Chapter 46
Summer
By Thursday morning, Zander and I have a routine. Continental breakfast, drive to the hospital, talk to Jake, see Ray for an hour, schoolwork, lunch, schoolwork, dinner, hotel, and repeat.
I’m sitting in the armchair beside Jake, my feet up on an additional chair with his bed lowered beside me.
Zander is using the couch and coffee table to work, with sports playing quietly on tv.
My phone is on the bed, playing the hits from before the accident softly in the background while I’m working through precalculus.
Every night, the guys and Jaxon email me their notes from classes that day.
Bay and Alex take the extra step and send me class notes and “Summer notes,” as they call them.
They’re a lifesaver. I still end up calling one of them after school to check my work, but I’m not failing class.
I miss my friends, but we talk every day.
I’m just about to close my books for the day when Jake moves his arm. I freeze and turn to the monitors. His heart rate's a little faster. Then he wiggles his toes. Oh my gosh! “Zander,” I whisper as I get up. Turning to him with wide eyes, I say, “he’s waking up. Get the nurse.”
Zander jumps up and rushes outside as I quickly gather all my things and stuff them into my bag. Leigh and Zander come back into the room quickly. She checks the monitors and Jake. “He’s coming around. Gather your belongings and step outside, please. Dr. Crosby will be here in a second.”
I help Zander get his belongings, then we go into the hall just as Dr. Crosby arrives. “You can use the room next door. Leigh will be in as soon as she can to update you,” she smiles, before slipping into the room.
We go into the room on the left as I drop my bag on the coffee table and sit on the couch.
“He’s waking Dad. This is it.” I swear my heart is going to beat right out of my chest; it's thumping so darn fast. My whole body feels like I've been electrocuted.
I'm hyper, acutely aware, nervous, excited, and scared all at once.
Zander sits beside me and pulls me into a hug. “It is, darling. I’m ecstatic for the two of you. Let’s wait to get an update before calling Ray, since we don’t know how long before he’s coherent.”
“Good idea,” I nod. Zander turns on the tv as we settle in to get more work done.
I text everyone an update, and that I’ll let them know when he’s fully awake.
I decide to practice SAT questions to keep my mind occupied, but I’m not absorbing much.
A run would be great right now, but then I’d have to leave Jake, which I can’t, so yeah, I’m restless.
Seb calls right after school. “Sunshine. This is so exciting! Is he awake? Did you talk to him? Does he remember you? Is Ray better now?”
Chuckling, I smile to myself. You can never have too much Seb. “Don’t know. No. Don’t know. No. The doctor and nurse are with him now. We’re waiting for an update.”
“Oh cool. I’m so happy for you guys. Wish I was there with you.”
“Thanks, and me too,” I reply as Leigh enters the room. “Gotta go, Hurry. The nurse just walked in.”
“Call me later. Bye Sunshine.”
I hang up and look at Leigh expectantly. “How is he?”
“Almost awake. He’s moving around and mumbling. Dr. Crosby is expecting him to wake fully within the hour. She will ask him a series of questions to determine what he remembers, and I’ll update you again after she talks to him, okay?”
“Thanks, Leigh,” I smile as she leaves.
“How about we get an early dinner tonight, darling? We can grab something in the food court so we won’t be far,” Zander asks.
“Okay.” I quickly text Seb, then follow Zander down to the food court.
I opt for the cafeteria today, as the food here's quite good. I grab a barbecue chicken plate and brownie, following Zander to a table. I wonder how Jake will react to everything. He’ll be worried about me, Mom, and Lily bee first, if he remembers the accident.
Will the doctor tell him the whole truth right away or keep it from him?
How will Ray react? Surely, he’ll come out of his own head if Jake’s awake and talking.
Zander brings me out of my thoughts by telling me about the job happening at Finn today. Troy got pushed into a pool by a little girl while on security detail. “Any pictures?”
He smiles and hands me his phone. Someone must have taken shots from the surveillance camera.
I see a play-by-play of a little girl coming up behind him and pushing the back of his knees.
He turns his foot and slips off the tile, falling backwards into the pool with a look of complete shock on his face.
I laugh out loud at Troy. He looks murderous when he gets out of the pool, but then sees the little girl and softens.
Handing back his phone, I offer him half my brownie, and then we go back upstairs to wait for Dr. Crosby.
I call Sarah when we get back to the room and tell her the good news, and she’s thrilled for us. I talk about how surreal it feels and about Ray, as well as how amazing Zander's been. She reminds me to take things one moment at a time before hanging up.
Around 7pm, Leigh joins us again. “Jake is awake. A little groggy, but fine. He remembers the accident, but is confused. He seems to know time has passed but hasn’t connected the dots, so to speak. Dr. Crosby told him he had a brain injury and is in the hospital recovering.”
“What’s the next step?” I ask.
“Jake seems comfortable with the answers for now, so Dr. Crosby told him to rest tonight, and they would talk more tomorrow. He’s half-asleep watching tv. I removed his feeding tube, but the catheter remains. We don’t want him walking around right away, and we'll start him on broth in the morning.”
“When can I see him?” I ask as Dr. Crosby joins us.
“Hopefully tomorrow, Summer. I’ll explain about the coma in the morning.
Assuming that goes well, you can visit later in the day.
Please be aware that he can get overwhelmed easily.
We want to introduce him slowly to his new world.
I will call Ray this evening and see what his reaction is.
I’ll play his visit by ear, as my priority is Jake.
We'll monitor him all night, but he should be fine unless he becomes extremely overwhelmed.”
Tears well in my eyes. It’s over, and Jake’s okay. He’s really okay. “Thank you so much. Both of you.”
“It’s our pleasure, Summer,” Dr. Crosby says before leaving.
“Now that he’s woken up, we will monitor his brain activity for about a week, or until his incision heals.
After that, the hospital can release him.
We can discuss that further later, after the three of you are reunited.
Now get out of here and get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning,” Leigh smiles and leaves.
I lean my head against the back of the couch and close my eyes as tears fall.
Almost two years of silence, and now, finally, I can talk to Jake again.
It feels like a piece of my life is being restored.
A secret wish, a longing I’d always harbored, but dismissed as impossible.
Suddenly, it feels unreal, like a dream come true after what feels like a lifetime of yearning and waiting.
Tomorrow I get to see Jake, to see his eyes and his smile.
Hear him say my name. A choked sob tears from my throat as Zander pulls me into a comforting hug.
I sob uncontrollably, my tears a hot stream against Zander’s shirt, soaking through the fabric.
He’s back. He’s back. I keep repeating it in my mind.
When the tears slow, I pull back and wipe my face. “I’m so proud of how strong you are, darling. You’ve handled all of this with such maturity,” Zander says. “Your long-awaited reunion will be complete tomorrow. Now, let’s go get some rest. You have another big day coming.”
I get up, grab my bag, and follow Zander out into the hall.
When we get to our room in the hotel, I shower, then talk to Seb for a while.
Everyone is happy for us, but I just feel so drained.
Zander says the stress is causing me to crash, and that’s a totally normal reaction.
Did I mention how incredibly, unbelievably amazing he is?
He puts on an action movie for us, but I fall asleep quickly.