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“It’s Saturday night.” She handed Emma her phone. “Text Olivia. I bet she’d like to join us.”
Olivia came running up the stairs with face creams, masks, and oils. “I brought Pride and Prejudice!” She shook the boxset of DVDs.
“You want to watch a six-hour-long adaptation of Jane Austin?” Hannah laughed. “You really did need to get out of the house.”
“I love my family, I really do, but Jesse’s into this Western thing with Nana, and I just can’t.”
“How about letting Emma pick the movie?”
Emma picked up the box. “We could do one part tonight, and make it like a regular Saturday night thing?”
Hannah could feel the joy building, and as always, it brought anxiety with it. “That’s a great idea.”
As happy as she should’ve been, as perfect as things seemed to be, she was still waiting for something to prove this wasn’t real. That Hannah Destin didn’t deserve happiness, only struggle and misery.
There was a knock on the door.
“It must be Jess,” Olivia said.
“Come in!” Hannah called out.
“Hello, Hannah?” But the voice wasn’t Jesse’s, it was Jake’s.
Hannah got up immediately, flustered, wishing she had time to change from her pajamas into normal clothes. She must look ridiculous, cream covering her face, her toes locked into foam spacers, and her hair up in a messy bun.
“I’m sorry to interrupt.” His face was worried.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s your dad,” he said. “He’s in the hospital.”
Chapter 17
The noise of the blood pressure monitor stirred her awake. Hannah rubbed her eyes, looking at the dimly lit hospital room. The nurse would be in soon. They had been coming every two hours or so since Hannah arrived.
“Your father suffered severe trauma to the head. We have the bleeding under control, but I’m afraid with the progression of his cancer and the state of his health, we recommend he be transferred to a hospice care facility.”
“Oh… what does that mean?”
Joel Destin had woken up long enough to ask when he could go home, but he was unsure of where he was or why he was there. He didn’t even notice or recognize Hannah. She didn’t even know why she was there, other than a sense of family obligation. She was so glad Jake had come with her. He stood by her while the doctor explained the next steps for her father.
“I’m afraid Mr. Destin is very sick. The cancer has spread quickly, and he’ll need immediate around-the-clock care. We recommend he stays at a rehabilitation center here in town.” Dr. Verry held the file against her chest.
She could feel her feet sinking into the floor, the air escaping her lungs. She couldn’t even think what else she should ask. “Okay.”
“What do you need us to do?” Jake asked the doctor. He stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder.
“You may want to grab a few of his things, and we’ll transfer him by ambulance. You’ll want to start putting his affairs in order. See if he has a living will.”
The doctor kept talking, but everything seemed to go in one ear and out the other. She couldn’t focus. When they were alone, Jake rubbed her back. “Don’t worry. I will help take care of everything.”
“I have no clue what to do about a living will?” She couldn’t swallow the lump in her throat. “Do you think you could talk to Olivia?”
“I’ll stop at the farm.” Jake gave her a hug, then took off. Hannah stayed on at the hospital. All these years, all that time, she had looked at her father’s absence as a loss, but as she looked at him lying in the hospital bed, she realized that the best gift he could have given her was making her leave. Her whole life had changed. The Boudreaus took her in, helped her raise the most amazing daughter on the planet, and given them a family. A real family, she realized now, much more real than the one she was born to. And she felt a gratitude she hadn’t before.
It was still early, but the sun had come out by the time his eyes opened. He looked around the room as the nurse checked the monitors and took his pulse.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” the nurse said, as he blinked in confusion. “How are you feeling, Mr. Destin?”
