Page 76 of He Doesn't Deserve You

He smiled. “I’ve been discharged. How’s he doing?”

“No change,” she replied, her voice tinged with worry.

“Can I pull you away to grab lunch in the cafeteria?” Roman asked.

“Sure,” Emily replied. She gathered the stack of mail, tucked it into her purse, and got to her feet. With a sigh of relief, she followed Roman out of the room, grateful for a brief respite.

They made their way to the cafeteria, where they picked up a couple of deli sandwiches, chips, and sodas. After settling into a booth, Emily sighed deeply. “I’m really worried about the boys,” she confessed. “They’re hurting so much right now, and I can’t help but think about what all of this is doing to their mental health.”

“Maybe therapy would help?” Roman suggested.

“Yeah, I kept them home from school yesterday so they could spend the day at the hospital,” Emily replied. “I explained the situation to their guidance counselor, and she said she would talk to them today. Still, they would probably benefit from speaking to someone specializing in these issues.” Emily picked at her sandwich, lacking any appetite to eat.

“What about Ava?”

“I told her that Gabriel was sick and in the hospital,” Emily said. “She’s so young; I don’t think she can grasp the concept of suicide. I don’t want her to bear such a heavy burden at her young age. I know she’ll hear about it someday, but I hope she’ll be older and better equipped to understand it by then.”

She sipped her soda and said, “Look at me, rattling on. How are you feeling? Who’s picking you up?”

“I’m on the mend. The doctor was able to repair the tear in my heart and said I was very lucky. If the bullet had been just a couple of centimeters over, I wouldn’t be here right now. Terri’s in town and should be here any moment. She insisted on staying with me for a week to care for me.”

“Oh, how is your sister? I haven’t seen her in years.”

“She’s good. Maybe you could stop by and see her while she’s here?”

“I’d like that.”

Roman’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the screen. “That’s her now,” he said and answered the phone. “Hello.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right down.” He got off the phone and said, “I’ve got to go.”

“Me too,” Emily said. They stood and carried their trays to the trash, and walked out of the cafeteria together. Roman walked Emily to theelevator, pressed the up button, and waited beside her. When the elevator arrived, he turned to her and said, “I’ll see you later.” As Emily stepped inside, he gave her a warm smile before walking away.

When Emily returned to Gabriel’s room, the news that Roman was doing better had lifted her spirits. Not wanting to return to the bills, which would only dampen her mood, she sat beside Gabriel, pulled a book out of her purse, and began to read. Engrossed in her book, she scarcely noticed when Gabriel coughed. However, he captured her full attention when he raised his hand and attempted to remove the breathing tube from his mouth.

She jumped up and rushed toward him, abandoning her book as it fell to the floor. “You’re awake!” she exclaimed, reaching to stop his hand. “No, don’t take that out!”

He thrashed his head and made another attempt to pull out the tube. Despite her efforts to restrain him, he succeeded, gasping desperately for air.

“Nurse! Nurse! We need help in here!” Emily cried out, running from the room to find assistance.

Seconds later, when she returned with a nurse, Gabriel was sitting up in bed, a look of panic etched on his face as he turned blue and struggled to breathe. The nurse sprang into action and swiftly reinserted the breathing tube. Gradually, the color returned to Gabriel’s face, and he began to relax.

“You need to leave that in,” the nurse scolded.

Gabriel nodded.

“I’ll inform the doctor that you’re awake,” the nurse said, leaving the room.

Emily hugged Gabriel tightly. “I didn’t think you would ever wake up,” she whispered.

Gabriel shook his head and pushed Emily away, his eyes flashing with irritation.

“You’re mad at me?” she said, shocked.

Gabriel nodded.

“I should have let you die?”

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