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God, why am I thinking about her dying? She’s not dead. She’s right here.
“She’s doing great. Much better,” the nurse says to me. “The doctor came in earlier to evaluate her symptoms. She seems to be able to speak a little better today. She can understand everything really well, she just has some issues relaying information.”
Well, that’s good news then. Her eyes flutter open at the sound of voices in her space, and I move toward her bed, reaching out and gently touching her arm.
She’s so young. Mid-forties. This shouldn’t have happened.
“Bennet,” she says, and my chest tightens. At least she can say my name. That’s something.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, realizing as it comes out that she may not be able to answer. At least not be able to tell me in actual words.
“I is…” Her words trail off and her brows furrow in frustration. “Can’t.”
I don’t know what that means, other than she can’t say what she means. Fuck, this is going to be a long road to recovery.
I turn my gaze to the nurse. “Besides her speech, is everything else okay?”
“She has some motor issues, but other than that, she seems to be doing well. The brain is an amazing organ. You never know how long it will take to recover.”
“So there is hope in a speedy recovery?”
My mom is watching all of this, her brows still drawn together.
“Yes, there is,” the nurse says. “I was just going to take her down for some tests. Would you like to come?”
Just as he says it the lights turn off and the nurse sighs. “Hold on, one sec. Frank…” He moves to the other end of the curtain where I hear the man groan about accidentally hitting the button and a second later the lights flicker back on.
God, is this what my mom has been dealing with? This can’t be good.
“Need some water!” Frank demands and then something falls to the floor. No wonder my mom looks so tired. She probably isn’t getting any sleep.
“This how it always is?” I ask, and my mom manages a small smile and a nod.
“Well, get better soon so we can bring you home. Frank is noisy.”
She smiles a little wider as the lights go off again and the nurse turns right back around and goes back to the other side of the room.
Hell, get me out of here. This is going to be a long day.
* * *
By the time I’m done and back in the hospital waiting room, I see Jasper sprawled on his stomach across several chairs, his feet in the air, his fingers rapidly typing on his laptop.
“Hey,” I say, running a hand through my hair, and Jasper nearly topples out of his seat.
“Hey,” he says, standing up and taking me in. His eyes narrow and then he sighs, pulling me into a reluctant hug.
It’s so unexpected that I just stand there awkwardly and let him pat me on the back.
“What’s this for?” I ask.
“You just look sad again, and I can’t stand it,” he murmurs, pulling away from me and righting his shirt. “I’ll stop once you seem happy again.”
I don’t want him to stop, so I frown a little more, feeling more lighthearted knowing he’s here.
“Oh gods, stop pouting,” he mutters and then rolls his eyes when my mouth tilts down even more. He might know me too well, despite trying to never get to know me at all. “You are such a faker.”
How annoyed he’s getting is making my mouth curl up in a smile.
