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“Sounds good. Have a great night.”
“You too.” She smiles as I turn for the door, which the doorman opens for me.
When I get out to the street, I stop in the middle of the busy sidewalk. I know I’m going to Lenox Hospital, but I have no idea where that is, which direction to head, nor how to get a car to take me there.
“Do you want me to grab a cab for you?” the man behind me asks, and I look at him, my shoulders sagging in relief.
“Please. That would be great,” I tell him, and he walks toward me and stops at the edge of the street. Before long, he lifts his hand, and a yellow cab pulls to a stop for him.
“Have a great evening, Ms. Barlow.” He opens the back door for me, and I slide inside, surprised that he already knows my name.
“Where to?” the driver asks as the door is shut.
“Lenox Hospital.”
Without a word, he starts to drive. When we pull up in front of the hospital thirty minutes later because the traffic is so heavy, I pay him with cash and get out.
I stop at the desk when I get inside and ask where to go using Diana’s name, and I’m directed to a different floor than we were on earlier today. My heart pounds as I get off the elevator, and I’m second-guessing my decision to come until I see him sitting in a dimly lit waiting room with his elbows on his knees, his head down, and his fingers in his hair. Even with his parents sitting nearby, he might as well be alone.
Giving his mom a small smile, which she half-heartedly returns, and ignoring his dad completely, I start in his direction, and like he senses me, his head lifts.
“Hey,” I whisper, and his eyes fill with relief.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood.” I close the distance between us, and he reaches out for my hand and pulls me to stand between his spread knees before pressing his forehead into my stomach.
“Have you heard anything yet?” I ask, running my fingers through his thick hair, and he shakes his head. I don’t tell him that she’ll be okay since I hated it when people told me that while my mom was sick. It might not have been an outright lie, and I knew the person saying it was hoping it would make me feel better, but it never did.
When his hold on me loosens, I take the seat next to him, and he instantly takes possession of my hand.
As the TV plays across the room and the time ticks by, I curl up in my chair and lean into him to get comfortable. It’s been a long day, and try as I might, I can’t hold back the yawn that escapes.
“You don’t have to stay,” he says, and I tip my head back in his direction.
“I’m not leaving unless you want me to.”
“I always want you with me.”
“Then I’m staying.” I rest my head on his shoulder, and my eyes connect with his mom’s as she sits across from us. I have no idea what she’s thinking since her expression is completely blank, but she’s also not scowling or glaring at me, so I take that as a positive.
Her husband, on the other hand, is a different story. He looks like he smells something bad or that he’s been sucking on lemons.
I don’t know how much time passes, but when a woman dressed in green scrubs walks into the waiting area, everyone instantly goes on alert, and I sit up.
“The surgery went great,” she says, looking between Roman and his parents. “Mrs. King is on her way now to the ICU for recovery. It will be about an hour before anyone can see her, and then only two people are allowed in her room at a time until visiting hours are over.”
“So, she’s okay?” Roman asks, and she nods.
“It will be a long recovery, but she’s a strong woman.” She looks through the room once more. “Do you have any other questions for me?”
Everyone shakes their heads, and then, with a nod, she leaves.
The relief in the room is palpable, and I can hear it in Francesca’s voice as she calls her daughters on the phone one by one to let them know everything went well with the surgery and that they can come back to the hospital to see Diana tonight if they’d like.
Not much later, Roman and his mom leave to go up to the ICU, and I stay behind, with his dad sitting across from me. He doesn’t talk or even try to make eye contact, but it’s still awkward. It also brings up a whole lot more questions for me.
Earlier today, I noticed Ricardo didn’t actually go into Diana’s room, and it’s a little weird he didn’t even attempt to join Roman’s mom when it was time for her to see her mother. It could be nothing, or it could be that there is a rift between Ricardo and Diana and a story there.
