Gone Too Far by Angela Winters Page B

had thought to remind her several times that Kimberly was his ex-wife. “What is it?”
    â€œIt’s an emergency. It’s your son.”
    Michael dropped the pen and grabbed the phone. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
    He could barely understand her. She was panicked, screaming and crying at the same time as she tried to tell him what was happening. He felt a sense of terror rise within him that he couldn’t control.
    â€œWhere are you?” he asked, shooting up from his chair.
    â€œUCLA,” Kimberly cried. “Hurry!”
    Michael threw the phone down and was out the door in two seconds. He rushed past his staff, yelling out for anyone who could hear to call his father.
    Â 
    â€œWhere is my son?” Michael’s voice boomed down the hallway of the Emergency Medicine Center at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, considered the best hospital in L.A. “Where is he?”
    Everyone was rushing around, and it wasn’t clear who could help him. He was feeling frantic. It had taken him fifteen minutes to get over here, and he kept getting disconnected from Kimberly on the phone.
    â€œMichael!”
    Michael turned and walked back to the hallway he just passed. Standing there was Kimberly, looking unhinged. The look of dread on her face made him think the worst, and he barely had the strength in his legs to make it to her. She started running for him, and he opened his arms for her. There was no thought in this, no thought of the fractured state of their relationship. They had done this so many times, finding comfort in each other’s arms at times of pain or fear. And although it had been a long time since they’d last done that, right now it was the only thing they could do.
    â€œPlease.” His voice cracked as he held her away. “He’s not…”
    Kimberly’s red eyes were full of panic. “No, but…Michael, he’s in a coma.”
    â€œWhat?” Michael looked up. “Where? Where is he?”
    â€œWe can’t go in yet.” She grabbed him by his suit jacket as he started down the hall. “The doctor said that we can’t go in for another half hour or so.”
    â€œWhat are they doing?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Kimberly started crying again. “It was so awful, Michael. He just started shaking all over and…”
    Michael wrapped his arms around her again, squeezing her tight. He was trying to think, trying to figure out what to do, while at the same time he felt like he was losing his mind. This was his son. “Where is Dr. Brown?”
    â€œHe’s in there,” she said, pointing to the area they were holding him. “He said he’ll be out in a few—”
    Before she could finish, Dr. Brown came out of the room.
    â€œWhat in the hell has happened?” Michael demanded. “You said he was fine.”
    â€œMr. Chase, I need you to calm down.”
    â€œCalm down? What the fuck?” Michael stood only inches from the doctor. “You said my son was fine, and now he’s in a coma. You better tell me right now what is going on, or I swear I will bring hell down on you.”
    The doctor seemed to be a little afraid. The problem with dealing with the rich was, although there were a lot of perks, if you pissed them off, they could destroy you. Dr. Brown looked as if he was aware of that.
    â€œMichael.” Kimberly placed her hand on Michael’s shoulder to try and calm him. “Doctor, just tell us.”
    â€œI believe Evan has—”
    â€œYou believe?” Michael asked. “You still don’t know?”
    â€œMr. Chase,” he said sternly. “Let me talk.”
    After a pause, the doctor began again. “I believe that Evan has acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.”
    â€œThat sounds like encephalitis,” Michael said.
    â€œIt isn’t that,” Dr. Brown said. “That is good news. ADEM has some of the