Page 92 of Tide Over

Mom and Heather murmur behind me as I leave the room, but Grandpa stays close as we make our way to the car.

When we get there, Heather places my bag in Mom’s car and turns to me. “Hey, Teddy,” she says softly.

I meet her eyes, and she offers a small, gentle smile. “You’ve got this,” she says. “Liam’s waiting for you at home. I told him to stay…” Her eyes flick between mine as they fill with some kind of emotion. “I called him yesterday after your surgery to fill him in on everything.”

I nod, swallowing hard as I drop my eyes, my own emotion gently nudging at the fog in my brain.

“I drove myself here this morning,” Heather adds, nodding towards her car parked nearby. “So I’ll check in later, ok?”

“Ok,” I manage with another nod.

She holds the door open for me as I slide into the back seat of Mom’s car, wincing as I try not to bump my arm. Mom and Grandpa get in the front, and by the time we’re pulling away from the hospital, sleep is pulling me under.

I don’t wake until I hear tires crunching on gravel, and I open my eyes to the familiar sight of my house as Mom parks next to Liam’s truck.

“Oh good, Liam’s here,” Mom says. “I should go over your meds with him.”

“He’s going back to work tomorrow,” I mutter, awkwardly pushing the car door open. Grandpa holds it for me as I get out, then grabs my bag and follows me inside.

The first thing I see when I step into the house is Liam, standing near the kitchen, watching me with wide, worried eyes.

“Hi, Liam,” Mom says warmly, placing a hand on his arm as she walks past him into the kitchen. “Theo won’t let me stay here with him for some reason,” she chuckles, “so I’m just going to run through his meds with you. He’s still a little fuzzy.”

I walk past them and head into the living room, ignoring the sound of their voices in the kitchen as I sit on the couch. Miss Bobber hops up with me, curiously sniffing my bandaged hand as I tip my head back against the couch cushion and close my eyes.

After a few minutes, a hand squeezes my shoulder, but I keep my eyes closed. I know it’s Grandpa, and I know they’re leaving… but I just can’t do it… any of it. Not right now.

“Take care, Theo,” he says softly. “Talk tomorrow.”

I hear the door close, and the house falls quiet. Except for the sound of Liam’s hesitant footsteps as they approach me.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice breaking.

My eyes open and I turn my head to look at him.

His eyes are wet with tears, and it looks like he’s barely hanging on. I stare at him for a moment, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the sleepless look about him.

“I… I should have been there,” he says as a tear rolls down his cheek, and his hands shake.

And suddenly, I feel everything.

Every emotion I’ve buried since I woke up after surgery yesterday rushes to the surface. The anger, the sadness, the fear of what comes next… I’ve been holding it all back as I tried to stay in control. But now, with him, I can’t keep it in anymore.

I feel everything.

And I need him.

I reach out with my good hand, and the moment he takes it, I break. A sob escapes me as he drops down beside me and pulls me carefully into his arms.

“Fuck,” I mutter into his chest as my tears fall.

I fucking hate this, and I wish more than anything that I could go back to before, when everything was good. When we had plans to move forward with happiness and hope.

He kisses the top of my head as he holds me close, letting me catch my breath and let it all out. His breaths are shaky, but he remains calm and steady.

“Everything is fucked,” I say.

I feel him start to shake his head, but I pull back to look into his eyes before he can say anything else.

---