I look at Gainsboro. “Do I have your permission to visit my dad?”
“Of course. Take all the time you need.”
I shrug my shoulders at Brett. “Looks like Icanleave.”
*
After packing a small carry-on, I get on the first flight to New York. It’s the red eye and I sleep most of the way in first class. Only one baseball fan recognized me at the airport when I had to remove my sunglasses and hat for security.
I land in La Guardia at nine o’clock in the morning and Billy is waiting for me when I exit the terminal. Although I’m surprised to see him, I give him a quick slap on the shoulder and half hug. “I’m sorry about your dad,” he says. “I told Austin I’d come pick you up. You shouldn’t be alone right now. My car’s just outside these doors.”
His words are kind but unnecessary. “It’s not so bad. Austin texted me that the surgery went well.” If I had received the text before boarding the plane, I may not have left. I knew it. My dad was going to be fine, so there’s no need to panic.
“Oh,” he says. His voice falters and I suspect he’s holding something back.
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh?”
“If Austin hasn’t said anything, I think it’s best you hear it from him.”
He unlocks his trunk, and I drop my carry-on inside.
“Just tell me, Billy,” I say, stopping him with a hand on his arm. “We have a three-hour drive to Cedar Brook Falls, and if something is wrong I want to know now.”
He sighs. “Fine. But act surprised when Austin tells you.”
I promise him no such thing.
“Your dad hasn’t woken up from surgery yet.”
I shrug. “Well, it’s only been a few hours.”
He nods, but his eyes are still sad. “The doctors say he should have woken up by now. They worry he may have lost too much oxygen. He went for a nap upstairs and they don’t know how long he was unconscious before your mom found him.”
Settling into the passenger seat, the news that my father may not be out of the woods yet feels like someone shutting off the lights in a crowded room. Anxiety creeps through my fingers and I clench them over my thighs. I can’t fathom the idea of my father not being well. I refuse to even consider it.
We don’t talk much, at least I don’t. Billy tries to chat about baseball, but I can’t seem to do more than nod.
He takes the hint early into the drive and leaves me to look out the window for the remainder of the trip.
Finally, he pulls up to the hospital, and I follow him to the fifth floor, the cardiac unit.
Austin, Jane, and the pretty blonde from Charlotte’s party are standing in the hallway. Austin lifts his head and smiles when he sees me. His smile loosens the knots in my chest, and I inhale deeply, not realizing how shallow my breaths have been up to this point.
“You came,” he says, and pulls me into his arms. As my older brother, Austin never shied away from showing affection. It’s what makes him a great husband and father.
“Of course I did.” The surprise in his voice grates me, but I hold back since I did, for a second, wonder if it was necessary to come. “How’s Dad? Is he awake?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet. But the doctors say his vitals are better and think it will only be a matter of time until he does.”
I nod. “Can I see him?”
“Absolutely.”
Jane steps forward and raises her arms for a hug. “Good to see you,” she whispers in my ear. I nod, and my gaze lands on her friend a few feet behind her.
She offers a weak smile and a nod, and I return her greeting. Her long curly hair is pulled into a messy bun, and her eyes are softer than I remember. The last time I saw her, they werespitting fire at me. Now, I sense pity in them, and I quickly turn away.
Following Austin into the room, my lungs tighten at the sight in front of me. At six-foot-three, my father had always been the tallest man I knew until I went to college. As a child, he was a giant in my eyes, never a frail bone in his body.
