Page 50 of Through You
“What happened?” I’m unsure what to ask.
“He suffered a stroke. The doctors are currently working to stabilize him. I’ll be able to provide you with more information when you get here.”
“We’re on our way.”
She gives me a few more details before ending the call.
I dress in a hurry and don’t even pay attention to the clothes I put on. My heart has formed a lump in my throat, and I can feel it beating hard.
“He’s fine. He has to be fine.”
I’ve got this headache that comes and goes, but it’s not anythingI can’t handle.
Stubborn old man! If he wasn’t feeling well why didn’t he say something? A sense of dread courses though me and I dart out of my room.
My mother hasn’t stirred one bit. She’s a deep sleeper—not even a hurricane could interrupt her slumber. Meanwhile, I find Mr. Juan in his pajamas, with his cell phone to his ear when I reach the living room. It’s clear that the nursing home reached out to him while the hospital was calling the landline. He can see the dread and desperation in my eyes.
“Should we go to hospital?” I ask.
My eyes move in the direction of the stairs and he reads my mind. “I don’t want to wake them up right now,” he says. “It’s best to wait until morning, and then—”
But I’m already running past him and up the stairs.
“Claudia!” I hear him shout behind me. “Claudia!”
I knock on each of the boys’ doors hard enough for them to hear, and come to a halt outside Apolo’s room. Ares peeks out, his hair a spiky mess pointing in all directions. He has one eye closed and is struggling to keep the other open. “What’s wrong?”
A shirtless Artemis also sticks his head into the hallway.
“What the fuck is going on?”
I try to slow my breathing and make an attempt to sound calm, so I choose my words carefully. “Your grandfather . . .”
Apolo opens his door and stands in front of me. “What’s happening, Claudia?”
“Your grandfather is in the hospital.”
Understanding and fear is evident in the expressions worn by each of the Hidalgo boys when words fail to come out of my mouth.
They all scramble to put on the first scraps of clothing they can find while asking me a lot of questions. And then they follow me downstairs. Mr. Juan is waiting at the bottom of the stairs and gives me a disapproving look, but I don’t care. Our ride to the hospital is quiet, yet the air is heavy with suffocating worry. Mr. Juan is driving and Artemis is in the passenger seat. I’m in the back, between the other two boys. Apolo cries silently, big tears rolling down his cheeks.
My heart is shrinking. I don’t want to entertain the possibility of his grandfather not making it through.He is strong and will befine, I repeat to myself over and over.
I take Apolo’s hand and give it a squeeze. He rests his head on my shoulder and his tears dampen my shirt.
Ares is resting his elbow on the car window, his closed fist held against his mouth. His knuckles have turned white. The tension through his shoulders is obvious. He’s mad. No, correction: furious. I assume he deeply regrets not visiting his grandfather.
Perhaps we all thought Anthony was eternal because he always looked strong. I link Ares’s other hand with my free hand and place them on my lap. When Ares turn his gaze to me, I see pain in his eyes.
“He’s going to be okay.” Ares goes back to staring out the window but doesn’t let go of my hand, squeezing tightly.
Artemis turns around slightly and glances at me. He’s trying to conceal his worry but his deep concern is written all over his face. I smile at him and whisper, “Your grandfather is going to be okay.”
He nods and straightens in his seat.
They may be older but they have been deprived of love, Claudia.
Their parents failed to show them affection when they were growingup; they gave them nothing. The words of their grandfather echo in my mind as I enter the hospital with the Hidalgos. One single thought takes up residence in my head: You’ve got to get well, you stubborn old man. Don’t you dare die on us. If you do, I will make sure to bring you back and kill you myself.
