Page 114 of Surviving Lies

Colleen nodded, her smile cautious; she was a nervous grandmother, I got that. “The doctor said they’ll be sending her home in about an hour, I think. I wish they would have admitted her, though. I know fevers don’t scare doctors, but they sure scare me.”

She fell back against her chair, obviously exhausted. She looked years younger than I believed her to be. Her light brown wavy hair fell below her shoulders, and her makeup-free face showed no sign of wrinkles. She was beautiful.

“Well, I wanted to come check on you, sweetie. Make sure you knew we didn’t forget about you. Ty hasn’t forgotten about you. He’ll be out soon.” She looked toward me, her smile warming her face. “He speaks very highly of you, and I look forward to when you can visit again under better circumstances.” She reached out and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze.

I squeezed it back.

When we arrived last night, it was chaotic. Ty was frantic by the time we got here. I drove his car for the three-plus hours it took to get here so that he could communicate with Kelly and his mom on the ride. Running into the hospital, him yelling at the staff and asking where his baby was, made it feel like a movie scene. When we finally found everyone, it didn’t get much better. There were so many people in a tiny space. Her parents, his parents, him, Kelly, her boyfriend Tim, and me. Eventually, they made all of us but Ty and Kelly leave and go to the waiting room, and I’d been in here ever since.

It wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t in the clothes for my presentation. I was in a business suit and heels. To say I was uncomfortable was a gross understatement. Dreaming of sweatpants, or better yet, my pj’s, as I sat there with my eyes closed, a body plopped down next to me.

“Hey, babe,” a tired voice said as his head leaned on my shoulder.

My hand immediately went to hold his face, needing to touch him. Missing him.

“Hi,” I said quietly. “How are you doing?”

He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. The pallor of his skin almost made him look as though he could use a doctor himself.

“I’m better now.” He reached up, placing a kiss on my lips, and lingered there; we savored the moment of quiet togetherness. “She’s doing better, too. Kelly’s changing her diaper. It’s finally wet enough to need changing.”

I remember that happening to Jonah once when he was a newborn and wasn’t eating enough; we always needed to check the urine output to see if enough fluids were going in. There’s so much to think about as a new parent. And Ty had so much else on his plate as well as being a college student.

“I’m glad you were here to help her through this, Ty,” I told him.

He sat up and squared himself to sit facing me, turning in his chair. “Becca, you’ll never know how much it meant to me that you came with me.” The tenderness in his words almost meant more than the words themselves as his hands came up to cradle my face. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” He leaned in and his soft, pillowy lips connected with mine again, our eyes not breaking their connection. The soft kiss was quick but he stayed close, our mouths almost touching, our breaths mingling, when he spoke again. “I love you so much.”

“Ty,” a loud booming voice said as the door opened with a bang. His father stood in the frame of the door, a sheepish look taking over as his color changed to an embarrassed shade of pink. “Uh, sorry. Um, I was sent in by your mother to get you two.” He was looking everywhere but at the two of us.

We had separated by the time he found us, but were still sitting close enough that it was obvious we were sharing a moment. Standing, we both laughed at his dad and started for the door. “Thanks, Dad,” Ty said, the humor still in his voice. Ty took a hold of my hand as we walked past his father, who was still holding the door open for us. We strolled down the long hallway, a lightness in our step from being on the other side of this ordeal. As I exited the double doors, the gray clouds that hung in the sky surprised me; it was a contrast from the warmth of the night before. November weather in Virginia could vary from feeling as though it was still summer to having a snowstorm. This day had the feeling of snow in the air, and I didn’t even have a coat.

“Let’s get you in the car,” Ty said. “Are you OK following my parents home to my house? I’m going to go home with Kelly and get Savannah settled; then I’ll meet you at my house.”

It was interesting how if he had asked me that same question yesterday, the jealous side of me would have raged and I’d be overreacting right now. But meeting Kelly, seeing the dynamic between them, and seeing her with her current boyfriend, Tim, changed my opinion on everything going on with Ty when he comes home.

“Of course, Ty. Go take care of your daughter.”

He reached in through the window, kissing me full on the mouth for a good, long time. “I love you, Becca. So much.”

Chapter 34

Ty

I thought she would have been sleeping, but as soon as I opened my bedroom door, her head turned my way. Seeing her lying in my bed was such a beautiful sight. Her smile warmed me as she pulled back the covers and patted the bed by her side. Noticing what she was wearing made me take pause: she had on a pair of my sweats and one of my old T-shirts. She looked amazing. Shucking my sneakers to the floor, I climbed in beside her. My arm instinctively went under her as her head rested on my shoulder, and she was immediately enveloped in my hold. I loved how her arm wrapped around my torso, holding so tight, as if I might think of leaving. Her one leg entwined with both of mine like we were a puzzle.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked her.

“I couldn’t sleep without you here,” she said as a jaw-breaking yawn escaped her.

Kissing her hands, I already heard her breathing leveling off. It was still only midday; most of the excitement happened in the middle of the night into the early morning hours. It wouldn’t be smart to drive back to school without getting some sleep first. So we settled in and took a nap.

“Your parents are super nice, Ty. I absolutely loved meeting them. Well, officially meeting them. Even under these circumstances, they were amazing! I can’t wait to come back and spend more time with them. And Kelly, too. I mean, it’s kinda weird that I like her, ya know, the fact that she’s the mother of your child and shit, but she’s really cool. If her and I met a different way, we would totally be friends.”

She was rambling as we drove, but I didn’t mind. I let her go on and on because she was so damn happy. When we had finally woken from our sleep it was around 3 p.m. and we sat with my parents for a bit before heading out. This wasn’t a planned trip home, and we had shit going on at school we needed to get back for. Becca and I had missed some classes today. Looking over at her as I drove, admiring how cute she looked still dressed in my clothes as she blathered on, I realized how damn lucky I was.

She caught me looking. “What?” she asked, with some accusation in her voice.

“Nothing,” I said. But my smile told her otherwise. Not only did I know she wouldn’t let it go, I didn’t want her to. “You’re just fucking adorable.” My hand reached out and grabbed her thigh. “And you look hot in my clothes.”

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