“Parker?”
I could tell immediately something was wrong.
“What is it?”
“Are you back in town?”
She was scaring me. “I am. Delaney? What’s wrong?”
“Good. Can you come to the hospital? We’re in room 2604.”
“Your dad?” I asked. It took me a second to remember he’d had the surgery that morning and that Delaney was fine.
“Yeah. There’s been a complication.”
Fuck. I headed to the door.
“I’m on my way.”
36
DELANEY
“He’s here,” my mother said from the door. She’d gone to the nurse’s station to ask them a question and apparently found Parker along the way.
Dad was sleeping, finally. It was my mother, after I’d told her all about what was happening with Parker and me, who said I should tell him to come.
“Texting is so impersonal,” she said. “Talk to him in person.”
Since I refused to leave the hospital, I asked him to come. Heading into the hallway, I made the strangest introduction ever.
“Mom,” I said, “this is Parker.” And since I had no idea where we stood at the moment, I left out, “my boyfriend.” “Parker, this is my mother.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Thorton, and am sorry it’s not under better circumstances.”
“Thank you, Parker,” my mother said.
He looked at me. “He’ll be alright,” I said. “But there were some complications with the anesthesia. He had some difficulty breathing after it wore off. Apparently there’s a mucus buildup in his lungs, a rare side effect, and they are keeping him to watch for any signs of a lung collapse.”
“But he’s going to be okay?”
“God willing,” my mother said.
I tried not to roll my eyes, remembering my mother had been through a scare today. “The doctor said he will be fine, but they just want to get his breathing under control before letting him go. There’s a lounge,” I said, then to my mom, “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“You don’t have to stay,” she said. “He’ll probably stay sleeping for the night.”
“I know. I’ll leave at ten.”
“It was nice to meet you, Parker,” she said as I guided him down the hall toward the family lounge area. With luck, everyone would be gone by now.
“Why ten?” he asked as we walked.
“Because that’s when they’ll kick me out.”
Thankfully, the lounge was empty.
The second we walked inside, Parker pulled me into him. Slammed against his chest, engulfed by his arms, I didn’t know what to say. So, of course, I cried.
