‘He’ll be okay,' he said, imbibing his tone with all theconfidence I wished I could cling onto. That hope felt as elusive as smoke.
A door banged open down the hallway and a loud chatter of people sounded, all talking at once. I didn’t have the energy to lift my head and look. Oliver’s hand on my shoulder flexed. The comfort was nice, but it wasn’t what I wanted. She was the only thing I needed right now.
Heavy breaths echoed as another scurry of footsteps sprinted down the squeaky floor.
A pair of white trainers stepped into my line of sight. The heels scuffed and laces done up in a triple knot. I blinked, barely able to process anything right now.
Then I heard her voice.
A broken exhale of my name.
My head lifted. The bright fluorescent light above made me squint as the blurry vision before me came into view.
Blonde hair piled into a messy bun, cheeks flushed red. Her chest was rising and falling with heavy breaths, like she’d just sprinted from somewhere.She was here.
‘George,' she said my name again, combined with the slap on my back that Oliver gave me, seemed to shake me out of the haze I was in.
Her hand reached out to my cheek. Icy fingers brushing against my beard. When she slipped her hands into mine, it was like getting shocked with the same electrical current that brought my dad back to life. I sprung out of my chair, knocking her hands out of the way, and crushed her body to mine. Her sweet vanilla scent filled my nostrils. Tears pricked my eyes as she wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me as tightly as I held her.
I buried my face in her neck. Needing to soak up as much of her as I could get, still not believing it was real. That she was real.
‘How…how are you here?’ I croaked, not letting her go.
She threaded her fingers around the base of my skull, running another hand up and down my back in soothing motions.God, I loved her.
‘Your brother,’ she whispered into my ear.
‘I’m gonna go find Fallon,’ Oliver’s voice called out. He slapped me on the back and his footsteps retreated down the hall.
‘You’re here,' I said. ‘You’re here, you’re here,' I repeated it over and over again. Letting my hands trail up and down her body, feeling her solid and safe in my arms.
‘I’m here.’ She chuckled lightly. ‘You think I’d be anywhere else?’
Finally, we pulled away, and I got my first glimpse into her eyes. They shone with tears that trickled down her cheeks. I reached up to swipe them away with the pad of my thumb. ‘Why are you crying?’
She sniffed. ‘Because—’ she started, but shook her head, deciding against whatever it was she was going to say. Her hands reached up to cup my cheeks, saying resolutely, ‘I’m here. I came as soon as I heard. I-I tried calling you.’
More tears kept falling down her cheeks, making her eyes sparkle. It shouldn’t have been beautiful, but anything this girl did, no matter what she wore or where she was, she shone.
‘My phone is in my car. Didn’t have it on me,’ I explained, unable to tear my gaze away from her. Afraid she’d disappear into thin air if I so much as blinked.
She nodded in understanding. ‘Have you heard anything?’
Stepping back, she took one of my hands and tugged me down to sit in one of the plastic chairs. Sitting next to me, one knee propped up on the chair as she twisted to face me head-on. Her hand still resting in mine.
Focusing on not hauling her out of the chair and into mylap, I ran a hand down my face. ‘Uh, not yet. He’s still in surgery.’ Another nod.
‘What do you need?’ she asked, searching my face.
You.Always you. Everywhere, all the time.
I cleared my throat. ‘I, uh?—’
She tugged gently on the end of my beard, forcing me to look at her.
‘George, what do you need?’ I needed to feel her. To know she was real and alive in my arms.
‘Can you…’
