Page 86 of Let Me Show You

“He's doing fine. Noah has a concussion, some bruised ribs, and a lot of cuts and scrapes. We'd like to keep him overnight for observation. He’s been given medication for the pain, and we’re in the process of moving him to another room. I believe the nurse said he’s going to room 327, but it might take some time to get him transferred. In the meantime, do you have any questions for me?”

“No, sir, I don't think we do,” Jerry says after he looks at us, and we shake our heads.

“Not many people have walked away from such a severe accident. From what I've heard, his slow speed, along with the side airbags, helped with the impact. He's lucky to be alive.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I'm happy to hear my son will be okay. We're very thankful,” Jerry says.

“If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“We will.” Jerry lets out a long breath and sits when the doctor is out of sight. “Good. My boy’s gonna be fine.”

I relax slightly, feeling better.

“Noah being moved to a room is a good sign,” Gemma says, and Everleigh agrees.

“Yeah,” I let out. “That's positive news.”

Thirty minutes pass before we're told we can go upstairs to Noah's room. I'm nervous as we step onto the elevator because I know what he looked like when I found him. When the doors open on the third floor, my anxiety spikes, and Owen grabs my hand. He's such a good kid, very empathetic, and I couldn't be prouder to have him as my son. I'm positive he doesn't fully understand what's going on, and I make a mental note to explain the accident to him on the way home.

Jerry opens the door, and when he and Belinda enter, I can see the foot of Noah's bed. It brings back the bad memories of seeing Gabe on life support, but I keep it to myself.

“Go ahead,” I tell Gemma. “Go see him.”

She tilts her head. “We'll go in together.”

They wait for me to gain my composure as I try to be strong.

After a few minutes, we enter the room together. Noah’s sleeping, but his breathing is steady. His eyes are black, and there are gashes on his arms and scratches on his face. His hair is matted in places from the blood, and it hurts my heart to see him lying there so broken.

When Owen looks at me, I place my hand on his shoulder, and whisper in his ear, “He’s gonna recover.”

Belinda keeps her hand tightly secured in Jerry's as he talks to Noah, letting him know we're all here and thinking about him.

“Has he been awake at all?” Gemma asks the nurse, who smiles sweetly.

“Oh, I don’t think so. He's on a lot of morphine right now too, so I don't imagine he'll be awake until morning.” She adjusts Noah's oxygen and types something into a laptop, then leaves.

The more I look at him, the more visibly upset I become. Owen stays close, but I notice he hasn't lifted his head from his iPad. I can't imagine how hard it is for him to be here too.

Everleigh’s on the other side and wraps her arm around my waist. “It's gonna be okay.”

“I know,” I say, hoping she's right.

Gemma moves closer to Noah and takes his hand in hers. Her voice drops to a near whisper. “You're gonna make it through this, bubba.” His hand stays limp in hers.

After an hour, Jerry and Belinda decide to go. Gemma, Tyler, and Everleigh hang around for a little longer, then say their goodbyes too. Then it’s just Noah, Owen, and me in the room. It nearly breaks me to leave him here alone, but it's a long drive home on old country roads, and it’s getting late.

I swallow hard and lean over, whispering in his ear. “I'm gonna come see you tomorrow. Please stay strong, Noah. I love you.”

I pull away as tears fall down my face, and I give him a kiss on his cheek before we leave.

“Bye, Noah,” Owen says, patting Noah on the shoulder.

Owen doesn't say much on the way home, but I explain what happened the best way I can.

“He's gonna be fine, right?” Owen finally asks.

“Yep, he'll pull through, but it might take a little while,” I tell him as I keep my eyes on the road.