Page 131 of Until the Last Star Fades

Maggie smiled up at him. “Ben! Come in.”

“Hiya, Maggie.” He flung his non-IV arm around Riley’s waist and nuzzled into her ear. “Morning, gorgeous. I missed you last night.”

Riley leaned into him, his warmth, his familiarity feeling like home. My head fits perfectly on his shoulder. “Did you sleep okay?” The dark circles under his eyes answered her question.

“Like a log, but I had stripper flashbacks this morning.” He rubbed his tummy and frowned. “They shaved my abs!”

Maggie laughed. “If it makes you feel any better, they shaved my stomach, too! Oh, before I forget, now that you’re both here—thank you for that lovely note from Mark. He’s a doll.”

With a smile, Ben looked over his shoulder and pulled the curtain closed. “How you feeling, Maggie? Ready to play Operation?”

“Yeah! Hopefully, a buzzer won’t go off and my nose won’t light up if they touch something they shouldn’t!”

“They better leave your ‘spare ribs’ and ‘bread basket’ alone.” Ben’s eyes kept darting to the bottom of the curtain, his strange behavior punctuated by a nervous giggle. “They can take my ‘butterfly’, though.”

Why is he acting weird? Curiosity halted Riley’s exhale. “Ben, does your nurse know you’re here?”

“Does he heck! I made a break for it, said I needed the loo.” Scratching his messy hair, the hospital ID bracelet slipped down his wrist. “I wanted to see Maggie—”

“Maggie?” A young nurse with a Welsh accent pulled the curtain aside. A female aide lingered behind her. “We’re ready to take you to the OR now.”

So soon? “Can we just…” Riley glanced at her mom.

The nurse nodded, hearing the tremor in Riley’s voice. “Of course. I’ll be back in a sec.” She turned away and checked on another patient.

Ben stepped back and toyed with his phone, giving mom and daughter privacy.

“Riley, please…don’t worry. Ben and I are in good hands. It’s going to be fine.”

How do I say everything I want to say in a minute? Riley’s lip trembled. Do NOT cry! You don’t want her upset before she goes in. Holding back tears, she squeezed Maggie’s hand. But what if it doesn’t go well… “I love you, Mom.”

“Sweetie, I love you, too. You’re my life.”

Now I’m really gonna cry. Riley leaned over the bed’s rail, kissing Maggie on the cheek. “Third time lucky, right?”

“Yep! And this time, it’s personal!” Maggie chuckled, patting her daughter’s hand as the nurse and aide returned, ready to go. “Oh, wait! Where’s Ben?”

“I’m here.” His IV stand squeaked as he shuffled to her bedside.

Maggie’s eyes glowed with tearful gratitude. “I can’t thank you enough. I think an angel sent you to us. You’ve given me hope where there wasn’t any.”

Ben looked awkward, his eyes flicking down to stare at his slippered feet. “You’ll be fine, Maggie. Can’t wait to have this stupid ol’ liver whipped out of me and put to good use.”

“Gimme a hug!” She lifted her arms to pull him in, whispering in his ear. “If anything happens, please give Riley the letter in my nightstand at home? And look after each other, okay?”

“Maggie—”

“Liver or no liver, you’ll always be part of our family, Ben.”

“Thanks.” Pulling away, he ducked his quivering chin.

The nurse squeezed past with a warm smile and unplugged the monitor from the wall, its battery pack beeping. She attached it to a pole at the head of the bed as the aide unlocked the bed’s brakes. Riley and Ben shifted out the way so she could steer Maggie clear and toward the doors leading to the hallway.

This is going to be the longest day of my life. Riley’s stomach lurched with nausea.

“Love you. I’ll see you when I see you.” Maggie squeezed Riley’s hand one last time and let go, her eyes locked on her daughter until she was out of sight. Riley followed the bed, only breaking her gaze when it vanished behind the closing OR doors.

“Code yellow: missing patient. Surgical floor. Code yellow.”