Page 79 of Liberating Bells
“Hello?”
“Bells?” I ask, and damn me to hell, my voice cracks.
“Ryan? What’s wrong?” Her voice is sweet like honey. I close my eyes tightly.
“Could you come to St. John’s? My mom collapsed, and I’m here with Thalia, but I don’t think she?—”
“Oh, God. Yes, I’ll be right there. Are you in the ER?” Izabel asks. I can hear her shuffling around on her end of the line, grabbing her purse. A door slams and she starts breathing harder.
“Yeah,” I mutter. “Thank you.”
“I’ll see you soon, Ry.”
Once she hangs up, I look down at Thalia, who can’t tear her eyes off our mom. I tug on her hand, and she looks up at me. “Hey, my friend Izabel is going to come and sit with you. You guys can go get some snacks or something if you want. Then your dad and I can make sure Mom is okay.”
Thalia nods silently and then looks around the emergency department. Nurses are hustling around. There are a few doctors talking to a nurse or checking chart notes before going in with a patient. This place is scary, even for me. Especially when someone you love is here.
Izabel is quick on her arrival. She flies through the doors of the ER only fifteen minutes later. Her eyes land on me, and she rushes over to us. I let go of Thalia’s hand so I can catch Izabel as she throws herself at me in a hug.
My arms wrap around her waist as I hold her, burying my face in her neck and breathing her in. She’s still the woman I love, and I’m still...whatever I am to her.
Izabel pulls away first, her hands coming up to my cheeks so she can look me dead in the eye. “Are you okay?”
I nod sullenly. “I’m fine. We’re still waiting on some doctors to check her out. She hasn’t woken up yet.”
“Okay, well, hopefully, we’ll know more soon. They don’t look too busy here today, so that’s a good sign,” she says. Then, Izabel looks down at Thalia, who is peering around my legs at her. “Hey, lady, want to come with me? We can head to the cafeteria and see if they have anything good there. This place is boring.”
Izabel offers my sister her hand, and Thalia takes it, her other hand still gripping her animal tightly. Then changing her mind, she runs back and hugs me, her short arms wrapping around my waist. I pat my sister’s back and run my hand over her hair.
“It will be okay, Thal. Just go with Bells, and I’ll come find you when I know something,” I tell her. I look up at Izabel. She’s watching the two of us with a weird expression on her face. “I’ll text you when I know something.”
Bells takes a step toward me, putting her hand on my cheek again. Then she gently pulls me down to press her lips to mine, like she’s letting me know that she’s here for me. I kiss her back, hard, pouring everything I can into that kiss and letting her take it. She pulls away, her clear blue eyes shining.
“We’ll see you soon,” Bells says, offering Thalia her hand again. The two of them walk off toward the central part of the hospital.
I release a deep breath of relief, knowing that Thalia is with someone safe. I’m a terrible brother for even bringing her here. But I didn’t know what else to do. I walk into the bay where my mom is and sit in the plastic armchair next to her bed. It’s not comfortable, but I don’t care.
My mom’s face is peaceful, like she’s asleep, and I can see her chest rising and falling with her breathing. The tube across hernosewhirrsas it delivers more oxygen to her body. I reach out and grab her hand, holding on to it. I know she’ll be fine. This whole thing is probably just a side effect from her chemotherapy, but it’s still nerve-wracking. She’s my mom. She’s the only parent I have left.
I hear a deep voice rumbling near the front desk. Glancing over, I see Derek storming past the nurses to get to his wife. A hilarious scene with him in a baby blue golf t-shirt and white shorts. But I have to admire him for his persistence. If Bells were laid up in a hospital, nothing could keep me away from her.
Derek steps into the bay, his eyes first going to my mom and then to me. I stand up and accept the hug he offers. The older man wraps his arms around me, clapping my back.
“Everything’s going to be okay, Ryan,” he says lowly. I nod and pull away from him. It’s comforting to have him here. Derek isn’t my dad, but he’s the closest thing I have. “Has the doctor come by yet?”
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t seen a white coat in a while. I think they’re running a few tests, or waiting for a phone call from her oncologist or something.”
“Where’s Thalia?”
I motion my head to the main hospital building. “Bells came and got her. I think they’re in the cafeteria having a snack.”
“Good, that’s good,” Derek says, rubbing his jaw. He takes a few steps toward my mom and brushes his hand across her head, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. He whispers something to her that I can’t hear, but then he comes back to stand next to me. He’s quiet for a moment, then he looks pointedly at me. “So Izabel’s been around a lot more recently.”
“I guess,” I say with a shrug. “She’s a good friend.”
“Right, a friend. Your mom was myfriendfor a long time,” Derek says, smirking at me.
“I really don’t want to hear this right now,” I reply, a hint of disgust lacing my tone.
