Page 30 of Forever Christmas
Chapter 11: Corabelle
Gavin is a disaster on the drive back. He won’t talk to anyone. Won’t even tellmewhat went down in his father’s room.
The next morning, when the rest of us get ready to head to the hospital to sit with Gavin’s mom, Gavin announces that he and June are spending the day together in Deming.
Mom drops onto an armchair in disbelief. “You’re notcoming?”
“Nope,” Gavin says, brushing donut sugar off his hands. He and June went out early to pick them up. “June is going to show me what’s changed in Deming.”
“I still need to go,” Mom says. “I want to be with Alaina.”
“More power to you,” Gavin says. “We’ll be hiking.” He looks at June’s tennis shoes. “You got something sturdier than that to wear?”
“At home,” she says.
“We’ll run bythere.”
He pauses next to me. “You with us or with them?” he asks.
I have no idea what to do. Gavin is acting like the person in the hospital has nothing to do with him.
“Don’t you think your mom would like to see you?” I ask.
He leans down to brush a kiss on my lips. “Her brother will be there. And your mom. I’ll take June tomorrow. I hear they don’t wake him up for another six hours afterthe six-hour surgery.” He glances at his watch. “That’s after visiting hours. Tomorrow is better.”
Mom reaches out to touch Gavin’s arm. “But what if…”
She won’t say it.
“He keels over?” Gavin asks. “Then it doesn’t matter if I’m there or not. He won’t know the difference.” He looks at June. “Race you to the back door of our house?”
She lines up as if there’s a starting block.
Gavin shouts,“Go!” and they are off, through the living room, past the kitchen, and out the back door. I can see them in the backyard, heading for the gate to the alley.
“Well, I’ll be,” Mom says. “He seems to be in denial. Did he say what happened last night?”
“Not a word,” I say. “But his father was being a real jerk. He probably didn’t get any better after I left the room.”
“What do you think?” Dad asks.“Should we go without them? Or stay here?”
“I told Alaina I’d be there,” Mom says. “I suppose you two could stay.”
“I’m going,” I say. “His mom might need us if…” I don’t say it out loud either.
“I’m happy to chauffeur,” Dad says. “Corabelle is here, and I’m not going to miss out on that.”
“Maybe you two could pick up some nice gifts for the family in Las Cruces,” Mom says. “It will be a longday in the hospital.”
“As long as Corabelle can pick things out, I’m game,” Dad says.
Mom sorts through a basket by her feet to pack some knitting supplies in a travel bag. She pulls out a big tuft of fuzzy blue yarn.
My mind stutters for a moment, remembering when she made baby clothes for Finn. The yarn was similar. Finn came early, and she hadn’t finished anything but a little hat, whichhe wore. I wonder what she did with the incomplete booties.
I almost press my hand to my belly, but catch myself. This is no time to announce I’m pregnant. Gavin and I agreed to wait on the sonogram, and I don’t want to take away from the seriousness of what is happening in Gavin’s family.
We wait around a little while for Gavin and June, but they’re obviously already engaged in something fun,so Mom, Dad, and I load up the car.
