Page 97 of What Should Have Been Ours

I sigh, leaning against the counter. “Cam’s having a bad day.”

Her expression softens instantly. “How bad?”

“Bad.”

I glance at the clock, calculating how long it’ll take me to finish up and get to him.

Kinsley doesn’t hesitate. “Move your last two appointments over, and go.”

“Are you sure?”

She rolls her eyes. “Gabrielle, go. I’ll handle everything, and William is here if I can’t do it.” She softens, squeezing my arm.

I nod, giving her a grateful smile before grabbing my bag and heading out the door.

“I love you, okay? Get there safe.”

“Love you too. Thank you, Kins.”

* * *

I don’t even realize I’m crying until I hear my mom’s voice on the phone.

“Gabrielle?”

I blink through my blurry vision, swiping my card and pushing through the turnstile.

“Hey, Mom.” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat, but it doesn’t help.

It was faster to take the train instead of driving after work, so I’m hopping on the first one straight over to the hospital. The station smells like damp concrete, old coffee, and a hint of piss, like always. I walk down the stairs slowly, one hand gripping the railing, the other clutching my phone.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

I inhale sharply, the weight of the last few months crashing down pretty hard in this moment for some reason. “I just…” My voice wobbles. “Everything seems so hard right now. I hate seeing him like this. I hate it so much, Mom.”

She’s quiet for a moment, trying to find the right comforting words. “I know, sweetheart,” she finally says. “I know.”

I swipe at my cheeks, trying to pull myself together, hoping no one around notices. But it’s New York; no one bats an eye at a girl crying in the train station.

“He was doing so good. We were doing so good. And now it’s like…it’s like I got him back just to lose him all over again. And I can’t—” My breath shudders. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“You can,” she tells me firmly and unwavering, and it’s what I need right now. “Because you love him. And because he needs you right now. You’re strong, Gabrielle. Stronger than you know. You always have been.”

I let out a shaky breath. “It just hurts.”

“I know, baby.” She pauses. “But you’re not doing this alone.”

I nod, even though she can’t see me, even though I don’t fully believe it.

I mumble a weak I love you right before the train arrives. The doors slid open, and I stepped inside, leaning against the window and pressing the side of my head to the cool glass, watching the tunnel blur past.

I have to pull myself together before I see him. I don’t want to scare him by being this scared.

* * *

The second I step into his hospital room, I can feel how different today is.

He looks wrecked.