Chapter 5
Late Monday evening,
surgery waiting room
After the frantic hustle in the emergency waiting room, the surgery waiting room reminded Savannah of a visit to a library. It had only taken them about five minutes to locate the room. On the door was a sign. NO CELL PHONE USE PERMITTED INSIDE THE SURGERY WAITING ROOM.
The room felt cool and looked heartless. Not a single comfortable chair. The temperature was set ridiculously low—even by Florida standards. Savannah cursed the designer who’d had no idea why people would be using the chairs. Idiot.
Monday night was apparently a slow time for surgeries. An elderly couple sat next to each other adjacent to the Mr. Coffee station. They were asleep. The man had his head resting on the pale green wall behind his chair. The woman’s head rested on his shoulder.
“Now what happens?” Elizabeth’s shrill voice pierced through the quiet room like fingernails on a chalkboard. The elderly woman startled awake and looked confused.
“Shush.” Savannah gently led Elizabeth by the elbow to a seat near a telephone hanging on the wall. “You’ll wake those poor folks over there.”
The sign next to the phone read DIAL 326 FOR AN UPDATE TO SURGERY STATUS. “I’m sure we’ll be hearing something very soon. Try to relax. I know it’s hard, but you must try.”
Elizabeth shrugged off Savannah’s arm, picked up the phone, then punched in a 326. “Hello, this is Elizabeth Hartford. Nicole Borawski has just arrived for surgery. I wanted to let you know that I’m her wife and that I’m ready for any information you can give me. I’m right here in the waiting room.”
There was a long pause.
Elizabeth said, “Yes, I can hold.” She covered the mouthpiece. “She’s going to check to see if Nicole has made it to the operating room.”
Another long pause was followed by, “Yes, I’m her wife.” Another pause. “Okay, we’re sitting right here by the phone.”
A door next to the coffee stand opened and a chunky woman dressed in balloon-printed medical togs walked over to Elizabeth and Savannah. She was carrying a folder with a notepad inside.
“Elizabeth Hartford?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“I have—”
Before the nurse could continue, Edward burst through the doors and hustled across the room. He spoke to Savannah as soon as he saw her. “Where’s Nicole? What’s happening?” He stood between Savannah and Elizabeth, putting an arm around each. “I’m Nicole’s boss. What’s going on? Is she in surgery?”
Savannah took Edward’s hand and squeezed it hard. He was extremely upset, but she didn’t hug him. He had been brought up not to embrace anyone in public.
“Let the nurse finish, Edward. She’s just now giving us an update.”
“Thanks. We’ve finished prepping Nicole and they’re taking her into surgery now. Her vital signs are indicating that she has significant internal injuries. I want to prepare you for the possibility that she may not survive.”
“Oh no!” Elizabeth broke away from the little group and covered her face with both hands. “This can’t be happening. We’ve only just begun our lives together.”
Savannah looked at the nurse and could see the sympathetic concern in her world-weary eyes. “I’ll let you know immediately if her condition changes.” She returned through the door.
Edward turned to Elizabeth. “How are you holding up, pet? Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Elizabeth bit her lip and exhaled a long breath. “Yes, this may be a very long night and I need to stay alert.”
In the far corner of the waiting room, Edward found a Mr. Coffee on a small counter next to a beverage vending machine. The counter had a small sink and a built-in storage cabinet for supplies. He picked up the carafe, sniffed the brew, and wrinkled up his nose. “Stale.” He dumped the contents, grabbed a paper towel and scrubbed out the carafe. He dumped the previous filter and wiped down the basket along with every reachable surface in the coffee area.
Next, he bought two bottles of water and used them to start brewing a fresh pot of coffee. As soon as it was finished, he smelled the coffee in the carafe. He smiled, then poured coffee into two paper cups and took them to Savannah and Elizabeth. He went back and poured one for himself.
Savannah’s phone pinged a message from Jacob’s mother.
JACOB HASN’T SAID A WORD YET. HE’S EATING HIS COMFORT FOOD.
Savannah texted back a frowny-face emoji and then added an alarmed-faced one as well. She realized how much Jacob contributed to the smooth running of her business. She worried about how he would recover. He was dealing with enough challenges. He had grown from a gangly teen into a responsible young man on her watch. She thought that her late father would be proud.
Savannah glanced over at Edward, who watched the wall clock tick second by second while clenching his fists, releasing them, then clenching again. She considered at this point that he had known Nicole longer than anyone else since he moved here from the UK. She went over to stand by his side and held on to his arm with both her hands. He stopped clenching his fists.
“Has anyone notified Amanda?” Edward asked.
Savannah puffed out a held breath. “Honestly, I didn’t even give her a thought.” There had been too much going on for Savannah to consider contacting anyone but Elizabeth and Edward.
