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I sit back down again with a thud and sigh.
I don’t know what comes over me, but I pull out my phone and have an urgency to talk to Taylor. He’s the first person that pops into my head. I thought about it back in the parking lot, but this new urgency is suddenly very real.
Before Maddison gets back, I hit dial…
A few rings later, I hear his deep voice over the line.
“Hey, Em, are you okay?”
“Ummm, Taylor… I.” I don’t know what to say now I’ve got him on the phone. I shouldn’t have called him. I take a deep breath.
“Hey, is everything all right? Did you make it home yet?”
“I’m at the hospital.” I let out the breath I’m aware that I’m holding in.
“The hospital?” he all but nearly yells. “What’s going on?”
Something spurs within me from his concern and him swearing because of it.
“It’s not me,” I rasp out… “My Dad, he collapsed earlier… they had to call an ambulance.”
“Fuck.”
Yeah, you can say that again.
“Em, I’ll be right there, where are you? Seattle Gen?”
“No, it’s okay. I’m just about to leave… I don’t even know why I’m calling.”
“I’m glad you did… I want to see you, make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m with Maddie…”
“Please, Em… It’ll take me ten minutes. I need to know you’re all okay.”
I find myself nodding, realizing after a moment he can’t see me doing so. “Sure.” I shrug. Something about him coming here and his concern over my family warms me.
“I’ll meet you out front,” I whisper. “Visiting hours are all but over.”
“No problem. I’ll drive you home, at least.”
“See you soon.”
We hang up just as Maddie comes back. “You ready to go?” she asks.
I nod. “I told Taylor what happened. He wants to come to the hospital.”
She looks kind of surprised. “Okay, Em. Whatever you want.”
“Are you okay to drive Mom’s car back if he drives me home?” I don’t even know why this scenario is even happening, but I want to go with it.
“Of course.”
She doesn’t question why he’s coming, why I called him, or why I need to even let him drive me home. But it’s something I need to do. And I’m thankful for a friend like her who isn’t asking me too many difficult things right now. She just accepts it.
We walk to the elevators. “I know you miss having someone like him who can be there when you need him,” she says thoughtfully. “Doug wasn’t exactly like that, was he?”
I shake my head. “No, he wasn’t. He tried to be. We just didn’t have that closeness.”
