And so he did as she asked. “I spoke to Nile before I went on the trip. I wanted him to know that I’d be completely out of touch for a couple of months. Nile told me about the baby and wanted me to be available in case there was any news about the baby. In fact, he demanded I forgo the trip and pick up the slack at the office so he could spend more time at home.” Apollo paused and wiped the sweat from her brow, never once letting go of her hand. “I didn’t know it at the time, but it would be the last thing that he ever asked of me. So we ended up arguing.” Apollo expelled a sigh. “If I had known—if I’d had any clue that was to be my last conversation with him, it would have ended so differently.”
“I’m sure Nile knew how much you cared about him.”
“Really? Because the last thing I told him was to butt out of my life. He wasn’t my father and he couldn’t boss me around.”
Apollo could tell Popi’s pain was lessening, as her grip on his hand loosened. He didn’t think that his hand would ever be the same after this night. If he made it through without any broken bones, he would count himself as lucky. But right now, that would be a small sacrifice compared to what Popi was going through.
“You couldn’t have known it would be your last conversation. None of us knew what was going to happen.”
“But my brother didn’t ask much of me. For years, he just let me be to chase one adventure after another, like some overgrown kid. And the one time he needed me, I’m too busy for him.”
“He wanted you to be happy. He knew you’d had an unhappy childhood.”
“It’s something I never want this baby to go through.” His gaze met hers. “I want us to figure out a way for the child to be happy.”
“We will.” She gave his hand a quick squeeze. “But what happened on the hike?”
“There was an earthquake. The ground beneath my feet literally disappeared. And that is the last thing I remember.”
“That’s horrible.” Her gaze moved back to his leg.
“They say I fell, tumbled, rolled—you get the idea—about two hundred to three hundred meters. I ended up buried in rocks. Luckily I wasn’t alone on the hike. Others were more fortunate than me. They called for help and dug me out.”
The color drained from Popi’s face.
He knew this wasn’t the story to tell her—especially now. If only she hadn’t insisted. “I was unconscious when they found me. I’m told I had a broken leg, fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.”
Popi gasped. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
He nodded. “For a while, I wondered why I’d been spared while others hadn’t. Now I guess I have my answer.” His gaze moved to her baby bump. “But it shouldn’t be me here. It should be my brother. What kind of mixed-up fate is this?”
The pressure on his hand tightened. Another contraction was building. While Popi panted her way through it, he kept talking.
“While I was in the hospital, I’d slipped into a coma. Apparently the hard head I’ve been accused of having isn’t much of a challenge to rocks.”
Another contraction commenced. He wasn’t sure Popi could hear him at this point, but he kept talking just like she’d asked. “I was in a coma when they died. It’s why I didn’t make it to the funeral. I remember dreaming of Niles. You know, while I was in a coma. I don’t remember anything else, just seeing him and talking to him. He was as real to me as you are.”
He recalled how Nile had said that he was proud of Apollo. They’d walked and talked like...like brothers.
“Do you think it was your brother saying goodbye?”
Apollo didn’t say anything at first as he pondered the question. He wasn’t sure what he believed about the hereafter. Did he think the dead could speak? No. He certainly didn’t believe in ghosts.
As though Popi were privy to his internal debate, she said, “You know you were in a coma at the same time as...as the accident.”
He knew what she’d meant to say—he was in a coma at the same time that his brother had died. Was it possible that it was truly Nile speaking to him in his dreams? Would Nile really have said that he loved and forgave Apollo? He wanted to believe it, but he knew it had just been wishful thinking on his part.