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My hands started to shake. “He’s alive, though?”
“Yes. He was alive when they took him to Newport Hospital. He was able to call nine-one-one himself.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“Are you there?” she said.
“Yeah.” I looked around my room. “I need to… I need to come home.”
“Can I do anything to help?”
“No. Just keep me posted if you hear anything more.”
After calling to book the next flight out of London, I grabbed my suitcase from the corner of the room and threw some clothes into it as fast as I could.
I ran downstairs to find Sig unloading items from a paper bag onto the counter.
“There’s the sleepyhead now,” he announced before catching the expression on my face. His smile faded. “Abby? What’s wrong?”
“It’s not the baby. Um…it’s my dad. He had a heart attack.” My lip trembled. “I have to go back.”
“Oh God.” Sig dropped what he’d been holding to come over and hug me. “I’m so sorry.”
“I just booked a flight. It leaves London in three hours. It was the first one I could get direct to Boston.”
He nodded. “Let’s leave for the city right now.”
“Thank you.”
Lavinia came around the corner. “Everything will be okay, dear. I’ll say some special prayers for your sweet dad.”
“Thanks, Lavinia. I’ll need them. I can’t lose him.” My voice cracked. “He’s all I have.”
“Don’t worry about the food, Sigmund,” she said. “I’ll put everything away.”
“Thank you.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, then turned to me. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I hugged Lavinia one last time, unsure when I’d be seeing her again. “Goodbye for now.”
On the way to the airport, I spent a half hour trying to get through to someone at the hospital to no avail, and my father was not answering his cell phone. I called my sister, Claire, to make sure she knew what was going on, and Dad’s neighbor had contacted her as well. Claire was also on her way to the airport.
Sig offered his hand to me. “You okay?”
I took it. “Trying.”
He let go to reach into the center console, where he took out a granola bar. “Here. I know you probably don’t have an appetite, but you need to eat something.”
“Thank you.” I reluctantly opened the package.
“Your sister is booking a flight?”
“Yeah. She’ll get there before me, most likely.”
“Don’t let her upset you,” he said.
“I’ll try. I know it’s not good for the baby.”
“It’s not the baby I’m worried about right now, Abby.” He took my hand again, his warm touch calming me for just a moment.
