Page 26 of Grace Notes
“It’s okay, Bug. Mommy’s just sad,” I say, trying to comfort her and Emryn at the same time.
Emryn lifts her head from my shoulder and looks at Avery, tears still streaming down her face. With a sniff, she steps outof my grasp and crouches down, opening her arms wide. Avery runs into them, burying her head into Emryn’s shirt, and I stand beside them, once again feeling like my hands are tied.
An ache settles in my chest that I can’t wipe away. I open my mouth to try to say something—anything that will make this better—but then my phone rings, interrupting me.
My dad’s ringtone blares from my pocket. If it were anyone else, I would ignore it, but with everything going on with him, I don’t want to miss something.
Reaching in, I pull my phone out and swipe my thumb across the screen, placing it against my cheek while still watching Avery and Emryn. “Hello.”
“Brooks, something’s wrong.” My dad’s voice is barely a rasp across the speaker.
My heart speeds up, imagining the worst. “Where are you?”
There’s no reply.
“Dad, where are you?” I ask, worry making my voice like gravel.
And once again, I’m met with silence.
There’s a beep on my end, and then the phone clicks off, leaving me in a panic.
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I’ve been sitting on a hard hospital bench for the last five hours, waiting for the doctors. But the discomfort of my chair is just a small blip against the worry that seems to keep tightening my chest, making it hard to focus on anything else.
Avery is sleeping beside me. Grayson’s suit jacket is spread over her, and her head is on his knee. Emryn and I tried to drop her off at Emryn’s parent’s house, but when we got there, she squeezed my neck so tight that I thought she would cut off my air. So we let her come because I didn’t want her to sit and worry without us.
The sound of footsteps has me jerking my head up and looking down the hallway. A doctor is walking toward us, his head hanging down. My heart thuds to the time of his steps, both excruciatingly slow and too fast at the same time.
Beside Grayson, Georgia’s breathing kicks up, and her face pales. I didn’t think about what it might feel like for her to be here, watching a doctor walk toward us with news that could alter our lives, but I watched her pull herself together, holding onto her control for the man beside her.
I’m glad my brother has someone like her.
Emryn’s hand falls to my lower back and rubs in circles. She hasn’t left my side since I got that phone call.
After our phone disconnected, I tried calling Dad back several times, but it went to voicemail each time. And as panic started to take over my body, Emryn became my calm. Apparently, Kip had shared his location with her when we first started to let him watch Avery. He wanted to prove that we could trust him, and even though he’s more than proven himself with our daughter, he never stopped sharing it. Emryn never checked it, but it was there. Once she found out where he was, she called an ambulance and then Grayson. We met them at the hospital.
Emryn has been my rock, and I appreciate that more than she will ever know.
Turning my head over my shoulder, I offer her a sad smile, letting her know how much I love her without words.
And when I turn back around, the doctor is standing there in front of us. His face is a stone mask, impossible to read, and I wonder how many times he had to practice that over the years so that he could talk to families just as he is now.
I stand, leaving my hand hanging down for Emryn to take. Her fingers lace through mine and squeeze as she stands, reminding me she’s right there with me. Grayson stays sitting,Avery’s head still on his lap, and Georgia reaches out to him, holding his hand the same way Emryn holds mine.
“Are you the family of Kip Montgomery?”
I start to open my mouth, but Grayson beats me to it, surprising me. “Yes. We are his sons.”
The doctor nods, still giving nothing away, and I wish, not for the first time, that he would just get on with it and deliver whatever blow he has to give.
There’s a beat of silence, and then, “I’m Dr. Yates. Your father is stable.”
Air wooshes into my lungs, letting me breathe for the first time all day.
“What happened?” Emryn asks, voicing the question that I couldn’t get out.
“Mr. Montgomery’s blood pressure was very high when he got here. However, he was mentally still cognizant. He was able to tell us his medical history—apparently, his doctor found a mass on his adrenal gland some time ago. Were you aware of that?”
