He was a kind man who’d lost his husband a few months earlier. He would come into Avery’s room in the evenings while he was on shift, and he’d chat with me while I sat by Avery’s bedside.
“He’s awake, and he wants something to drink. I think you said he could have some ice chips. Where can I get those?” I wasn’t sure if I was making sense because my head was spinning.
“I’ll be right back.” Jack rushed through a door and returned a minute later with a cup of ice and a plastic spoon. “Let’s go see how your man is doing.”
I followed Jack as he bustled into Avery’s room. “Good morning, er, evening, sunshine.”
Jack walked over and lifted his reading glasses to perch on the end of his nose, the chain holding them around his neck dangling behind his ears. “Let’s see what’s going on, Avery, dear.” He logged onto the laptop mounted on the wall next to the hospital bed.
I reached for Avery’s hand while Jack reviewed the chart on the screen, making notes here and there. I leaned forward and kissed Avery’s hand, staring into his silver-gray eyes that I so loved to see.
Avery swallowed hard, reminding me that he’d asked for ice chips.
“Oh, sorry.” I reached for the Styrofoam cup on the rolling table over his hospital bed, taking a seat on the side of the mattress to feed Avery.
“Thank you.” Avery pressed the button to raise the top to a more upright position.
“You’re very welcome. How do you feel? Headache?” I gave him another spoon of ice chips.
“No. What caused it—the brain bleed?”
That caught me by surprise. “How’d you know you had a brain bleed? The doctor called it a subdural hematoma according to Brooke.” I gave him another spoonful of ice chips
“I’m not sure. I just knew it somehow. Did they say if there was any permanent damage?” His face wore concern.
“Not that they could detect while you were in a coma. I can call your parents and tell them you’re awake. They just left about an hour ago, so they’re probably back at their hotel. I can—”
Jack jumped in. “I’ll call the family before I call Dr. Latham. You stay here with our patient.”
In a flurry of activity, Jack checked the machines, recorded things on the laptop, and gave Avery a kiss on top of his head. “Welcome back, kiddo.” He then hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“What’s going on with my family? Are they being mean to you?” Avery took the cup of ice from me and put it on the rolling table before he took my hand, wrapping his two warm ones around it.
“I won’t say they were mean. Your dad’s really nice, and he texts me every day when they’re leaving to let me know I can come sit with you and not upset your mom.” I sure as hell didn’t want to rile him up by remarking on his mother’s obvious disdain for me.
“Why would you sitting with me upset Mom?” The heart monitor picked up a little speed, and I wanted to kick my own ass. He was supposed to remain stress free.
“Sweetheart, she loves you and was worried sick. She doesn’t know me, and I guess she doesn’t see a guy who shows up to see her son with dirt under his nails and mud on his boots because he changes tires for a living as someone good enough to date her son. She’s not wrong, you know.” I was being honest. I wasn’t good enough for Avery, and I knew it.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it Holden. I need my cell phone. Where is it? I’m calling her.” Avery’s head scanned the room before he tried to get out of bed, abruptly stopping. The catheter in his penis seemed to be a surprise that wouldn’t make it easy for him to get too far from the bed.
“I gave your wallet and cell phone to your father. That’s how I found out about your heart transplant. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Avery slowly sat on the side of the bed, his cheeks pink and his eyes downcast. “I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me because I was sick when I was a teenager. Also, you didn’t believe me when I told you that I met your sister.”
“I... It...” Yeah, I was putting up a hell of a defense with my stammering as Avery stared at me.
“I didn’t want to tell you like this because there’s probably an eighty-percent chance you still won’t believe me or don’t want to hear me say I was the recipient of your sister’s heart.” Avery glanced over his shoulder, sticking his tongue out at me. I wanted to laugh, but I wouldn’t.
“And before you ask, I have no proof on paper that I’m the recipient of your sister’s heart, which is why I asked you to contact the transplant people and provide permission for information to be shared between the donor’s family and the recipient. If you’d done that, you’d know that I asked for my information to be shared with your family.”
I stood from the side of the bed and walked around the end to stand in front of him. “I didn’t... God, Avery, would never feel sorry for you. It’s too insane for me to comprehend that you got... I just thought it was some quirky thing that you believed in ghosts and you thought you met my sister.
“If we didn’t give permission for you to have Holly’s information, what makes you think you got Holly’s heart? She couldn’t have been the only person killed in an accident that night.”
“Happy told me.” He adjusted himself in the bed, and I pulled the sheet and blanket over his legs so he was comfortable.
I stepped out of the way to guard against somehow knocking against any of the equipment by the bed that could possibly do him harm. As I started to walk away, Avery grabbed my hand and put it over his heart on top of his hospital gown.
