Cherishing You (28 page)

I head back to the house, killing the engine in the driveway. I’m exhausted right now, but I really don’t think I want to go in. I’ve been alone a lot, especially with Andi being away at college, but right now I feel completely alone. With Mom in the hospital and Andi on her way back to Texas, I’m kind of lost.

I decide sitting here all night isn’t going to change anything, so I finally make myself go inside, take a quick shower, and climb into bed. I take in a deep breath; the blanket smells like her, and even though it makes me miss her that much more, I’m grateful to have it. I can’t wait to have her back in my arms.

I check my phone one more time—still nothing. I try not to let myself get worked up worrying about her. She’s one tough cookie, and I’m sure she is fine. She isn’t going to have much rest as it is. Even though I miss her like crazy already, I really hope she finds what she needs. Then we can decide how we’re going to move forward. I’d love to stay around here with her, but if that’s where we end up we’ll make it work. As long as we’re together, I’ll be happy.

The next thing I know, it’s sunrise; the light shining in the window must be what woke me. I quickly grab my phone and, sure enough, I have a new message. I open it up and see it’s from Andi, letting me know she made it. I look at the time and calculate that she should be waking up there in about half an hour, so I jump up, throwing some shorts on. After using the restroom and brushing my teeth, I lace up for a quick jog, setting the timer on my phone so I can call and wake her up.

I do my usual pre-run stretch quickly, and then set off on my normal routine. At the last minute, I decide to change my run and go into the woods. Before I know where I’m going, I reach the other side and the pond comes into view. This is our spot! As corny as it sounds, I kind of feel closer to her here. I pull out my phone and see my alarm will be going off in a couple minutes. I snap a good picture then run over to the dock and lie down. Taking a selfie with the water in the background, I attach it to a text.

Good morning, beautiful, I hope you slept well. Time to wake up. Wanted to share the pretty view with you today. Love, Ethan.

I hit Send then turn around and look out over the water. Man, I miss her. I really wish she were here so we could enjoy this morning sun together. My world is definitely a much better place with her in it.

I hear my phone beep, so I open it up and smile. She sent me a pic back; she’s all dressed up in a business suit jacket and skirt. She looks gorgeous, of course, and I tell her so, and then to hurry and change because she can’t go to work looking that good. Some guy will try to steal her away from me. I send it to her and laugh. I quickly get a reply.

Well, I
’
m glad you approve. Sorry, no time to change, gotta run. PS, l love you! ;)

She’s so cute!

Okay, I guess. Lol I hope you have a good first day. I love you, BE CAREFUL!

I hit Send then take a few more minutes to stare at the water. I think this is where I want to propose to her. This is where we spent many countless hours with each other growing up, and we’ve added even more beautiful memories recently. I close my eyes and can feel her hand in my hair, tugging on my short locks as I trail kisses down her neck. I can taste her sweet, luscious lips on mine; I’m hard just thinking about her.

I shake my head, pulling myself together. I need to get to the hospital and see Mom, hopefully find out the game plan for getting her better and home. I decide I’m going to try my best to fly out to Andi’s and see her for the weekend, as long as everything goes well with Mom.

I feel better with a date in mind of when I’ll see her again and take back off for the house. Once there, I grab another quick shower and head back to the hospital. I’d already discussed with Ron about being off for a few more days. It’s a good thing we’re so close; any other job and I would’ve been fired by now for sure.

When I get to Mom’s room, she isn’t there.
What the hell? Where is she?
I go back to the nurses’ station and have to wait for a few minutes before anyone comes.

“Excuse me, could you tell me where my mother is?”

“The doctor had to take her into surgery, but she’s stable and should be out soon. When they’re through, the doctor will explain what’s going on. You can wait in her room until then.”

“What the hell happened? She was fine when I left last night. Why didn’t anyone call me? I know my phone was on and working.”

“Yes, I understand, sir. I actually wanted to call, but your mother said to let you sleep, that she was perfectly fine and would see you when she woke up.”

“Yeah, that sounds like her. She can be very stubborn.” I shake my head and walk back to Mom’s room. Well, at least it wasn’t too serious, if she was coherent enough to not want to call me.

I sit around for what feels like forever before the doctor shows up to talk to me.

“Sorry we didn’t get to talk before the surgery, but Carrie was pretty adamant about not calling and waking you. It turns out she had a small bleed in her pelvic area that wasn’t stopping on its own, so we had to go in and take care of it. Everything went well, and I’m expecting her bloodwork to start improving from this point forward. Of course, unless she decides to throw us any other surprises.”

“Well, you better be on standby, because she likes to keep you on your toes.” Mom is brought back in after a few minutes. She’s sleeping; the nurse says she’ll probably be out for a while, but she did well. I decide to grab some breakfast.

When I get back, her eyes are closed, but she says hi when I close the door.

“Hey, Mom, how are you feeling?”

“Like I was run over,” she says with a small chuckle. I’m glad she has her sense of humor.

“Your voice sounds a little better today.”

