Page 56 of Trust Me
I pull open her drawers and start to grab a few pairs of underwear, socks, and a bra. I see the red lace thong she wore that night before it all went bad. I shove it aside and reach for the more comfortable pairs she has in there. I throw a pair of jeans and her comfy yoga pants on the bed, followed by her favorite hoodie and a few T-shirts. I know she’s already wearing her tennis shoes, so I don’t bother with more.
I head into the bathroom and grab a brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and a hair tiethat is sitting by the sink. I’m not sure if she wants any makeup or not, so I just grab the little bag of girly face stuff sitting on the shelf above the toilet. I see Brooklyn’s toothbrush sitting there so I throw that in the bag too.
I head back to Avery’s room to bag up all the stuff as Jake comes in. He’s got a little pink bag stuffed with some clothes. As we gather up the belongings and head toward the door, I stop at the entrance to Brooklyn’s room and take a peek inside. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the stuffed monkey sitting on her bed from our arcade trip. I walk in, snatch it up, and stuff it in the bag. Then we head out the door, each heading home for what is sure to be another long, sleepless night.
*****
Jake calls me the next morning at six and says they are working out travel arrangements. Will is going to drive his car with his dad, Travis, and Nate all riding along. Jake decides he wants to drive and offers for me to ride with him.
When he pulls into the drive at eight o’clock, I’m ready to go. I jump in the truck and can’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Jake asks.
“I was just thinking that if we were waiting on Avery, we wouldn’t be leaving for at least another half hour.”
Jake laughs. “Yeah, that girl has never been on time for anything in her life. Hell, she was even a week late when she had Bean.”
We ride to St. Charles in mostly comfortable silence, making small talk every once in a while to pass the time. We pull into a parking spot and head inside the much larger hospital. Michael, Nate, Will, and Travis are all waiting by the elevator for us.
“She’s in room P214,” Michael says. “They won’t let us in the room, but there’s a waiting room down the hall. Will just sent a text to Liz to let her know we were here and that we’d be in there waiting for an update.” We all climb into the elevator and head up a floor. The hallways change as soon as we hit the pediatric wing. What were once ivory walls and ivory tile floors are now brightly painted halls with cartoon character murals. We find the waiting room and all get comfortable for the long day of waiting.
An hour later, Elizabeth comes into the room. She looks exhausted but still manages a warm smile. Michael stands up and goes to hiswife, hugging her and giving her a kiss on the lips. Each boy stands and goes over to hug their mother. I give her a kiss on the cheek after all the boys are done, and she returns my gesture with a smile and a pat on my cheek.
“How’s she doing?” Michael asks.
“She’s fighting. They have her on some very aggressive antibiotics and steroids right now, which make her very sleepy. She’s slept practically since the moment we got here last night.”
“And Avery?” I ask.
“I wish I could say the same for her,” she reports with a small smile. “She hasn’t slept a wink since we got here. She’s so scared that if she falls asleep Brooklyn might wake up and she’d miss it.”
“What about you, Mom? How are you holding up?” Travis asks.
“Oh, I’m fine. I just wish there was something I could do. The hardest thing a parent goes through is watching their child or grandchild suffer or struggle.”
“Can we go in?” Michael asks.
“Yes, one at a time. They will only allowfamily though,” she adds as she looks at me.
“That’s okay. As long as she’s still in there fighting and getting better, that’s all I need right now,” I reply.
“Dad, why don’t you go first?” Will says. Michael nods and gives his wife another sweet kiss on the lips. Then he heads down the hallway toward Brooklyn.
The rest of us settle back in our seats. Elizabeth fills us all in on the ambulance ride and about Brooklyn getting settled in her room. Jake gets his mom a cup of coffee from the little kitchen nook in the corner of the waiting room, while Travis and Will decide to go for a walk.
Elizabeth comes over and sits next to me. “I’m so glad you’re here. I know Avery is comforted by it too.”
“How does she know I’m here?”
“I mentioned you were with Jake after Will’s text to let me know you were all here. She misses you, you know.”
I look up at Elizabeth’s smiling light-blue eyes and return her smile. “I miss her too. Both of them.”
She reaches over and takes my hand in hers. “Don’t give up on her, Maddox. I really dobelieve you are the one. The only man who can fix what is broken within her heart.” She squeezes my hand lightly before she takes the cup of coffee that Jake returns with.
A little bit later, Michael returns to the room and signals for Jake to go next. Jake picks up the bags of personal stuff sitting next to my chair. I reach down and grab the stuffed monkey from the top of Avery’s bag.
“Here, give this to Brooklyn for me.” I hand Jake the animal.
