“His vitals are stable. We’ll keep an eye on him and do everything in our power to make sure it stays that way.” She finished checking him over before heading out and leaving me alone with Uncle Jaime.
Exhausted, I collapsed in the chair beside him and watched his chest rise and fall, reassuring myself that he was strong and resilient, and wouldn’t go down without a fight. Once I was mostly convinced he’d make it, I called my parents and tried my best to reassure them.
Mom was still asking questions when my phone started dying. Since I didn’t have my charger, I said goodbye, pocketed it, and watched my uncle sleep some more. He looked older than I remembered. The lines around his eyes were darker and deeper. His skin looked thin and worrisomely pale, and he looked puffy. Since his house was a disaster, I wondered if he was getting any exercise or taking care of himself at all.
How long has his appendix been bothering him?
I should have checked on him more.
It was too late for that shit now.
Machines beeped. A couple walked by the room, arguing over something. My mind drifted back to Jessica. I wondered if she was pissed, hurt, or relieved when I didn’t return. If my phone wasn’t dead, I’d be tempted to call someone at the station and get a message to her.
Then again, what would I say?
Would you let Jessica know I’m sorry I didn’t come back? I still want to fuck her, but my uncle almost died, so I had to rush down to Portland. Ask her for a rain check, or even a mulligan, on the one-night stand.
No. I wanted more than one night with her. I needed to think this shit over and come up with a game plan to make her see how much fun we could have together. That was something we’d have to discuss in person, not through a message from one of my brothers. She might be upset about me standing her up, but after I explained, she’d understand. If not, she wasn’t right for me and I’d let her go.
Of course, all of my plans to win her over would have to be put on hold until my uncle got better.
God, I don’t want to be stuck in Portland for a fuckin’ month.
My brain kept searching for another answer but coming up with jack shit. At some point, I must have drifted off, because throaty coughing woke me up. Jumping to my feet, I stood beside Uncle Jaime’s bed and looked him over. His eyes were open and a little glassy, but clear. He was still pale, but he didn’t look nearly as bad as he had before.
With another cough, he handed me an empty cup with a lid.
I hurried to the sink and refilled it for him. When I returned, he sucked down several swallows before setting the cup aside and clearing his throat one final time.
“Thanks. ’Bout time you did something useful. Thought you were gonna sleep all day.”
Realizing how light the room was, I sought out the clock on the wall. It was about ten after seven. “How long have you been up? Why didn’t you wake me?”
He stared at me like I was an idiot. “What the hell for?”
“I don’t know. Maybe to tell me you’re alive? You scared the shit out of me, old man.”
The side of his lip curled up. “I doubt that. You seem as full of shit as ever.”
Now this was the Uncle Jaime I knew and loved. Glad to see that his near-death experience hadn’t stolen away his sense of humor, I chuckled, shaking my head. “Should have let me call the ambulance.”
“I’m fine. Don’t be such a dramatic little pussy.”
I looked pointedly at the tubes and machines connected to his body. “You don’t look fine. You look like you’ve been doing a piss-poor job of taking care of yourself.”
He shrugged. “If I wanted someone to nag me, I would have found a wife by now.”
“No woman would put up with you, Tio.”
He glared at me for a solid minute before barking out a laugh. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Is that what happened to your apartment? You finally piss off your housekeeper enough to make her resign?”
He grunted. “Lola’s gettin’ up in age. She had to have back surgery, so she sent her daughter to do the job for her. Damn girl can’t stay off her phone long enough to do shit. She still tried to charge me by the hour, so I fired her ass.”
“When? A year ago? Your place is disgusting. I’m tempted to call Madre and my sisters down to clean it up for you.” I racked my brain for the last time I’d made the trip to Portland. Two months ago? Two and a half months? Had nobody checked on him in all that time? The family was busy and could probably come up with at least a dozen excuses for neglecting him, but it was clear he needed us. Mom would throw one hell of a fit if she saw his place looking like it did.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t you go bringing Maritza into this.”