“Yeah, turns out this sleep thing has its benefits. Speaking of, I’m really tired, so I think I’ll sleep for a bit.” She closes her eyes, and I stay by her side while she rests. I don’t want her to be alone. I decide if she has her way, she won’t let me know anything because she doesn’t want me to worry, so I’m going to have to stay closer to her to know what’s going on. I lay my head back against the wall.

This is going to be a long day. I hope Andi’s having a good first day at work.

I make it to my new job with fifteen minutes to spare. Grabbing a bottled water from my bag, I down half of it on the elevator. The doors open and I step out onto the marble floor. This place is gorgeous, and I can’t help but feel a little bit of excitement as I walk up to the receptionist.

“Hi, I’m Andi. I’m supposed to be starting work today.”

“You need to sign these forms,” she says, handing me a clipboard without looking up from her computer. “Bring them back up to me when you’re done. By the way, you’re late.”

“Uh, late? I was told to report here at nine a.m., and I’m here fifteen minutes early. How is that late?”

She looks me up and down, then turns back to her computer screen.

“Look, you’re new, so here’s your first tip. You have a lot to learn today, and even more paperwork. You should’ve arrived an hour early to do your orientation papers. Now we’re wasting time, and time is money here, so hurry up and finish that paperwork.”

Did she just dismiss me? Wow, she needs to get away from that desk a little bit and off her high horse.
I sit in a nearby chair, find a pen, and start filling out papers. So thoughtful of them to give me an actual desk or table to use. I feel like I’m in some snotty doctor’s office.

Just when I’m almost finished, I find the actual contract of my employment.
Uh, what the hell? This is not the job I accepted.
I go back up to the desk and ask to speak with Tina.

“Are you done with your paperwork yet?”

“Well, no, I actually need to discuss something with her first.”

“When you sign them, I’ll go get her.”

“Excuse me. I don’t know—or really care—who you think you are, but I wasn’t offered a job by you. I won’t sign the rest of these until I speak with Tina. Now, you can let me through to her office, or I will personally call her. Your choice.”

I’ve been through too much hell the past two days to let some girl push me around. She starts clicking on her keyboard a mile a minute without saying another word to me. After a few minutes, a door opens; she looks at me and nods to it. Apparently, she doesn’t feel the need to talk anymore. That’s okay with me—definitely no love lost.

I go through, seeing several office doors, but I remember where Tina’s office is from my interview. I softly knock, and she says to come in.

I open the door and she is sitting there with another gentleman.

“So, Andi, I can see you received the paperwork, do you have it completed?”

“Well, no, I’m not quite done yet. When you offered me the position, I understood it to be as a marketing officer assistant.”

“Oh, I apologize for the confusion, but what I meant to say was a clerk’s assistant. You know, run copies, take phone calls, pick up lunch—those sorts of things.”

“Well, I’m sorry to have wasted your time, but I’ll have to decline this position as I was expecting something else. Besides, I have another opportunity back home. Thank you for your time.”

With that, I turn back around and march out the door without waiting for her to reply. When I reach the front lobby, I give the biggest smile to that snooty lady at the desk. She has no idea what to think of me.

As I step out of the elevator to the front door, I get a text from Mom wishing me good luck. I start to reply but decide against it; I really want to surprise them all. Not to mention, I don’t want anyone to try to talk me out of this. I’ve seen what I needed to be 100 percent confident in my choice.

I get back in my car and start it, then grab my phone and Google the nearest moving company. After making a few calls, I quickly figure out that I’m not going to be able to get anyone out there for a few days, so I decide to head back to my apartment and load up as much as I can in my car, including Mom’s cooler with fresh ice and added supplies for my drive back. I feel like I’ve lifted a hundred pounds from my shoulders, and I can’t wait to see the look on Ethan’s face when he sees me. I call and talk with the landlord, who agrees to let my stuff stay there an extra week. I figure I’ll see if Dad will fly out here with me this weekend so we can drive back a U-Haul with the rest of my belongings.

After making a few phone calls to some of my friends from college, I take a long look around and finally decide there’s nothing left to take care of. After filling up my car and checking all the fluids, it’s time to hit the road again. I’m ready to get back to Mom and Dad’s place. I’m so excited, I waste no time getting to the freeway.

Most of the drive is fairly uneventful; I run into a storm, but it’s mainly just some rain. I stop for a bit, stretch my legs, and fill up, then get right back on the road. By the time I’m back in town, it’s evening, so I figure Mom and Dad will be home. When I pull in, I see their car is gone.

They’re all probably at the hospital visiting with Carrie. I’ve ignored Ethan’s calls and texts today; I knew if I answered I wouldn’t have been able to hide that I was driving home, and I really want to surprise them. I hope everything’s okay, but I’m sure they’re just visiting; someone would’ve left me a message telling me otherwise if not.

I decide to go there and surprise them. I pull into the parking lot, and there sits Ethan’s bike with Mom’s car just a few rows down. I quickly decide how I’m going to do it.