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"A little family of their own may not be what either of them expected right now, but it's exactly what they've both always dreamed of. Their souls have been connected for over ten years, and now they finally have the family and love they've always dreamed of!" Ava states, pulling my jacket again to get a tighter grip. " I love them both, so forget Tucker.
"If you do anything to hurt either of them, I will murder you right here in the hospital parking lot. Ava stands on her tiptoes to look me in the eyes."
"Okay, pocket rocket. I’ll behave." I laugh.
When we get upstairs, I see the boys talking to a doctor, but he walks away before I can get to them.
"What has happened? Where's he going?" I stammer because walking with crutches is no easy task.
"It's okay, caveman. The doctor just came to say he's ready and waiting. As soon as you get here, he'll start," Riley says.
"Wait, you were waiting for me?" I ask, surprised.
"Yes, Izzy told them to wait for you."
"She did?" I question, shocked that she'd still do that for me after our big fight last night.
"Yeah, you fucking idiot, she loves you because of Nate. She knows how much you love him too. She'd never take such a big moment away from you just to spite you." Tucker says, as he lets out a breath, like the whole idea of having to explain anything to me is just too much for him.
"Oh," I say quietly, "where is she?"
"She's getting changed. She talked to the doctor first. He'll be back in twenty minutes," Tucker informs me.
Not ten minutes later, Izzy is back, looking fresh faced. I see that she has taken off the pajamas that she has been wearing for the last two days and is in normal clothes now.
"Okay, are we ready now?" the doctor asks.
"Yes," we all say collectively, as we try to follow him through the doorway.
"I'm sorry, but this is serious business. Most of you will have to wait outside, as unfortunately only one person is allowed at his bedside, I'm afraid."
"You go," everyone says as Izzy follows behind him, but she stops at the door.
"Wait, Gabe, you’re family. You should be the first face he sees," Izzy says, visibly upset and frightened.
I slowly stand up and walk over to her in shock. I cannot believe that, even though she hasn't left his bedside in days, she would put herself second. She would even be kind enough to allow me to be the only one to go and see him. I look at her and see that she is just holding the door open with shaky hands while looking at the floor. I finally see, for the first time, that she is not a threat to me and Nate. I see the girl he's known since the beginning. Instead of just the girl who was sent here to tear our family apart, I finally see that she is the one who was sent here to bring our family back together.
All this time, I thought I would lose my family if I let her in, but now I know that if I let my guard down and I let her in, I get to be part of a whole new family. A better family, one made of love and friendship, not hate and fear.
"Sir," I hear the doctor say as he clears his throat. "Are you coming in?"
"No, it's okay. I'll wait here. She deserves to go in first," I say, giving Izzy a little push of encouragement. She looks at me with hopeful but uncertain eyes. She probably assumes I'm lying or trying to trick her because that would be my usual MO.
"It's okay, you go. It's your face he will want to see anyway. Take good care of my brother," I say, giving her another gentle nudge.
Izzy turns to me and hugs me tighter than I have ever been hugged before. How this little girl, whose arms barely reach around my waist, can hold me so tightly that it somehow hurts, is beyond me.
"Thank you. Thank you, Gabe! Thank you so much. I love you right now," she cries.
"Go before I change my mind," I say, as I fight back the emotions and the tears threatening to fall, feeling like the moment where the Grinch's heart grew three sizes.
"Thank you, Gabe," she says again, letting go of me and running to be by my brother's bedside.
"Oh, and Izzy," I call out, as the door is about to close.
"Yes, Gabe?" she says, turning to look at me with the biggest eyes I've ever seen.
"The name's Gabriel. Now go," I say.
