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When I have my emotions somewhat under control, I greet each of the others. I’m grateful that most of them opt for a quiet pat on the back. Not having to talk has never been more comforting.***
An hour creeps by. How can one’s perception of time vary so much? Why do the wonderful moments in life fly by and the hard ones last an eternity?
The mood is solemn, the air heavy. No one speaks.
With the time difference to Atlanta, my crew is tired, and the girls are asleep tucked against their husbands. Rhia’s family is watching a movie, but I wonder how much they actually see.
Mom has been holding my hand, reminding me of when I was little. And just like back then, I soak in the comfort she gives. I stare at her wedding ring. She’s still wearing it, despite my father being dead for two decades. Will that be me, minus the wedding band? Will I get a chance to slide one on Ella’s finger and she on mine?
Suddenly, Master Sachinanda’s words pop into my head.When you find her, put a ring on it, he had said. But he hadn’t looked me in the eye, he had looked at my heart.
All along I thought he had talked about a wedding ring, but his meaning is now screamingly clear.
I pull out my phone and google tattoo parlors near me. And as luck would have it… or destiny, there’s one two streets away from the hospital.
I know what I need to do.
Standing abruptly, the attention of the people not sleeping goes to me.
“I need to get something,” I mutter. “I’ll be back.”
“What?” Mom asks, concern written all over her face.
“A ring,” I tell her. Today is the day I’m putting a ring on it.
The triquetra on my chest.
Although it’s already intricately connected by design, I need each third to be outwardly bound to the others too.
Ninety minutes later, I’m back in the waiting room. The triquetra on my heart now has a ring highlighting my completeness, like the corona around the sun on an eclipse when light and dark merge. My chest is still stinging from the needles, but that pain is nothing compared to the anguish in my heart and the uncertainty that’s growing with every passing minute that Doctor Lanzo isn’t walking through these doors with a smile on his face.
I look at my watch again. Why is this taking so long? The four hours this operation is meant to take are up. Surely, any moment now, he will appear in the doorway.
Just that he doesn’t. We’re well into the fifth hour, and I’m pacing the room relentlessly, too anxious to stay seated. Rhia joins me and together we walk around the room, up and down, up and down.
Out of the blue, Rhia speaks, startling me. “Doctor Lanzo said it would take four hours. We’re close to five now. Does that mean something went wrong?” she asks what we’ve all been thinking but were too afraid to voice. “Is Ella okay?” she asks, her voice shaky.
I wish I knew. My stomach is in knots, my hands trembling. I would feel it, wouldn’t I? I would know if something was wrong?
Rhia’s swollen, red-rimmed eyes find mine. “What if she doesn’t come back to us?” More tears flow. “I’m so scared, Aiden. I cannot imagine a life without her. She’s always been there.”
“Don’t imagine it. She’s going to pull through. You’re normally Miss Positive. Ella needs that now. We all do,” I tell her, but my throat is so tight, it’s a struggle.
She nods, wiping away the tears with her sleeve.
“We will get Ella back, Rhia. We have to believe that.” The words leave my mouth and up until this point, I had succumbed to doubts. But suddenly I’m filled with conviction and an indestructible sense that Tiero is watching over her, over both of us, and that Claudette is right. Everything really will be fine in the end.
Not five minutes later, the door to the waiting room slides open and Doctor Lanzo walks in, a smile I’ve been hanging out to see on his face. The entire room finally breathes out, letting go of the tension that’s dominated the last few hours.
“Ella is in recovery. The operation was a success. It took slightly longer than expected, but we dealt with the issues that came up efficiently.” I don’t even bother asking what issues. I don’t really care. All that matters is that Ella is alive. “The next few days are crucial, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on her.”
Smiles now dominate the faces in this room, people falling into each other’s arm with relief. I watch them all, goosebumps spreading over my skin. I’m so grateful.
Then Mom is there, tears running down her cheeks. I wipe them away with my thumb, before taking her into my arms and holding on… this time not out of fear, but out of love that wants to burst out of every cell in my body.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Ella - Four years later
