He grabs my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. In such a short time, Luke has become so important to me. I can’t even begin to imagine how much this news is rattling Keith.
“He’ll be alright?” I press a kiss over his wildly beating heart.
His lips graze over my hair before he gets up from the bed. “I have to go to the hospital.”
As Keith puts on his jeans and a T-shirt, my mind wanders to Lukas. His smile whenever he dropped me at Vanshionista. His calls while I was away.
“Is there anyone in his family?” I know about his parents, but what about siblings, cousins, or anyone else?
Keith shakes his head. “Luke’s got no real family. But I’m sure Connor informed the Teagers. Apart from us, he’s pretty tight with them.”
He wipes the tears racing down my cheeks. “Luke’s a daredevil. He’ll pull through.”
Time passes as I dress myself after taking a quick shower in Keith’s bathroom. My mind swings like a pendulum, not sure on which emotion to focus. Should I think about what happened till half an hour ago or what’s waiting for us all?
Before I go crazy, being on this seesaw of feelings, I find Snowy snoozing on my bed.
“Hey, girl, how are you?” I carry her in my arms and bring her into the living room.
It’s only been a few minutes when I hear the main door open and close. Merida steps in, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Oh, Mere!” I scramble to her and hold her in my arms.
She hides her tearstained face in my neck.
“It’s okay, Mere. Luke’ll be alright.” I caress her back, trying to get her hiccups down.
“It’s my fault. I asked Uncle Lukas to stop at the gelato stand. If we would have just come home—”
“Shh. Everything’ll be alright.”
But she doesn’t stop. “There was blood, Clem. His shirt…was all red.” My own eyes threaten to well as Mere’s body shakes with sobs.
“He’ll be fine.”
She shakes her head, holding me tight. “It’s bad. It’s real bad.”
God, please look out for Luke.
“Mere, listen to me, sweetheart.” I pull her away. “We cannot fall apart. We have to be strong for Luke.”
She nods hesitantly.
“When he wakes up, he’ll need us.” She’s about to interrupt but I continue, “No, we’re not going to think anything bad. We’ll think about how we can help him until he’s back on his feet.”
“I can take care of his plants and get his apartment clean when he’s back.” She bites her lip. “But I’m worried, Clem.”
“Me too, honey. But we need to stay positive.”
I close my eyes and make another silent prayer for our dear friend.
35
KEITH
When I enter my apartment, I find Mere and Clementine waiting for me on the couch, holding each other’s hands. My heart thumps at the sight. This could be my life every day.
I shake my head as Mere skids to me and throws her arms around me. “I’m sorry, Dad.”