Chapter 12
12
Dexter
Hayden: Just taking care of a few things at the restaurant and I’ll meet you at the hospital.
Me: It’s been about four hours. We should hear something soon.
“Dex,” Charles calls from the hard, incredibly uncomfortable plastic chair across from me. When I look up, he’s standing to greet the doctor, who just walked out of the double doors we’ve been boring our eyes into for the last four hours.
I stand too, following Charles’s lead, just as Dr. Pham reaches us.
“How is she?” I ask.
“She’s resting, still slowly coming out of anesthesia,” she explains, gently patting a hand to the side of the brightly patterned scrub cap she has on her head. “We’re going to keep her in the recovery area for a bit to monitor her.”
Charles and I both nod with matching intense, solemn expressions on our faces.
“But she did well. No complications, and we were able to get in there and do what we needed to. I just want to warn you,” she adds, “she’s going to be weak and really out of it. She has a chest tube on her side, and it’s going to cause quite a bit of discomfort.”
“How long will she have that?” Charles asks.
“One to two weeks. So she’ll have to go home with it after she’s stable enough to be discharged from here.”
Charles blanches for a second.
“But don’t worry,” Dr. Pham adds. “We’ll give thorough instructions on how to empty it and what to look for in case the site gets infected.”
“When can we see her?” I ask.
“Let’s let her wake up a bit and get settled in the recovery room,” she says, clasping her hands together in front of her. “The nurses will come and get you guys.”
“Thank you, Doc,” Charles says. Dr. Pham nods and smiles solemnly before she turns to walk away.
We glance at each other for a moment and stay silent.
Fuck . This is what it must feel like to come up for air. Air that’s been sucked out of you. Air that’s been drained and leached when you didn’t think you had any left to give.
I feel like the day’s been about twenty hours long, and it isn’t even noon yet. We got to the hospital early in the morning after packing every essential in Janet’s overnight bag to ensure she would be comfortable during her stay after her surgery. When they wheeled her to the surgery area, it was a waiting game. A long, ticking waiting game. Charles and I just sitting under water, waiting for the moment we’re told we can breathe again.
“Dex.” I hear the sound of my name. I look up to see Hayden making his way toward me. He’s not moving urgently, but his steps aren’ t unhurried either. He’s got a look of concern on his face, and his shoulders are squared with his hands in his pockets and his head ducked a little low.
“Hey.”
“Any news yet?”
“Yeah, the doctor just came out and spoke to us,” I answer. “She’s being moved to the recovery area, and they’re going to let us know when we can see her.”
He nods. “Nat’s heading over here in about an hour. She just had a few things she needed to finish up at work.”
“You guys don’t have to be here,” I assure him, though it’s nice to see a friendly face after staring at the drab industrial carpeting at my feet for most of the morning.
He frowns. “No, we want to be here.”
When I told him about Janet and her cancer and her surgery, he called Janet himself. He and Nat talked to her about her treatment, and he was able to offer a less worried and somber ear. He didn’t shut down like I did, the conversations about her health too difficult to have. He didn’t become a ball of anxiety and frustration like Charles did, unable to keep his cool whenever she showed any sign of pain or weakness. Hayden just listened . He and Nat gave my sister something that Charles and I haven’t mastered yet: calm reassurance.
We sit on the chairs around us when we realize we’re sort of just hovering in the waiting area. Charles walks away to pace the hallway, something he’s been doing every fifteen minutes, and it gives me and Hayden a moment to ourselves.
I lean forward and brace my elbows on my knees. “So, uh, how’s wedding planning going?”
He throws a dubious look in my direction. “You want to talk about the wedding? Right now? ”
I sigh. “Maybe a little distraction might help,” I say, my voice tired and worn.
“You sure?”
I nod.
He takes a short pause, shifting the air into something lighter. “We booked everything for Hawaii,” he tells me in a low tone, obviously not wanting to shift too much of my attention away from the current situation on hand. “Reception, flowers, hotel. Nat handled it all with my aunt and my mom.”
“That was fast.”
He nods. “You know you’re going to be my best man, right?” he says softly after a long, pregnant pause.
“Yeah,” I croak. I clear my throat and force myself to meet his eyes. “Yeah, of course.” I smile at him even though I feel like crying right now. It’s funny how while being thrown in the pits of wait and worry, it’s the piece of good news that makes me want to cry.
He coughs into his fist. “And, uh,” he adds, “Nat’s just trying to get the guest list sorted. Making sure people get there when they’re supposed to. We really just want to make sure family’s there. Of course, you too.” He nudges my shoulder with his.
That draws a smile out of me. “Your mom’s going to be there, right?”
“Of course,” he answers. “And Nat’s parents and her sisters. Nat’s been a little worried about Lucy, so she’s looking forward to seeing her.”
My brow furrows. “Why?” I didn’t forget that Lucy’s here in the city. In fact, I’ve been tempted more than once—okay, closer to, like, ten times—to pick up the phone and call her. Maybe even show up unannounced at her apartment? See if that weird neighbor of hers is still poking his head around her personal space? But she made it pretty clear she doesn’t want to see me while she’s here. Maybe if I stage an “accidental” run-in and visit that wine and cheese store again …
He exhales a deep sigh. “She’s been out of work for a year,” he explains. “She had to take this job at a coffee house last year, and now she was talking about some internship.” He shakes his head at that last part. “Nat’s mom convinced her not to apply for it. You know, doing grunt work like getting coffee and being an errand gofer isn’t what she wants for Lucy. And it’s a temp position. Who knows if it would’ve even amounted to anything.”
I nod, listening while hoping I look as indifferent as possible.
“Anyway, I’m sure Nat’ll be fine once she sees Lucy. She just worries since she’s out in Seattle all alone. If she weren’t so far away, then Nat could at least help her out or make sure she’s making the right choices.”
“She’s an adult,” I remind him. “I’m sure she’s capable of making her own decisions.”
He shrugs, my words rolling right off of him. Maybe Lucy was right. The wavering faith her family has in her isn’t as rock solid as I thought. It’s even bled into Hayden’s mind, making him believe his future sister-in-law needs more support and guidance than he thinks. If only he and Nat knew what she’s made happen for herself in the past few weeks.
“Hey.” Hayden and I both look up to see Charles rush back from the hallway. “We can go see her now.”
Hayden and I both stand, and Hayden gently slaps a hand to my back. I guess the distraction actually helped.