Page 74 of Till The Cows Come Home
“I don’t have any answers for you, sweetheart, I wish I did. But what I can tell you is that your father is not only a strong man, but a selfless one. I won’t speak for him, so I think our best bet is to take this one day at a time until he can speak for himself. I believe in him, Sage.”
“Should we pause the construction?”
“Everyone is already scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so I can either meet them when they get there and send them home, or we can let them work and reevaluate when they update us on your dad tonight.”
“One day at a time?”
“One day at a time,” I echoed.
“Let them work, then. But you should probably still meetup with them so they know what happened. And also you need to sleep.”
“I don’t want to leave you if you need me.”
“I do need you, but the actual you,not the zombie version. Plus, I could really use some toiletries from my apartment if you don’t mind?”
“Of course not, text me a list. I’ll meet with them at six, take a quick nap and?—”
“A substantial nap.”
“A substantial nap,” I corrected, “and then I’ll be back with a late lunch?”
“You’re perfect,” she mumbled.
“Right back atcha, pretty girl.”
We navigated back to the room with a touch more hope, and once Sage was comfortably tucked into her own recliner, I headed home to deliver the news.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sage
People always described New York as the city that never sleeps, and I never really understood it, but as the hours passed by in this hospital, it all began to make sense. When Miles left I shut my eyes just to be woken not even an hour later. Nurses came in and out, and while they tried their best to keep quiet, their tasks were noisy by nature.
I didn’t fault them for my lack of sleep, if anything I welcomed it, because if they were in here that meant my father was taken care of. All the work they did over the next few days would make or break if he’d be a part of my future. I’d be woken each minute if it solidified his place.
“Good morning ladies, how we doing?”
Nina was the nurse that admitted dad, and I was honestly surprised she was here still. It was almost eight already, and while I was hesitant to let go of her southern hospitality, I knew she had to be leaving soon.
“Don’t you ever get to go home?”
“I’m here till eleven today. Usually it's seven, but I’m covering the first half of another nurse’s shift. Do you two want to take a break, maybe get a coffee? The nursing assistantand I are going to give Stu here the works. Sponge bath, morning meds, a bit of intubation maintenance. Say an hour?”
“I’ll help,” my mom offered.
“Mom—
“I vowed in sickness and in health, Sage.”
“I commend your commitment to your husband, Mrs. Baker, I really do, but he’s going to need you when he wakes up. We got him. Take a break for yourself.”
My mother looked up to Nina with softened eyes, before gathering her purse in submission and meeting me at the door.
“Coffee?”
“Coffee,” she agreed.
The building was much easier to navigate in the daylight, but it was also more alive. Families congregated in the halls while staff bustled around, and we practically dodged bodies our entire walk to the cafeteria. Some hospitals had coffee shops, others self-serve stations, but the only caffeine available in this establishment seemed to be a run down vending machine with two options, hot chocolate or black coffee.
