He kept his hands on the back of his head, his fingers locked together, and his elbows in the air. I tried not to notice how that move lifted his shirt, revealing a sliver of his tanned, toned stomach as he walked from one end of the small waiting room to the other. Once he’d done that a couple of times, he’d stop, let his arms fall, and sigh. He’d look at the clock on the wall and then turn his glare onto the nurse who was sitting behind the desk in the nurses' station.
His arms rose again, and I was prepared for the same old routine, but instead of moving his hands behind his head, he held them out at his sides in frustration.
“What’s taking so long?” he asked, loudly with his deep, booming voice, getting the nurse's attention.
She was an older lady who had spent a considerable amount of time behind that desk. I could tell that she was numbto it all. When she looked up at him, he let his arms fall back to his sides, his hands smacking against his thighs loudly.
“I told you, Mr. Ford. As soon as I have an update, I’ll pass it along. Your wife is in good hands. You don’t want them to rush surgery. No matter how hard it is, we have to be patient,” the nurse told him, trying to keep her voice calm and collected no matter how annoying he was being.
Roman scoffed, threw his hands in the air, and started pacing once again. He was grumbling, mostly under his breath, but I managed to catch a word or two. “Stupid fucking…. If I could perform the surgery myself…” He stopped and put his hands on his hips. His head fell forward, and his eyes closed. “Please be okay, baby,” he whispered. I saw a tear escape his closed eye and roll down his cheek.
My dad stood and moved over to him. Roman opened his eyes, and his head popped up when my dad placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Why don’t we take a walk? Get some fresh air?”
Roman, who had always been respectful and polite to my father, pulled away, so my dad’s hand fell back to his side.
“No. I can’t go anywhere. Not until I know my wife and child are OK.” The two stared at one another, seemingly exchanging some understanding.
My dad nodded and turned to walk away. “I’m going to take a walk. Join me?” He looked down at my mom.
Mom nodded with pursed lips. “I could use a bathroom break and maybe some coffee.” She stood and turned to look back at me. “You want to come?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll stay here.” I lowered my voice. “We shouldn’t leave him alone.” I nodded toward Roman, and we all looked over at him to find that his pacing had started back up.
“He’s worried, Sash,” Mom whispered. “But he’s safe here.”
“I know, but he needs someone. Who knows, he may go on a rampage and try to strangle that nurse. Someone has to stop him,” I joked weakly, trying to keep everyone from getting too serious in our stressful situation.
“If he goes after that nurse, you’d better stay out of his way. I can’t handle having two hurt daughters,” Mom said thickly, tears shining in her eyes.
She patted my knee twice and then stood.
I watched as she and my dad walked out of the lobby, leaving me alone with my much older brother-in-law.
He paced, maintaining the same stature as before, his arms raised, fingers locked behind his head, his shirt pulled up slightly. My eyes found that sliver between the bottom of his shirt and the top of his jeans.
Roman Ford was a legend. Everyone knew he was. I was far younger than he, but even the teachers at my school still spoke of him. Perfect grades. Top of his class. A football hero. Handsome. Everyone loved him.
And he’d chosen my sister. The love they had for one another was something people only dreamed of. He was good to my family and me. Roman was an all-around stand-up guy.
He stopped pacing and turned to face me. He didn’t drop his arms.
My mind was in all sorts of terrifying places. Getting the call that Chloe was in an accident sent us all into a panic. Now, here we were, with no information past that she was in surgery. And the baby…
God, Chloe wanted to be a mom so badly.
I sent out a little prayer that the baby was OK, too. Anything less would devastate her.
Roman’s arms fell to his sides, and he cleared his throat, pulling me from my rogue thoughts. When I looked up at him, he was staring at me, his brows drawn together and his lipsturned into a deep frown. Everything on his face screamed his worry and fear.
“Are you OK?” I called out softly to him.
“No,” his voice shook. I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he stared back at me. “I’m terrified, Sasha.”
“Me too,” I whispered. Chloe was my best friend. She was the best big sister a girl could have. “But Chloe is strong. You know she is.”
He gave me a tight nod, the fear not leaving his face.
