Page 79 of He Doesn't Deserve You

After a few moments, they gently pulled apart. Gabriel reached for the whiteboard and wrote, “Can I speak to Emily alone?” Both boys nodded understandingly and quietly left for the waiting room.

Once the boys had left, Emily turned to Gabriel. “I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

Gabriel shook his head and wrote, “Don’t be. You were right. I needed to hear it.”

Emily sat on the edge of his bed, and Gabriel gently took her hand. “I spoke to Dr. Morgan,” she said softly. “They’re planning on weaning you off the ventilator soon.”

Gabriel nodded in acknowledgment. With eyes filled with sadness, he wrote, “I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know,” Emily replied gently.

He paused, then wrote, “Where do we go from here?”

Emily shook her head, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “I don’t know,” she admitted.

Emily knew one thing for sure: her family needed her. She was determined to be there for them and didn’t want anything or anyone to cloud her judgment on what she needed to do.

Resolute in her decision, she called Roman later that night to share her plans. He picked up on the first ring.

“Hey,” she began, her voice steady. “Can we talk?” she asked, reclining on the bed.

“Oh no,” Roman said, “Something tells me I’m not going to like what you have to say.”

“Gabriel woke up today,” Emily announced.

“That’s good, right?”

“Yeah, it’s great news,” she replied, her tone unconvincing. “They’re weaning him off the ventilator soon.”

“That’s good.”

“They’ll be transferring him to a crisis center within the next couple of days,” she continued. “After that, he’ll need to go to a residential treatment center.”

“Okay,” Roman replied, still bracing himself, anticipating bad news.

“He’s got a long road to recovery ahead of him,” Emily sighed.

Roman couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. Anxious and already sensing what was coming, he said, “Just say it.”

“I need to be there for my family.”

“What are you trying to say?” Roman asked, frustration evident in his voice. “Are you staying with him?” he pressed.

“No,” Emily hesitated, “I don’t know. But I know that being involved with you will only cloud my judgment. I owe it to my marriage to sort this out with a clear head.”

“I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again.” His voice cracked. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

“Maybe not, but he needs me. What do you want from me?”

“Nothing, Em. I’ve never wanted anything except to be there for you.” Then the call went dead.

Emily dropped the phone onto the bed and then cried herself to sleep.

43

Emily scanned the crowded auditorium, searching for Gabriel. When she spotted him, he waved her over. Quickly, she made her way down the aisle, pulling Ava by the hand. They wove through the row of people, with Emily offering polite apologies until they reached the empty seats Gabriel had saved for them.

Gabriel smiled. “You made it. I was starting to worry.”

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