Page 44 of A Perfect Match
"When can we see her?"Asher asks.
"She's being moved to the ICU right now.I'll have a nurse come get you when she's settled."
"Will she wake up?"I force myself to ask, dreading the answer.
The doctor's expression softens."Given that she was found relatively quickly, I'm optimistic.But I’ve seen enough of these cases to know better than to say anything with certainty.Things can turn on a dime.We'll know more once we see how she progresses over the next day."
She leaves us with that cautious hope and heads back through the security door.
Asher’s stern face betrays no emotion as he takes charge.Just like he did when our dad died."We should set up a rotation for staying with her.No point in all of us camping out here."
“I’ll stay tonight,” Griffin blurts.
“And I’ll come first thing in the morning,” Jett offers.
Asher nods, though I get the sense that he and Dane were ready to fight for the honor of who stays first.“I think it would be best if the rest of us go home and try to carry on until we get some news.We should expect this to take some time.She’ll have a long road ahead.”
“Is anyone hungry?”Bella asks.
“Let me get dinner,” Jackson suggests.
We spend some time figuring out what dinner will look like under these circumstances.We finally land on Jackson and Bella picking up some food from High-5’s downtown while the rest of us wait for the nurse to give us more information.Jackson and Bella eventually return with big brown bags of food.We pass around wrapped sandwiches, and Jackson even bought extra to share with the other people in the waiting room.That earns him a few more pictures and autographs signed.
Despite the sandwich in my hands, I can’t eat.I take one nibble and feel sick, somehow craving a Kru meal instead of this.Or maybe I just want the man himself.After a little longer and still no word, Asher wraps his arm around me.
“Go get some rest, Pipe Cleaner.You need to be fresh for the morning.”
“You think I can rest not knowing what’s happening with Mom?”
“You’ll be the first to know.As soon as Griff hears something, he’s calling all of us.”Asher sends me a stern look.
“Are you going home?”I shoot back.
“I am.I have some work to do.To keep my mind off things.”
I sigh.Wasting away in the waiting room probably isn’t the best idea.Divide and conquer has always been the best approach, and I guess it works here too.I reluctantly pull myself to standing and give each brother a big hug.Bella does the same, and we all walk out to the parking lot.
“Do you want us to stay at Griff’s house with you?”Bella asks.
“No, I’ll be fine.Go check out your room at the hotel," I tell them as we climb back into Jackson’s car."We’ll all hear something as soon as Griff does, so no need to miss out on that lake view while you’ve got it.”
"Call me if you change your mind, okay?Family comes first.I don’t give a shit about the view.”
I nod, too exhausted to add anything.I rest my head against the window for the short car ride.When we pull into Griff’s driveway, it’s damn near eight p.m.The entire day has dissolved in the waiting room at Bayshore Memorial.
As I push open the door, Bella says, “You’re sure you don’t want us to stay here?”
I smile at her concern.“I promise I’ll be fine.Honestly, I’m so exhausted, I’m just going to head straight to bed.”
“Let me know ifanythingchanges and you need me.”She pops out of the car to give me one last hug and a quick peck on the cheek.“I love you, Pipe Cleaner.Aunt Laura’s gonna be fine, I know it.We’re all staying strong for her.”
I hear her words, but they don’t do much to calm that anxious buzzing behind my ribs.I wave as she and Jackson pull out of the driveway, and then I slip into the house.
I stand in the foyer, looking around for what feels like fifteen minutes.Nothing looks familiar in the wake of the bad news.The house feels too quiet, too empty without Griffin there while Mom’s in the hospital.I wander from room to room, unable to settle, my mind replaying the doctor's words, imagining my mother's pale face beneath an oxygen mask.
All of my exhaustion is replaced with worry.The what-ifs.The worst-case scenarios that twist my gut and leave me breathless.
So much for heading straight to bed.I step out into the backyard, needing fresh air.The night is clear and cool, stars scattered across the velvet sky.She’ll be fine.Everything will be fine.I sit on the edge of the lounge chair, drawing deep gulps as I repeat the words to myself.She’s alive.She’s healing.But my traitorous mind whispers the fears I’ve been ignoring all day: what if this is the day when everything changes?What if this week is the last time I ever spoke to her, hugged her, told her I loved her?
