“Yeah, it is,” I agreed, getting my bag out of the back seat and climbing out of my car. I stretched and looked around at the tiny corner of the world my parents now called home. It was so them. From the multi-colored mailbox to the series of stone gnomes dotting the front garden. My mom’s wind chimes hung from hooks along the porch and my dad had purchased a straw welcome mat with the Grateful Dead slogan “All in the Family.”
I looked over at Garrett. He had his arms stretched out above his head and I knew he had to be as tired as I was. He had driven for the last four and a half hours without complaint. I knew he’d need to sleep before heading home to Bakersville. It was agreed he’d take my car back with him and I’d figure out getting back to school when the time came.
It was cold, particularly on the water like this. The air was crisp and clean and it helped to chase some of the cobwebs from my head.
“Come on,” I said, inclining my head toward the house. Garrett took my bag from my hands and slung it over his shoulder. He followed me up to the porch.
The front door wasn’t locked and I thought about chastising my mother for being so lax in security until I saw her hunched over form standing at the counter in the kitchen. Her dark head, with hair the same shade as mine, with the few wisps of grey that she refused to color was bowed down as she hastily wrote on a piece of paper. She was proud of her grey hair. Called them her victory stripes.
“Mom,” I called out, holding the screen door open so Garrett could follow me in. My mother looked over her shoulder and the look of relief on her face at the sight of me hit me square in the chest.
“Riley Boo,” she said and I could hear the bone deep tiredness in her voice. She crossed the small kitchen until I was wrapped in her arms, inhaling the familiar smell of her shampoo and her all-natural laundry detergent.
“Why aren’t you at the hospital? How’s Dad?” I asked, trying not to sound as panicked as I felt. Had something happened while I was on my way here? What if I was too late?
“Dad’s the same. He’s really out of it. He’s had a bunch of tests and the doctors say he has a blockage. They are going to do some more tests to see if he needs surgery. I had to come home and get a few things and then I’m heading back. Gavin and Felicity are with him.” My mom gave me a sad smile and touched my cheek.
“I’m coming back with you,” I said, grabbing Mom’s keys from her hand.
“Okay. That would be great. But aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend first?” my mother asked, looking behind me to Garrett. I had almost forgotten he was still there, standing quietly off to the side while I spoke with my mom.
Garrett came forward and held out his hand to Mom, who took it in hers. She didn’t shake it. She simply held it firmly between her palms. She was most likely trying to read his aura or something.
“I’m a friend of your daughter’s. My name is Garrett Bellows, ma’am. I offered to drive her up here after she got your phone call. I didn’t want her making the trip on her own,” he said and I could tell his answer pleased my mother.
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Garrett. Thank you so much for taking care of my Riley,” she said genuinely. Her eyes went back and forth between us and I knew she was trying to work out exactly what our relationship was.
“It was my pleasure. But I’d best be getting back on the road. I know you both need to get to the hospital,” Garrett said, already moving toward the door.
My mom stopped him. “You haven’t slept tonight, have you, Garrett?” she asked. Garrett looked at me then back to my mom and shook his head.
“But that’s okay. Nothing a little coffee can’t cure. I’ll be all right to get back to Bakersville,” he assured her but my mother was shaking her head.
“Absolutely not, young man. You will stay here and get some sleep. Get something to eat and then you can get on the road. But I will not allow you to leave until those things are done first,” she scolded him good naturedly but with a firmness that brooked no argument.
Garrett opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off. “Forget it, Garrett. Mom will shackle you to the bed if she has to. Just go take a load off. Get a few hours of sleep. Please. I know you’re tired,” I said.
Garrett seemed unsure but my mother took him by the arm and led him down the hallway.
14
Walking into the ICU, the first thing I was acutely aware of was the smell. God, hospitals reeked. The horrible scent of too much disinfectant and an overabundance of stress and grief stuck in the back of my throat. The waiting room was small, with a TV mounted to the wall playing CNN on mute. There were a few other people sat around looking as anxious as I felt. I briefly wondered what their story was.
My brother, Gavin, slept slumped over in a chair in the corner. He was going to wake up with a mean crick in his neck. My sister, Felicity, was furiously tapping away on her phone. I hadn’t seen either of my siblings in months. We hadn’t been particularly close growing up, primarily because they were both so much older than I was. But now, seeing the two of them, I felt nothing but relief that they were there. The thing about family is that push come to shove, they had your back. It was reassuring on such a basic level.
My mom gripped my hand as we approached Felicity. She looked up startled and then got to her feet to hug Mom. Felicity was like a mini-Mom. They were exactly the same height and build and my mother could easily pass for Felicity’s older sister.
Which made sense, considering my mom and dad were kids barely out of high school when Mom first got pregnant with Gavin and then ten months later with Felicity. I didn’t enter the picture until sixteen years later.
So I had essentially grown up an only child. By the time I was old enough to actually understand how nice it would be to have a sibling to share things with, they were both grown up and living their own lives.
Felicity turned and gave me her Mom-like smile and enfolded me in a hug. “They just took Dad somewhere for more tests. They wanted you to come find the head nurse on duty when you got back,” Felicity told my mother.
“Why don’t you take your sister to get something to eat. She hasn’t eaten or slept at all,” my mom directed Felicity, as though I were still a child. Felicity nodded and my mom buzzed the speaker to be let through the locked doors of the ICU.
“Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria. The coffee’s horrible, but you may find something worth eating,” Felicity led me by the arm. I looked back at my brother who had started to snore. “Leave him. He’s exhausted,” Felicity said and I followed her to the elevator banks.