Page 80 of Tell It To The Waves

Stepping back, I smile. It’s beautiful.

Finishing the other ones, I move around my kitchen, music blaring, enjoying the way I feel complete at this very moment. True happiness for the first time in eight years.

My eyes tear up when I think about it: the torture I put myself through because I couldn’t see through the grief. The growing I had to do and finding out who August is. And I know who she is now. She’s the woman who loves a small coastal town, having sand stuck to her feet, feeling at home and letting her heart heal finally, all while enjoying the sea breeze and salt air.

Placing the last cookie in my brown box, Goose and Anchor stamped on the top, with a little blue wave. Dainty and minimal. I make sure the ovens are off and grab my phone. Shocked to see it’s after ten at night. I lose myself when I’m baking, and I think that’s when you truly know you love something. It doesn’t feel like work.

Starting up my car, I message Baylee.

Coming with something sweet. I can leave it on your porch.

Turning onto her road, I pull up in front of their picket fence, walking up with the box in hand. The front door flies open. Looking up, I see the porch light cast on Baylee’s face before shecomes running down the steps. Worry and fright mar her face. Immediately my heart picks up. “What’s wrong?” I look down at her shorts, thinking I’m fixing to see red, but I breathe a sigh of relief when I don’t.

Stopping in front of me, she opens her mouth, but shuts it, like she can’t get the words out. Finally, she speaks, “It’s Bohdi. He’s been in a wreck.”

Those words rock my world. I feel like I’m tipping off my axis. I scan her face waiting for her to say she’s screwing with me, but she doesn’t. My body begins to shake. “Is he okay?” I whisper out, scared she won’t hear me and scared that she will.

“We don’t know. We have to get to the marina and take the boat to the city. He’s at MCA General.

I stand there, my mind not comprehending what she’s telling me. “How bad?” I croak out, scared for the answer.

“They didn’t tell us. They called the Westmores and informed them to get to the hospital immediately.”

Fixing to say something, I’m cut off by Kai running out of the house, slamming the door, surprised to see me, but immediately asking, “August, can we use your car?”

“Yeah. It’s still running,” I call out from behind him, following. I jump into the back seat before Baylee can make it to the car, letting her have the front.

My mind is racing. The pit in my stomach feels like it weighs thousands of pounds. I can’t lose him. It was different when I left; I knew Bohdi was still here, still breathing. But losing him for good, I can’t. I can’t meet that August.

Everything is one big blur. From getting to the marina, hopping onto the boat with Bohdi’s family, to Kai driving us to the city.

Baylee holds and rubs my hand. “I just got him back,” I whisper to Baylee. She looks at me. I see that she’s trying to figure out what I mean, but I don’t speak any more about it, justwatch the dark ocean in front of us, the boat lights lighting the way.

Baylee doesn’t know anything about what’s gone on between Bohdi and me, because even I don’t know what it is. And I think for a bit, I wanted to keep it just between Bohdi and me. Not give anyone a reason to get their hopes up… Mainly myself.

I look across to Julie sitting in silence, wringing her hands, her lips slightly moving, as if she’s speaking, but I hear nothing. I give her privacy. Looking at Kai driving the boat, the lights above him show his worried face. Eyebrows creased, eyes scanning the ocean.

The ride is quiet as we idle to the docks and wait for Kai to tie off. One by one, we get off the boat; Baylee already has an Uber waiting for us.

I know the hospital isn’t far, but the Uber driver is being too cautious, and it feels like it takes forever until we pull up to the emergency room entrance.

I follow behind all of them, giving them their space. No one invited me; I invited myself.

Mrs. Westmore is already at the desk asking to see her son as I walk through the automatic doors.

The smell of the hospital hit me. It’s a smell that stays with you, no matter how long you’ve been to one. The mixture of cafeteria food and people, and it’s like the white linoleum floors themselves throw off an odor. Accumulating in what everyone knows as the hospital smell.

Before I can sit down, the door swings open, an older man walking out. “Westmore’s?”

They all scurry to him, introducing themselves.

I stand back, remaining close enough to give them room while also being able to hear.

“An ambulance brought Bohdi in over an hour ago. He’s in stable condition, but tore up pretty badly. He has road rash onthe right side of his arm and leg, and his head hit hard, but thankfully he had his helmet on. We’re cleaning him up now and will monitor him overnight. I want to keep watch on his head, but the CT came back good.” He gives them a tight smile. “I’ll tell him you all are here. But it’ll be a bit until he can have visitors.”

My heart feels like it slows down for the first time since I heard he was in an accident. Breathing in, actually filling my lungs up. I go and occupy the most uncomfortable chair.

Mrs. Westmore comes and sits right next to me, taking my hand in hers. It shocks me, but I let her. “I’m glad you’re here, August.” Her words hold more meaning than what she said.