Page 88 of Jace 4Ever
Keflavík airport wasneat and compact, and would have been worth a slower stroll if Nelson wasn’t still shaking like a leaf. I had to hold on to his hand to make him walk slower. He would have run through the airport.
We still had to get through immigration and get our bag. Even being with one of the most famous of Iceland’s sons, I couldn’t skip the legalities, and neither could he.
They were, however, very quick with the paperwork and we were out to the waiting area quickly. There was a driver holding a sign that saidN. Powersand I thanked the powers that be that Maddox had gotten everything set up.
The woman’s face registered complete shock as we walked up to her and the car.
“Holy moly, you’re really Nelson Powers.” She instantly went red and cleared her throat. “I mean. Sorry. Mister Powers. A pleasure. My name is Freya. I am at your service for the length of your stay. Mister Jones told me that you were staying—”
“Landspitali, please, Miss Freya,” I said. “Forgive me if I slaughter the pronunciations.”
As soon as I said the name of the hospital, she yanked the back door open and grabbed the bag from Nelson. “Please. We’ll get you there as soon as we can.”
He nodded his thanks, looking exhausted and not at all like he wanted to play superstar at that moment. I climbed in after him, and we were on our way in minutes.
Nelson stared out the window on his side and I stared out mine. He still held on to my hand and ran his thumb over my knuckles.
“This is very flat,” I said. “There are no trees?”
“Growing season isn’t long enough to really support forests,” he said. “There’s no chance for a good rich soil layer to develop to support them. So, it’s scrub over rock. If climate change keeps going, there may be trees, eventually.”
“There are some low pine along the way,” Freya offered. Mostly on the south and west of the island. The north is still beyond the Arctic Circle.”
For the first time in hours, Nelson looked at me and gave me a small smile. “You should be glad we’re here in August, Jace. Late January is frozen hell. We moved to the US because my mother hated the cold. Dad moved everyone back because he missed his family. I’m the only one who chose to stay.”
His eyes filled with tears again, and I squeezed his hand. “He’s still here, Nils. We’re almost there, you’ll get to see him.”
“I know, but damn, why did it take this for me to get here? Why didn’t I just get on the damn plane and come for a long weekend?”
“No one could have known.”
“He’s not young.”
“But he is healthy, and he wasn’t far from having the cancer beat.” I reassured him with a pat on the hand. “Don’t focus on that. You’re here, he’s alive, and you have the chance to correct this.”
He looked back out the window for a moment as we passed a large industrial complex near the water. After another few minutes, he nodded. “You’re right. This is the wake-up call. I can come back when I want after this. I will. I miss all of my family. My nephew is driving now. I remember him in diapers.”
“Well, I mean…he could be driving in diapers. It’s not a stretch.”
A choked laugh slipped out of him, and he pulled me across the seat to wrap me in his arms. “Thank you. I needed that laugh.”
The car rolled through the street and into the city. Reykjavík was not a tall city. Not the way I was used to in New York, or even LA. It was a large, flat place. There just weren’t a lot of tall buildings, and the first one I did see that was tall was the hospital we were heading for.
Freya pulled the car up to an entrance. “Go on in. The desk will be there, just ask for your father’s room. Visiting hours are almost over, but…”
Nelson snorted. “Hollywood superstar. Right.”
She reached back, a business card in her hand. “When you’re ready, please text me. I’m going to run to the hotel and check you in, as Mister Jones requested. I’ll be back in the parking lot before you text, I’m sure.”
“Thank you, Miss Freya,” I said, leaning over and popping the door open for Nelson.
“My pleasure.” She gave us a curt nod.
Nelson stood just outside the door, looking up. I nudged him over a bit and closed the door. He was staring at the less than impressive façade of the building.
“I remember when my brother had his appendix out here. They had to keep him overnight because it burst on the table.” He laughed. “He was so out of it, he removed his own IV and walked down the hall dripping blood. I also remember the time Helene broke her arm and they had to bring her here to check the set because it was such a complicated mess.”
“Helene broke her arm because she climbed the only tree in four miles because your cat managed to find it and scale it.”
