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“2021.”
“Who’s the president?”
“Biden.”
“What’s your name?”
I hit the doctor with a look because I don’t know if he’s being serious or not. When he raises his eyebrows at me, I know he’s waiting for an answer. “Clark Collinson. Wait. Where are my brother and Kally? Nancy… I need to see them.” I gasp as I exert myself.
“I’ll go and see if I can round them up. They just left to freshen up and eat some breakfast. I believe Nancy wasn’t taking no for an answer. We’ll miss our pastries every morning when you go home,” says the nurse.
I laugh but instantly feel the protest in my chest, arm, and shoulder.
“You’ll be sore for a little while, but once you’re feeling a bit stronger, we’ll get you into rehabilitation and physiotherapy.”
I nod. “I’m alive, Doctor. I can get through anything else.”
“Do you want me to explain what’s been going on medically while you’ve been in dreamland?”
I shake my head. “I’m not sure I’m ready to know. Is anything life-threatening?”
He shakes his head. “No. I believe you’ve turned a big corner today, Clark. You’ve given us a scare over the last two weeks. You’ll have plenty of war wounds to explain to the grandkids in the future.”
He doesn’t need to tell me anymore. I know how seriously ill I’ve been. I can feel it. My body feels so heavy and just not right. I can’t even explain it.
“Oh my God!”
A screech from the open doorway has us looking in that direction. Kally is being held by Damien until she rushes over to my bedside and flings herself in my arms. I groan from the pressure on my arm, and she pulls away. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think.”
“Don’t, babe. I’m fine. Come here.” She leans her head on my chest, and I close my eyes to relish this feeling.
“I never thought I’d hear your voice again,” she sobs.
“It would take a lot more than Colton to kill me off, sweetheart. How are you all? What have I missed?”
Kally pulls back and Damien takes up the other side of my bed. He looks hellish. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so disheveled.
“You’ve missed so much, bro, but honestly, the only thing that matters right now is that we’re all okay. You’re awake, alive, and the future is what we need to concentrate on.”
“He’s dead, isn’t he? Colton.”
Damien nods. I see the unshed tears in his eyes, and I know exactly how he feels. Colton might have been different from us, but he was still our brother. If he was strong enough to say no to Dad all those years ago, then maybe life would be very different now.
“Mom. Dad. What happened with them?”
“Dad didn’t make it. Mom is okay. Well, she’s bearing up. She’s at home right now. She has been here a couple of times to see you.”
I should probably feel more than I do, but I feel nothing. I’m not upset that Dad’s gone. I don’t feel grief or loss. I’m more upset for Colton because, deep down, I want to believe—need to believe—that he could have changed.
“Nancy and Jared?”
Kally smiles and wipes away her tears. “They’re both fine. Nancy has been feeding everyone three times a day. She wouldn’t let us get away with not eating or washing.”
“You’re right I wouldn’t, young lady. There’s no need for being a slob. We wanted our boy to wake up, not remain in a coma from the smell of you two,” says Nancy as she breezes in, puts her basket down on my table, and pushes Damien out of the way. She puts her warm hand on my cheek and just stares at me. “Let me look at you. I thought I’d lost you, son. I thought I’d never get to nag your ass about leaving your coffee cups lying around.”
“No such luck, Nancy. I’m going to do it more when I come home.”
“Good. Home hasn’t felt like home since you’ve been in here. Nothing has felt the same without you.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ve all been through. I’m just sorry you’ve had to face that.”
“Nope. You will not apologize for any of this, you hear me, Clark Collinson?” I nod. “Good. Because now we’ve got a future to look forward to. We’ve got plans to make, memories to cherish, and lots of love to give.”
Nancy holds her hand out to Damien, and Damien holds his hand out to Kally. In seconds, we’ve got a united circle that nothing will ever break. We might not be family by blood, but we are family. We’re more connected and in tune with one another than any blood-related family could be, and I couldn’t ask for better people in my life.
To be continued…
