I ran a hand over my mouth.
“Could I talk to you for a moment in the hall?” Dr. LaForce asked. Then he looked at Blue. “Are you okay if I discuss things with her?”
Blue nodded. “I put her down first on the HIPAA list.”
He put me first? I turned to follow Dr. LaForce out.
Blue panicked, pulling me to a stop. There were tears in his eyes. “You’re not leaving, right?” I didn’t know what to do. A grown man paid two million a year to woo the nation was crying over me leaving.Me.This weekend had turned out unexpectedly in every way imaginable.
I turned to him and grabbed those ridiculously sexy biceps again. Then I looked up into the eyes I’d fallen in love with as a fourteen-year-old girl. “I will not leave here without saying goodbye. I promise.”
“You will not leave here. Got it.” He managed a small smile. But he looked downright scared. “Pleasestay.”
I felt myself melting, the minuscule desire to leave being swallowed up in those fearful eyes. He finally let me go. I let out a frustrated laugh as I walked into the hall.
Ashton, Tally, and Brooklyn were down by the vending machine. Daisy Foxhorn was pressuring them to convince me to sign a contract. I knew because she was practically yelling; she was so intense. Tally had her head pressed into Ashton’s back, using him as a human shield while Ashton, very emotionlessly, listened to Daisy’s snake oil speech. Brooklyn wasn’t paying her any attention. She was too busy studying the soda choices.
Dr. LaForce led me away from Blue’s open door. Then he ran a hand over his mouth, thinking. “Look, every single person in that room wants something from Blue. Everyone but you.”
“Not Missy,” I said. “She just wants what’s best for him.”
He shook his head. “Even her. She wants the opposite of whatever his dad wants. He really should stay in Knoxville near the hospital and with the team doctor. You’re the only one who hasn’t tried to influence him in some way or another. You don’t care about his status or money, do you?”
I shrugged. “I mean, I care if that’s what matters to him. But I only knew Blue before all this.”
“Exactly and that’s why I think it’s important that you stay. Every patient needs an advocate who’s looking out for his best interests. I think you’re it for Blue.”
I chewed my lip, my stomach tight with worry.
He tilted his head. “What are your concerns?”
I paused, trying to put a sentence together, all the hurt of the past four years pressing in on me. “What happens when he remembers, like,” I tapped the center of my chest, “in here, that we aren’t friends anymore? We don’t talk. We said mean things to each other after we broke up,” I gulped. “Horrible things. And that was the last time we ever spoke to each other.”
Dr. LaForce smiled gently. “I can’t give you any guarantees and I don’t want you to feel manipulated. I know yesterday is the first time you’ve seen each other since high school.” The nurses had probably filled him in. Or maybe his wife. With the way it was all over the news, there probably wasn’t a single Knoxville resident who didn’t know what had happened yesterday. “The only question you need to ask yourself is this: would you stay, for the boy you knew in high school?”
“Yes,” I said without a second thought. “It wouldn’t even be a question.”
“Well, that’s who he thinks he is right now. So if you leave him, it will break his heart.” He tilted his head toward Blue’s room. “Do you think he can handle that on top of everything else?”
I hadn’t even thought of it like that. “No. He can’t.” That was the moment I knew I wouldn’t be leaving Blue, and deep down I was relieved. Because even if my head said to run, my heart was yelling louder,stay.Stay and never be apart from him again.
Dr. LaForce pulled his phone out and texted someone really fast. Then he looked back at me. “Aside from all of that, everyone in that room is going to put whatever version of events into his head that benefits them the most. He needs someone who won’t try to sway his memories. You can do that.” He watched me for a moment. “You want him to remember you the way you really were, don’t you?”
My hands were against my cheeks. “Yes. Because if I paint things a certain way and he remembers the truth later, it’s going to be bad.”
He seemed relieved. “Apparently none of them have figured that out. Or they just don’t care. Try to let him remember on his own. But when he demands answers, tell him the actual truth. You might be the only one who does.” He patted my shoulder. “I just wanted you to see things from his perspective. This has to be really hard for him. Whatever you decide, it’s understandable.” One more shoulder pat. “Just think about it.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a small wave as he turned to go back into the room.
As I walked toward my friends, Ashton reached around, pulling Tally from behind him. He settled her against him and rubbed a comforting hand down her arm. All three of them were armed with caffeine for the ride home.
Daisy Foxhorn opened her mouth to say something and I said a firm, “I need a minute with them. Alone.”
She deflated and went back to Blue’s room.
“Gotchu a Dr. Pepper.” Brooklyn handed it to me. “We can go harder when we stop at Sheetz. I guess hospitals don’t want to induce heart attacks by selling energy drinks.”
I scratched my forehead and took it from her. “Thanks, but I think I’m going to hang around for a bit?” My eyes snapped to Uncle Ash, expecting him to give me a hard time. “The doctor asked me to stay for a few days. Blue remembers up to when we were together. If I leave right now, it’ll crush him.”
