Page 63 of Everything We Left Unsaid

Abby

I find myself trying to focus extra hard on what the doctor has to say as my mind threatens to drift back to Jacob. He’s been monopolizing my thoughts all morning. Last night was incredible. The sex was so good; quite possibly the best we’ve ever had. And that’s saying something, considering how mind-blowing it was the last time.

My skin heats, a flush spreading over my body at the thought of Jacob’s intoxicating touch, his tongue running along the inside of my thigh, his fingers exploring every sensual inch of me. I blink hard and try to push the memory away so I can concentrate on my grandmother’s discharge instructions.

“It’s crucial that you not miss any doses of your new medication since it could result in another heart attack, one that could be more devastating than the last.” The doctor’s serious tone and stern warning shake me from the daze. “By the looks of your echocardiogram, there was only minimal damage to the heart muscle. We’d like to keep it that way.” I breathe a sigh of relief. That final test was all we were waiting on to get her out of here, and now that we have the results, it’s time to take her home. “The nurse will be in shortly to go over all your new medications and to schedule your follow up. I’ll see you in my office in a couple of weeks.” Shaking my grandmother’s hand, he bids us goodbye and ducks out quickly, moving on to the next patient.

“Thank God,” my grandma praises. “Get me outta this place!” She yanks at the wires connected to her chest and picks at the tape securing her IV in place. “Ethan, unless you wanna see what’s under this gown, I suggest you step out, because I’m ready to tear it off.”

“Enisi!” I scold as my brother scrambles from his chair and bolts out the door. “You can’t just start taking stuff off,” I warn. “And leave that IV alone. You have to let the nurse take it out.”

“Why?” She narrows her eyes on me, clearly fed up with being stuck in this room. “You heard the man. I’m free to go.”

“That’s not what he said,” I scowl. “You have to wait for the nurse.”

“Well, I’m tired of waiting,” she pouts. “I just want to go home. I want to see my Chloe Bug, get a hot shower, and eat something other than the slop they try to pass off as food here.”

I open my mouth to respond, but a quick tap at the door and the sound of it creaking open halts my retort.

“Knock, knock,” a female voice sing-songs. I roll my eyes but try to clamp down my irritation. For some reason, it drives me nuts when people say that after they’ve clearly already knocked. “Looks like someone’s eager to get out of here.” A nurse in brightly colored scrubs and an even brighter smile breezes in with a stack of papers in her hands. “Your alarms are going crazy,” she admonishes playfully, tapping on the touch screen of the monitor several times. “There,” she offers sweetly. “We’ll just shut that off since you’re going home.”

Maybe it’s the lack of sleep or the culmination of all the shit that’s happened over the last week and a half, but her chipper attitude and sugary voice sweet enough to cause a toothache are getting on my last nerve. After last night, I really should be much more relaxed.

She grabs her paperwork and starts reviewing my grandmother’s new medication regimen with her. They cover a few more important bits of information before she finally moves on to removing the IV. She finishes up her spiel as she tapes a folded gauze pad to my grandmother’s skin, and to her credit, she works very quickly and efficiently. Maybe I’m being too hard on her because my frayed nerves have left me irritable.

“There,” the nurse trills. “All set.”

In seconds, I gather up her belongings and head to my car, instructing Ethan to wait on the nurse wheeling her out in a wheelchair. I pull up to the entrance as instructed and the nurse deposits her in the passenger seat. She cheerfully bids us goodbye and I breathe a sigh of relief when she turns away, strolling back into the hospital.

“I’ll meet you at the house,” my brother offers into the open window as he slips on his leather jacket.

“Young man, you better have a helmet to put on that pretty little head of yours.”

“Of course, enisi.” Ethan rolls his eyes. “It’s with the bike.”

“You shouldn’t leave it out where anybody could just walk by and steal it,” she chastises. “Then what would you do?”

“Nobody’s gonna steal it,” he assures her. “I’ll see you in a few,” he directs at me before pushing off the side of the door.

“He’s gonna get himself killed on that thing,” my grandmother huffs as we pull away.

“He’s a really good driver.” I try to ease her worry. “And despite what you may think, he never rides without safety gear, and is very cautious and aware of his surroundings.”

She scoffs and waves a hand at me dismissively. “Still doesn’t make me feel any better about it. I don’t know why he traded in his truck.”

“Well, it’s cheaper and doesn’t use nearly as much gas. He’s saving money,” I explain. She shoots me an exasperated look and I chuckle. Definitely not going to win her over on the motorcycle any time soon.

When we pull into the driveway, Jacob is standing on the front porch next to Ethan with Chloe perched in his arms. She claps and squeals when my grandmother steps out of the car.

“Chloe Bug!” she croons. Jacob steps off the porch and my heart flips in my chest. He smiles genuinely, striding toward my grandmother so she can see her great-grandbaby after several days away from her. If his gorgeous megawatt smile hadn’t already done me in, his thoughtfulness would. He knows how badly they’ve missed one another, and he was right there waiting for us to get home so they wouldn’t have to go one second longer without seeing each other.

My chest constricts when he pulls her into a hug and Chloe wraps her arms around my grandmother’s neck. They stand there, the three of them in a warm embrace, and I choke on a sob as relief and love flood my entire body. Jacob hears the muffled sound and looks my way. He reaches for me and pulls me into the fold, and I hold onto them for dear life. Jacob presses a kiss to my hair as I lean into him, tucking my head under his chin.

The group embrace is short-lived, but the moment is no less meaningful for it. When we step away, Ethan strides past us and offers his arm to steady my grandmother.

“What took you so long?” she asks, a twinkle in her eye. “You missed the group hug. Now we have to do it all over again,” she asserts with an ornery grin.

“No thanks, enisi. I’ll pass.”

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