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I sniffle and brush away the remaining tears. “I love you, Mom.” I whisper.
“I love you, too. And so does your dad.”
Just then, a doctor makes her way into the waiting room and calls for the family of Jerry Burris. Mom and I get up together to move towards her.
“I’m Dr. McIntosh,” the tall, redheaded doctor introduces herself and shakes our hands. She turns to my mom and speaks. “Your husband suffered a heart attack today. He is very lucky that your daughter found him when she did and quickly called the ambulance.” Mom turns to me with misty eyes and squeezes my hand. “He’s stable, but he is going to require surgery. We are going to need to place a stent to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Mom remains silent, but the squeeze of her hand feels incredibly reassuring.
“Do either of you have questions?” The doctor asks, looking back and forth between the two of us.
“When can we see him?” I ask.
“You can see him now, but it needs to be quick so that we can prepare him for surgery.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” My mom says quietly, a tear running down her face.
The doctor’s words ring in my ears. “He is very lucky that your daughter found him when she did.”
What if I was still in OKC? Would I have lost my dad today?
* * *
While Dad is in surgery, I run back to Fawn Creek and pack a bag for the two of them. I know mom will be at the hospital with dad for at least one night, if not two. The thirty-minute drive there and back gives me plenty of time to think, probably more time than what is actually good for me.
Once I walk into my parents’ house, I quickly get to work on packing. I’m on autopilot, handpicking their clothes, mom’s makeup bag, phone chargers, and medications as per mom’s list. Once I have everything they need, I stop at home to grab my phone charger, a cardigan and my Kindle. I don’t know how long I’ll be there, but I want to be prepared just in case.
Andrew’s driveway is empty. Part of me had hoped I could catch him while I was home, but another part of me is relieved. I’m not ready to have the “what are we?” talk with him that I am fully aware I need to initiate. It’s inevitable, but I’ll happily put it off for another day. I’m terrified to ask him what is going to happen on Sunday when he goes back home. Trying to figure it out is too overwhelming. I can only handle one disaster at a time, and right now, my focus has to be on my dad.
I can’t stop picturing what he looked like when I found him today. All my life, he’s been immortal, as far as I was concerned. If something needed fixed, he would take care of it. If I needed help with anything, he would figure it out. He’s my lifeline. I could always rely on him, and I knew he would be there. Today, however, he looked so fragile and it scares me. Life without him here is something I’ve never imagined. I don’t know what we would do. Especially my mom.
At this moment, I feel my heart change. This settles it for me. I can’t leave Fawn Creek. It doesn’t matter what I wanted in the past, or what I thought the plan was for my life.
My life is here. My family is here. I want to be close to my parents in case they need me and to see my best friend more often than just once or twice a year. I want to spend more time with my loved ones outside of funerals and holidays. The community I want is right here. This is home and I’m staying.
That settles it. When I finally talk to Andrew, I can tell him I’m staying. The ball can be in his court. Maybe we have a chance at a happily ever after, after all.
Chapter 20
It’s after ten o’clock at night when I pull back into my driveway and kill the engine on my car. I take a moment to rest my forehead on my steering wheel. I’m exhausted. Honestly, I still can’t believe everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours. Was it really just this morning that I woke up in Andrew’s arms? It feels like a lifetime ago.
But, at least all is well, for now. Dad did great in surgery and he’s going to be okay. My mom is calm now, knowing that he is alright. Me? I’m just relieved to see everyone I love in one piece.
I glance next door to Andrew’s house. His truck is home, but the lights are all off. I completely forgot until I got back to the hospital that we had plans for tonight. By then, there wasn’t much I could do. I don’t have his number. Honestly, I’ve never needed it until now. I tried looking him up on Facebook, but he apparently doesn’t have social media. Who in the world doesn’t have a social media account these days? Andrew Hayes, that’s who. Eventually, Dad was out of surgery and I got distracted by that, giving up my search. I decided I’d catch him when I got home. Now, it appears that will have to wait until tomorrow.
I wearily drag myself inside the house and after a quick shower, I succumb to the exhaustion of the day. Falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I must have been exhausted because I don’t even stir until just after nine in the morning, when someone wakes me by banging on my front door. Assuming it’s Andrew, I climb out of bed and quickly rush to answer, not bothering to put on pants or even check out the peephole before I fling open the door. The person on the other side is far from who I was expecting.
“Elliott?” I step back, taking in the sight of the man standing on my porch. Of course, he would show up as soon as I really feel like I’m figuring things out. The last thing I need is for him to try to get back together with me. “What are you doing here?” I ask, bracing myself for his answer.
He snarls. “Why are you answering your front door dressed like that? Especially if you didn’t know who it was?” He asks, arms crossed over his chest and a judgmental look across his face.
I stare down at my naked legs, sticking out from under an oversize T-shirt. “Listen, it’s been a long couple of days.” I say as tears start building in my eyes.
His judgmental expression turns remorseful. “What’s wrong?” he asks, with genuine concern. That is enough to cause my tears to fall once again.
“Dad had a heart attack yesterday.” I respond through my sniffles.
