Page 125 of Keep My Heart
It must be serious if they’re all going. I’m afraid to call my mom to find out.
‘Hey, could one of you stick around and give me a ride? I’m taking the next flight out to Chicago. I couldn’t get anything closer.’
‘Yeah, of course. I’ll stay behind. It’ll give me a chance to check on our job sites before I go.’
‘Thanks. I’ll send you the flight information.’
‘Didyou just get back to New York?’
‘Yeah, I’m still at the airport. I was getting off the plane when Sawyer called. I haven’t talked to my mom yet. I’m kind of afraid to.’
‘Dad talked to her a few minutes ago.’
‘Did she say how my dad’s doing?’
‘She said they haven’t told her anything yet.’
I blow out a breath. ‘I’m fucking scared, Nash. I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready to lose him.’
‘Hey, don’t be thinking like that. You gotta try to stay positive. Your dad isn’t that old and he’s been healthy up until now. He could make it through this.’
‘I keep telling myself that, but look what happened to your mom. Aunt Barb was younger than my dad.’
Nash’s mom died of a heart attack a few years ago. We were all shocked when it happened. I still can’t believe she’s gone. She and my mom were close, more like real sisters than sister-in-laws. When I was growing up, Aunt Barb and Uncle Mitch would drive up with their boys to see us several times a year. We’d drive down to Chicago to see them too, but it was more fun for them to come to the orchard where all us boys could run around outside.
‘You can’t compare the two,’ Nash says. ‘You don’t know what’s going on with your dad. You need to wait to hear from the doctor.’
‘Yeah, you’re right.’
‘What time does your flight leave?’
‘Less than an hour. We should be boarding soon.’
‘You want me to stay on the phone with you?’
‘No, I’ll be okay. I need to make some calls. Thanks for doing this. I’ll see you soon.’
‘Nick, we’re family. You don’t have to thank me. Whatever you need, just ask.’
An announcement blares from the speaker above me.
‘Sounds like we’re boarding now. I just sent you the flight info.’
‘Got it. See ya, Nick.’
It’s good I’ll be riding home with Nash. I like talking to him, and he’s been through this with his mom so he understands how I’m feeling.
As I get in line to board the plane, I check my phone and see that Lyndsay called a few times but didn’t leave a message. She’s probably wondering why she hasn’t heard from me. I was going to call her when I got off the plane, but then Sawyer called and everything went to hell.
I call her, but her phone goes straight to voicemail. I leave a message. ‘Hey, it’s Nick. I need to talk to you. Call me when you get this.’
I don’t want to tell her about my dad over the phone, especially when I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe it wasn’t a heart attack. Maybe it was just chest pain caused by stress or indigestion. I hope that’s all it was, but I’m worried it’s more serious than that.
Knowing I can’t keep avoiding it, I call my mom, telling myself to be strong for her and stay positive.
‘Hey, Nick,’ Jason answers.
‘What are you doing with Mom’s phone?’
