Chapter 39
Summer
"Good morning. Jake had a peaceful night. They're talking to him like you asked."
"I'm glad," I reply, brushing his hair off his forehead. He's got a bit of scruff this morning, and I think it looks good on him. Kissing his cheek, I take a seat and grab his hand.
"Darling, I'm going to grab a coffee. Would you like some tea?"
"Yes, please," I smile at him.
"Ray, care to join me?" Zander asks. He nods, and they head out.
That gives me the opportunity to tell Jake about the guys coming, the workup he'll get on Monday, and the procedure on Friday. I express my excitement about being able to see his beautiful eyes again and having a two-way conversation.
It's been such a whirlwind few months. I've just been going and going nonstop.
If Jake wakes, it won't slow down anytime soon.
I need to talk to Ray about what happens after the trial because I refuse to believe it won't be successful.
The thought of Ray moving him to Michigan, so far away from me, is unimaginable.
Jake will be 18 soon, so it'll technically be his choice, but he'll need a lot of care in the coming months.
Physiotherapy being the most obvious. He'll also need regular checkups, schooling, and possibly Sarah.
Zander and Ray come back with my tea. I've never found shop tea that great, but I didn't bring any with me. Taking a sip, I ask Ray about his plans when Jake wakes up.
"I haven't made plans, Summer. I'll figure that out if this works."
I open my mouth to push, but Zander interrupts me. "Darling, there's plenty of time to discuss that later. Even if the procedure is successful, Jake will remain here for a while."
I take a deep breath and nod. He's right. I just want everything planned out so I know what's going to happen, but Ray's probably overwhelmed with all this. He doesn't believe this will work either, not truly. I think he gave up hope a long time ago, but that's okay. I have enough for both of us.
A few hours later, Seb texts me they're in the parking lot, so Zander and I walk down to meet them. "Sunshine," Seb calls, breaking into a big smile. I get picked up and twirled around in a hug.
"Hi Hurry. Glad you're here," I smile. I get hugs from Bay and Alex, then we head back through the hospital. The guys have their bags with them, not wanting to leave them all day in the parking lot.
We stop at the security desk in the research wing so the guys can show their IDs and get visitor passes. Once they have their lanyards, we take the elevator to the 6th floor and down the hallway to Jake's room.
I introduce Ray first, and they all shake hands. Ray thanks Alex for all his help in getting Jake here, expressing how grateful he is. Alex brushes it off, saying I'm family.
Next, I step over to take Jake's hand. "Guys, this is Jake. Jake, meet my friends Seb, Alex, and Bay." I look nervously over at them, but I shouldn't have worried.
Seb comes straight over, putting his arm around my shoulder. "Hey man. It's nice to finally meet you. Sunshine is always talking about you. I hope you're ready for 5 new friends when you wake up because we'll adopt you just like we adopted Summer."
I beam up at him as Bay and Alex step up to the bed. "Great to meet you," Bay smiles at Jake.
"Hello Jake. Nice to meet you in person," Alex adds, looking into Jake's closed eyes.
My friends are the best. I give Jake's hand a squeeze as we step back.
The guys drop their bags on a side table before we take seats around the lounge area.
Zander gets an extra chair from the next room so we can all fit.
Seb asks Ray questions about himself, and he chats with each of the guys, getting to know them.
I can't help but smile as my two worlds come together.
Zander offers to grab us lunch and asks Ray to join him. We decide on a restaurant Leigh told us about yesterday. After telling Dad to order a variety, we pull out our books to start homework. Bay and Alex have notes for me from Friday, and Jaxon gave Bay my physics homework.
Since I already began Thursday's work, I finish quickly, except precalculus, then move on to review Friday's classes.
An hour later, Zander and Ray come back with food.
They got a little of everything from the Mexican restaurant, so we clear the coffee table and set out containers of food, grabbing what we want.
It's all fresh and good. I try a shredded pork taco and a piece of quesadilla with guacamole.
Trying new foods always makes me think of E, and I get a little sad for a minute, but I shake my feelings off and focus on the family around me.
After Zander, Ray, and I finish eating, the guys easily consume the rest of the food.
Gathering up the garbage, Zander invites Ray to join him in visiting his friend. He initially declines, not wanting to impose, but Zander insists, telling him they're visiting a museum. That catches Ray's interest, so he takes the garbage and leaves with him.
