Chapter Fifteen #2
“Cora?” softly questioned Ben as he took a seat beside her. He still had Adam with him. “Are you okay?”
She gave a jerky nod, clearing her throat. “I’ll be fine. It’s Henry we need to worry about.”
“You heard the doctors. They seem pretty sure that everything is going to go smoothly,” Ben tried to reassure her.
Cora decided not to respond. She found she could move her limbs again and clasped her hands together.
“Addison and Lincoln are with Henry right now. He’s almost ready to go into surgery. Do you want to see him before he goes?” gently asked Ben.
Cora shook her head. She had said everything she needed to already to Henry, except the most important thing which she wasn’t ready to say.
Should she have told him she loved him? wondered Cora.
If Henry died and she hadn’t said the words, would she regret it?
Or would it be better to simply not say anything?
It wasn’t as though he had ever said the words to her.
Henry simply showed how he loved her in simple, easy ways.
Was she ready to have him know her feelings?
Cora didn’t know.
She wasn’t given a chance as Addison and Lincoln approached, sitting down in the small waiting room with them.
“He’s on his way to the operating room. The doctor said the heart is here and everything seems to be on track at this point,” mentioned Lincoln as he held Addison’s hand. “It’s going to take a while because they need to be extra careful with his condition plus fixing the aneurysm at the same time.”
Cora nodded because that seemed required of her. She knew all of this already. She and Henry had gone over everything with the doctors. What to expect for the operation, what might happen for complications, his aftercare, all of it.
Henry had even gone over with her his will, his passcodes, what Ben and Addison might need but weren’t ready to talk about. He had planned everything with an eye to everyone else’s needs and emotions. Even the funeral, should the worst really happen.
Henry told her he was most worried about Ben and how Cora would need to keep an eye on his youngest brother. It was good that he had Kitty to lean on, but he needed family as well.
It had been a hard conversation but necessary.
They had forgone watching her favorite soap and sat on Henry’s bed, talking about what might be needed in the event of his death.
Cora had hated it but she had allowed it to happen because she knew Henry needed to get it off his chest. He needed to confide in someone so that they would all be prepared.
She knew everything there was to know about Henry.
He didn’t know everything about her. He didn’t know she had been leaving Nate to run to him for protection and support. He didn’t know she loved him.
“Should I tell everyone in the group chat?”
Ben’s voice interrupted Cora’s thoughts.
“Maybe later,” ventured Addison. “Otherwise they all might want to show up. The only thing we can do at this point is wait anyways. I don’t know about you, but I would like it to stay quiet for the moment. I think Cora might appreciate that as well.”
“Then we can wait,” decided Ben.
They waited for hours.
Cora didn’t check the time. She was glad Nick and Oliver were at school.
She took care of Adam when he needed her but otherwise Addison or Ben would take the baby from her.
Cora realized they were probably using the baby to soothe their own nerves and she didn’t begrudge them that.
Lincoln got them coffees, drinks, lunch, and made a nuisance of himself at the nurses desk, asking for updates.
Otherwise, he held Addison’s hand or wrapped an arm around her so that she could lean on him.
Kitty came and soon was absorbed in taking care of Ben. She quietly chatted with him, leaned on him for comfort, or played with Adam.
Kitty was a natural with babies.
It was also clear she and Ben adored each other. Cora wondered just when the pair would get married. She rather hoped it was soon. She wanted to enjoy another wedding in the family. Cora wanted to enjoy good events. She had enough bad ones to last her a lifetime.
At some point a doctor came to update them. He was young, an intern on the surgical team.
“Henry has been doing very well. The aneurysm has been completely repaired and the team are working on finishing the transplant right now. This is the most delicate part of the process and the majority of the grafts seem to be holding up very well,” said the doctor.
“What do you mean the majority of the grafts seem to be holding up well? Are there some that aren’t?” questioned a concerned Ben.
Fear clutched at Cora’s heart.
“There were a couple that we needed to regraft. It was a complication that has added time to the surgery which was already longer due to the repair of the aneurysm,” confirmed the doctor.
“This means the new heart has been waiting for some time. It’s still within viability, however Henry is very weak and the operation is longer than anticipated. ”
“You’re saying it’s taking too long for Henry to be okay?” questioned Addison as she held Lincoln’s hand. “Is Henry going to make it through the operation?”
“I’m saying there is added concern but as of yet, things are still going well,” he tried to reassure them. “They are working on the last of the grafts to Henry’s new heart. Soon we will know whether or not it has been a success. I will come back with another update.”
Cora heard the words as though through a long tunnel. There were complications. The doctor had called it a concern.
When she and Henry had talked to his surgeon earlier this week, he had warned them that any complications might mean Henry would have less chance of surviving the operation.
Addison left Lincoln’s side, sitting by Cora and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I am choosing to believe that Henry will come through the surgery.”
Cora nodded, even though she worried.
“He loves you too, you know,” Addison whispered in her ear. “He has for years. It’s okay to love him back if you want to.”
Putting an arm around Addison’s expanding waistline, Cora leaned into her, seeking comfort, hoping that what Addison had said was true.
It seemed like forever before the lead surgeon came out with a smile on his face.