Chapter 100: A Turn of Events

One shrill ring of a phone cut through the pre-dawn quiet—a herald for no one's desired message. Alex fumbled at their cell with a racing heart as he saw the hospital number flashing across the screen. "Hello?" Their voice was rough with sleep and fear. The following minutes were a jumble of medical terms and semi-controlled panic—Olivia in emergency; come quick swirled in Alex's head while they scrambled to dress, fingers fumbling with buttons and laces. The drive to the hospital was a nightmarish experience of red lights and crawling traffic. Alex's knuckles were white on the wheel, as every second felt like an hour. They almost crashed into another car in the parking lot, barely remembering to lock their own as they sprinted toward the emergency entrance. The waiting room was like limbo in there—bright, fluorescent light and terribly uncomfortable chairs. Alex could not sit or be still, pacing up and down all over the place—thoughts whirling through their minds of the worst case