Chapter 2 #2
“Amber Lynn was the absolute apple of her father’s eye. Mine too, of course, but my goddess, the way they shared this special bond was nothing short of magical.” Trina speaks in a hushed voice, and I’m guessing it’s for the benefit of the other worried family members in the waiting room.
“How old was she when…” Danika doesn’t finish the question but we all know what she’s asking. We know the broad strokes about Amber but not the specifics, asking has always seemed too invasive.
“Twenty-one, just barely.” Trina squeezes my hand, and from the corner of my eye I see her other hand flexing around Danika’s as well.
“Three weeks before graduation. She was studying for her final exams at the campus library, stayed until closing.” She takes a deep breath and continues.
“Back then, we didn’t have cell phones and such and I’d like to think she would’ve called us to tell us she was too tired to drive.
” Shaking her head like she’s reliving the horrible moment all over again, she takes in a deep breath and gives us the tragic ending.
“She was T-boned. Her spinal cord was severed. She died on the scene. The worst part of it is that, in the end, it wasn’t her fault or the fatigue.
It was a drunk driver who ran a red light. ”
And just like that, I’m livid on Trina and George’s behalf.
“Did the guy get caught? Did he go to jail?” I turn fully in my seat, staring straight at Trina’s delicate profile.
“Yes, he was caught. Spent weeks in the hospital with broken bones and internal bleeding. He confessed, admitted to everything. He cried almost the entire time he was there, begging for forgiveness.” I scoff at the notion, but when Trina turns to look at me, I realize there’s a lesson to be learned.
“Do you know what Sage means?” she asks.
I nod. “Wise.”
“Yes. And in French, it also means ‘good’.” From the intensity of her gaze on me, I can tell she’s got more to say, and because Trina is my guiding light, my parental figure, I wait and I listen.
“You must wear your name with pride and you must respect its value. Good people are capable of doing bad things, Sage. The whole of a person isn’t defined by their one bad action, it’s defined by the sum of their decisions.
Trent Edwards, the drunk driver, was so distraught over Amber’s death that he let himself die along with her.
He was a good man who did a bad thing and he couldn’t find the strength to forgive himself for it. His body just…gave up.”
I bring Trina’s hand to my lips so I can kiss the back of it for a few long seconds, tears dripping on her almost translucent skin. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Her attachment to us takes on a whole new meaning for me, after this conversation.
“Thank you, sweet girl.”
“Trina…” Danika’s voice brings us out of this deeply emotional moment, and when we both look up at her, she nods toward the door.
“Mrs. Galdur?” Danika and I stand, helping Trina make her way to the doctor who is still in his scrubs, a blue cap with anchors in an array of different bold colors scattered all around.
“Yes. Is he okay? Is my Georgie going to be okay?” We don’t miss the tremble in Trina’s voice, even though she’s standing tall and strong when faced with the potential of soul breaking news.
“It was touch and go for a while. Your husband coded twice on the table, but his heart is strong for his age and, thankfully, we were able to repair the damage.” The relief is like a three-ton steel case being lifted off of our shoulders.
“We’ll have more information for you once he makes it through the next twenty-four hours.
Right now, he’s in intensive care. You can go visit him in just a little bit.
A nurse will come in and take you to him. ”
As though we’d practiced it, the three of us throw our arms around the poor surgeon who, clearly, wasn’t expecting the well-intentioned assault.
“Thank you, doctor. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Once the doctor leaves and the adrenaline tapers down, we sit back down on the barely comfortable chairs with armrests big enough to hold our elbows but narrow enough to remind us that we’re not supposed to stay here too long.
I close my eyes, allowing my emotions to swirl inside of me, breathing in and out as my fears and hopes and utter despair try to reconcile around my heart.
It was too close for comfort. Losing George means losing Trina on some level.
Although I’ve never been in love, I have the deep rooted certainty that being ripped away from your soul mate is akin to losing one half of yourself.
And, let’s be honest, who are we if we’re not the whole of ourselves?
My body trembles from the fear of something happening to either one of them, of Danika being taken away from me, of being truly alone.
“Sage.”
I blink, my head snapping to my right, my gaze colliding with a very worried Trina.
“Yeah? I’m sorry, did I zone out?”
“No, sweet child. You’re fine.” I let out a relieved breath but it lasts only a second before Trina’s next words.
“When all of this is over, you and I need to have a serious conversation.”
Well, that’s not ominous at all.