I laughed again. “You sound confident.”
“I am. You know me. If I say I can do this, I can do this. I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t sure I could help her. Obviously, there is always that tiny chance it might not work, but I choose not to dwell on that.”
I nodded. “I trust you.”
We said our goodbyes with the promise to see each other soon. I waited in the waiting room for Bree, praying the exam went okay. It would crush her if she was told the surgery would have to be on hold once again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bree
LUKE’S HAND RESTED on my elbow, guiding me down the hallway of the hotel we were staying in. I could smell cleaning solution and what smelled a lot like cigarette smoke. Someone had smoked and tried to hide the odor with the cleaner. They had done a shitty job of it.
“Right here,” Luke said.
I heard the card key and then the door open. He led me inside the room, giving me a quick rundown of where the furniture was. “I’ll just move slow,” I told him, knowing there was no way I would remember the layout.
“It’s a nice room,” he said. “You guys really like to travel in style.”
I grinned. “Perks of being a spoiled princess.”
“I guess so. Your dad is in the next room. He texted and said he ran into someone in the lobby and would be up in a bit.”
“Of course, he did. I swear he knows people everywhere.”
He put his hands on my shoulders. “You ready for this?”
“I am. Don’t try and talk me out of it now. We flew all the way to Chicago. I am ready. So ready. Thank you for coming with me. I don’t think I could do it on my own. I know I couldn’t. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not nervous. I am. I’m terrified, but I’m okay with that.”
“I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I know this really isn’t in the scope of your job.”
“I’m here as your friend,” he said. “I’m not here in a professional capacity. This is me supporting you.”
“And you do it very well.”
He chuckled. “Another time, we’re going to have to come back here and do some exploring.”
“I hate that I can’t drink tonight,” I groaned. “This is a night I could really enjoy drinking. I could just get drunk and forget about the fact that there will be a sharp blade stuck into my eyes.”
“It’s probably for the best. You have to report to the hospital at six a.m. I’m not that hardcore and I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you anyway.”
I laughed. “You’re old.”
His warm laughter washed over me. “I am old and boring. That last binge with Austin reminded me just how old I am.”
“Now, if I can just get the idea of her putting a scalpel in my eyes, I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll be out cold though, so you won’t even know it.”
“I’ll know, trust me. I’ll know. Heightened senses, remember?”
We both had a good chuckle at the joke.
We spent the evening with my father, enjoying a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant before turning in early. Luke and I were sharing a room, which I suspected my father wasn’t thrilled with, but he was going along with it. I’d had a private conversation with my father, letting him know that Luke and I were close friends and one day, we might be more. He could either be okay with it or not. It was my life and my choice.
“Bree,” I heard Luke’s soft voice.