Page 56 of Before I Tell You

“Yeah, you know, so you don’t feel alone.” I lean against his chest and look into his dark eyes, peering down at me. “It’ll be like I’m there with you.”

He wraps me inside his strong arms, giving me that happily ever after feeling. You know the feeling. The one at the end of every great romance novel where, just for a moment, everything feels perfect. But the sudden swoosh of doors opening with nurses running by reminds me that we are, in fact, not experiencing our happily ever after moment … yet.

Nathan takes his time kissing my forehead before saying, “That sounds like a great idea to me.”

“Ok, good.” For a second, I think I hear movement from the other side of room 405’s door, but it’s probably just Jason snoring. “Thank you again for bringing me and being here with me. This was, well, what I mean is …” I trail off, unsure of how to finish this sentence. How do you say thank you to someone who literally stopped everything without hesitation to drive you three hours to see your dad in the hospital — in the middle of a rainstorm, in the middle of the night? I don’t have the right words for this.

“Natalie,” he moves a strand of my hair behind my ear, “I would do anything for you.”

I know I’ve turned as pink as a Starbucks passion tea.

“Is there anything I can bring you from your house?” he asks.

“No, I’ll be fine. Will you text me when you get there, though, so I know you made it in one piece?”

“Of course. Try to get some sleep, ok?” His eyes glaze over my face with concern.

“I will,” I reply, but if he saw the size of the couch that I am going to have to share with Jason, then he would know this is going to be a very difficult task.

His lips touch mine one last time and linger for a few seconds before he loosens his grip around my waist and leaves.

I open the door to my dad’s room as quietly as possible, but when I step inside, I’m surprised to see my mom awake, standing beside my dad, observing every breath he takes.

“Hi. I hope I didn’t wake you,” I whisper.

“Oh, no. This chair isn’t exactly the most comfortable piece of furniture to sleep on, but it’s the only thing available.” She gestures to my brother, who is taking up the entire length of the couch.

I look at Jason and quietly laugh at the sight of him before turning back to my mom.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, sweetie,” she says. “I was so worried, and I just didn’t know what to do, and then …”

“Mom, it’s ok.” I walk over to her, hug her slender frame, and then look down at my dad. “How is he doing?”

She lets out a big sigh. “The doctors confirmed there is partial blockage in his artery. They’ve put him on some medications and are fairly confident that, with some rest, he will be back up and running soon enough without needing surgery. But we will have to make some serious changes to his lifestyle when he gets home, and knowing your father, I’m sure he won’t be too keen about it.” She gives me a knowing look, her eyebrows raised, then puts her hand back on top of my dad’s, holding it supportively “We are lucky it was only a minor heart attack compared to what it could have been.” Her eyes begin to tear up. “I thought … I thought I was going to lose my best friend tonight. But this guy is not going anywhere as long as I have something to say about it.” A tear slides down her cheek as she looks down at my dad with nothing but love in her eyes.

“He’s going to be ok, mom,” I assure her, hoping I’m right about this.

Even after all these years, their love for each other warms my heart. It’s the kind of rare love most people only see in movies or read about in books. But I’ve been lucky enough to witness it every day of my life.

I turn around to face Jason, who is still sound asleep, and try to figure out how I can move his large body over to one side of the couch when my mom speaks up.

“So, Natalie, how long have you and Nathan Thomas been seeing each other?” she asks, still keeping her eyes on my dad.

My cheeks instantly warm up. “Oh, that well, he umm … we ran into each other, and he was with me when you called, and then I guess … he kind of drove me here.”

“Oh, I see. And do you kiss every guy who gives you a ride home?” There’s a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Please tell me you didn’t see that?” I cover my face with my hands as redness spreads from my cheeks down to my chest like an unyielding heat wave.

“I’m just teasing, sweetie. I heard voices out in the hallway and got up to see who it was,” she says with a casual tone. An almost too casual tone. “I haven’t seen him around in a while. He must be a pretty nice guy, though, if he drove you here when you two were clearly at a party enjoying yourselves,” she says as she surveys my outfit. “Not to mention, he’s not too bad on the eyes.”

I roll my eyes and laugh. “Oh, mom.”

She displays a small smile. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to get some water.” She looks down at my dad once more before walking out into the hallway.

I gently take off the heels I have been running around in and then push Jason over to one side of the sofa with as much strength as I can muster. The blanket is barely big enough to cover one person, but I bring half of it up over my body, leaving the other half on Jason.

“Nice of you to join us, Nat,” Jason says groggily as he pulls on the blanket and shifts to his side.

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