Page 15 of After All This Time

Mom fell asleep next to me which doesn’t surprise me because I could tell how exhausted she is. She’s been running on a never-ending hamster wheel since we got here this morning.

Celia fell asleep next to Dani with her head nuzzled into her neck.

One of the nurses brought over a couple more chairs for them to sit on.

I turn to my right, noticing that Dani is glaring at me.

“What?” I say in a whisper.

She rolls her eyes, puckering her lips out. “Nothing.”

“No, please, enlighten me. I beg you.”

“I forgot how irritating you are.

“Oh, I’m irritating. That’s funny. You’re the queen of being irritating.”

I love annoying her because the look on her face is always priceless. I wish I could take a mental picture and store it in my brain forever.

Her bold eyebrows furrow and her cheeks turn a rosy color. “God, I hate you.”

“Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page about something.”

She fakes a laugh, rolling her eyes and sticking up her middle finger at me.

Before we can say anything else, a woman in her thirties walks over to us. She’s average height with dirty blonde hair tied into a low ponytail and blue eyes.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Caitlyn Miller. Are you Benjamin and Elizabeth Kaplan’s family?”

Breathe, Noah. Just breathe.

I lightly rub my mom’s shoulder to wake her up. “Mom. The doctor is here.”

She jumps, practically flies, out of her seat like something just bit her on the ass.

We all stand, getting up from the chairs we’ve all been sitting in for hours.

“I’m sorry. What was your question?” Mom asks Dr. Miller.

“Are you Benjamin and Elizabeth Kaplan’s family?”

“Yes. I’m Benjamin’s wife and Elizabeth’s mother.” She puts her arm around my shoulder, pulling me to her so hard it makes me lose feeling in my body for a few seconds. “This is my son, Noah. We’ve been here for hours and nobody has given us any updates.”

“Here’s the good news. Your daughter is unconscious, but she will make a full recovery. The impact didn’t severely damage any vital organs, but she has a long road to recovery ahead,” Dr. Miller explains.

Thank God.

I can see some relief wipe across my mom’s face. As Mom releases me from her grasp, I can breathe.

Celia seems relieved too. She walks over to my mom, wrapping her arm around her. My mom rests her head in the crook of Celia’s neck.

“What about my husband?”

“Mrs. Kaplan, your husband suffered severe damage to several vital organs. He’s still in surgery,” Dr. Miller tells us.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

My mom’s facial expression quickly shifts from hope to hopelessness.

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