“Thanks, bud. Yeah, I’ll fill ya in. Talk to you soon. Bye.”
Cole is still smiling, eating his food. But slowly, the expression on his face sinks back into worry, and he looks up to me.
“She wouldn’t answer me,” he says. Oh, buddy.
“I’m sure that was really scary,” I say, trying not to say too much or too little. I haven’t spent a lot of time around kids, and this seems like a bad time to fuck something up. He nods.
“I thought she… I thought she wasn’t going to wake up.”
Oof.
“Well, you did all the right things, bud,” I tell him. “It was so smart of you to call for help.”
He nods.
“I’ve never been in an ambulance before today,” he says. “It was scary.” I reach out and put my hand on his arm.
“It is scary. But you did it anyway. That’s what it means to be brave, Cole.”
I think about my own words for a moment.
It is scary, but you did it anyway.
That’s what Wren’s doing. She’s scared. But she’s doing it anyway.
“Can we go back up now?” he asks me.
“Of course, bud. Let’s go.”
We get back upstairs,and the hairs on my neck stand up when I hear her voice. She’s raising hell with someone, and when I round the corner, I realize it’s her dad. Cole and I freeze, and when she sees us, she stops.
“Hi, guys,” she says, wiping the tears.
“What’s wrong?” Cole asks. She smiles and shakes her head.
“Nothing, bud. I’m just upset. I’m okay.” She turns back to me. “We have to go back in. Are you okay out here with him? If not, I can see…”
“Stop,” I tell her. “Go. I’m here as long as you are.” She bites her bottom lip to keep it from trembling then goes into the room. Her father takes a breath then walks toward me.
“Brooks?” he asks.
“Yes, sir?”
“Do you have a moment?”
I clear my throat and look down at Cole.
“I’m okay,” he reassures me, so I follow Mr. Wright around the corner.
He rubs his temples and takes a breath then looks up at me.
“Son, I’m not sure how serious things are between you and my daughter,” he starts, and I hold my breath. “But if ever there is a time when she’s going to need someone, it’s now.”
“Sir?” I ask.
“Her cancer is back. And it’s worse,” he says.Fuck.“None of the treatments she did the first time will work this time. We are still working through everything. We found out a few weeks ago.”
Whoa. A few weeks ago?
