Page 60 of Avalanche
It’s from Liam. On the group chat.
Liam: He’s out of surgery. Stable. Had to have my phone off in theater.
I stare at his message, thumb hovering over the keyboard, hands shaking.
“Dieu merci,” Antoine breathes.
The screen blurs, swimming before my eyes like it’s been dropped under water.
Eddie: Lily and Antoine are in the waiting room. Me and Matty out getting food. Want something?
Liam: Yeah thanks mate. Fucking starving.
Antoine: Do you want a break? I can come sit with him.
Liam: Nah. I’m good.
Liam: Don’t really want to leave him right now.
Liam: I mean, he’s fine. The doctors said he’ll be fine. Just think I should stay with him.
Liam: Someone should call his parents. @Lily, you have their number, right?
I nod stupidly at my phone in confirmation, before remembering that Liam isn’t here with me in the room. My thumbs skids across the screen as I tap out my response.
Me: I’ve got it. I’ll call them.
Liam: That’s my girl.
Then, another message from Liam pops up, this one on a thread between me, him and Antoine.
Liam: You hanging in there, love? You’ve got Antoine with you, right?
Antoine: I’ve got her.
Me: I’m good.
Except there’s dampness on my cheeks and it feels like my chest is made of paper being ripped open.
“You don’t have to lie,” Antoine murmurs in my ear. “It’s okay not to be okay. You know that right?”
I nod, a wobbly sort of movement that I’m sure isn’t very convincing. But how can I say what I’m really feeling over text message? How does someone fit those words onto a screen, into a little text bubble?
They’re too big for that.
They’re too big for me.
Antoine: Let us know as soon as he wakes up. And let me know if you need anything. I’m here.
But of course, there’s nothing he can do. There’s nothing any of us can do, except wait.
Chapter 18
Liam
It’s a surreal feeling, sitting here. The last time I was in this hospital, I was laying where Seth was. Not the same room, maybe. But it could have been.
“You sure I can’t get you anything?” the nurse asks.