“She knew Nicole before she came to work for me. Amanda recommended her, and after I interviewed Nicole, I hired her on the spot. I haven’t regretted that for a second.”
Savannah squeezed his arm again. “I didn’t know that.”
“How do you think she’s doing?” Edward tilted his head toward Elizabeth. “I’ve just realized that I don’t know her very well at all. Nicole wasn’t the type to share her feelings at the drop of a hat, but I should have tried to reach out more often.”
The coffee was delicious and gave them something warm to hold.
They had barely finished Edward’s coffee when the door opened to a young man with short sandy hair and pale blue eyes. He looked quickly at the old couple and then walked toward Elizabeth. “I’m sorry to be late. I got here as quickly as I could. How’s Nicole?”
“Phillip!” Elizabeth stood and threw herself into the young man’s arms. “Oh, Phillip. It’s terrible. She’s in grave condition.”
Phillip frowned and patted Elizabeth awkwardly. “It’s okay. I’m sure she’s going to be fine. This is my big sister you’re talking about. She’s tough as nails.” He pushed Elizabeth gently away and led her back to her seat. She was still snuffling.
Phillip reached into his back pocket and gave Elizabeth a new packet of tissues. She pinched the package with her trembling fingers but couldn’t open it. Phillip took it back from her, opened the package, then pulled out a tissue and placed it in her hand. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. “Thanks for being here. It makes this nightmare manageable, but not really.” She wiped her eyes again.
“Can we ask for news?” Phillip asked her in an urgent tone.
Elizabeth took another tissue out of the packet, sat down, and continued to wipe her eyes.
An awkward pause grew within the small group. Savannah broke the silence.
“Hi, I’m Savannah Webb and this is Nicole’s boss, Edward Morris. I don’t think you’ve met. Sit down,” said Savannah to Phillip. She led him to the seat on the other side of the still weeping Elizabeth. Savannah and Edward stood in front of them, looking helpless.
Elizabeth wiped her eyes and shifted toward Phillip. “You must be tired. It’s a long drive from Zephyrhills. Even worse when you’re rushing toward an emergency.”
“Where is Nicole?” asked Phillip. “Can I see her?”
“She’s in surgery now.” Elizabeth glanced at the telephone hanging on the wall. “They’ll call as soon as there is news.”
“I can’t believe this.” He put an arm around Elizabeth and side hugged her. “What happened?”
When Elizabeth’s mouth fell open but nothing came out, Savannah answered for her. “It was a hit-and-run right in front of my shop.” She turned to Edward. “My apprentice, Jacob, saw the whole thing from the sidewalk. Seeing the impact was brutal for him. The paramedics asked him some questions, but he just stood there. He was in shock, and I had his mother come to take him home.”
Savannah stopped talking. She realized that Phillip didn’t know her, Edward, or Jacob.
Edward filled the silence. “The traffic down Central is usually pretty calm. We’re all pretty careful about crossing,” he turned toward Savannah. “She wasn’t texting, was she?”
Savannah spoke. “No, it wasn’t that. Her phone was zippered into her handbag.”
Phillip spoke up. “It’s weird. Nicole has seemed distracted, and honestly, we haven’t been that close lately. I thought I had done something to make her mad. Did she say anything to you?”
“No,” said Elizabeth, “but she has been a little preoccupied and distracted. I thought she might be steeling herself to confront her parents about accepting me again. She would try to talk to them about me every few months.”
“No luck with that, I’ll bet,” said Phillip.
Elizabeth frowned and pulled another tissue out of the packet. “None.”
“Let’s sit, Edward. I feel like we’re hovering.” Savannah took the seat on the other side of Elizabeth and Edward sat next to Savannah.
He leaned in to whisper, “How’s Jacob? He must be in a right state.”
“I haven’t spoken to his mom yet. But I’m afraid this could really cause some serious damage to his confidence. There was something disturbing about how fast the driver was going and how quickly he left the scene.”
After several long minutes of silence, the entry door squeaked, and Officer Joy Williams entered the room and looked over at the solemn group of four.
Savannah was struck by the thought that her friend appeared strangely official and remote. Her uniform was tailored to her curvy shape and her cornrows were drawn back and tied to the nape of her neck
They all looked up toward her as one.
Officer Williams stood in front of Savannah. “Hi, Savannah, Edward. I’m sorry about Nicole, but I’ve been assigned to investigate the hit-and-run. I need to ask you some questions now, before any details disappear.” Nodding to Elizabeth and Phillip, she said, “I’ll need to talk to you next.” She asked Savannah, “Is there somewhere we can find a little privacy?”
Savannah stood. “Let’s go down to the coffee shop.”
