“Okay, I’m gonna leave you to your pacing now. Jack?”
I stopped with a frustrated sigh and faced her. “What?”
“Try not to lose her, okay? Don’t wait to tell her till it’s too late.”
I ground my teeth together to keep my mouth shut. My gaze must have finally worked because she raised her hands in the air then started putting on her coat, gloves, scarf, and finally the bright red coat.
When she shouldered her bag, she turned to me. “I’d appreciate it if you could let me know how the surgery went when she comes out.”
To my own horror, I muttered, “If she comes out.” Luckily, Cynthia didn’t hear me and finally left.
I spent another hour in my own unwanted company, and more people trickled out of the room as they got their good news so they could be with their loved ones.
Around three PM, Raymond walked in with balloons. Balloons. I didn’t know how I felt about that, but my body tightened to the point that I couldn’t have moved even if I’d wanted to. I knew she had a good relationship with him since he drove her almost more than he drove me lately, but I still didn’t know how I felt about him being there for her.
With balloons.
I hadn’t brought anything, and I didn’t think I could manage to leave the hospital. The fact that she wanted to be with me and stop pretending cooled me enough that I didn’t demand he leave the second his eyes spotted me and he moved to my side with his ridiculous balloons.
He left an empty seat between us and sat down.
I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “Balloons, Raymond?” I asked, the words coming out as a low growl, unintentionally…or maybe not.
He cleared his throat. “Not from me.”
I linked my hands together, glancing at him and then the balloons. There was a big blue one that said Get Well Soon and a few more colorful ones around it.
“I came from Around the Corner.” He thrust a brown paper bag at me with Rose’s shop’s little logo on the side.
Curious, I took it and looked inside: one cup of what smelled like coffee, one sandwich, and a muffin. I put it down on the floor. Rose made the sandwiches herself every morning. She used a spread she’d come up with on her own, as she’d told me countless times. Knowing she hadn’t made these, even though I hadn’t had anything since our dinner the night before, I couldn’t even stomach eating them. I picked up the coffee since I could’ve used a little more energy for more pacing.
Raymond continued, “I thought I could drop by and see if they needed any help with anything, and the girl—Sally, I think—she handed me the balloons when she heard I was coming here next.”
I grunted unintelligibly. That was better.
“How is it? Are they busy?” I asked a moment later.
“Yes. There was a line at the register. She is doing great. Oh, they also said they’d be here as soon as they closed down, to check on her.”
I nodded; I had expected as much. Since she wanted to be with me, I didn’t have to worry about the other one who worked with her early in the mornings anymore, whatever his name was.
We fell silent.
“Any news?” he asked after a few moments.
I ran my hand over my face. “Not a goddamn thing.”
“When did they take her in?”
“Eight. I don’t know when they started, though. She must’ve waited for a while.”
“How long is this surgery supposed to last?”
That was what was scaring the hell out of me. When we’d spoken to the doctor and I’d asked him how long these surgeries usually lasted, he hadn’t given me a straight answer, which was expected, but he’d said other times it had lasted anywhere from forty-five minutes to three hours. We had passed the three-hour mark a while ago, so I knew something must have gone wrong.
I rubbed a hand over my heart when I felt it tighten painfully. “She should’ve been out by now.”
Raymond took a look at me and didn’t say anything else.
All I could do was play with her ring, which was a dead weight in my pocket, and hope she was doing fine and holding on. We sat like that for another two hours until finally a damn nurse made her way toward us instead of going to someone else.
I sprung up from my seat, my limbs prickling from all the hours I had sat on that uncomfortable chair.
“She is out of surgery now and in the recovery room.” She smiled at us, as if everything was perfectly fine. She should’ve come down there hours ago.
“When can I see her?” I growled.
“We’ll go up to her room now, and you can wait there.”
“I think I’ve waited enough,” I snapped. “Take me to see her.”
The nurse lost her smile and scowled back at me. That was fine.
“She’s been in surgery for quite some time now, so we’re just anxious to see her,” Raymond spoke up. “Waiting for her in the room would be great, thank you.”
The woman, probably somewhere in her fifties based on her black and white natural hair, lost some of her stern look, which I didn’t care for, and then she sighed.
“They’ll bring her up to the room as soon as she is ready. They need to keep an eye on her until she starts coming around from the anesthesia.”
“Is she okay?” I rushed the words out, taking a step forward. “Did something go wrong?”
“I’m sure she is fine. The doctor will come to her room to check on things later and he’ll be able to give you more information. Now follow me, please.”
Up in her room, nothing changed. I barely took in the surroundings as we walked into the private room I’d paid for. There was a big TV mounted on the wall right across from the hospital bed, a leather couch right under the big window where the whole city was laid out in front of you, and then two comfortable enough chairs on the left side of the bed. There was also a door to what looked like a private bathroom on the left side as soon as you walked into the room. Raymond stood closer to the door with his ridiculous and cheerful balloons and wisely stayed out of my way as I started my pacing again.
“Tie those stupid things to a chair or something. You look ridiculous, for God’s sake,” I growled when he just stood there. I ignored the twitch of Raymond’s lips.
An hour—it took them another fucking hour to bring her up. As soon as they rolled her in, I rushed to her side. I was having trouble keeping my distance as they transferred her onto the bed.
Her eyes were barely open, she had a white tampon-looking thing in her nose, and she had slight bruising under her right eye. I moved my gaze over every inch of her face and her body, but other than that, I couldn’t see anything wrong with her. She looked tired and worn out, but she seemed to be okay.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as soon as the guys who had brought her in left the room.
She reached for my hand, and my goddamn heart skipped a fucking beat. I grabbed it with both hands and held on tight.
Her eyes were suspiciously wet. “I feel really tired. My head hurts and my stomach is stinging, but I think I’m fine. How did it go? What time is it?” she croaked, her voice barely audible.
I brushed her messy bangs out of her face and leaned down to press a lingering kiss on her forehead.
“You took ten years off of my life, Rose,” I whispered right next to her ear, resting my temple against hers. “I don’t know how you’re going to pay me back for this, but you better think of something.”