I saw my parents standing on the grass with his mom. She had one arm wrapped around herself and tears pouring down her face, her whole body shaking as she tried to hold it together.
“Mom,” Keaton said.
She turned at the sound of his voice and began to cry even harder. “Keaton.”
He got to her fast. “What happened?”
“He collapsed.” Her voice wavered so badly the words nearly fell apart. “He was in the kitchen, and then he just collapsed.”
The stretcher came through before anything else was said.
Keaton’s father was strapped to a gurney with an oxygen mask over his face while the paramedics hurried along the walkway. One of them was talking, but I couldn’t hear the words over the sound of my own pulse.
Keaton took a step forward, but his mom snatched his arm to stop him.
The paramedics rolled the stretcher directly to the ambulance, and one of them said, “A family member can ride with us.”
“I’m going,” his mom answered right away.
Keaton looked at her, then at his father.
“Follow us,” she said to Keaton.
He nodded.
His mom got into the ambulance. The doors closed a second later, and the siren turned on before it drove away.
He turned toward his car, and I got back into it with him.
10
Keaton
The driveto the hospital felt like it lasted five minutes and five hours at the same time. My hands gripped the steering wheel until my fingers ached, but I couldn’t seem to loosen them.
At every red light, I peeked at Rowan out of the corner of my eye. He didn’t say anything from the passenger seat, and I was relieved. My mind raced, and talking felt impossible.
All I could do was replay the scene in the driveway—seeing my dad on the stretcher, the oxygen mask strapped over his face—over and over again.
He collapsed.
The words echoed through my head.
When we arrived at the hospital, it took longer than expected to find an open spot in the parking garage, and then we rushed to the emergency department. My mom stood near the entrance, staring off into the distance.
The moment she saw me, her face crumpled. “Keaton,” she sobbed.
I hurried over to her. “How is he?” I asked, hoping she’d have some insight since she rode over with him.
“They’re working on him.” Her voice shook so badly I could barely understand her words. “They took him back, but he wasn’t breathing on his own.” She wailed louder and fell into my arms.
I looked over her head toward Rowan, who seemed just as lost and helpless as I felt, but I was still thankful to have him with me. I guided her inside, and we found a few empty plastic chairs to sit on. None of us said a word. Mom cried softly, while I stared at the floor.
It didn’t take long before a woman in scrubs stepped out of a side door and asked, “Is anyone here for Curtis Stafford?”
Mom stood right away. “I’m his wife.”
She gave a polite smile. “Please follow me.”
