Page 50 of To the Moon and Back
“The article said Oklahoma University Medical Center.” Ashley looked like she didn’t want to say whatever was next. “The last I read, they were concerned. He might not survive.”
The face of Brady Bradshaw filled her heart and soul. Jenna closed her eyes for a short while. When she opened them she had to blink back tears to see Ashley clearly. “Thank you. For coming.” She shook her head. All of this was so crazy. “I can’t believe you’d drive so far.”
“Brady’s waited more than a decade.” Ashley’s smile was as kind as it was sad. “The least I could do is take a day to come find you. Especially if . . .”
If he didn’t make it. That’s clearly what Ashley didn’t want to say. Jenna hung her head and tried not to fall to the ground weeping. Brady had been alone all this time, thinking about her, missing her. Why hadn’t she ever gone back to the memorial?
So what if he hadn’t called her? If she could change things she never would’ve been so hasty. If she could go back to her seventeen-year-old self, she would’ve called him or figured out a way to meet up with him somewhere. Anything to see him again.
Ashley checked her watch. “I need to go.” She paused. “Can I . . . pray for you? For Brady?”
“Please.” In that moment Jenna knew she would’ve been friends with Ashley Blake. If she had more time to get to know her, or if they lived in the same city. She reached out her hands and took hold of Ashley’s.
With heads bowed, Ashley prayed. That Brady would be healed of his injuries and that somehow Jenna and him might find the friendship they’d started years ago. And she prayed that God would help them both in whatever the coming days held. Then she thanked God for helping her find Jenna. Just when it mattered most.
They both said amen, and stood. Without hesitating, Jenna hugged Ashley. “You’re the nicest person. Thank you for coming.” Again, Jenna could barely breathe. But this time it was out of fear. Fear that she might miss the chance to see Brady.
Jenna looked at her phone. “I need to call the hospital.” She hesitated. “Is it okay if I text you? To tell you how he’s doing?”
“I’d love that.” Ashley smiled. “My husband and I will pray.” They shared another hug and Ashley walked off to the parking lot.
For a minute Jenna dropped back to the bench. If not for the hard slats beneath her legs, she’d have to wonder. None of this felt real. As if she’d blink and be in bed. Waking up from the most amazing, terrifying dream. She knew where Brady was, and that he hadn’t forgotten her.
But only in time to learn he was fighting for his life.
And in that moment she made a decision. She was going back to Oklahoma City this summer anyway. To take her parents’ pictures and precious items and make their part of the memorial right. While she was there she would see Brady. That is if he was still . . .
She picked up her phone and searched the number for the OU Medical Center. A minute later she was talking to a nurse. No, she wasn’t family. Yes, she knew him well. She closed her eyes and prayed God would understand the stretched truth.
She had known him well eleven years ago.
Finally the nurse came back on the line. She couldn’t give specific details, but she could say this: Brady was still in a coma.
Tears filled Jenna’s eyes as she hung up. God was working in this. He had to be. Hadn’t Jenna just been praying for their paths to cross? Whatever Brady faced, Jenna would find him.
Suddenly an idea hit. This was the first Wednesday in May. Next week was the last of the school year. She scrolled through her contacts and called another number. A long-ago friend of her mother’s. Yes the woman was home this summer, and yes she had two spare bedrooms.
“Come for as long as you’d like, Jenna.” The woman sounded as friendly as Jenna remembered. And just like that she had a place to stay.
Back in the break room, she mentioned it to her teacher friends. “I found the woman my mom used to work with in Oklahoma,” she told them. “I’m thinking of taking an adventure. Driving there for the summer.”
A few of her friends looked less than happy for her. “An adventure? To Oklahoma?”
“Sure.” She wasn’t ready to talk about Brady yet. What would she say? “I’ve been planning it for a while. I want to add pictures and special things to my parents’ memorial. I’ve never done that.” She paused. “Anything’s an adventure if you make it one.”
“Sounds like a second-grade lesson.” One of them laughed. “Whatever, Jenna. When you come home after a few days give us a call.” She looked at the other girls in the room. “We’re spending a month at the lake.”
No chance of that. In Jenna’s mind it was settled. When the school year was behind her, Jenna would pack her things and head for Oklahoma City. And as soon as she possibly could, she would find her way to the OU Medical Center and a boy she had met in 2007.
Brady Bradshaw.
• • •
ASHLEY DROVE HOME from Columbus in disbelief. Brady had looked for Jenna since they were seventeen. Now, because of her dad’s brilliant idea, Ashley had found her in less than a few weeks. Whatever had happened in Jenna’s personal life since that long-ago day at the Oklahoma City memorial, she still cared about Brady.
That much was obvious.
The whole way home Ashley prayed for the two, that Brady would recover and they’d find their way together. Even for just one more day.
