Page 43 of What Comes After

“Horrific.”

For the first time since I entered the room, I tore my attention away from Devyn and looked at my mom. “What are they?”

Tears welled in my mother’s eyes, an indication of just how awful things were. I tried to brace myself for what she was going to say, but nothing could have prepared me for it.

Nothing.

“She’s obviously got a lot of visible swelling and bruising. A couple of her ribs are significantly bruised, and two are fractured. But the worst of her injuries is a severe concussion and a ruptured spleen. She had to be taken in for emergency surgery when she arrived, so they could stop the internal bleeding. Theo, they said she lost a lot of blood.”

Don’t react.

Don’t react.

Don’t react.

If I gave in to what I was feeling after hearing all of that, there was no question they’d have to call security to escort me out of the building and off the premises.

“Is she in pain? Can she feel any of that?” I pressed, feeling utterly helpless.

Shaking her head, my mom answered, “I don’t think so. She’s heavily sedated, and I believe the doctors said they’re going to keep her that way to give her some time to heal. They don’t want her upset or agitated, so it’s better to give her the time to rest.”

Given that they didn’t know if she’d survive, I’d prefer to have her upset. At least then I’d know that she was going to make it.

“What happened? Was it a bad car accident? Was anyone else involved?”

I knew I was throwing far too many questions at my mom than was likely reasonable, but I couldn’t help myself. The more she told me, the less answers I felt I had. Every bit of information I’d been given prompted a new set of questions, and I desperately needed to know it all.

“Maybe we should step outside,” my mom suggested.

I shook my head. “I’m not leaving her. What if something happens? What if she wakes up?”

Something softened in my mom’s expression. “Theo, she’s not going to wake up now. I just told you she’s heavily sedated.”

“Okay, but the worst could happen,” I reasoned. “I’ll never forgive myself if something happens when I’m not here with her.”

Any sympathy my mom had for the way I was feeling flew out the window. She stood, her hand still wrapped around Devyn’s, and kept her eyes pinned on me. It was in that way that only mothers could do, and with just that single look, I knew I was in for it.

“Theo McCormick, if you want to know what happened, how it happened, you will walk out of this room with me, and go grab a cup of coffee.”

The thought of sucking back a cup of coffee right now made me sick, but something in the way my mother was looking at me, ordering me out of the room, and the tone of her voice had me releasing my hold on Devyn’s hand and moving toward the door.

My mom followed.

She didn’t speak as we moved toward the elevator.

She remained silent as we stepped on and rode down.

She didn’t even give me an indication of what was going through her mind as we made our way to the cafeteria and grabbed a cup of coffee.

Only when she forced me to sit down at a table in the corner of the room did she speak. And when she did, I started to understand that things weren’t at all like I had imagined.

“Before I tell you anything, I need you to remember that you’re here now, and you need to remain in this hospital with Devyn,” she said.

“I know that, Mom.”

She shook her head. “No, Theo, I don’t think you understand. I’m going to tell you something, and when I do, you aren’t going to like it. You need to keep yourself together, and you need to do it, because when Devyn gets through this and opens her eyes for the first time, she better see your face.”

Something unwelcome and cold seeped into my veins, my stomach clenching painfully. This had all been about preparation.

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