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His hand flies to his mouth and the bed vibrates with his quiet cries as he takes the picture from my hands. “Oh, Claire. Baby…” He meets my gaze. “You’re gonna be a momma.”
I swipe at my tears. “It was an accident. Avery doesn’t know yet. I’m so scared.”
He takes my hand, holding it to his lips while he cries.
“And you’ll never meet—”
“No.” His head moves wildly. “No, Claire. I had a dream. While I was out. I remembered when I came to on Friday morning…as soon as I set my eyes on you…a little boy with dark brown hair…bright blue eyes. He called me Gramps. Said he had my…eyes.” Taking my face in his hands, he drags me into him. “I’ll always be with my babies. Always.”
“You promise?”
“I promise, my beautiful girl…I’ll always be with you.”
***
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Avery
When we return later with enough donuts to feed the entire hospital wing, I know Gavin’s hanging on by a thread. He doesn’t have a day left, an hour. He has minutes. It’s in his face, the heavy, droopy set of his tired eyes, the way he’s leaning on Claire, like she’s his lifeline.
The doctor and one of the nurses slip out the door, looking somber.
“It’s time, son,” the doctor speaks quietly to Casey, laying a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve administered an IV that will keep him free of pain until his body decides he’s ready.”
When Casey disappears through the door, Charlee whips out her phone, pacing up and down the hallway, frantically twirling and tugging at the tip of her ponytail.
“Dex!” she exclaims after a moment, the single syllable laced with endless panic. “Dex, you have to hurry…No, I can’t tell him to wait! That’s not how this works...Dex, please! Casey needs you. I need you.” She keels over, clutching at her stomach while she sobs.
“Hey, hey,” I urge softly, wrapping an arm around her. “Let me talk to him. Take a deep breath, Charlee.” I pull the phone out of her grasp and her into my arms while she cries on my shoulder. “Dex?”
“Avery?” He’s just as frantic as his sister. “Fuck, man, I’m, like, fifteen minutes away. Fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, Dex. Just drive carefully, okay? Get here in one piece. We’ll be here.”
“I need to say goodbye to him. He’s been a dad to me.”
I pause, peering through the door. “Do you want me to put him on the phone?”
“You don’t…you don’t think he’ll make it? You don’t think I’ll make it in time?”
I… “I don’t know, Dex.”
“Fuck!” he shouts. “Put him on. Please.”
I’ve never experienced heartbreak like this before. Being in here, surrounded by all this perpetual love, where everybody is terrified it’s all going to disappear when the person is physically gone, it’s…earth-shattering. Claire refuses to leave her dad’s side while he talks to Dex on the phone, Casey and Charlee are holding each other, and Vivi is just standing there, taking it all in, like she’s suddenly getting it.
She looks up at me with those huge green eyes and her wobbly bottom lip. “Everyone sad, Uncle A’wy. Now I sad, too.”
“Come here, sweetheart.” I hoist her into my arms, cuddling her close. “We’re just sad because we have so much love in our hearts. Sometimes it pours out as tears.”
Charlee’s sobs bring my attention to the bed, where she’s wrapped her arms around Gavin while he whispers in her ear.
“Thank you for being my daughter’s…very best friend. She’s so lucky to have you, and so are…Casey and Viv.” He wipes at her tears and smiles at her. “If you and Casey don’t get…married…one day…I’ll roll over…in my grave.”
“Dad!” Claire swats at his shoulder. “You-you…you can’t say things like that!”
“I’ll say whatever I want. I’m dying. They’ve been…pussyfooting around this thing for…far too long now.” His eyes twinkle as he looks at his son. “Isn’t that right, Case?”
