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“Hey, man,” I chimed in, as joyfully as my tone could muster, though I had to admit, seeing him that way killed me inside.
I pushed a chair up next to the bed for her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she took her older brother’s larger hand in hers. She sat wordlessly for a moment, probably unsure what to say without erupting into tears.
Talking to him was something the doctors all told us to make sure we did. Still, no words came to the surface. All she did was sit there, staring at his lifeless body, gripping his hand. It was torture watching her inability to communicate.
Trying to make the mood lighter, I stepped over to the other side of the bed. “So, Tyler, I hope they’re feeding you steak and potatoes in your feeding tube, at least.”
Jenna’s mouth fell agape, and she curled her lip in disgust.
“What?” I shrugged. “It’s his favorite food.” She didn’t find humor in my joke, so I simply mouthed,Sorry.
Wiping her tears, she stood, pressing her lips to Tyler’s forehead, her hand holding his hair back. “Ty, listen, I’m going to be so real with you right now. You’re all I have. You’re a brother, uncle, cousin, father, and husband. We all miss you like crazy. I know you can hear me. I know you can’t respond just yet and that’s okay. I just need you to please fight.” She tried so hard to suppress sounds of distress and sadness. “You look great on the outside and you’re healing so quickly. I know you need to heal a bit more inside. I get it. But please don’t give up.”
“Ty,” I laid my hand on his arm. “She was real with you. NowI’mgoing to be real with you. You have to get better soon.” I dropped the sarcasm from earlier. “I know I joke around a lot, but you’re missed a lot, bro.” Reaching across the bed, I put my palm on the back of Jenna’s hand. “In other news,” I continued, “it’s football season and we gotta watch the Pats together. When you wake up, we’ll go to the next home game.”
If nothing else woke him up, football chat would. He was crazy about the New England Patriots. I backed away, turning from the bed, burying my face in my palm. I wanted and needed to say more but I couldn’t take it any longer. My emotions were seeping through, and I was about to lose it. So much had happened, and I was ready to snap. I refrained from saying anything else because I didn’t want to distress either of them.
“Ty, I love you,” Jenna added from behind. “Mila will be up here soon to hang out with you. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.” I turned around to see her lifting his hand to her lips. “I can’t wait for you to meet your niece. She’s going to love you so much.” Puffing out her cheek, she expelled all her air as she stood and trudged over to me.
I held my hand out, but she threw herself into my body, wrapping her arms around my waist in a tight embrace. I pressed my lips to the top of her head, whispering, “He’ll be okay. He’s strong as fuck. Every day’s a fight, but it’s also another day he’s alive. Have faith.”
* * *
After a tearful goodbye, we left the hospital and went to eat lunch. Security followed far enough behind, giving us space to breathe, but close enough to intervene. In my hometown, I wasn’t so much worried about fans as I worried about Alejandro. Jenna remained quieter than normal as we dined, but I kept the conversation as light as possible.
“Thank you.” I took the bill from the server. “Just a sec.” Without giving her an opportunity to leave, I slid my credit card out of my wallet, handing it off to her.
“I’ll be back shortly.” She sped away.
Propping my elbow on the table, I ran my fingers through my hair, glancing at the other customers, whose gazes were darting our way periodically. Rolling my eyes, I smirked as one attempted to sneak a photo.
“Do you ever just stop and think,gosh, I’m famous?” Her comment came out of nowhere.
I snorted. “I don’t think I have ever said the word ‘gosh’ at all.”
“Chance, hush.” She giggled, staring at my hair. “I mean, it’s impossible for you to blend in with that hair color.”
“I know. I’ve actually thought about dying it back to its original color.”
She gasped. “You’d be killing your trademark.”
“I’ve thought about it a lot, just temporarily, ya know? Maybe I want a change.” I looked around, covering my mouth with my hands subtly. “I mean, do you think they’d still recognize me?”
Snickering, she cupped her hands over her mouth. “Your fans will riot. You’ve had that platinum hair since we met. Your IMDB page literally says your trademark is your platinum blonde hair.”
Shrugging, I leaned back, crossing my ankle over my knee.
The waitress returned, laying the black leather check presenter on the table. “Have a great day.”
“Thank you. You too.” I turned back to Jenna, wiggling my brow at her. “So, do you feel like going to see Fabian?”
“You’re seriously going to do it?!”
“No, Fabian’s going to do it.” I laughed. “I feel that right now, blending will be important for all of us.”
“Amber’s gonna kill you.” She mocked. “I’m living for it. I’ve been dying to see you without bleached hair, even if you’re doing it for another reason.”
Suddenly, she was excited. It was awesome to see her genuinely grinning once again. Fabian had been my stylist on the east coast for years. He frequently got angry when I had to get my hair cut or colored in Los Angeles. He always complained he had to undo what my California stylist had done.
