“Mom,” I said quietly and she turned to look at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears, “what happened?”
She shook her head as the tears began to stain her face and I pulled her close. I was worried about my Dad and although my own worry and fear paralyzed me earlier, I knew I needed to be strong for Mom. I felt relieved that Theo stayed with us in the waiting area and catered to our needs until the doctor came out of the operating room.
“Mrs. Finch?” His voice sounded tired and although he wore a mask, it was clear that he looked tired too. He removed his mask and nodded at Mom and I when we stood up. “Mr. Finch is stable now. We have put a pacemaker inside as you’ve agreed to it. He needs to be closely monitored so he has to stay here for a while. You can see him now but only one person is allowed in the room.”
Relief flooded through me as we thanked the doctor. Mom was the first one to see my father, and I was slightly relieved as I didn’t really want to see my father hooked up in machines and looking frail so I didn’t argue. Theo stayed with me in the waiting room in silence until his phone pinged with a notification and I watched as he quickly typed in a reply.
“Julian’s outside with my car. I’ll just get the keys from him. You’ll be okay here? Need anything?”
I smiled at him weakly and shook my head for a yes and watched him go. I stayed there in my seat, my head leaning against the wall with my eyes closed. The events of the day had taken its toll on me. It had started out as a fun-filled day with me trying to make breakfast with Violet and then ended up in an argument with Julian, to worrying for my Dad. Tired and weary, I just wanted it to end.
The smell of cinnamon wafted into the waiting area and I slowly opened my eyes. Even with the baseball cap he wore and the sunglasses, the jacket gave him away. “What are you doing here?”
He tossed me a brown bag and then sat on the vacant seat beside me. I wanted to ignore the items inside the bag but the smell overpowered my senses. I opened the bag and my heart melted at the sight of cinnamon cookies, still hot which meant they were freshly baked. “I got it from the pier. An old lady was selling it and I thought you would like some after…”
Julian’s voice trailed off and I could feel his piercing gaze on me. I wasn’t sure how I was meant to react but I appreciated his gesture even if he was mad at me from what happened earlier. I let out a shaky breath to calm myself before I explain but Julian cut me off. “You looked upset earlier. I thought the cookies would cheer you up, even just a little.”
“Thank you,” I said softly and hoping he heard the sincerity in it but Julian merely nodded and looked down. I inhaled deeply and then let it out as a long exhale, a trick I had learned from Amber when she went into therapy. “A couple of months ago, my Dad fainted and we rushed him in the hospital. It turned out he was hypokalemic.”
“Low potassium levels,” Julian said, nodding slightly and I was a little surprised he knew that. The corner of his lips twitched into the familiar smirk I’d grown accustomed to. “I have an older brother who’s a forensic scientist. Sometimes, he doesn’t shut up about his cases.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. Julian loved talking about his family and it was clear that he missed being around them. “That’s why he had to step down from his position and I had to take it over. But the board didn’t think I was good enough. The guy at my house earlier…he’s the son of one of the board members and he’s the acting CEO at the moment till…”
“Till we sign up with you guys,” Julian finished for me, understanding my situation. “If you ask me, that’s a load of bull. I may not know a lot about how companies work on the inside but it’s not like you’re completely stupid when it comes to running it.”
My heart warmed at his words and it seemed like Julian was basking in a different light. At that moment, I didn’t feel any kind of hatred towards him. “I’m sorry for being a jerk and not telling you about all of that beforehand. I just…I didn’t really see the point. But for what it is worth, your music is amazing. It has always been, and Dad made a big mistake rejecting your band the first time.”
It was quiet for a moment and I felt like a weight had been lifted on my shoulders as I let out a sigh of relief. At least now, Julian knew the reason why I was so desperate. Maybe he’d change his mind regarding the agreement being called off. I wanted to ask but now didn’t seem to be the right time to do so because I didn’t want to ruin the moment we were in.
A little while later, after remaining in comfortable silence, Julian cleared his throat. “I think I should get Violet from Theo. He took her out to grab something to eat.”
I wasn’t sure what came over me but the thought of Julian leaving, after the comfort he provided, didn’t really sit well with me. “Julian…”
He was about to stand up when I said his name and I could feel his gaze on me again. “Yea?”
I bit my bottom lip and then I placed my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, allowing my heart to steadily its beat again. “Stay a little while longer, please?”
15
Julian
“You’re picking up your brother later, right?” Audrey asked me as she stood up from her seat at the counter to head to the sink, picking my plate along the way too. It had been a day and a half since her father was rushed into the hospital and since I found out the reason for her desperation to sign with us. I was relieved that things between us went back to normal. She was still my assistant and we had about two weeks left into the whole agreement before things were final.
And to be honest, I think we were both aware of the direction this was heading.
Things felt different between us. Audrey was a lot easier to deal with like there had been a thorn plucked out of her and she was more carefree and less uptight. Or maybe it was because of Violet, who cheered her up more than the cookies I gave her that night. And also the fact that her Dad was stable now, and there was less to worry about.
I nodded. “Yes. You still heading to the hospital?”
She shook her head, “I went there first before I got here and Dad’s fine. Besides, how are you going to pick up your brother if not with my car?”
The corner of my lips twitched into a smile and I put the pen I was holding down on the countertop as I watched her wash the dishes. After I stayed with Audrey that night at the hospital, her mother came out and took Audrey inside to see her Dad. When Audrey returned to the waiting room, her face blotched with tears and my heart melted at that sight.
I stared at the white hospital wall blankly. I wasn’t the biggest fan of hospitals since I had spent a lot of time visiting my grandfather when he was sick and it wasn’t the kind of memory I liked reliving. My grandfather’s moans in pain still echoed in the recess of my mind. But then I heard a tiny gasp, it was almost inaudible and I sprang to my feet.
I followed where the sound was coming from and I saw Audrey sitting on the ground, her knees pulled close to her chest and her shoulders shaking. The sight of her so vulnerable tugged at my heart and I remembered how I had wanted to hug her once, as tightly as I could, if it meant bringing back all her broken pieces together.