“Shit,” he mumbles, his reaction slow as he watches it trickle down the sides. Within a few seconds, Audrey is next to him, pressing paper towels onto the counter. They work in silence, the soft hum of the monitors filling the room. He walks them to the trash can and returns to find the cup has already been filled for him.
“Thanks,” he murmurs, reaching for it still feeling dazed after he takes several sips. Audrey leans against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. She nudges his shoulder with hers and smiles.
“She’ll be okay, Roman. Promise.”
He nods, watching the rise and fall of Lucy’s chest as he drinks. He hears a sharp inhale from Audrey and turns to faceher. She rubs the back of her neck before meeting his eyes, a slight tint to her cheeks.
“Hey, I just wanted to say I’m sorry about Thanksgiving. I was out of line. I shouldn’t have acted that way, and I’m completely mortified by my behavior. My mom—” She wipes the counter again. “She died two years ago. From a brain aneurysm.”
Roman lowers the cup to the countertop, his eyes widening.
“Shit, Audrey. I’m so sorry. That must be … I can’t imagine,” he finishes rather lamely.
She doesn’t talk for several moments, wiping at her face. “Yeah, so, anyway, she was all the family I had and … I guess I was just looking for someone to care about me again. The same way you care for Lucy, you know? And I’m not telling you this as an excuse, but I think my actions were misplaced when I saw you with Jahlani.”
Roman nods, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m sorry too. I just?—”
“It’s okay. She’s intense. Intelligent. Pretty. I get it.”
He sighs, pressing his fingers to his eyes. “Yeah, but I messed up. We were together when the calls were coming through. I think she blames herself for what happened. Me not being there in time for Lucy.”
Audrey nods, folding her arms over her chest. “Well, don’t jump to conclusions just yet. I’m sure everything’s fine.”
You don’t know her like I do.
“Yeah, thanks, Audrey.”
“Sure,” she says, moving to the door. “Try to get some sleep, Roman.”
Audrey pulls it open then and Jahlani appears on the other side, her eyes bouncing between the two of them before settling on Audrey. Roman’s pulse intensifies, his body tingling as he watches her stand in the doorway, his backpack on her shoulder.
“Hey, Audrey,” she says in a low voice, her eyes moving back to Roman’s, sending him a weak smile.
“Jahlani, hey,” she says, turning to look back at Roman, before meeting her gaze again. “I was just on my way out.”
Jahlani’s eyebrows crease. “Is she okay? Is she doing better?”
Audrey waves her free hand in the air. “Oh, yeah. She’s good. She’s a fighter, that one,” she says, smiling, but Jahlani’s eyebrows remain pinched, clearly not reassured. Audrey reaches out, squeezing her shoulder. “She’ll be okay, Jahlani. She’s in good hands here.”
Jahlani smiles then, nodding before moving her eyes over to Roman again. Audrey drops her hand from her arm, stepping to the side.
“I’ll get out of the way. It was nice seeing you again, Jahlani.”
Jahlani toys with the gold chain around her neck, nodding.
“Yeah. You too, Audrey,” she murmurs, giving her a polite smile that Audrey returns.
Roman watches Jahlani and Audrey shuffle around each other before Jahlani steps fully into the room and closes the door. She exhales, drops his bag on the floor, and moves to Lucy with quiet, tentative steps.
“She’s okay?” she whispers, hovering her finger across her cheek, never fully touching her. Roman nods, moving to the opposite side, watching her.
“She’ll get discharged tomorrow as long as her temperature keeps going down.”
Jahlani shakes her head, standing upright and his heart squeezes because she’s here. Maybe he’s wrong about what he saw.
“That’s good,” she says, letting out a breath. “That’s great. I’m glad.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t seem to reach her eyes. He blows out a breath, moving back to the chair lowering himself into it. He clears his throat.
