What They Left Behind

The next day Ben returned to the ICU, though he didn’t think he should have been there because he felt a hundred percent better. The medical staff wanted to monitor him, though, just to make sure. For the first time in days, he was itching to get back to work, but he knew that would still be weeks away. Even if he wasn’t in the hospital, no one was in any mood or condition to go out to eat.

  Though it was a long protracted ride, Annie managed to pick up Kristopher and bring him home. She used Ben’s pager to get in touch with Malcolm and Colleen and they survived the earthquake unharmed. Annie and Ben’s home was mostly intact. The biggest damage they sustained was a bookcase and a china cabinet toppled over and all their contents spilled out onto the floor. She also managed to account for almost everyone at the restaurant. Annie confirmed for Ben that Gennie was okay too. The only one they were unable to reach was Lauren. Ben wanted Annie to drive by Lauren’s apartment and stop in, but she was busy enough as it was. He was really worried about Lauren, though. If Annie couldn’t reach her by tomorrow, she told Ben she would try to visit her, just to see if she was all right.

  “Hey, mind if I bother you?” Gennie’s voice woke Ben out of his thoughts. He glanced at the edge of the bed and saw her peeking through the curtain.

  “Sure, no problem,” Ben said. “Besides, I’m bored stiff here anyway.”

  “Well, I have something here to keep you preoccupied.” Gennie held out a paperback copy of War and Peace. “I hope you haven’t read it yet.”

  “Me read? I never had time for that, until now, that is.” He held the book in his hands. “It’s not as thick as I thought it would be. How many pages is it?”

  “Fourteen hundred and seventy-two pages exactly.”

  Ben scoffed. “I’ve had cookbooks longer than that.”

  “Well, then, you’ll probably be able to finish it in a day or two.”

  “Probably. So, how about that earthquake?”

  “Oh god, scary. There’s fires all over the place. Water is just gushing out of huge holes everywhere and flooding streets. I was watching the news this morning and the I-880 Bridge in Oakland, oh boy…the top section came loose and crushed the bottom section. Who knows how many people were trapped under there? I mean, it was the middle of rush hour when it happened. I wanted to call to see if everyone was all right, but the phones lines are knocked out completely.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. What a pain. Annie’s accounted for everyone at the restaurant, except for Lauren.”

  “I hope she’s okay. I bet Page is worried to death about me right now. She’ll probably be giving me one of those mobile phones for Christmas. I’m going to see if I can drive to her condo and check on how she’s doing.”

  “Can I ask you a favor?”

  “Sure.”

  “Please stop by Lauren’s apartment. She lives on Magnolia Street; it’s off of Twenty-fourth near Mission. I have to know how she’s doing.”

  Gennie nodded. “I can do that. Want me to get going now?”

  “If you don’t mind, yeah. Thanks so much, Gen. You’re a lifesaver.”

  Gennie gave him a hug. “No problem. And don’t worry about Lauren too much. We all made it through, so I’m sure she’s okay.”

  “I’ll try.”

  As soon as Gennie left, he opened up the first page of War and Peace. He hoped it was engrossing, because he wanted to forget his current problems for a little while. He didn’t think he’d hear from Gennie for several hours, so he was surprised when she returned to the ICU fifteen minutes later, her expression clearly pensive.

  “What happened?” he said, fearing the worst.

  “Well, I was about to leave when it occurred to me that if Lauren did get hurt, she’d probably be here. So I went to the emergency room and asked the receptionist there. And…I guess I was right. They admitted her into the emergency room last night and now she’s in CCU. I asked what happened and the lady said she was hit by a light pole.”

  “How is she doing now?”

  “I was told they performed surgery to stop the bleeding in her brain. She’s critical but stable.”

  “Oh jesus, does her mother know about all of this?”

  Gennie frowned deeply and looked away.

  “I asked the receptionist if I could talk to Charlene, because I figured she’d be here in the hospital with Lauren…but uh…I’m really sorry, Ben.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, their apartment building became really unstable after the earthquake and it collapsed. She didn’t make it out of there.”

  “What?”

  “I’m so sorry.” Tears rolled down Gennie’s face.

  Ben covered his face with his hands.

  “I need to be alone, okay?” he said.

  “Okay,” she replied.

  She put a hand on his shoulder just before she left.

  When he heard the door close, he began sobbing quietly.

  “Oh Charlene,” he whispered, “I wish we had a chance.”

  Then, he thought of his daughter, who was nearly dead herself. Please don’t let her die. She’s just starting out…and I barely knew her. Don’t let it end this way.

  Chapter 88: October 25