29 Savannah
After being in the hospital for less than twenty-four hours, Savannah was released to go home under the strict conditions
that she take it easy for the next week and keep the pre-op appointment with her own cardiologist a week from Monday.
“I promise,” Savannah said as she signed her discharge paperwork.
“And I promise to make her,” Bianca added, giving her sister a serious look. “She’s been bossing me around my entire life.
It’s my turn now.”
The nurse gave an approving nod. “Sounds like you’re in good hands.”
They wheeled Savannah through the hospital doors to where Cora was waiting next to the car. “There’s a surprise for you at
home,” she said.
“What is it?” Savannah cradled her casted arm, which was broken in two different places, against her body to try to avoid
any more pain.
“Nope,” Cora said, climbing into the driver’s seat. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”
“But you’re going to like it,” Bianca said from the back seat.
They were right. When they pulled up to the beach house, there was a banner hanging across the front that said “Welcome Home,
Mommy.” Two giggling girls and a very handsome man were standing in front of it.
She really was the luckiest woman alive.
“What is this?” Savannah said as soon as she stepped out of the car.
“We’re here! Two loops early!” Genevieve announced.
“At the ocean!” Juliette threw her hands up in the air and spun in a circle.
“I’m so glad because I have missed you.” She held out her good arm, and both girls ran to her for the best single-arm hug
she could manage.
Chris joined them, giving her a kiss. “You gave us quite a scare.”
“You gave us all quite a scare,” Cora added.
“I know, and I’m sorry. But starting right now, I’m putting my health first.”
“Good, because we’ve implemented some new house rules. Starting with a mandatory chore chart,” Cora said.
“A chore chart, huh?” Savannah raised a skeptical eyebrow since she’d seen how well the first chore chart had worked.
“Yep. Except unlike last time, this time everyone is required to do their jobs. No exceptions. No excuses. Even from you.”
Cora gave her a stern look.
“I’ll do my best,” Savannah said.
“Ta-da!” called Bianca, who had snagged the chore chart from inside and held it triumphantly over her head before handing
it to Savannah.
It was the same wheel that she’d made weeks ago, but it had been revised. The pies in front of Cora’s and Bianca’s names now
had extra jobs written in with a black marker. And the pie next to her name had a whole new paper taped in place.
She only had three jobs: rest on the couch, rest in a lounger, and rest on the bed. Savannah pointed to the second choice.
“I choose the lounger on the deck.”
“Perfect choice,” Cora agreed. “Because we’re grilling hamburgers tonight. Right after Chris and I take the girls for a quick
swim.”
“Hooray for waves!” Juliette danced around, and for the first time, Savannah realized they were already dressed in swimsuits
with the matching cover-ups she’d bought them for the trip.
It wasn’t exactly how she’d imagined the scene would look.
The girls’ hair wasn’t styled in the perfect, photo-ready braids she’d imagined.
The umbrella wasn’t up, and the beach loungers weren’t set for the first trip down to the water.
Every single beach picture from here on out would have her arm in a cast, and she’d be spending far more time in a chair than she’d intended.
In fact, the whole summer didn’t look the way she’d imagined. The Summer Bucket List had more empty boxes than checked-off
ones. Even the activities they had done hadn’t turned out like she’d thought they would. And of course, there was the impromptu sleepover at Sunnyside Memorial
Hospital, which hadn’t been comfortable for anyone.
Even now, the flurry of activity around her was chaos. People bumped into one another as they gathered floats and towels and
snacks. Genevieve cried because sunscreen stung her eyes and Chris had white streaks on his face from where he hadn’t rubbed
his sunscreen all the way in. Juliette was walking around with a Twizzlers rope hanging from her mouth, and the entire house
fussed over Savannah getting settled in a lounger, as if a tiny hole in her heart somehow made it hard to sit down without
missing the chair. As if she hadn’t been practicing that move every day for the last thirty-three years.
But as she watched the scene unfold, she realized that while it might not have been what she’d envisioned, what was in front
of her was even better. There was laughing and talking and togetherness. These moments, as messy and unexpected as they were,
were memories in the making.
“Auntie Cora, I’ll race you,” Genevieve was saying. “Last one in is a rotten egg!”
“You’re on!” Cora started running before she’d even finished speaking.
“Wait for me, wait for me!” Juliette cried, always half a step behind her big sister.