Savannah took Elizabeth’s hand and squeezed it tight. “I’ll be right back.” She mouthed a kiss to Edward and they left for the café on the first floor. After going through the serving line for a coffee for Officer Williams and a sparkling water for Savannah, they found a secluded table.
“What is the first thing you recall?” asked Officer Williams. She took out her notepad and scribbled the date, time, and Savannah’s name at the top of the page.
“It was the sound of Nicole getting hit.” Savannah realized her voice had suddenly gotten scratchy. “It was a thump. It didn’t register with me what it was until I heard a squealing of tires and an accelerating engine roar.” She stopped to swallow hard. She inhaled a huge breath and tried to relax the tight knot positioned at the back of her neck. “The next thing I heard was Jacob screaming and Suzy howling. They were right on the sidewalk. They saw the whole thing.”
“What did you do then?”
“I ran outside and saw the back end of a white car turn right at the very next street.”
Officer Williams looked up from her notepad. “I don’t suppose you got a glimpse of the license number?”
“No, it was too far away, and my focus was on Jacob and Suzy.”
“Next?”
“As soon as I got Jacob to look at me rather than in the street at Nicole, he stopped screaming and Suzy stopped howling. Then I went into the street, knelt beside Nicole, and checked to see if she was alive. She had a faint heartbeat, but she was unconscious.” Savannah fell silent, the image of Nicole completely limp seared into her memory.
“And then?” Officer Williams prompted.
“I yelled for someone to call 911 and then I brushed Nicole’s hair out of her face and talked to her. She didn’t respond. The EMTs got there in just a few minutes.”
“What about Jacob?” Officer Williams scanned the café. “Where is he?”
“I called his mother to get him. He was a wreck. I left him there on the sidewalk as soon as his mother arrived. She texted me a bit ago to say that he was at least eating his favorite McDonald’s order at home.”
“Okay, I’ll have to speak to him at some point. He is our only primary witness. Is that all?”
Savannah cleared her suddenly scratchy throat. “Here, let me give you his home number.” She reached out for the notepad and Officer Williams hesitated for a moment, then handed it over along with the pen. Savannah wrote down the number and returned them.
I am certainly not myself. I didn’t even peek at her notes when I got the chance.
“I’ll need a list of your students. If they were still in the area, they may have noticed something.”
“Absolutely. I’ll e-mail their contact details to you the first chance I get.” Savannah glanced over at the clock on the wall. “There are only six students.”
Officer Williams smiled her thanks. “Was that her wife in the waiting room?”
“Yes, her name is Elizabeth Hartford. She’s waiting up there with Nicole’s brother, Phillip.”
“I need to talk to both of them. Let’s get back. Thanks for bringing me up to speed.”
As soon as they returned, Officer Williams indicated to Savannah and Edward that they should go to the other side of the waiting room. Then she stopped in front of Elizabeth. “Ma’am, are you Elizabeth Hartford?”
Elizabeth sniffed noisily and lifted her eyes. “Yes, I’m Nicole’s wife.”
Phillip piped up. “I’m Nicole’s brother, Phillip Borawski. Have you caught the hit-and-run driver?”
Officer Williams continued to stand in front of Elizabeth. “Not just yet, but if you don’t mind, I would like to ask some questions about Nicole.”
They both nodded.
“Have you noticed anything unusual in Nicole’s behavior with you or any of her friends?”
Elizabeth inhaled a trembling breath, looked over to her brother-in-law, then turned back to Officer Williams. “Nicole was truly kind to people in need. She didn’t just complain about social issues. She actually did something about them where it counts—at home, going about her daily life.”
“That’s absolutely correct,” Edward confirmed, nodding his head. “She frequently helped members of staff with small loans and she kept an eye out for the homeless vets who frequented the dumpster in the alley behind the pub. She donated our leftovers to a food locker. Nicole also made sure they knew about the free kitchens, the free health clinic, and all the support services.”
Elizabeth added. “She was especially interested in helping young people who were addicted to opioids. She frequently used her own money to check them into detox programs. Now that I think about it, Nicole was—”
The plain door beside the wall telephone opened and Dr. Smith walked over to the group. Savannah searched his face and found turned-down lips, a wrinkled brow, and his shoulders were slightly slumped. The lump in her stomach grew to the size of a boulder.
Elizabeth stood first and everyone followed.
“Elizabeth, I’m so sorry. I regret to tell you that your wife didn’t make it through surgery. Nicole is dead.”
Savannah gasped and felt her muscles stiffen and a sudden chill race through her body. Nicole! Nicole is dead? She turned to Edward. He ducked his head into his chest and reached out to her. They held each other in shock.
An agonized groan started deep in Elizabeth’s throat and rose into a keening cry. She turned and buried her face in Phillip’s shoulder. “Oh, Nicole. I knew you were courting trouble. This is what it cost—a terrible cost.”