“Thank you,” she said. “You know, maybe some fries would be good. The salt sounds really amazing right now.”
“I’ll be right back,” I told her.
I was waiting on her hand and foot, but there wasn’t a single bit of me that minded. I would do absolutely anything for Ava. Especially now. She was signed up to a share her body for almost a year in order to grow my baby. The least I could do was make sure she had enough to eat and drink while she was also managing the bar.
She gave a satisfied groan of appreciation when she bit down into one of the crispy golden French fries. I had added extra salt, knowing that was her biggest craving right then. For the most part, Ava’s pregnancy had been simple and uneventful. She had her morning sickness for the first several weeks, but those symptoms subsided even before she expected them to, leaving only tiredness.
She was dealing with some food aversions, but much stronger than the aversions, was her draw to salt. She had to be careful not to overdo it, but sometimes I didn’t mind indulging her. I snatched one of the fries from the basket just as my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked down.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Tom,” I said. “I guess he’s calling to check in on us.”
His calls had become fewer and further between in the time since I’d left San Francisco. I took that as a sign he was finally trusting me more and was really giving his blessing to Ava and me. I still didn’t need it, but I had to admit, it was nice knowing I had all of my brothers behind me.
“Hello?” I said, stepping down off the platform and heading over to the bar to get my own drink.
“Hey, Mason,” Tom said, sounding strained and worried. “I’m on my way. I’m getting on a plane right now.”
“You’re coming here?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
“Mom didn’t call you?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “I haven’t heard from Mom all day. Why?”
“Dad’s in the hospital. He took a turn for the worse. You need to get up there now. I’ll get a car from the airport.”
I didn’t even know if I said anything to him before I hung up and ran back to the platform. I explained what was going on to Ava, and her eyes widened with worry.
“Do you want me to go with you?” she asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t need that kind of stress right now. And we’re about to have a lot of people come in here. We don’t want to let them down. I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything.”
“Take Tyler, Matt, and Jesse,” she said. “And don’t worry about the bar for a second. The rest of us have got this handled.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Absolutely. It’s just trivia night. There aren’t going to be anywhere near as many people as there usually are. Miranda will be behind the bar. Damien will be in the kitchen. And I’ll be here. Everything will be fine. You just be with your dad. Give your mom a hug for me.”
I gave her another kiss and squeezed her close. “Thank you.”
We got to the hospital as fast as we could, and a nurse directed us to a private waiting room. Mom wasn’t there, but within seconds of us walking in, a doctor came to join us. The next few minutes were a blur. I could hear what the doctor was saying, but it felt like I was outside of my body. I couldn’t bear to hear the news that my father only had a few more days to live.
After the doctor broke the news, he brought us back into my father’s room. Seeing him there in the bed, hooked up to various machines, made my breath catch in my throat. Mom sat beside him, holding his hand and staring into his face. She barely moved when she walked into the room.
“Mom?” I said gently.
She looked up at me and wiped tears from her face. “Hey, baby,” she said. “I’m glad to see you four.”
We each took a turn hugging and kissing her. Then we pulled up chairs and sat around the edge of the bed. His eyes were closed, but he seemed to be breathing comfortably.
“Is he just sleeping? Tyler asked.
“Yes,” Mom said. “They gave him a sedative so he could get some rest tonight.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “He was doing better. He said he was having more energy, and I was feeling so hopeful. I thought that…”
The word cracked in her throat, and she stopped, closing her eyes and looking down at her lap. I moved over and wrapped my arm around her shoulders to comfort her.