Page 98 of It's Always Been You
“Yes, of course I’ll take you,” I interject, reaching for my keys and grabbing my coat. Gladys waves me onward, letting me know she’ll lock up. “Where are you?”
“Grandma’s. They wouldn’t let me go with her in the ambulance—”
“Stay put. I’m on my way.”
“Thank you,” she whispers, and the line goes dead.
Evie
Saturday, January 14, 2023
Idroppedsomefreezermealsoff at Brandon’s this afternoon as a sort of unofficial apology. I figured he’s been exhausted between work and single-dadding. He hasn’t been answering my calls or texts, so I just showed up and left them on the front porch.
I’m starting to get a little paranoid about his silence. It’s been dragging on and on . . . I’ve been waiting for weeks, thinking he might reach out to talk, but he hasn’t yet. Then today, he didn’t answer the door when I dropped off the meals, but his car was in the driveway.
Is he ignoring me? And if he is, why? What did I do wrong? I haven’t told anyone about that night, like we agreed. I know I said some hurtful things, but so did he. I know he didn’t mean it when he said we couldn’t see each other anymore. I just know it.
Maybe he thinks I’m expecting it to happen again, and he doesn’t want that? I don’t care if it happens again or not. At this point, I just want my best friend back. I miss him. And I haven’t been feeling that good recently. My back has been hurting more than usual, and I keep getting sick. ’Tis the season for all kinds of illnesses, but it’s been dragging on for so long that I’m getting a little concerned. Ugh.
Chapter 32
Evie
Ican’tbelievethisishappening. I’ve seen firsthand what can happen to the elderly after a bad fall. First, a significant loss of mobility. Then rapid physical decline. Sometimes, a total loss of independence. I fall down the rabbit hole while I wait for Brandon to bring me a cup of coffee, worrying about what something like this could cost Grandma. She was fortunate not to have broken any bones last time, but I can’t say the same this time around.
Brandon’s shoes appear on the waxed tile floor. “Here,” he murmurs, extending a cup of coffee as I sit up. “It’s decaf. I hope you don’t mind.”
Shaking my head, I take it eagerly and cradle it close to my body, savoring its warmth. He sits down beside me, and we’re silent for a while, waiting to hear from the nurses for more information.
“Why would God allow that to happen?” I wonder after a while, looking over at him.
Brandon draws in a long breath, his chest expanding and retracting as he mulls over his response. “Maybe you shouldn’t look at it that way.”
“How else should I look at it?”
He sighs. “Well, I don’t think it was a coincidence that you found your diary and stormed off when you did. You wouldn’t have been home at that time if you hadn’t. Who knows how long Maggie would have been waiting otherwise.”
The idea of Grandma waiting there for hours, in complete agony, makes me sick to my stomach. I had never even considered that as a possibility.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, hanging my head as I’m choked up with regret. “This afternoon—”
“We’ll talk about it later,” he whispers back, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “Let’s just get through this evening.” He wraps his arm around me, and I rest my head on his shoulder, grateful he’s being so gracious with me. When he kisses my temple, I close my eyes. I’m so exhausted. “It’s going to be okay, Spitfire. I promise.”
He can’t know that. I swallow, staring at a tile. “This is all my fault.”
His arm tightens around me. “Don’t do that. You’re not responsible for this.”
Before I can reply, Jamie appears at the end of the hall. Unsurprisingly, Brandon’s arm disappears from my shoulders. His reluctance to be seen with me . . . it still hurts.
We rise in unison.
“How is she?” I ask as Jamie approaches. Hot coffee spills onto my hand, burning it. Glancing down, I realize the cup is vibrating. My hand is shaking. Brandon notices, too. The comfort of his embrace returns.
Jamie scratches the back of his neck. “Not great, honestly. She’s got a broken hip and a fractured femur. And she’s in a lot of pain, as you can imagine.”
Brandon’s arm supports me as I sag.
“They’re prepping her for surgery as we speak.” Jamie’s gaze swings from me to Brandon, then falls to observe Brandon’s arm wound tightly around my waist. I can see the curiosity burning in his eyes, but he doesn’t comment on it. “If you want to see her, you’ll have to go now.”
