I chewed the inside of my cheek until it hurt, willing the moisture in my eyes to evaporate before it escaped. My legs carried me out of the room to the hallway. I closed the door to give her a shred of privacy. Hospitals were so revealing.
I dropped into a chair a few paces beyond the door to her room and stared at my phone in my lap. Calling my mom again wouldn’t be productive. She was already upset, and I didn’t have any updates to share. Still, I opened my contacts. Acting on natural impulse more than conscious thought, my finger tapped Luke’s name.
He answered on the second ring. “Hey, Val.”
I heard a second “Hi, Val” in the background from Luna and a smile cracked through my somberness.
“What’s up?” he asked. I took a deep breath before answering, and he added, “You okay?”
I blew out my breath and steeled myself. “Yes, I’m fine, but Mimi had an episode, felt like she couldn’t breathe while she was at the store, fainted. She’s okay now, the doctors said she was probably just dehydrated. I’m waiting outside her room while she rests before they run a few more tests. I—I don’t know why I called, actually.”
“Because you’re upset, and you need a friend right now. Pretty normal thing to do, Val. I’m glad you called.”
For some reason his kind words made my eyes well up. My throat constricted. “Thanks, Luke,” I choked out, hoping he couldn’t hear the tears in my voice.
“Have you eaten?”
“No. I was cooking us dinner when Cathy called me. I’m too emotional to eat anyway.”
“How about this, Luna and I will come by and check on youand Mimi, and I’m bringing you both dinner, in case your appetite comes back. Okay? The hospital food sucks.”
I opened my mouth to object, but something told me Luke wouldn’t take no for an answer even if I did. He phrased his suggestion like a question, but there wasn’t any uncertainty in his deep tone.
I sniffled. “Okay. If Mimi wakes up while you’re here, I’m sure she’d love to see Luna.”
“It’s settled then. See you soon.”
The book I attempted to read on my phone while I waited didn’t hold my attention for long. I poked my head into Mimi’s room a couple of times and found her sleeping.
The pitter-patter of a child’s footsteps down the linoleum-tiled hallway announced Luke and Luna’s arrival. Luna threw her arms around my neck, my shoulders at the right height for her arms while I was seated—saying nothing. I started to choke up again but banished the feeling quickly.
“Hi, Luns,” I cooed. “Thank you.”
“Is Mimi okay?”
“Yes, she’s okay. Let me go see if she’s awake, and you can go see her.”
“Okay! I brought my book.” She held up aMagic Tree Housepaperback like it was a trophy.
I smiled. “That was a great idea.”
When I looked into the room again, Mimi was up, changing the channel on the TV. “Are you up for a petite visitor?”
“Of course.”
I told Luna to come in. She plopped right down in the chair next to the bed and asked Mimi if she wanted to readMagic Tree Housewith her.
“Oh, yes,” Mimi said, her smile encouraging.
I stepped out of the room again, closing it only halfway. Luke had set down the soft-sided cooler he brought with him on the chair. I didn’t know what to say.Thank you for coming when I called?
I missed you in the three hours that have passed since I last saw you?
“Hey,” Luke said softly. It was less of a greeting and more of an invitation as he opened his broad arms and tipped his head in a way that said,come here. Pulled by an invisible thread, I stepped into him, and he wrapped his arms around me without hesitation, holding me flush against his body. I rested my cheek on his chest, letting out a full breath for the first time since I flew out Mimi’s front door. The next breath in was Luke: pine and a hint of sawdust and warmth. The sound of his heartbeat filled the ear I had pressed against his shirt. His arms tightened around my back.
It was not a friendly hug. This embrace spoke its own language—sturdy and true and full of care. I kept a tight lid on the pressing emotions crackling beneath the surface of my chest—my panic about Mimi’s wellbeing earlier, my somber thoughts about her age, my mom’s fear when I told her, all mixed with the relief and comfort and safety I felt when I let myself lean on the man before me.
I refused to let the emotions bubble out while he held me. Although, I suspected he wouldn’t mind if I did.
