I stopped and looked at her. “You’re not welcome here. Please leave.”
“Emma Rose Birk,” my mother said, “that is your cousin.”
I looked over my shoulder at my mother. “No, she’s the reason Garrett is lying in that hospital bed and why Billy is standing there, looking the way he does.” I turned back to Margie. “Please leave.”
Margie started crying. “Emma, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I was so mad at Billy, and I just…I just…”
I walked up to her and got right in her face. “You just wanted to go and screw someone. Is that it, Margie? I should have let you leave with him.”
She shook her head. “No. I wasn’t going to…I just wanted Billy to be jealous and—”
“What about the hurtful things you said to me? You’re so stupid. He was going to ask you to marry him, but you couldn’t be patient, and now, you cost me my wedding and possibly Garrett’s future. I have nothing else to say to you.”
I turned and walked back up to my father. We made our way to Garrett’s hospital room.
“I arranged for Garrett to have a private room.”
I looked at my father and wiped a tear away. “Daddy, thank you so much. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Hey, what are the perks of being Chief of Staff if I can’t pull my weight sometimes?”
I tried to laugh, but I just couldn’t. I stopped outside of the room, and I could hear music playing. I smiled when I heard Elvis singing.
“Elvis always makes him feel better,” I said in a soft voice.
“I brought up the record player and some Elvis sides from my office.”
I hugged my father as tightly as I could. “Thank you, Daddy, for loving him so much.”
“He’s like a son to me, Emma Rose. There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for him. It was very hard for me to work on him in the emergency room.”
“Oh, Daddy.”
He kissed me on the forehead. “Go on. I know he really wants to see you.”
I quietly pushed the door open and heard “Loving You” playing. I put my hand up to my mouth to hold back my sobs. As I moved closer to him, I couldn’t tell if his eyes were open or shut. His whole face was swollen and black and blue. Garrett was softly singing, and I stopped and listened to him. He had such a beautiful voice. He was singing so softly, and I knew it had to hurt his ribs. The song ended, and another song began.
“Will you turn it off, Em?”
I quickly walked over and picked up the needle. I turned, and he was looking at me.
“How did you know I was in here?”
He smiled, and my heart broke. His beautiful crooked smile on his bruised and battered face still made me weak in the knees.
“I felt you…and I smelled your perfume.”
I smiled and walked up to him. As I took his hand in mine, I gently bent down and kissed it. I was trying so hard not to cry, but he looked so banged up.
“Tell me you love me, Em.”
I shook my head, and a sob escaped my betraying mouth. “Garrett…I love you more than the air I breathe. I love you so much that it hurts.”
“Marry me.”
I giggled. “When?”
“Tomorrow.”