Chapter 36: Back

In the days that followed, Brennan’s family began to depart. His siblings and their significant others were the first to leave, followed by his parents. It was an odd feeling, standing alone at the airport, waving them goodbye.

After dropping his parents off at the airport, I headed back to the hospital. Brennan was engrossed in his phone, a frown creasing his forehead.

“Everything okay?” I asked, settling into the chair next to his bed. He flashed me a quick smile, switched off his phone, and set it aside.

“Yeah, sorry. Just going through some work emails. Melody’s been doing a great job of postponing meetings, but some of our more demanding clients are getting restless.”

I smiled, covering his hand with mine. “Tell Melody to schedule them for Monday. I’ll handle them.”

“Are you sure? I can handle it.”

“No, I’ll do it. I don’t want you to return to work only to be swamped with catch-up work.” I stood up, then sat back down on the edge of the bed.

“Plus, I want to spend time with you outside of the office.” I chuckled.

“Okay, okay.” Brennan picked up his phone, quickly typed out a message, and set it back down. “I told Melody to send you the meeting times.”

“So, did the doctor mention when we might be able to bring you home?” I asked.

“I asked,” Brennan said. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me gently towards him. “He said maybe by next week, if we’re lucky.

“They’re doing another scan tomorrow. We’ll have a better idea about the long-term after that.”

I looked up at Brennan and smiled. “You’re my long-term.”

“And you’re mine.”

I knew the uncertainty of his full recovery was still gnawing at him. Even though we’d overcome the hurdle that almost led him to leave me in some twisted act of sacrifice, he was still hurting.

“Did I mention that your mom knows everything?” I whispered, changing the subject.

“I suspected as much,” he replied. “When we were alone, she told me how happy she was that we truly fell in love.”

He chuckled. “I don’t know how I ever thought I could hide anything from her. She’s always had a knack for seeing through my lies.”

“She’s your mom. It’s kind of her job.”

Brennan sighed. “And soon it will be yours, and mine. We’re going to be parents.”

I nodded, resting my head on Brennan’s chest. Exhaustion swept over me, and I fell asleep next to him on the bed.

***

I was awakened by a nurse, gently shaking me. It was dark outside. I hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but it felt comforting to be close to Brennan.

“Visiting hours ended a while ago,” the nurse whispered. “I let you both rest, but it’s almost shift change, and the incoming nurse is a stickler for rules.”

I nodded, sleepily sliding off the bed. Brennan was still asleep, looking more peaceful than he had in days. I grabbed my purse and left the room.

***

The apartment felt eerily quiet without anyone around. I’d grown accustomed to the constant noise of everyone moving about during the brief moments I’d been home.

I settled onto the sofa, pulling down the throw blanket and wrapping it around myself.

I’d been keeping in touch with Dad via text. He promised to visit once Brennan was home, to meet him and lend a hand. I glanced at my phone, rereading the last message he’d sent.

Dad

You’ll both get through this. I’m certain of it.

Tears began to roll down my cheeks, one after another, until I was a sobbing mess. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying, but I needed it.

I needed to be strong for Brennan and our baby, but even I had my limits.

In the midst of my sobbing, my phone started to ring. I frowned—it was nearly midnight. Belle’s name flashed on the screen, so I swiped to answer.

She sounded just like me, sniffling and upset. She sniffled again, and the phone crackled with static.

“I know y-you h-have your own t-things g-g-going on…” She paused. “But I caught him with another girl. You never even met him. I thought it was gonna be love, Grace. He’s just a piece of shit like all the others.”

I instantly knew she was talking about her boyfriend. I frowned, sitting up on the sofa.

“Belle, where are you?”

I could hear the sounds of the city in the background. Cars whizzing by, sirens in the distance.

“I’m near your apartment. I went to his place after work and he had a girl there.” She paused, “I’m such an idiot.”

“Get a cab and come here. I’ll let the front desk know to let you up. We can eat ice cream and watch movies.”

“You’ve got your own things going on, Grace.”

