“Yeah. Where’s Archer and my mom?” He tips his head to the side like a little puppy.
I kneel down to his level. “Your mom got sick overnight and Archer took her to the doctor.”
“Did she barf?”
“I don’t think so, but she wasn’t feeling well. The doctor is looking at her right now and he’s going to make her all better.” I pray I’m not lying to him.
“When will they be home?”
“I’m not sure. But I’ll stay with you until they are. Sound okay?”
“Are you going to make pancakes?” This feels like an important question. Like my answer will depend on how upset he is about having me here. I answer wisely.
“Of course I am. Is there any other way to eat breakfast?”
“Nope. Come on. I’ll show you how.” He grabs my hand and leads me to the kitchen.
Emmy wakes up not long after and we make an obscene amount of pancakes, which we eat with a disgusting amount of syrup. They may not know how close they are to losing their mother, but I still give them everything they ask for because even if Sara makes it, it’s going to be a long recovery and who knows what kind of mom will walk back through that door.
Archer
“Come on, Sara. Open your eyes,” I plead, her hand in mine.
I broke down when I first saw her. Every inch of her has some type of tube, chord, or patch connected. Her head’s tipped back with a tube down her throat. Her skin’s an odd gray color and she’s pale and clammy. I wouldn’t think she was alive if it weren’t for the constant beeping of the machine next to her.
Nurses flitter in and out, taking vitals and giving me sympathetic looks I don’t want. I don’t know how she ended up in this place, how things got so bad right under my nose, but she’s not weak. I don’t need the pity. As soon as she wakes up, I’ll make sure she gets the help she needs and she’ll be better than ever. If I don’t kill her for trying to leave this world.
I text Kian every hour to make sure he and the kids are doing okay. He insists they’re fine and not to worry. I have no reason to doubt his capabilities. He’s always been amazing with them. So I tell him I’m not and I’ll check back in a while.
Dr. Miller pops in every so often, checks her chart, tells me to be patient, and leaves again. Sara remains unmoving. I doze off in the uncomfortable chair once or twice, but mostly I stare at her, willing her to wake up. It doesn’t work.
I check my phone and notice it’s 8:00 p.m. and I freak out. Kian had a bar to open. Fuck. I kiss Sara on the forehead and tell her I’ll be back in the morning. Then I find the nurse’s station and tell them to call me if there’s any change and that I’ll be back tomorrow.
I speed home, hoping he’s not pissed at me, or worse, took the kids to the bar. I wouldn’t put it past him. I rush through the front door and am struck by an amazing smell. Onion, garlic, and tomato assault my nostrils and my stomach growls, reminding me I haven’t eaten since… fuck, I don’t remember when.
Emmy and Lou are at the kitchen island, slurping spaghetti noodles, happy as little clams. Kian’s on the opposite side of the island, plating up a portion of noodles.
“Hey, guys,” I say as cheerily as I can muster.
“Archer!” they yell back. Two sets of eyes look behind me and then turn sad.
“Where’s Mommy?” Emmy asks, red sauce all over her face.
“The doctor is keeping her overnight, but she’ll be home before you know it.” If she decides to wake up at all. These kids will never trust me again if I’m lying to them.
“Can we call her on your phone?” Lou forks noodles into his mouth.
“Not tonight, buddy. She was already asleep when I left.” I ruffle his hair.
“Want some spaghetti?” Kian asks.
“Yes, please. I’m starving.” I walk into the kitchen and stand next to the stove while Kian makes me a plate. “I’m sorry I’m so late. I forgot you had to open Focus at six.”
“It’s not a problem. I asked one of my Blur bartenders, Keith, to fill in. He worked Focus before Sara did, so he knows how things work.”
“If you need to get over there, you can go now.”
“I don’t. I took the night off.”
“Thank you, Kian. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“Don’t even worry. We had fun.” A crooked smile creeps onto his lips.
“Even so—”
“How is she?” he asks in a hushed tone, changing the subject.
“The same,” I say through an exhalation.
“The doctors don’t know any more?”
“No. They keep saying she’ll wake up when she’s ready. They mentioned taking the breathing tube out tomorrow or the next day to see if she can breathe on her own now that the drugs have worked their way through her system.”
“I’ll bet you didn’t eat all day. You need to take care of yourself in order to take care of her.”
“Honestly, the day flew by. I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”
“Parmesan?”
“Please.”
He grates fresh cheese over the top of my noodles. I look around and see a garden salad and bread. I shouldn’t be surprised because he’s an amazing cook, but I’m almost certain none of these ingredients were in the fridge.
“Did you take them grocery shopping?”
“Yep. We had an adventure.” He turns to the kids. “Didn’t we?”
“Kian bought us cookies,” Emmy says.
“Why don’t you guys go wash your hands and faces? When you’re done, I’ll turn on a show for you.” Kian suggests.
The kids cheer and jump down to wash up. Kian clicks on Netflix in the living room, while I clear their plates and sit down to eat my own dinner. Seconds later, Kian’s back to make his own plate before sitting next to me at the island.
“I hope they weren’t too much of a hassle.”
“Are you kidding? Sara’s taught them right. They’re angels.”
I shovel another bite in my mouth, savoring the slow cooked flavors. “This is delicious.”
“Thanks. I usually don’t cook much because it’s just me or sometimes Jarrett if I talk him into coming over for dinner, so it was nice to have a group to feed. Even if the circumstances are terrible.”
“Did the kids ask much about Sara?”
“They did at first. I told them she had a tummy ache and you took her to the doctor. They seemed to accept that explanation.” He sets his fork down and pins me with a look. “How are you holding on?”
“I don’t know. I think I’m confused more than anything.”
“What all happened last night? Was she upset? It wasn’t too long after we got off the phone that Jax showed up to tell me.”
“No, it was the opposite. She was happy. She’d just been to see the lawyer. She had one stipulation added to the divorce papers and had a will drawn. Looking back, I can see she was preparing. She spent time with the kids and handled her affairs. It’s so obvious to me now. I’m a fucking idiot.”