Page 8 of Fragile Love (Fragile 3)
The keys and Lillian’s purse were right inside the door, so he was almost instantly back on his way downstairs. The guy never asked to get in a car wreck, he told himself. Lil is probably freaking out since the same thing happened to Amelia.
She was waiting by the car and was visibly impatient. “Would you hurry?” she called, knocking on the car door.
Cayden fumbled for the button, and as soon as the car was unlocked Lillian clambered in. He had to jog the rest of the way, so she wouldn’t have to wait more than a second.
“Come on, let’s go,” she urged, fidgeting in her seat.
“I’m coming, Lil.” He started the car and turned around as he backed up, taking extra care to check for people behind him since the parking lot was unfamiliar.
“So slow,” she murmured, but it was plenty loud enough for him to hear.
“Lil,” he stated, “I’m checking behind us. I’m staying chill to get us there safely.”
“Yeah, but this is urgent, Cayden. Something happened to Andrew and I need to get there. NOW.”
“I understand, Lil, but if I drive like crazy and speed up I’m more likely to get us in an accident, and then we would be in the same place as Andrew!” He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth, but she was being ridiculous.
“I can’t lose Andrew, too, dammit!” she yelled, letting out a sob and burying her face in her hands. Cayden was taken aback at how suddenly her mood had shifted. Unsure of how to comfort her, he reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. She was shaking from fright.
“We’ll get there in just a minute,” he said. “I’m going to get us there very soon.”
“I can’t lose Andrew, too,” she whimpered, sagging against the car door. “I’m so sleepy.”
“We’ll come back here later after everything is settled. Then we’ll sleep for a long time.” The idea sounded deliciously appealing to him, but he imagined it sounded even better to her. She had gotten less than five hours of sleep last night. Partially my fault, he admitted. Mostly my fault, fine. But she loved it. And she enjoyed breakfast, too. That gave him an idea. “Hey, when we get there, I’ll buy you coffee. What do you want?”
“Nothing,” she returned.
“Come on. They have a full-on espresso machine. I can get you a latte...”
No reaction from Lillian.
“Cappuccino?’
Her shoulder twitched.
“Uh...” He tried to think of what else they had. “How about a mocha?”
Very slowly, she turned her head to look at him from behind her unbrushed hair. “Maybe a mocha would be nice.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” he smiled. “We’ll talk to the docs and then I’ll go get you a mocha. With whipped cream.”
She didn’t smile, but he knew she was sending “yes” vibes to the whipped cream. He schemed a plan to drizzle chocolate on the top, too. Goodness knows she hasn’t been getting enough calories the past few days; her mind is going ninety to nothing at all hours of the day and she needs to take care to keep her physical strength up.
They said nothing more until they pulled in to the hospital parking lot. He dropped her off at the front door. “I’ll come find you as soon as I find a spot.”
With a nod, she flew out of the car and bolted into the hospital. He had to drive around for a minute to find a free space, and discovered one far away but in the full sun. Perfect, he thought, hoping it would keep the car warm against the cold autumn air.
He should’ve walked faster to go find Lillian and be there to support her. He knew it, and the guilt crept up on him like a ghost. But Andrew. Dismissing him during the visit. Then staying with Lillian right after the argument—she swore there was nothing between them, never in the past and never in the future. He could only trust her. And now, right when she agreed to get back together, something dramatic happens. Something involving Andrew always seems to tear the focus away from our relationship and growing together. He almost had to slap his face to make himself snap out of it. He didn’t try to get in a wreck. Lil is just being a good family member. Better than most families are to their own blood, probably.
Thinking about being there to hold her through her misery motivated him to pick up his pace. When he came out of the elevator on the floor where Andrew’s room was, he looked both ways and listened, searching for some evidence of Lillian. Everything was oddly quiet; nothing seemed out of order and there was no immediate sign of chaos. The people working behin
d the desk were typing away on their computers. A couple of doctors passed him, holding their files and chatting about something that had happened over the weekend.
He wasn’t sure what to do, so he went back to Andrew’s room. She must be there, he thought. If Andrew’s procedure is over he must be there, too. Something in him felt a tinge of worry about what had happened. If it was something bad, his relationship with Lillian was about to change forever.
Almost holding his breath, he knocked on the closed door to Andrew’s room. It was quiet inside, and then he heard a sniff that undoubtedly was from Lillian.
She was sitting in the chair next to his bed, her body tense but drooping at the same time. Andrew was lying there, almost in the same position he was last night. “Are you okay?” Cayden asked. “Where’s the doctor?”
