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I nod, my heart clenching at the love she has for her boys.
“I know he cares,” I whisper. “He’s given me so many pieces of his heart, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. And I hope that one day, he’ll find someone to give his whole heart to. That person just isn't me. It never was,” I shake my head.
“I know,” she rasps, dabbing away another tear. “It’s going to take time for me to process all of this, but I don’t hold any resentment towards you, Skylar. A mother can only dream that their children find a person who looks at them the way you just looked at Everett. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re in love with him. But this is a lot for me to wrap my head around. So if I seem isolated or distant, I’m not angry with you, I’m just taking my time.”
“I understand that,” I breathe, nodding my head.
“And at the end of the day, all I want is for my boys to be happy,” she rasps. “I wantyouto be happy, Skylar. And I mean that with my whole heart. In my fifty-six years of life, I’ve learned that happiness is a journey. It comes in waves, and sometimes you have to go through dark valleys to reach the peak. This is just one of those valleys, and one day, we’ll look down from the top and smile.” Her voice cracks as she lets out a sad smile.
I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks before I realize I’m crying again. Unable to find the right words, I squeeze her hand in mine to let her know how thankful I am. So incredibly thankful for her kindness and love.
I open my mouth to tell her just how grateful I am before we’re interrupted by two firm knocks. We turn our heads to find a middle-aged man in a white coat standing in the doorway.
“Hi, I’m Doctor Harris.” He flashes his pearly whites while lifting a large hand to wave hello as he closes the door behind him. “Am I interrupting something?” His gaze flickers between us, noticing the tears coating our cheeks.
“No,” I respond immediately, wiping my eyes as I rise to my feet.
“Hi,” Claire stands, striding across the room to shake his hand. “My name is Claire Thompson. I’m Everett’s mother.”
“Nice to meet you,” he smiles, giving her a firm handshake. “Are there other family members here as well?”
“Yes,” she nods, “My husband and our son,his brother, is here. They stepped out to grab a bite to eat, but they should be back shortly.”
“Okay,” he says calmly. “Well, I do have a few updates to share with you. Would you like to wait until they get back?”
Finally, an update.My palms grow sweaty as my heart pounds against my chest.
“No,” she answers without hesitation, shaking her head. “We’ve been waiting for hours. I can fill them in when they get back.”
“Alright,” he nods, rolling out a stool from beneath the cabinet. “Why don’t you have a seat?” He sits down, motioning his arm towards the empty chair Claire was just sitting in.
As Claire takes a seat, I walk towards the chair next to Everett’s bed before sliding it near the doctor. When I sit down next to him, his eyes flicker between me and Claire before his lips turn up in an awkward smile.
“I um… I’m sorry but we only allow family in the room for medical updates,” he mutters in his most professional voice.
“Sheisfamily,” Claire chimes in. Doctor Harris’s gaze snaps to Claire as she holds his stare.
A beat of silence passes before he nods his head in understanding, giving us both a kind smile.
“Okay,” he exhales. “Well, then I suppose we should get started.”
“Thank you,”I mouth silently to Claire, placing my hand over my heart. She smiles back, nodding her head as if to say,“Of course.”
Doctor Harris folds his hands in his lap, giving us his full attention as he prepares to either break our hearts or save the day.
“The good news is that after testing, we can rule out the possibility of a brain bleed. With how hard he hit his head, that was our biggest concern. However, he does have a severe concussion that we will need to monitor for the next couple of days. After reviewing the X-rays, he also has three broken ribs and a broken leg, all on the left side of his body. An orthopedic doctor will be in to assess the injuries and make a treatment plan. Due to the concussion, we’re expecting him to be in and out of sleep for a while, so we’ll need to keep the room dim and the noise to a minimum to help with his recovery. We are expecting him to wake up shortly, but please remember that he will need lots of sleep and rest to fully recover. It’s going to be a long road of healing, but the good news is that he’s going to pull through,” he exhales, smiling softly.
He’s going to pull through.He’s going to pull through.He’s going to pull through.
My world stops as Doctor Harris utters the best five words of my entire life.
Claire and I both let out a sigh of relief at the same time as she reaches for my hand.
“He’s gonna be okay,” she whispers, happy tears streaming down her cheeks as she squeezes my hand.
“He’s gonna be okay,” I repeat, as if to convince myself that this is real.
My lips tremble, turning up in a soft smile as I turn my gaze to Everett.God, he’s so beautiful.No amount of cuts, bruises, or scars could ever dim his light. I don’t hear the doctor or Claire talking, I just seehim. The keeper of my heart. The man who will have the rest of my days.
