through the heavy stillness.

She pulled it out of her pocket and saw her mother’s name. “It’s my mum,” she said quietly before answering. “Hello?”

“Where are you girls? You should be back by now,” Mrs. Wright asked, her voice full of concern.

“Sorry, Mum. We’re at the hospital,” Melissa said, glancing at Lydia as she spoke.

“The hospital? What happened?”

“It’s Dennis… Lydia’s boyfriend. He was in an accident. We came straight here from the station.”

“Oh my God,” Mrs. Wright breathed on the other end. “Is he okay? Are you girls okay?”

“We’re fine, just waiting. He’s in surgery now.”

“I’m coming over,” her mother said immediately. “You girls shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“Okay,” Melissa replied softly. “We’re in the waiting area near the reception desk.”

As she ended the call, footsteps echoed down the hallway. They turned to see someone approaching—a tall man in a brown overcoat, moving with quiet urgency. His face was familiar.

“Detective Philip?” Melissa said as she stood up, surprised.

He gave a tired smile and nodded. “Yes. I didn’t expect to see you three here.”

Lydia also stood, confused. “You’re here for… Dennis?”

He nodded again. “Yes. We responded to the emergency call earlier this morning. I was actually on my way to meet you all at the station when this came in. I had no idea the victim was connected to you.”

His voice was calm but weighted. He looked around at the three of them before continuing. “It’s a small world, huh? It’s strange how things connect.”

Nobody spoke for a moment. The weight of everything hung in the air—how fast things had changed, how tangled their lives had suddenly become.

Detective Philip pulled up a chair beside them. “I’ll be here for a while. We’re running a background check on the vehicle. If there’s any update, I’ll let you know immediately.”

The girls nodded quietly. His presence brought a little comfort, but not enough to ease the tightness in Lydia’s chest.

Ten minutes passed.

Then twenty.

The waiting room filled with other people—families, patients, nurses—but Lydia barely noticed them. Her thoughts were somewhere else entirely. She kept replaying their last conversation in her head. Dennis had wanted to talk, and she hadn’t listened. She thought he was just trying to win her back… but now, none of that seemed to matter. She just wanted him to be okay.

A nurse passed by, but again, said nothing.

Julia leaned on Lydia’s shoulder, quiet, her fingers laced in her lap.

Melissa glanced toward the door again and then checked her phone. “Mum should be here any minute,” she said softly.

Lydia nodded without looking up.

Then… the door to the surgery room opened.

All eyes turned.

A doctor stepped out, alone.

He removed his gloves slowly, his expression unreadable. The soft snap of latex seemed to echo in the quiet room.

And just like that, the air changed. Everyone stopped moving.

The room fell completely silent.