AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I almost ask the doctor to say it again, but someone else rushes in with a question. The whole conversation is had while a buzzing rings in my ears, almost making it so I can’t quite trust anything anyone says. My chest aches with some hollow feeling, like I can’t quite take a breath.
“Breathe.” August squeezes my hand where we’re connected, as if reading my mind.
I inhale sharply, the sound more a gasp than a clear breath, but no one seems to notice. When I turn my chin slightly, I meet hazel eyes that hold unshed tears and concern. But they give me a momentary sense of calm, enough that I can process what’s happened.
Dad had a heart attack at the barbecue. An ambulance had shown up, and EMTs shocked him after Patrick had doled out round after round of CPR. The doctor mentions that my brother pretty much saved our father’s life.
Now, here we are, my whole family huddled in some waiting room hours after the barbecue. We’ve been waiting for any news, quiet sobs echoing in the space.
And the whole time, August has not left my side. No one has even looked our way with the chaos of this medical emergency, but I wouldn’t care if they did. She didn’t cut and run, and she didn’t second guess coming to the hospital. I’d laid out my feelings on that boat ride, and here she is proving that she’s willing to give us a shot, too.
“When can we see him?” Mom’s voice is a tenth of what it normally is.
The doctor is young, maybe even younger than I am. But he sounds legitimate, so I don’t say anything. “You can go in one by one, maybe groups of two if he’s up for it. But we need to keep him calm, no riling him up.”
“Go, Ma.” Liam gently pushes my mother toward the door.
“You want me to come with you?” Alana asks her, gripping our mother’s hand.
Mom nods, tears spilling down her cheeks. I know none of us want to see him alone. Just thinking about our oak tree of a father in that hospital bed makes me want to bend at the knees and vomit.
They leave the waiting room in a shuffle that is both frantic and fearful. Everyone seems to take a breath as a whole because, hopefully, the worst of it is over. But I guess who is to know.
“I can’t believe this.” Patrick shakes his head.
Liam, his usual self, hasn’t said more than a monosyllabic sentence since Dad collapsed. Gabrielle and Cass coordinated for our barbecue campout to be cleaned up, and now Gabrielle is at their house watching all of the kids.
“Someone is going to need to relieve Gabrielle soon,” August says at my side, always reading my mind. “I might go and help her out.”
“That would be so great, Auggy, thank you.” Warren gives her a small smile.
I don’t want her to go, but my God, she is selfless. Always thinking about how she can help our family out. I’m falling further and further for her, even in this horrible moment.
“Can I get you all anything before I go?” She looks directly at me.
I squeeze her hand and clear my throat. “You could stay.”
I feel everyone’s eyes on us.
“They probably won’t let me in to see him, and you should all go first anyway. He’s going to need some rest. Helping out Gabby is how I can help.”
In my head, I know this, yet I just want her to sit beside me in this sterile room for hours until I have to face my father. “Let me walk you out.”
It’s odd coming out of a hospital when someone you love is in the midst of a crisis. Everything outside is pretty peaceful and serene; the air smells the same, and the temperature hasn’t dropped like your heart does every time you hear a beep from one of the rooms. Staying inside a hospital makes you feel like weeks have gone by when, really, it’s probably only minutes.
“He’s going to be okay,” August reassures me once we hit the parking lot.
Blowing out a shaky breath, I nod. “Just can’t get the image of him collapsing out of my head.”
She nods as if seeing it in front of her eyes, too. “You don’t have to. But you do have to know that they’re taking such great care of him, and he survived. That’s a miracle alone. He’s still here. No one could take that ox out, even his own heart.”
We both laugh at her attempt to make me feel better.
“I’ll see you at home later?” I ask, wanting to know she’ll be there for me.
“Of course.”
I know she’s trying to give me some distance to process, but all I want is to hold her in my arms. So I do. I step into her space, pull her body to mine, and capture her mouth.