I looked around the empty apartment and shook my head.

“You’d be doing me a favor too. It’s really quiet and lonely here with everyone gone.”

“Are you sure? I can’t guarantee what kind of company I’m going to be.”

“Neither can I. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay.” Belle sniffled again. “Thanks, Grace.”

I called the front desk and informed the night clerk that Belle was on her way. About twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I crossed the apartment and opened it.

Belle’s face was swollen and red. She flung herself at me, sobbing on my shoulder.

I’d never seen her like this before. Her past relationships had always been casual. This guy had really hurt her.

“Hey, come on,” I murmured. “Go take a seat and I’ll bring you a pint of ice cream and we can watch something trashy.”

“Okay...”

Belle walked into the living room. She sat on the sofa, looked around, and burst into tears again.

I made a beeline for the kitchen, grabbing the ice cream and spoons.

As soon as I settled down, Belle snatched them from me. She tore off the lid and plunged the spoon into the creamy cookie dough delight.

“Here I am, bawling over some dumb boy. And you, you’ve had your world turned upside down.” She shoved a spoonful into her mouth.

“Belle, it’s okay to be upset,” I said softly. “Your problems are just as important as mine.”

Belle sniffled, dipping the spoon back into the pint. She shrugged and scooped out another mouthful.

“I just want to find my own happily ever after.”

“You will. I’m sure of it.”

We polished off the pint, watching ~The Princess Bride~ and dozing off on the couch.

***

My phone buzzed at seven in the morning, rousing me but not Belle.

I tiptoed out of the room and checked the screen. It was Brennan.

“Hello?”

“You slipped away from me,” Brennan’s voice was low.

“The night nurse warned me that the morning nurse was a stickler for rules. She didn’t want us to get caught.”

“She wasn’t kidding. The new nurse woke me every hour to check my vitals.”

“Hey, I’m not going to complain about her being careful.”

Brennan chuckled. “Anyway, I called to tell you that I had a scan this morning. The doctor didn’t think he’d be able to see everything, but he said my swelling has gone down a lot.

“He’s coming by in an hour to give me the full report.”

I jumped up, grabbing fresh clothes from the closet. I was already in the bathroom, twisting the shower knob.

“I’ll be there in half an hour!” I blurted out.

“Okay. I love you. See you soon.”

“Love you too.”

I set the phone down on the vanity, stripping off my clothes and hopping into the lukewarm water. I washed up quickly. The water was just starting to heat up when I turned it off.

Belle was awake when I returned to the living room. She gave me a smile. “Thanks for last night.”

“No problem. Anytime. I, uh, need to go to the hospital. Feel free to stay here. I hate the circumstances, but I really enjoyed having you around.”

Belle nodded, pulling the blanket up to her chin and closing her eyes again.

***

Walking through the hospital halls, I steeled myself for whatever news the doctor had.

I didn’t have much time to dwell on it because as I approached Brennan’s room, the doctor was coming from the other direction.

I entered the room first. Brennan was propped up, picking at a less-than-appetizing hospital breakfast. I went up to the bed and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“Hey, what was that?” Brennan laughed, pulling me in for a deeper, more passionate kiss. The door opened and I pulled away.

“That was a kiss from someone who knew we’d have company any second,” I murmured.

“Doctor. What’s the verdict?” Brennan asked. He sounded sure of himself, a stark contrast to his demeanor just days ago. I knew he was putting on a brave face.

“First, I want to check something.” The doctor lifted the bed sheet to Brennan’s knees. He raised his leg and Brennan’s hand found mine as he gasped.

At first, I thought he was hurting, but when I looked at his face, he was grinning. Tears welled up in his eyes, spilling over onto his hospital gown.

“I can feel that,” Brennan said, his voice wavering.

The doctor nodded, continuing his examination before lowering Brennan’s leg and covering them with the sheet again.

“The scans show no permanent damage to the spinal cord. You do have a fracture that needs time to heal. But with rest and rehab, you should make a full recovery.”