I introduce Leigh when she comes to check on Jake, then it's back to homework. "Bay and Alex, you've gotta help with math. My head hurts just trying to understand it," I tell them.
They smile at me and lean over to see what I'm working on. Both help me work through the questions from Thursday. Luckily, their explanations make much more sense than the notes from class. I still have lots of questions, but they're patient with me.
We continue through Friday's lesson. As Bay explains the class notes, I make my own in a way that makes sense to me.
When he finishes, I'm able to do many of Friday's questions based on my own notes.
"Bay, ever considered being a teacher? You'd be amazing.
Look, I did all these questions myself with your explanations. "
He blushes at the compliment. "Haven't really considered it. It's something to think about, though Alex actually did some research on different ways to explain the math, then showed me."
"I believe your mind processes information differently than the teacher explains it. We just adjusted to how you learn," Alex tells me.
These guys… "Thank you so much," I smile.
Alex checks my answers for me when I'm done, and I have to make a few corrections. I'm pleased, though. The guys switch to SAT prep while I continue to read through the other Friday class notes.
Mid-afternoon, I get up to stretch and check on Jake.
I offer to get drinks for everyone, and Seb jumps up, wanting to come with me.
Once we're out of the research wing, he pulls me into an empty room and up against the wall.
Lining his body up with mine, he kisses the heck outta me.
I happily wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back.
It feels like forever since we were alone, and I missed his kisses.
Seb pulls back once we're both panting. "Sorry, Sunshine. I needed that," he says.
"No complaints here," I smile. "Sorry things have been so busy."
"I'm not complaining either, Sunshine. Life is crazy right now. Come on, let's grab some drinks and snacks before we get caught," he says, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
Chuckling, I grab his hand and lead him to the cafeteria. We order smoothies along with water and snacks. Once the smoothies are ready, we carry everything back to Jake's room. Seb hands Alex and Bay their smoothies while I take a bathroom break. After checking on Jake, I rejoin the guys.
Alex is quizzing Bay and Seb with SAT questions as I finish my homework. As soon as I'm done, Alex pulls me into the questioning. It's not long before Seb's complaining about all the science questions, so Alex switches to the humanities.
We stay at it until Zander and Ray return. They're both smiling, so they must've had a good afternoon. We pack up our stuff and get ready to leave.
"What do we want for supper tonight?" Zander asks.
"There is a park with several food trucks a few blocks from our hotel," Alex tells us.
"You and your food trucks, Alex," I chuckle. He just shrugs in reply with a small smile. "Ray, does that work for you?" I ask.
"Sure, I'm not fussy."
"Shall we say in an hour? You boys still need to check into the hotel," Zander says.
We all agree, so I give Jake a kiss and let him know we'll be back in the morning to see him. The guys and Zander say goodbye to Jake as well, as we grab our bags to leave.
We split up in the parking lot after I tell Seb our room number. Once we get to our room, I freshen up in the bathroom and then I flop onto my bed. "I was thinking we'd leave after lunch tomorrow, darling. That will get us home before dinner," Zander says.
"Okay, that works. Thanks for including Ray today."
"He's a nice man. Lonely, though. He's going to be in our lives, so I'm hoping we can be friends."
"He's actually hilarious, or he was," I frown. "Adventurous, too. I hope he can get back there once Jake wakes up."
"What are you thinking regarding Jake, darling? After he wakes."
"How so?"
"Ray lives in Michigan, and we live in South Carolina."
"Well, he'll be in Charlotte a week or two before being discharged. I'm hoping Ray will stay here for rehab and not take him to Michigan. I know Jake won't want to go way up there, but he's not 18 yet, although he will be soon. If Ray can't leave his job, could we take him home with us?"
"That might be possible," he nods. "We'd need a medical power of attorney and to retrofit the guest room. Possibly home care, too. If Ray agreed, I don't have an issue with it."
I get up and hug Zander. "You're the best. I hope you know that. If I had the option to pick a dad, I'd pick you."
"Oh darling, you're going to make me cry again," he smiles.
A knock on the door interrupts us. Zander dries his eyes before answering, finding the guys waiting. "Sunshine, we're across the hall, two doors down," Seb greets, coming over and dropping onto my bed. "Are we doing anything after dinner?" he asks, looking between us all.
"No plans," I shrug.