I chattered on the drive to the hospital. I always was a nervous talker. I asked Alec about his least and most favorite foods and if he had any weird or useless talents and what he was listening to on his earbuds. Alec, blessed boy, responded politely to his crazy aunt-by-marriage, and every once in a while Trey would glance over.
So maybe he didn’t mind the distraction too much.
I shivered as we walked through the emergency entrance doors. After the sunny park, the hospital felt bleak and cold.
I scanned the waiting room. Not so crowded for a Saturday afternoon. Good. An old woman in a wheelchair, her elderly husband by her side. A man with a bloody towel held to his face. A child ignoring her mother’s demand toGet out from under that table right now. Beth huddled by herself in a row of chairs. Alec and I joined her while Trey went to the reception desk.
“How is he?” I asked.
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t let me back. They’re running tests now.”
“Thank God you were there.”
Her fingers worried a hole in the knee of her jeans. “I called 911 right away.”
Poor Bethie. She had always been Mr. Laurence’s favorite. She must have been terrified. I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t comforting like Meg or strong like Jo. I patted her hand, stilling the nervous movement, and after a moment she turned her palm up, lacing her long, thin fingers with mine.
The doors swished open, and our mother strode in wearing her usual jeans and work shirt. She went down the row of chairs, dispensing hugs like lunch money,One for you and one for you...Her scent—animals and hay, so different from the stale, sterile hospital smell—enveloped me. I clung to her, absurdly reassured.
Trey returned from the reception desk. “Abby! What are you doing here?”
His hug was longer than ours. Well. That was his grandfather, lying behind the hospital doors.
“I wanted to see you. Plus, Beth needs a ride home.” She drew back to study his face. “How’s your grandfather?”
“Stabilized, the nurse said. They won’t let me see him yet.” His throat moved as he swallowed. “They’re doing a CT scan.”
“I’m sorry,” my mother said.
“He’ll be fine. He has to be fine.”
She patted his cheek without answering. I wanted desperately to help, to wrap Trey in my arms and let him cry on my shoulder. But his eyes were dry. Also, my mother was watching.
“So, what happens now?” I asked.
“We have to wait. I have to wait,” he corrected. “There’s no reason for you to stay.”
“I want to,” I said again.
He quirked an eyebrow. “And you always get what you want.”
Not always, I thought with a wrench.
I raised my chin, meeting his amused gaze. “Yes.”
“Then... Thanks.” His smile warmed his eyes. “Nice to have company.”
My heart contracted and then swelled.
“You’ve always been there for us,” Mom said.On the outside of the circle, looking for a way in. “I’ll never forget what you did when I was in the hospital. Let us take care of you for once.”
“Trey!”
My sister Jo barged into the waiting area, carrying Robbie. I watched as she went straight into Trey’s arms and hugged him tight, both of them so tall, his dark, curly head bent over her shiny chestnut hair, matched since they were fifteen.
“How is he? How are you?” she demanded.
I listened as he went through the same non-news, the brain scan, the wait. “The nurse said he’ll probably be admitted,” he finished.
