“Miss Jones?” he called out as his eyes scanned our group. All heads turned to me, but I couldn’t speak. I tried to gauge what the doctor would say based on his demeanor. His expression wasn’t grim; however, he wasn’t smiling.
“Here. She’s right here,” Brando said as he pointed to me.
“Miss Jones?” the doctor repeated and I nodded. “I’m Dr. Rhodes, trauma surgeon. I’m here to give you an update on your brother.” I gulped hard and nodded again, not knowing what else to do. The doctor looked around wearily at the rest of the group. “If you’ll come with me to a private room, we can discuss—”
“No, everyone here is his family, too.” I sat up and squared my shoulders. “Anything you have to say, they can hear.” The doctor looked around again before nodding.
“Very well, Miss Jones.” He cleared his throat. “Your brother has suffered a serious head injury . . .” The world immediately began spinning around me. “. . . concussion . . .” His words were fading in and out as I struggled to stay present and not retreat mentally. “. . . fractured ribs, and a dislocated shoulder.”
“Is he going to be okay?” I managed, though everything the doctor listed didn’t sound good.
“He’s out of surgery and in the Critical Care Unit. We’ll be monitoring him closely for the next twenty-four hours.” The doctor’s unspoken answer said volumes. He didn’t know if Blake would be okay. I broke free of Jonna’s hold and ran to the restroom where I dry heaved as I choked and sobbed between stomach spasms.
Harley and Jonna were waiting outside the stall for me.
“You need to eat something, Tayia,” Jonna said as she guided me to the sink where I splashed water on my face and rinsed out my mouth.
“I’m not hungry,” I mumbled, the thought of food not very appealing.
“It’s not for you. It’s for the baby,” Jonna insisted.
“Wait, what?” Harley asked and shifted her eyes rapidly between the both of us. “Baby? Tayia, are you pregnant?” I nodded with a weak smile. “Blake?” she asked, and when tears began to slip down my cheeks, her eyes grew wide with realization. I was pregnant and my baby’s father was fighting for his life. It didn’t seem possible to experience incredible joy and intense sadness all at once, but it was exactly the way I felt.
“Shit,” Harley whispered, wrapping an arm around me. Jonna joined us as I stood there, unsure of my future.
****
“Blake?” I called out softly while gently rubbing my thumb across the back of his hand. “Can you hear me, Blakey?”
The past twenty-four hours had been awful. There wasn’t much the doctors could tell me. It was a waiting game of the worst kind. Only one person was allowed in the room, and selfishly I spent the most time with him. His deep sleep was drug induced. The doctor said it would help with the swelling and that rest was the best thing for him. So, I waited.
There were so many things I wanted to say, but I didn’t know how to get it all out. I’d waited too long. I wanted to whisper my fears to him, to remind him how much I loved him, and to plead with him to never leave me, and above all, to tell him about the baby. His baby.
Those were things I wanted to say while I stared into his bright blue eyes and watched that dimple form on his cheek as he smiled down at me with forgiveness because he’d never been able to hold a grudge. Instead, he was lying in a hospital bed with his eyes closed, a tube in his nose, and half his body covered in bandages.
What hurt the most was that his heart had always been open to me. We were both scared of losing each other, and our decisions made things a lot harder. I felt hiding our love was unbearable while he felt going public would ruin us. It took a tragedy for me to understand that there was no me without him. I would take him anyway I could have him. No matter what, I would always be his. He was the other half of my soul.
“Blake!” Maggie shrieked, hurrying into the room. “Oh my God.” Tears streamed down her face as she came to a stop at her son’s bedside and gently grabbed his hand. My throat burned as I tried not cry but was failing miserably.
I turned to see my dad standing in the doorway with a forlorn expression. It was rare to see him in such a state of sadness, so I went to him instantly.
“Oh, Dad,” I sobbed, my words sounding garbled against his shoulder.
“Hush. It will all be fine. Just fine,” he soothed, though I wasn’t sure how much of that statement he actually believed. “Come on, doll, let’s get you something to eat. The nurse said you’ve been with your brother all night.” I nodded and looked back to see that Maggie was already occupying my seat as she spoke softly to Blake.
We sat together at a table in the hospital cafeteria while I forced myself to eat breakfast and Dad sipped his coffee.
“How’s Grandpa?” I asked, trying to make small talk while I slowly nipped at a piece of pancake, barely able to handle the smell of food. Morning sickness was no joke.
“He’s all right. The agency sent in a nurse to stay with him. We left as soon as yo
u called, so there was no time to get him ready to travel.”
I managed a nod but didn’t have the energy to do anything else.
“Tayia, you should go home and get some sleep. You look like hell.”
“Gee, thanks, Dad.” I snorted then tried to drink my orange juice. I felt like crap, but I didn’t want to leave Blake.