His singular focus was to get to the hospital and comfort Avery, then figure out exactly what was going on. The voicemail from the whitewater rapids resort Maddy worked at had left a voicemail that she’d been airlifted to the hospital after an accident, but that’s all he knew.
Ava pressed against him in the middle of the bench seat, her bouncing leg betraying her anxiety. When he placed his hand on her thigh to soothe her, she covered it with her own soft hand, lacing their fingers together in a tight grip.
The ringing of Owen’s cell phone came through the truck’s speakers, and he answered the call immediately.
“You’re on speaker, Summer. What’s going on?”
Summer exhaled a shaky breath. “They’ve taken her into surgery, but I don’t know much more. They won’t release specifics to me since I’m not family or her power of attorney. Please tell me you have the paperwork so they will talk to you?”
“Yup, Matt’s bringing them from his office. He’ll be right behind us. How’s Avery holding up?”
“He’s scared,” she said in a low tone. “Want to talk to him?”
“Yeah, put him on, please.”
Owen tried to relax his shoulders, the tension bringing them almost to his ears. He had to be calm for Avery.
“Dad?”
Avery’s trembling voice stabbed Owen’s heart, the guilt threatening to crush him.I should’ve been there for him.
“Hey, bud. How you holding up? I’m on my way.”
His small sniffle intensified Owen’s sense of failure.
“I’m okay. I’m worried about Mom. What if she never wakes up?”
Ava squeezed his hand on her thigh, communicating without words she was just as affected by Avery’s fear as him. And in that moment, he was so incredibly grateful to have someone in his corner, and to not shoulder the burden of parenthood alone.
“It’s okay to worry about your mom. She’s in good hands and the doctors are going to take the very best care of her, alright? But you’re not alone, understand? You have so many people who love and care for you, and we’re all on our way. I love you, bud. So much,” Owen said.
“I love you too, Dad.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
“OK, bye.”
The line went silent. The truck returned to its earlier tense atmosphere, neither of them speaking. There was nothing to say.
He pulled into the first parking spot he could find that didn’t have a reserved or tow-away sign and helped Ava out of the car. Ava’s heels clicked on the pavement as she kept up with his long strides to the entrance. Matt caught up to them in the lobby, a folder in his hand, and the three of them signed in with security and found their way to Maddy’s assigned room.
Summer and Avery sat in two chairs in the hallway, Avery leaning into his aunt as she whispered to him. When they caught sight of the three of them, Avery jumped up and ran toward them. He threw his arm around Owen’s waist in a crushing hug. Some of the guilt in Owen’s chest went away as he held his son close. Summer joined them more slowly, giving Ava a tight smile and Matt a side-hug.
“Thank you so much, Summer,” he told his sister. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a quick hug, squishing Avery between them. He appreciated her presence more than she knew.
“Of course. Family looks out for each other,” Summer said.
In his periphery, Owen caught Ava’s wince at Summer’s words. Neither of them had shared the exact nature of their fight with him, but he had a feeling that what Summer said struck a raw chord between them.
Summer pointed over Owen’s shoulder. “That’s the nurse. I’ll grab him,” she said.
Owen ruffled Avery’s hair and bent down to look at him. His freckles stood out more than normal against his pale face, his worried expression far out of place for a nine-year-old.
“I’m going to check on your mom. Everything’s going to be alright. We always figure things out, yeah?”
“Yeah.” Avery nodded.
Owen straightened and walked over to the nurse. He stood a few feet away from their group with Summer, leaving Avery with Matt and Ava. The three of them sat down, with Avery in-between them. Summer shifted anxiously next to the nurse.
