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I should have known better than to think it was possible for word not to have gotten out. "Yes, and I was supposed to tell you. Your dad asked me to bring you by the hospital after school."
Hailey clapped her hands and bounced to her seat. "Can't wait."
We didn't accomplish much during class. The kids were too distracted, and honestly so was I.
When the last bell finally rang, we grabbed our things and headed for the car.
Hailey and I swung into Hank's on the way, grabbing coffee and snacks for Pat and Jake, and ourselves of course, before driving the short distance to the hospital, the anticipation building the closer we got.
We arrived to find Jake pacing the hallway. He grinned when he saw us, and Hailey ran to him, giving him a hug.
"How is she?" I asked, taking his hand.
"She's doing great. It's not going fast, but she's doing great."
"Good." I squeezed his hand. "You look a little frazzled."
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a long day," he said, but I think he was just worried about Amy.
We sat in the waiting room. The florescent lights overhead seemed extra artificial after coming inside from the sunshine.
"I brought snacks and coffee."
"You’re lovely, have I ever told you that?" He kissed me sweetly and I could have floated away. God, had I ever felt like this about Brent? I didn't think so. With him it was all about doing things, taking in the scene, making a statement. Ugh, I didn't even want to unpack all that nonsense.
With Jake, it was simple and all about just being. There was no need for thrills or frills.
Pat joined us in the waiting room, and I couldn't resist giving him a big bear hug. "How you holding up, Papa-to-be?" I asked, patting him on the back before releasing him.
He plopped down in the chair beside Jake, looking equal parts excited and exhausted.
"Have you ever heard that nurses make the worst patients?"
I shook my head trying to figure out what he was going to say next. Pat chuckled, running a hand through his hair.
"Let's just say I think the nursing staff in there is in more pain than Amy at this point."
Hailey and I couldn't help but giggle, the image of Amy terrorizing the poor nurses too funny to resist.
Pat just shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Laugh it up, you two. But I'm telling you, my sweet, loving, down-to-earth wife? She's not in that room right now.”
I tried to stifle my laughter, patting his arm in sympathy. "I'm sure she's still lovely, Pat. Just... a little more intense than usual."
He leaned in, his eyes darting to the door like he was about to share a juicy secret. "You should've seen her earlier. The nurses were trying to take her vitals, right? One of them was checking her blood pressure and Amy just snapped at the poor woman."
"Well, she is in a lot of pain," I reasoned, trying to give Amy the benefit of the doubt.
Pat nodded, but his eyes were twinkling with mirth. "Oh, it gets better. The nurse, bless her heart, said, 'I've been a nurse for 25 years. I think I can take your blood pressure.' And you know what Amy said?"
I shook my head, already grinning in anticipation.
"She looked that nurse dead in the eye and said, 'All that tells me is that you’ve been doing it wrong for 25 years!'"
I burst out laughing, covering my mouth to try and contain the giggles. "No way!"
"Yes way!" Pat exclaimed, and soon we were all laughing, the tension of the day melting away.
When we caught our breath, Pat sighed, leaning back in his chair. "She kicked me out here and told me if I ever looked at her again, she'd make me sorry, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you two. Or at least, I'd feel better if someone checked on her. I don't think she wants to lay eyes on me anytime soon."
