Page 59 of A Coffee Away

“When I met Robbie, he was in a bad place. I knew he was like me when our gazes met, but there was something off. His art, as beautiful as it was, was full of self-hate.” I glanced up, meeting my parents’ eyes. “He hated who he was, but after our talk, he decided to tell them. He came out, and they treated it like it never happened. They told him he was just confused. It was awful, and he called me. That’s when he moved in with me. He had nowhere to go.”

Mom covered her mouth. “How could they do that to him? And his mom? What did she do?”

I shrugged. “The same. I mean, she received me at her home when we went to retrieve his art, but she treated us as if we were a passing thing.”

My father balled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw. “Bastards.”

I grabbed his shoulder. “Maybe his father is bluffing. Robbie’s letter is valid.”

He rubbed his face, then sighed heavily. “You don’t understand. There’s a way.”

My heart deflated. If he said there was a way he could oppose it, then I was fucked. “What do you mean?”

Dad exhaled hard. “If Robbie’s parents say he wasn’t in his right mind or that there were no witnesses, they can attest that it is invalid. It doesn’t mean it actually is, but in the time it would take for us to validate it, the hospital will default to the legal hierarchy until the dispute is over. Since he’s a doctor here, he could move the pieces in his favor.”

My stomach flipped. “Legal hierarchy?”

Dad nodded. “Robbie’s care would fall fully to his parents.”

“He can take that right from me?” My hands shook.

“Yes.” Dad squeezed them. “But I’ll do everything in my power to challenge him.”

“God.” I went to Robbie. “They left him. They never even called. Now they want to act as if they care?” My heart pumped hard. “They can’t do this to us.”

The beeping of the machines echoed around the room, the only sign that Robbie was still with us. “What am I supposed to do?”

Mom stood by my side. “Be here for him. That’s all you can do for now.”

After my parents left, the silence was almost suffocating. Unbearable.

I never thought his parents would do something like this.

I kissed Robbie’s temple. “I love you, baby. I’m not leaving no matter what.”

Chapter 15: Drowning in Shadows

Esteban

Achill ran up my neck. I was up in an instant. “Fuck! You scared me.”

Raúl chuckled, his hand on my shoulder. “Sorry, man, but I’m here to take over for a little while. You haven’t left this room in days.”

I watched Robbie for a long moment. Two weeks had gone by and still nothing. How long would he sleep? He’d already gone through the MRI and CT scan. As expected, the CT came out normal, so there was nothing intrinsically wrong. But the MRI… There were spots of bleeding and abnormalities in the white matter. I didn’t understand at first, but the doctor explained it was as she had suspected.

Robbie had suffered the injury she had predicted at the moment of impact, affecting the connections inside his brain. Now it depended on him and how long it took for his brain to fix itself.

What stayed with me were Dr. Echevarría’s final words before she left last night. “With this kind of injury, the longer he takes to wake up, the more common memory loss becomes. We won’t know the extent until Roberto opens his eyes, but you should be prepared for the possibility that he may not remember the accident or even certain parts of his life before it.”

The risk was there, and a piece of me cried at the thought of him being lost. I wasn’t a man of faith, but Robbie was. I held his hand and closed my eyes in a silent prayer.

If someone is listening, please. Please let Robbie wake. Please let him remember his life. To suffer memory loss would not only kill those of us who love him but Robbie himself. Please spare him that pain. Let him come back to me. To his family. Safe.

I opened my eyes and kissed his hand. “How can I leave him? What if he comes out of the coma? I need to be here when he does.”

Raúl moved to the other side of the bed. “When you called last night, you said everything was uncertain. You need to work and go on with your life, Esteban. We can help. Eva. Stephany. Miguel. We’re here, and we’re not leaving Robbie alone. Please. We’re worried about you.”

I hadn’t left his side even when his parents came to visit. We didn’t talk, and his father never acknowledged my presence, but Viviana did. Sometimes she’d even bring something for me to eat or drink.