Page 49 of By Your Side

Opening my laptop, I pull up the town bulletin for job postings. One that stands out is at the Willowbrook Lake Animal Shelter. The posting is for an intake coordinator. Looking for a job has been on my mind for a while, so I send in my application.

Nothing else looks as interesting, so I put my laptop away and focus on cleaning the house, the animals following me through each room. They haven’t left my side the past five days, bringing me comfort.

My phone rings from where it sits on the counter. Rushing over, hoping to see Owen’s name, but it’s a number I don’t know. Pausing, I contemplate ignoring it but quickly swipe before it goes to voicemail.

“Hello?”

“Is this Adeline Houghton?” The voice on the other end is warm.

“It is.”

“This is Brenda from Willowbrook General Hospital.” My heart falls into my stomach. “Owen Callahan has you listed as an emergency contact. He’s been in an accident and was brought in. He’s unconscious right now, being monitored closely.”

Everything else she says is buzzing in my ears, flashbacks of the call I received about Scott flowing through my mind.

Somehow I acknowledge her and hang up, rushing through the house to gather myself before racing off to the hospital.

Willowbrook General is tiny, so it’s easy to find Owen’s room. Pausing outside the door, I brace myself on the wall and close my eyes.

“You must be Adeline.” Turning, I see a petite woman with a kind smile. “I’m Brenda. A beam fell on Owen at the job he was working on, hitting him on the head and pinning him. He’s being monitored for a head injury and internal bleeding. His vitals are stable right now.”

Nodding, we enter his room where she goes through more details. He lays in bed, bruised and bandaged. My knees buckle, but I manage to reach the chair next to his bed.

Sliding my hand into his, I close my eyes and breathe through the tears burning, begging to be released. Finally, I look at him. He’s unconscious, but he’s breathing on his own. That has to be a good sign. I can barely look at all the other things attached to him. An IV, various monitors. It’s too much to comprehend.

“You need to wake up, Owen. This town needs you. I need you. Even if things don’t work out romantically, I need you in my life.” My voice is hoarse, but I push through, talking to him about everything that has happened since we last spoke. There’s really not a lot but I visit every day. There’s no decline but no sign of him waking up.

On the third day, a beautiful woman comes rushing in. She looks just like Owen, and I realize it’s his mom.

“Oh, honey.” Her voice cracks as she takes in her son before she looks at me. Tears glisten in her eyes as she attempts to smile. “You must be Adeline. Owen has told me all about you and I’ve been eager to meet you. I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances. I’m Greta.”

She bends down, giving me a hug.

“I wish it was different circumstances, too, but I’m happy to meet you.”

She settles into another chair next to me. We chat, jumping at every beep from the machine.

“The doctors said there’s no sign of permanent damage, so they’re just waiting for him to wake up. He was hit on the head quite hard.” I fill her in on my daily visits. The past three days have been some of the longest since the days after Scott passed.

She nods, her expression firm. “He will come to soon. I know my son. He has to. I would have gotten here sooner, but my first flight was canceled and then it was delay after delay.”

Taking her hand, we sit silently for a while.

At lunchtime, Greta offers to go grab some food.

Shifting closer to Owen, I wrap my hand around his, looking at his hand in mine. “Your mom is wonderful. I adore her almost as much as I adore you.”

Swallowing hard I look down at my lap and sigh. “Adore isn’t the right word. I love you, Owen.”

His fingers twitch, my head shooting up to meet his gaze. My body comes alive as we look at each other.

“I—” His voice breaks, but he tries again. “I love you too.”

Tears fill my eyes and I finally have the sense to hit the call button. Brenda comes bustling in, her lips pulling into a grin when she sees Owen is awake.

Soon the room is full of doctors and nurses all moving around doing some task. I stand in the corner, unable to take my eyes off Owen. By the time the room clears out, his mom comes rushing in, tears falling as she rushes to his side.

Slipping out the door to give them some privacy, I find a chair and sink down into it, sending a quick text to Raelynn and Eloise. Their relief is palpable in their responses, and I know the entire town will soon know Owen woke up.

---