Page 135 of What If I See You
Dad nods. “Oh yes. He’s been telling us he’s going to ask you to help him propose to her.”
“No shit?” The thought makes me smile.
“I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it when he wakes up.”
If he wakes up.
Mom lays her hand on my other knee. “Don’t let go of Layken, Griffin. There is a bright and wonderful future out there for the both of you, I promise you that. Not every day is easy, but when you’re going through life with someone who loves you despite any of your faults or weaknesses, every day is worth it. Even the bad ones.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
We make small talk for the next couple hours while we wait for Gage to be done in surgery. I don’t know how we managed to come up with so much to talk about given the only thoughts going on in each of our heads is Gage’s wellbeing. Dad eventually closes his eyes for a short rest and Mom scrolls through her phone while I take a walk down the hall to make a quick call to Layken. After all the chaos and emotion of the morning, I’m fucking spent, my anxiety is high and all I want is to hear her voice.
But she doesn’t answer.
She must still be in the interview.
Or being wined and dined.
When I get the beep of her voicemail I leave her a message.
“Hey Naughty, it’s me. I uh…look, I know you’re in your interview and I hope you’re having exactly the kind of day you need. I want you to feel like you’re on top of the fucking world, but uh…also…” I clear my throat. “Things aren’t so hot here. Umm…I didn’t get on the plane with the team. Gage was in an accident this morning. They lifted him to Memorial Hospital in L.A. so that’s where I am now. He’s in surgery so hopefully we’ll hear something soon.” Not knowing what I want to say next because all I really want to do is wrap my arms around her and cry, I’m silent for a long pause before I continue. “Sorry, umm…” I clear my throat again, the lump of emotion making it difficult to swallow. “I was just hoping to hear your voice. I love you, Lake. I just want you to know that. Whatever happens between us. Whatever you choose, I love you. Give me a call when you get this. I’m not positive I’ll be going to Chicago so I’ll let you know where I am. Alright. I guess that’s it. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”
Sighing deeply, I pocket my phone at the same time I see two doctors head for the waiting room where my parents are seated.
Oh no.
Were they smiling or frowning?
I didn’t pay attention.
Fuck!
Following them, I meet my parents and stand with them while they talk to the doctor.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ollenberg?” he says to my parents.
They both look up from their seats and stand. “Yes,” Dad tells him. “We’re Gage’s parents.”
“Good to meet you.” The doctor nods with a positive smile. “Gage pulled through surgery like a champ. I apologize for the long wait but we wanted to be sure all was well before we gave you any update. We removed Gage’s spleen which was the cause of the internal bleeding, and did some exploring to make sure no other internal organs were harmed. Then we had to fix his arm. His left arm was crushed by the impact so we had to pin and reset it. That part actually took a little longer than taking his spleen. But we’re happy to report that everything else looked great. He’ll be as sore as anyone would after these types of surgeries, but we’re extremely hopeful he’ll make a full recovery.”
“Oh, God!” My mom brings a hand to her heart, tears of relief flooding her eyes. “Thank you doctors.” She reaches out and hugs each of them. Dad and I shake their hands and give our sincere thanks as well.
“When can we see Gage?” I ask.
“He’s in recovery now, so once he’s awake and stable, one of the nurses will be out to update you. May be about an hour or so. They’ll want to monitor his vitals for a bit to make sure he’s okay.”
“Thank you, again,” I tell them sincerely. “For everything.”
I make a mental note to make a sizeable donation to Memorial Hospital if I get my brother out of this place alive and well.
We’re all seated around Gage’s bed a few hours later when he’s in his own room. He opened his eyes when we first walked in but he hasn’t quite beat the effects of the anesthesia yet. We’re okay with that though. Being able to watch him sleep, watch him breathe, brings me a bit of peace. Finally, he opens his eyes and I’m the first person he sees. His mouth spreads into lazy but happy smile when our eyes lock.
“Griffy!” His voice is hoarse, but the way he says my name, like he did all those years when I would visit him in the hospital when he was sick or after a procedure, brings huge fucking tears to my eyes.
“Hey Gagey. You scared me you stupid fuck.”
Gage laughs but winces a little. He always laughs when I swear.
