Page 11 of Fragile Love (Fragile 3)
“What trip?” Cayden asked.
Lillian looked at him. “They planned a trip to Europe a few months ago,” she explained. “They’re supposed to leave in a few days.”
“In four days,” Frances clarified. “But with Andrew’s recovery and all the care he needs, even rescheduling will be a hassle. I want my son to be okay. The trip doesn’t matter.”
“Mom, I’ll be okay,” Andrew tried, but Frances didn’t seem to hear him.
“The doctor is supposed to refer us to a physio today and look at Andrew coming back home soon,” she went on.
“Mom,” Andrew tried again, “please go on your trip. I’ll call one of my coworkers to come by once a day, maybe bring some food, something.”
“Which coworker?” Frances demanded.
“Uh...”
“I just don’t think that will work. Your femur is broken in two places; you’ll need to be in a wheelchair or on crutches.”
“They aren’t bad of breaks, Mom.”
“Bad breaks? They aren’t bad breaks? A broken bone is a broken bone. And you broke your leg! I don’t know if one of your coworkers would be able to give you the best care like we could.” Frances looked at her husband. “I think we need to start making the calls tonight, since the trip’s so soon.”
“I really don’t want you two to cancel your trip,” Andrew insisted. “Seriously, I really want you to go. You’ve been looking forward to it for months.”
“Andrew, dear, you’re going to give yourself a headache if you keep joining in this discussion.”
“Doesn’t my opinion count? I’m the one you would be cancelling it for.”
“You really will need constant care, honey. The amount of physical therapy you need to make a good recovery will be more than someone coming by once a day to check on you.”
“I’m not in hospice, Mom. I’m not dying, and I don’t have a terminal illness. I have a slightly broken femur and some bruising on my torso—that’s it.”
“Slightly...” Frances sighed and then frowned. “You also have a concussion, don’t forget.”
“Mom, the doctor literally said earlier it’s a hairline fracture.”
“That’s a miracle,” Andrew’s dad commented softly in his deep voice. “It should have been much worse.”
“How are your pain levels?” Cayden asked quietly.
Andrew groaned. “Oh, for shit’s sake. Please don’t ask me that. I’ve been asked that a thousand times within the last hour.”
“I mean it, though.”
“So do I. If I say it’s less than a one and I feel like a freshly hatched baby from Heaven, will you stop obsessing about my care, Mom?”
“Don’t worry about the trip,” Lillian piped up, her voice breaking the monotonous banter. Everyone looked at her inquisitively. “I’ll take care of him.”
The room got quiet. “Yeah, Mom,” Andrew said, “See? I’ll have the best care in the country.”
Cayden stared at Lily in shock. His gut had warned him this was going to happen before she’d even said it. The offer made perfect sense. Andrew’s parents on vacation, Lily’s place was a bungalow. He pressed his lips together and held off making any comments. It wasn’t his place to say anything—yet.
Frances and Tanner looked at each other for a few moments, having a whole conversation only they could hear. “Lillian,” Tanner said, speaking slowly, “that would be far too much for us to ask you to do.”
“You didn’t ask,” she countered.
“But Lillian,” he said again, “what about your work?”
The simple question silenced her. She reached for a bottle of water and drank deeply. “I’ll figure something out. But you two have been saving for this trip for years, and you deserve to go.”
