Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
I stayed at the hospital most of the day with Abby and Mason, but had to get back to my normal schedule for the rest of the week. Whenever I wasn’t in class or practice, I was with Abby at the hospital, and would stay with her at her Gram’s house each night.
The rhythmic beeping of Gram’s monitors had become a constant soundtrack to our vigil.
Sometimes I’d catch Abby staring at those monitors, her eyes following each peak and valley as if they contained some secret code that might tell her how much time remained.
In those moments, I’d silently take her hand, and she’d squeeze mine gratefully without looking away.
I’d explained the situation to the guys, and they’d immediately stepped up in a way that made my chest tighten with pride. They organized a rotation, taking turns bringing actual edible food to Abby and Mason so they wouldn’t be stuck with the bland, rubbery hospital cafeteria offerings.
But they did more than just drop off food. They stayed, sometimes for an hour or more, filling the small hospital room with stories and laughter that seemed to momentarily lift the heavy cloud of grief that hung over Abby and Mason.
I could tell they made quite the impression on Mason.
The way his eyes lit up when one of them walked through the door spoke volumes.
According to Abby, he didn’t have many male role models in his life beyond his football coach.
She’d mentioned several times how he’d become increasingly withdrawn since their mom died, and I could see the worry etched in her face about what losing Gram would do to him.
“He used to be so outgoing,” she’d whispered to me as we lay in her bed late one night. “He was always the first to raise his hand in class, the first to make friends with new kids. After Mom died… it was like something inside him just shut down.”
I wanted desperately to ease that fear for her, to give Mason another shoulder to lean on that wasn’t just his sister. Abby had been carrying the weight of responsibility for him for too long already.
What I wasn’t prepared for was for Mason to turn the tables on me a few days after Gram had been admitted to the hospital.
Abby had stepped out to take an important call with Parker Holt about her internship, leaving Mason and me alone with a sleeping Gram.
The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of monitors and the occasional squeak of rubber-soled shoes passing in the hallway.
“What are your intentions with my sister?” Mason asked suddenly, his voice deeper than usual, clearly trying to sound authoritative.
I glanced at the bed, but Gram was still asleep—she’d been sleeping more and more with every day that passed, the medication and disease progression pulling her under for longer stretches.
“Are you guys just like casual or is this serious?” he added, his eyes narrowing as he studied my face.
I set down the sports magazine I’d been flipping through and gave him my full attention.
“It’s very serious,” I told him, maintaining eye contact so he could see the truth in my expression.
“Do you love her?” he asked bluntly.
The question caught me off guard, not because I didn’t know the answer—God, yes, I loved her more than I thought possible—but because that wasn’t something Mason should hear before Abby did. I wanted the first time those words were spoken to be special, between just the two of us.
“I haven’t had that conversation with your sister yet,” I replied carefully, “and I think that should be one I have with her first.”
He seemed to accept that answer, nodding slightly. “You won’t break her heart?”
This kid impressed the hell out of me. Given the devastating situation his family was facing, I wouldn’t have expected him to be focusing on his sister’s emotional well-being right now.
But here he was, seventeen and stepping into the role of protective brother despite his own grief.
It was nice to know Abby had another person who had her back—first with Sam, who’d also made frequent visits to the hospital to check on her, and now her little brother.
“I have no intention of breaking your sister’s heart,” I said, my voice dropping to match the seriousness of the moment. “She’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met. She’s changed my life in ways I didn’t see coming.”
It was true. I had never expected to meet the person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life when I was twenty-one.
I hadn’t really thought much about it at all except that it would happen someday in the distant future.
But every day I spent with Abby, I became more certain.
She was the one I wanted standing next to me for the rest of my life.
I wanted to wake up with her every morning and go to sleep with her every night.
I wanted to live life with her. Through the good times and the bad, I would prove that she was my person and I would always choose her.
I’d prove it to her over and over for as long as it took until she believed me with absolute certainty.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I told him, the promise feeling weighty and significant. “She’s safe with me.”
“Good, because I really like you, Foster,” he said, his serious expression relaxing slightly. “I like your friends too. But if you hurt my sister, I’ll kick your ass.”
I let out a chuckle, but his straight expression told me he was dead serious. Despite the fact that I had at least fifty pounds of muscle on him and years of hockey conditioning, I didn’t doubt for a second that he’d try if I ever gave him reason to.
“I like you too, Mase,” I said sincerely.
At the use of his nickname, he seemed to light up more than I’d ever seen, a genuine smile breaking across his face. It was small, but it was there—a crack in the armor of grief he’d been wearing.
It felt like progress.
The sound of the door opening drew our attention as Abby returned, slipping her phone into her pocket. Her eyes darted between Mason and me, clearly sensing something had shifted in her absence.
“Everything okay?” she asked, her voice tired but curious.
Mason and I exchanged a look, a silent agreement passing between us.
“Yeah,” he said, reaching for the bag of chips I’d brought earlier. “Everything’s good.”