Chapter 48
CHAPTER
FORTY-EIGHT
ASPEN
Steadying me so I don’t tumble from his lap, Emmett surges to his feet, pacing in front of the fire.
“What's going on?” he barks into the phone, skipping a greeting entirely.
The change is instant.
One second, he’s smiling against my mouth. The next, every muscle in his body is tight.
I rise from the chair slowly, my stomach already sinking.
“What do you mean she fell?”
The mug slips from his hand and lands in the grass.
Coffee splashes across his shoes, but he doesn't seem to notice.
“Okay.”
He drags a hand through his hair.
“Did she hit her head?”
A pause.
“No, I understand.”
Another pause.
“We'll be there as soon as we can.”
I’m moving as soon as he hangs up, grabbing my keys and phone from the camper.
“What’s going on? Is Monica okay?”
I already know the answer—I heard enough to know something happened.
Emmett is right behind me.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “Is your grandma okay?”
His jaw flexes. “Connie said she fell.”
My stomach drops.
“Is she hurt?”
“Connie doesn’t think so.” He shoves a hand through his hair. “She said she’s shaken up, but otherwise okay. Just a few bruises. The doctor was in with her when she called.”
It’s hard to be relieved when I can see the toll this takes on Emmett.
And poor Monica. Growing old feels cruel enough without your body and mind betraying you at the same time.
I’m already pulling myself into the driver’s side of the Jeep as Emmett does the same on the passenger side.
The drive down the gravel road is tense. The Jeep bounces through the ruts while Emmett stares out the window, jaw tight enough to crack a tooth. His knee bounces and he keeps checking the clock. Every second seems to stretch into an hour.
For twenty minutes, I live in Emmett’s fear as we ride in complete silence, other than a few grunted directions. By the time we pull into the memory care facility, my nerves feel as exposed as his. I barely get the Jeep into park at the entrance before he reaches for the door handle.
“Go,” I urge him. “I’ll meet you inside.”
He doesn’t argue, just gives me a tight nod and disappears through the front doors.
My chest aches watching him go.
By the time I pull into a parking spot, my phone is already in my hand.
I’m scheduled to work tonight.
After staying last night, I’d planned to catch a few hours of sleep when we got back before heading in for my shift.
But Emmett needs to be here right now. And I need to be here for him.
I stare at the schedule for a moment before opening the group text.
Me: Any chance someone wants to pick up tonight? Family situation.
My thumb hovers over the send button for half a second before I tap it.
The message disappears into the void.
Hopefully someone bites.
I tuck my phone into my back pocket and head inside.
Connie is waiting for me in the lobby.
“How’s Monica?”
Connie rubs her forehead. “Yesterday, I’d have said good.”
My stomach tightens. That’s not what I wanted to hear. There’s too much uncertainty in Connie’s voice.
“And today?”
Her lips pull into a frown as she leads me through the secured doors.
“Today, I’m not sure.”
“And Emmett?”
Before Connie can answer, commotion erupts at the far end of the hall.
The sharp and frightened cry is a knife to my heart.
I reach the doorway just in time to see Monica pressed against the far wall, clutching the blanket around her shoulders.
An aide stands a few feet away with her hands raised in a calming gesture.
Emmett is frozen in the middle of the room.
Completely still with the most devastated look I’ve ever seen on his face. He drags a shaking hand down his face.
“Monica,” Connie says gently as she moves around me.
Monica’s gaze darts between the three of us. Her blue eyes are wild with confusion, and without a hint of recognition for Emmett or I.
“Where is Rory? I want my daughter.”
My stomach drops. The woman who teased her grandson with me yesterday is nowhere to be found.