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“Maybe he’s suffering from a breakdown because of everything. Or his mind is overwhelmed. Maybe he is subconsciously protecting himself. Or you.”
“Me?”
“Perhaps not remembering certain things helped him survive. I’m not sure we’ll get any answers. Brains are complex.” It was funny to hear Daniel talking like a doctor. What he said made sense, though.
When I finished my coffee, we returned to Vince’s room. Each of us took turns talking to him.
It was weird to me that time passed so quickly. Before I knew it, it was midafternoon. Dr. McGuire and a couple of nurses came in to check on Vince. After checking in on Hudson, we went to the cafeteria. We didn’t want to leave Vince, but we were all hungry, and the room was crowded with all of us in there.
We’d only been back a few minutes when Pete walked through the door. “Hey,” he said. Even though he smiled, I could see that he was just as overwhelmed as we all were. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles, heavy with weariness. “How is he?”
“He’s stable but still unconscious. They say it’s normal and not to worry. But that’s all I can do. They’ve run some more tests, but at this point, they don’t think there's any cause for alarm. Probably just tired from everything he went through and severe dehydration.” I hated talking about it. Worse, I hated thinking about what Vince had gone through. I wiped my eyes.
“It’s been a rough day,” Daniel said.
“The doctor’s hopeful but says we have to give it some time.” I sighed.
“So, no real progress?” he said.
“Not really. But he’s hopeful.” I sounded like a parrot as I rocked back and forth on my feet. Even without Hudson in my arms, the movement was ingrained in me now. “I guess—” I sighed—“I didn’t expect this.”
He grunted, then sighed heavily. “I truly can’t imagine what you’re going through, how you can focus at a time like this. I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Daniel asked.
“I just hoped things would be better when you saw him.”
“You knew about the memory loss? Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
He nodded and dropped his head. It reminded me of Hudson when I scolded him for doing something naughty. “I thought maybe he’d snap out of it.”
I reached out and touched his arm. His eyes were watery when he looked at me. It broke my heart because he saved my husband, and I knew everything he did was to protect me. Me and Hudson. “Pete,” I said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t—”
I hugged him tightly. “There’s nothing to be sorry for,” I whispered. He sagged against me. I understood the weight of everything he was feeling. I pulled back and cupped his face in my hands. “You’re the best friend we could ever ask for.”
“You put your life on the line,” Daniel said. “You brought our son home. You are a hero.”
“We could never repay you,” Renee said, her voice shaking.
Daniel dragged another chair over for Pete. We resumed our positions, sitting sentry around Vince’s bed.
When Pete headed out a couple of hours later, I noticed the time. I needed to head home to Hudson. As I gathered my things, Renee came to me and stopped me. She placed her hand on the side of my face. “You stay here. Take as long as you need.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. You need to be here. We’ll go to your place. Hudson will be fine.”
I fiddled with my hands. “Do you think that maybe you could stay the night?” I stole a glance at Vince, who had yet to wake up. “Then I can spend the night here. I don’t want him to be alone.”
Renee’s smile was soft. “You do that, sweetheart.”
“If you need anything, anything at all, you just call,” Daniel said before wrapping me in a hug. “Try and get some sleep. We’ll be back in the morning.”
“I need to call Ashley and make sure she’s okay with coming back tomorrow. I don’t remember if I asked her or not. So much going on. I don’t know where my brain is at.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll check with her. If she’s not available, Daniel and I will take shifts.”
