Page 77 of Just One Kiss

He took a step into the room. “Did they say when they’d be back to get you?”

“Soon. They asked a bunch of questions, made sure I understood what was happening, made me pee in a cup. Good times.” Jaden sort of shrugged.

The door opened and two nurses walked in. “It’s just about time to take you back,” the male nurse said to Jaden. “Any last-minute questions?”

Josh glanced at Carly, who was sitting at full attention, then at Jaden, whose eyes had fallen. His son had plastered his brave face on, but now, looking at him in that hospital bed, Josh was certain this was what he’d looked like as a boy. Vulnerable. Shy. Scared.

Carly must’ve seen it too. She stood and moved to the side of the bed, putting a hand on their son’s shoulder. Jaden looked up at her and said, “You sure we can’t back out?”

Something squeezed Josh’s heart, and he swallowed the lump at the back of his throat. Tears filled Carly’s eyes as she sat down on the bed and took Jaden’s hand. “Remember what your dad said this morning. This is a good thing.”

Jaden nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“This part totally stinks, but this is what we have to do to get you healthy, to get you skiing again. It’s a little speed bump, that’s all.”

If she had any doubt about what she was saying, Josh couldn’t tell. He wouldn’t say so, but he had doubts—worries, concerns. Mostly about the skiing. How many elite athletes could compete at such a high level with Jaden’s condition? Were they all fooling themselves with their blind faith?

“I’m still a little nervous,” Jaden said.

The male nurse took a step toward them. “We’ve got something we call ‘happy juice’ to put in your IV. That is going to calm your nerves and make you feel a lot more relaxed.” He held up a plastic package that had some sort of syringe in it, then got to work administering it to Jaden.

Within seconds, the kid was completely at ease. Whatever the nurse had given Jaden, it had done the trick.

Josh wondered if he could get a dose of that for himself.

“Feel better?”

Jaden smiled. “I’m feeling good, Rick.”

The nurse frowned. “My name’s Tom.”

Carly laughed as a tear slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. Josh resisted the urge to take her hand.

“Ready to go?” Tom asked Jaden.

Carly reached out and covered Jaden’s hand with her own. “We’ll be here when you wake up.”

Jaden nodded, then looked at Josh. “You’ll be here too?”

Josh took a step forward. “Yeah, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Promise?”

Josh took Jaden’s other hand. “Promise.”

Jaden nodded, then spun his finger around in a circular motion. “Fine. Let’s do it already.”

Tom nodded to the other nurse, and the two of them swooped in, moved a few things around on the bed, then rolled him out of the room and down the hall, leaving Josh and Carly standing, alone.

Carly turned away, wrapped her arms around herself and let out a quiet sob. Josh moved toward her but stopped short.

“Carly—”

The door opened again and Dr. Willette, with his awesome timing, walked in. “Came to check on you both and show you to the waiting room.”

Josh had a feeling this wasn’t something the doctor typically did. It was more likely that a nurse handled this part, but then Carly wasn’t the typical patient’s mother, was she?

The doctor strode across the room to Carly, as if Josh wasn’t standing a few feet away. He stood in front of her, and she looked up at him. Josh couldn’t see her face, but the doctor smiled warmly. “He’s going to be fine.” He spoke in a hushed tone. “Jaden is going to be just fine, and Dr. Roby is the best.”

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