Page 134 of Reconciling With the Rival

Someone once told me when Ella is all in with you, you’ll know it.

I think flying across the country at the drop of a hat when we asked her to is all in, but I’d never get my hopes up.

All I need to focus on now is my family. She knows that, and I know that, but it still doesn’t dull the ache in my chest.

“So he had a stroke?” my sister asks my mum.

“Yes. He had gotten out of bed to go to the bathroom and he woke me up,” she sniffles, composing herself. “We were talking about the two of you, and his speech started to slur. I checked on him, and I couldn't understand what he was saying, so I called an ambulance, and they rushed him here.”

I reach over and grab her free hand. I can’t imagine how fucking scared she was. My worst fear came true, and I can’t do anything to fix it.

“I’m sorry you had to go through this alone.”

“My sweet Leo.” She squeezes my hand. “I was prepared for this. Since your father denied the surgery, I knew what could happen. It was scary, that's all.”

“Yes, but—”

“Stop blaming yourself. He knew what could happen, and he declined the surgery anyway. It’s not your fault, Leo. You either, Alissa, so get those thoughts out of your head now.”

I try to, but I can’t. Not when a machine is making his chest rise and fall. Not when he’s in a medically-induced coma after surgery—they thinned out the walls of his heart during it.

Apparently, the stroke was caused by his heart not being able to pump because the walls were so thick. His condition was so bad, his heartbeat was irregular, which formed a clot that traveled to his brain, and if Mum hadn’t acted as fast as she did, my father would be dead.

They performed surgery and fixed it as much as they could, but since the surgery was so long and tough, they put him in a medically-induced coma to rest and heal. So now, we’re playing the waiting game. It’s up to him when he wants to wake up, and that could be days or weeks from now—or never.

Nobody has any answers for us, and it sucks.

“Do you guys need anything? Food? Water? I can run and grab something,” Ella speaks up, her voice higher than normal—sweeter than normal.

“I’m okay for now, Ells,” my sister tells her.

My mum only smiles at her. “Water would be nice.”

This is their first time meeting in person. Alissa introduced her on the phone when the two of them moved in together, but I know this isn't how they wanted to meet, not with my father in a hospital bed after having surgery.

She looks at me, her eyes full of empathy.

I hate that I’ve dragged her into this, but I didn't really drag her, did I? She came willingly; that’s who she is as a person.She’s kind, caring. One of the best people I’ve had the privilege to know, and she dropped everything to help us.

She’s fucking extraordinary.

“Water’s fine,” I say, my voice rough. I’m not a crier per se, but all I’ve done is shed tears since I got the call about my dad. He’s my role model, the person who taught me what it means to be a man.

He’s a stubborn son of a bitch, but he’s still my dad. All the good things about who I am come from him and how he raised me.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she says, her gaze still on me before she leaves the room.

Alissa squeezes my shoulder as the door shuts. “If you want to talk to her, you can. Dad will be alright with us here.”

“It's okay, sis. I need to be here.”

“Your father won’t be awake for a while, Leo,” my mum tells me. “He’ll be okay for a few minutes if you leave.”

I look at him where he lays before I get up and try to find where Ella went. I notice a sign for vending machines, so I check there first. When I see a familiar, curly-haired girl staring at them, I sigh with relief.

It’s crazy how she does that—calms all my nerves. I never realized it until her hand found mine on the plane. In an instant, all my worries soothed. For the entire flight, I was anxious, but I knew if I let her go, it would have been worse. So, I didn't, and that’s when thoughts of her started clouding my head instead of the worries.

Now, I’m a giant mess of emotions. All I want is for my father to wake up and to hold Ella in my arms until he does.

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