“I got you, Jules. We’ll catch ’em.” Chris scooped her up and set her on his shoulders. He turned back to Bianca. “Will you
light the charcoal?”
“On it.”
“I want a hot dog!” Juliette called from her perch on Chris’s shoulders.
“On that, too.”
It wasn’t a perfect day, but maybe that was the problem. She’d been trying so hard for so long to make everything match the
ideal vision she had in her mind that she missed the everyday perfection that was happening all around her.
Bianca reappeared from the side of the house with all the required supplies for the charcoal grill. “I hope a quiet environment
wasn’t part of your relaxation requirements. Because I’m pretty sure that’s going to be impossible.”
“Naw. This kind of noise is good for the heart.” Or at least it was good for the soul.
Bianca busied herself with the grill. “How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”
Savannah shifted in her seat. “Are you my designated babysitter? Making sure I don’t overexert myself?”
Bianca chuckled. “No, although it’s not a bad idea to put someone in charge of making sure you take it easy. Apparently you
haven’t been the best at self-regulating.” She gave Savannah a mock stern look.
That was fair. “I promise from here on out I’m going to be better about that.”
“Good.” Bianca finished lighting the charcoal, and she dropped onto the lounger next to Savannah. “I have to leave in a few
minutes to go do a setup. But I wanted to help out by getting things rolling for dinner. I’m sure the girls will be starving
when they get back from their swim.”
“Thanks. Swimming always makes them ravenous.”
They both watched their crew splashing in the waves in the distance and a silence fell between them. After a few silent minutes
of staring off at the water, Savannah shifted to face her little sister.
“I’m sorry I made you feel like you’re not good enough. That was never my intention.”
Bianca looked at Savannah. “What?”
“I’ve had a lot of time to reflect over the last couple of days, and I realized that my actions may have not lined up with my intentions.
” She paused, trying to choose the right words.
“I think you are one of the most amazing humans I know. You’re smart and funny and creative.
And I want the very best for you. But sometimes I get so determined to make that happen, I forget to stop and think what would be the best thing for you . ”
“My life doesn’t look like yours. I’m not you.”
“No,” Savannah agreed. “And that’s a good thing. You’re more daring than I could ever dream to be, and I admire that about
you.”
“Thanks.”
“I realize I haven’t been as supportive of your decisions or as trusting of your intuition the way I should have. And I apologize
for that.”
“Well, you’re not always wrong,” Bianca said. “There have been a lot of bad choices in there.”
“Yeah, but there have been a lot of wins, too. And if you want to marry Zander and start a new amazing life with him, then
of course you have my support. You will always have my support.”
Bianca scoffed. “Yeah, that’s definitely one for the Fail column.” She stared down at her hands, lost in thought. “I actually
broke up with him. He’s probably back in Idaho by now, or whatever place he thinks is posh enough for his glamorous lifestyle.”
“What? When?” Although Savannah was surprised, she wasn’t necessarily disappointed. She was trying to embrace life looking
different than she’d imagined, but Zander was going to take a little warming up to.
“Yesterday. At the hospital, actually.” She stared out at the water and drew in a deep breath. “You know, I think you were
right about the gym-rat thing.”
Savannah nodded. “He definitely gave off those vibes.”
Bianca looked at her with a mystified expression. “I mean, what was with the flexing?”
“Maybe he’s just really proud of his muscle control?”
“He’s really proud of something.”
They looked at each other and both dissolved into a fit of giggles.
After they stopped laughing, Bianca shook her head. “I have no idea how I let myself fall for that.”
Savannah did. “You see the best in people and the most optimistic side of every situation. It’s one of your best qualities.”
“I’d say it makes me blind.”
Savannah shrugged. “Sometimes, maybe. But you get it right when it counts.”
Bianca seemed to let that resonate for a second. “Thanks.”
“And if I start to overstep again, don’t be afraid to call me out. Because I don’t always get it right, either.”
Bianca leaned over and engulfed her in a hug. “Maybe. But I wouldn’t be where I am without you.”
“Me, either,” Savannah said, wrapping her good arm around Bianca.
“Although you should know,” Bianca mumbled into her hair, “now that I’m not marrying Zander, I actually have nothing. No apartment.
No job. No plans.”
Savannah sat back and looked into her sister’s eyes. “Sounds like what you really have is no restrictions. You’re free to
follow your heart any direction it takes you.”
“I know. Which is scary.”