Page 54 of Twenty-Three Years of Longing

“Because I’d like to go with you if that is okay,” he stated.

He’d done so much for me already. Getting the Hendersons to help was more than I’d ever expected. But flying to the States blew my mind. Maybe I wasn’t hearing correctly. “You want to come to Ohio?” He nodded and I asked, “Why?”

“I promised to be there for Joey when he arrived in Tabiq. But why wait? Why not be there for him, for you both, now?” he asked.

Orion, you take caring for someone to new level entirely. But I care about you too. I can’t let you walk away from your responsibilities.

“You can’t just up and leave. You’re the Vice President. Reesa is counting on you,” I reminded him.

“She is. But what you have taught me is to not live life with regret. If I don’t go with you, I know I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,” he said.

And what about your grandmother? She is in the hospital. If something happened to her while you were gone, you’ll never forgive yourself,” I said, honestly. “I know how much you love her.” She had raised him. In his eyes, his grandmother was his mother.

“Raya, you need me,” he said.

I do.

“Orion, from what Shaun said, the judge is going to ask me questions. All I need to do is tell him the truth. There is nothing you can do.” Except for holding my hand and telling me it would be okay.

I could tell he was going to insist, and I didn't have the strength to deny his offer twice. It was going to be nice to have him there to lean on.

Before I could say anything further, his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and said, “It is Mayson. I can call him back.”

“It could be about your grandmother,” I said.

He nodded and answered. “I’m in the meeting, what’s up?”

Even over the phone, I could hear the panic in Mayson’s tone as he blurted out. “You got to come here now. Something’s wrong. They kicked me out of the room and...and I don’t know what’s going on.”

I felt his body tense and he replied, “I’m on my way.” He put his phone back into his pocket and said, “I’m sorry, I got to go.”

“Can I go with you?” I asked.

“You have to pack,” he stated.

“I can have someone from the resort throw some clothes in a bag and give it to Bennett. He can pick me up from the hospital and bring me to the airport. I...I want to be there. For you. For your grandmother,” I said, touching his arm.

He nodded, grabbed my hand and we rushed to the hospital, neither of us saying a word. Both just praying that she would be okay. And that he’d make it in time.

As soon as we arrived, he went to her room, only to find Mayson leaning against the wall staring at her closed door. He was in such deep thought that he hadn’t noticed us approaching.

Half out of breath, Orion asked, “Have you heard anything?”

Mayson was startled at first, then shook his head. “Nothing. I tried asking when I saw a nurse, but she said the doctor would come and speak to us after.”

I placed a hand on Orion’s shoulder and could feel the tension in him. “I’m sure all their focus is on your grandmother.”

“They have been in there a long time,” Mayson said. “This can’t be good.”

I slipped my hand off Orion’s shoulder and then entwined my fingers with his. He gripped it, not letting me go. “Thank you for being here.”

Mayson nodded. “Grandmother would be happy too. She spent most of the night talking about you.”

“Me?”

“Well, you and Orion. But you really made one hell of a first impression. She was even talking about teaching you how to knit. I remember her trying to teach Orion. He humored her but sucked at it. You should have seen the socks he made. One looked like it could fit a child and the other, a giant.

I looked at Orion who shook his head. “They weren’t that bad, but I wasn’t interested in knitting. I did it because it made her happy. That’s all.”

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