The doctor’s eyes flit nervously from Andrew to me and back again. I’m half waiting on him to call security to have all three of us thrown out. “As I told your wife, they are not legally married, so all information will be filtered through a family member. In this case, it would be Caroline or yourself. Once Tony is awake, he will be able to make his wishes known.”
“Andrew, Cara, it’s fine,” I say quietly. Even if he is an asshole, Dr. Mayhew is right about one thing: Tony’s recovery is the only thing that matters right now. If we have to wait for him to wake up and put the doctor in his place, so be it. I don’t expect my fiancé to be in great spirits after he’s told he has lost the use of his legs, so I pity the man who upsets him. It sure as hell won’t be me.
Only because I don’t want any more tension in the air between us, I walk away from the nurse’s station to reclaim the seat that may be permanently compressed to fit my butt at this point. I look up when I hear someone enter and see one of the nurses who have been checking on us periodically. “Honey, don’t mind him. He’s an insufferable ass. We’ll make sure you get in to see your man as soon as the doctor leaves for the night.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. My shoulders slump forward and I feel the tears building behind my eyes. I’ve cried so much in the past day, I’m not sure how there are tears left to fall, but they just keep coming.
The middle-aged black woman crouches in front of me. “Don’t mention it,” she says, rubbing my arms. “Every nurse out there is jealous of Tony because it’s plain to see how devoted you are to him. If you ask me, I think that doctor is a bit jealous because he can’t find anyone willing to put up with his crabby ass.”
We share a weak laugh over her candid comments. “Will you tell me about him?” she asks, moving to the chair next to me.
I lift my head, taking in the pale blue walls around me. Everything about this room is supposed to invoke a sense of calm in the family members waiting for news, but I swear I can feel the walls closing in around me. The last person to make that request of me was Tony, asking me to share a happy memory about Brandon.
Remembering how he urged me to focus on the positive, I tell the nurse tale after tale of the whirlwind that has been the past seven or so months in my life. I leave out some of the more sordid details, but by the time Andrew walks in, there’s no doubt in her mind that Tony and I were destined to be together.
Now that I know Tony’s out of surgery and I’m going to have to wait to see him, I need to do something before I lose my mind. “Andrew, I’m going to listen to your wife and go get something to eat,” I inform him, ignoring his slack jaw at my statement. “Do you want anything?”
Andrew reaches in his back pocket for his wallet. I take a minute to look him over. He’s been so busy taking care of Cara and me that I’m not sure that he’s even thought to look after himself. “Yeah, make sure you get Cara something. She says she’s not hungry, but she can’t not eat.”
“And you?” I ask.
“I’m good.” There’s no sense in fighting with him. I shove the money into my pocket and head toward the elevators. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. You’ll call if there’s any news, right?”
Andrew rolls his eyes. “No, I figured we’d wait until you get back to surprise you,” he says sarcastically. “Yes, I’ll call if anything changes in the next few minutes.”
* * *
Five hours later,the nurse from earlier shakes me awake. My body hurts like hell from being slumped over the wooden arm of the chair, but without the aid of adrenaline, it was impossible to keep my eyes open any longer. “He’s awake and asking for you.”
I’m out the door before she can finish her sentence. I sprint down the hallway to Tony’s room. Cara stands when I walk into the room, offering me the seat next to Tony’s bed. “He’s in and out, but he wanted you in here.”
I lean over, tears of joy hitting Tony’s forehead as I kiss him. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” I whisper in his ear. Tony’s hand squeezes my fingers, letting me know he can hear me. “I love you, Tony. I can’t lose you.”
I fall back into the chair, thanking God for bringing him back to me. I never thought the day would come when I used the words ‘only a fractured spine’, but that’s the situation we’re facing right now.
I sit through the night, never closing my eyes for fear I’ll miss Tony being awake. But he doesn’t wake up again. The nurses say it’s common for him to sleep most of the time because it’s his body’s way of healing. That’s fine, but I feel like Ineedto see those icy blue eyes, just once, so I know he’s really in there.
Andrew and Cara return in the morning, looking much better after showering and a night of sleep at home. The doctor comes in a little after nine to look at Tony’s chart. He begrudgingly apologizes to me for his behavior, ensuring me that the nurses have informed him of Tony’s wishes that I be allowed in the room at all times. I’m not sure what Tony said to the nurses, but the doctor now believes that Tony is legally my husband. And as soon as he’s able, I plan on making that a reality because I will never go through this shit again and don’t want him to either should anything happen to me.
Tony will be in ICU for a bit yet, and in the hospital for at least a month, but Dr. Mayhew assures us that everything’s looking better than even he expected. It’s the best news we could hope for after the state we found him in almost two days ago.
While Tony takes another nap, Andrew and Cara excuse themselves for a bit. I can’t say that I blame them because this place is enough to drive anyone crazy. With nothing better to do and no reading material in arms’ reach, I lay my head on the edge of the mattress. Just as I drift off to sleep, I hear Tony’s gravelly voice humming. It’s not cause for alarm because he’s still highly medicated. “I will survive!” Tony belts out with great enthusiasm. My eyes snap open and I look up at my boyfriend, who currently makes stoned look sober.
“Feeling good?” I ask, trying to hide my amusement.
“…as long as I know—” His voice is scratchy, but it’s still the sweetest sound in the world. I lean in to kiss Tony’s forehead as he continues trying to sing.
“What in God’s name ishedoing in there?” a voice roars from the hallway, cutting off Tony’s serenade. Cara confronts the enraged man and it hits me that this is the first time I’ve seen their father since the wedding, and I wasn’t paying attention that day. Of course he’d show up as his son started belting out Gloria Gaynor as if his life depended on it.
“Dominic is in there because he loves Tony,” she yells. Andrew’s rushes to his wife’s side. “Heis in there becauseheis the one who saved your son’s life.Heis in there because Tony threatened to kick the shit out of anyone who said he wasn’t welcome. Andheis going to stay in there because he’s the man your son intends to spend the rest of his life with. Ifyouhave a problem with that, I suggest you leave.”
When I try to stand, Tony’s hand tenses around mine, pulling my attention back to the only person who matters in my life. His eyes are closed and I hope he’s somehow succumbing to the drugs again so he’s oblivious to what’s going on in the hall.
“I’m sorry, but you four will need to lower your voices, otherwise I’ll be forced to call security.” I glance over my shoulder to see Bev, the head nurse, poking her finger in Mr. DeLuca’s chest. “When your son was awake last night, he asked for Dominic to be allowed at all times and we are abiding by his wishes.”
“Seeing as he’s not coherent right now, I will not accept your word on this matter. Please, by all means, get security down here. He is not family and I’m the one calling the shots now.” Tony’s mom and sister are trying to get Mr. DeLuca to calm down, but he pushes them both aside. Not in an abusive manner, but definitely making it clear that he won’t be controlled by a woman.
“What seems to be the problem here?” a familiar voice asks. A gruff voice that I’ve been on the receiving end of more times than I can count. A voice I haven’t heard since Christmas Eve. My entire body stiffens, realizing that the situation is about to get worse. I can almost see the glee in my father’s eyes when he kicks my ass out of my fiancé’s room. My sister told me he got a new job, but never told me where. It’s just my luck that it’s here and he’s on duty now. My entire childhood, he swore he’d never have a job that kept him inside. Until the economy tanked, he had a successful landscaping company, but at this point work is work. I keep staring at him, because looks so out of place in his security uniform.
