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Siblings, sometimes you wanted to beat the piss out of them, and sometimes you didn’t grasp what you’d do without them.
I leaned to the side and kissed the top of Alandria’s forehead. She stopped eating for a second, looked up at me, and gave me a milky smile before she went back to eating.
“Be good for your grandfather.”
“Do you know if Waverly has a stroller?” Mack Sr. prodded when I stood. “Figured today’s going to be a nice day, might be a nice idea to get out a little bit and into some fresh air while you’re gone.”
I scratched at my chin. “If she does, I have no clue where the hell she’d keep it. Maybe Sarah Jane knows?” He nodded, and I held up the ring of keys Waverly’s mom left me. “Want me to leave you Waverly’s keys?”
“Might be a good idea.”
I didn’t worry about returning before Mack did. Just because a hospital said noon didn’t mean the actual time wasn’t more like three or later, depending on their workload. “I’ll call and let you know when we’re on the way.”
“Perfect.”
Waverly only had one dedicated parking spot, so I had rotated her Civic into a visitor area so I could park my car in hers. It would make it easier when I brought her home, especially since her space was dead center of her building, and she still had to climb stairs to get to her apartment.
The Comet started up, and the purr of her engine calmed me like nothing else could. Putting the vehicle in reverse, I eased out of the parking area. With a last glance up to where I knew her living room was, I dropped the car into drive and took off in the hospital's direction.
Although the drive home would be short, I hoped Waverly would talk and not play any of her stupid games. I had a right to hear why she’d kept me out of hers and Alandria’s life. She had to understand avoiding the situation wouldn’t ease the problem or make it go away. It would just make it worse.
At least this time she can’t put herself into a drug-induced sleep to avoid me.
After parking my car in the designated spot for pick-ups, I made my way up to the orthopedics floor. I checked in at the nurse’s station as I had so many times over the last week and received a packet of discharge paperwork from the nurse on duty.
“I’ve already gone over all of this with Waverly,” she said. “But we also have to cover this with whoever is picking her up as well. There was stuff about Waverly’s concussion protocols, along with the information about her TBI. Then there was the paperwork about her reconstruction surgery, the list of dos and don’ts for her leg, and the existing appointments he’d have to take her to. To say I was a little overwhelmed, would be an understatement. Since Waverly has been here longer than intended, Dr. Jay came in this morning to remove the stitches in her foot and leg before having her leg re-casted. Everything is healing well.”
“Thank you. I appreciate all the hospital has done for Waverly.” I glanced at one of the appointment cards. “Guess we don’t need this one?”
She frowned, then laughed as I handed her the card. “Exactly. One less thing on the list of returning Waverly to a one-hundred percent healthy.”
“That’s the goal,” I said with a final thank you. “I’d say it’s been nice getting to know everyone, but...”
The nurse laughed again. “Next time, Jackson, let’s meet on better terms.” She hesitated for a second, then added, “We love Waverly. For being a student-nurse, she is a dedicated, hardworking person. We’re going to miss her while she’s recovering.”
“For what it’s worth, my goal is to get her back to you, healthy and full of spitfire when she returns.” I lifted my hand for a final wave before heading off down the hall to Waverly’s room.
The whole week I’d spent coming and going while we waited for Waverly to wake up, I learned bits and pieces about the kind of nurse Waverly was becoming. As much as there was sadness inside of me, pride also welled there. Even the mothers she helped through the birthing process and the ordeal had stopped by her room on their way out to check on her and to tell me about what she’d done for them.
I’d been in awe of Waverly. She’d done her job in the most extreme of situations and helped bring new life into the world, even as one person lost almost his entire life.
Waverly was amazing.
Stopping in front of her door, I cleared my mind of all the stories then knocked.
Waverly’s soft, “Come in,” had me hesitating.
Pushing open the door, I found her sitting in the chair next to the hospital bed. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants with the right leg cut off and sported one of the older Flame T-shirts. She had one shoe on, and a heavy sock on her right foot to keep her toes warm. The bright pink cast on her leg already had a few messages and signatures on it.
When I lifted my gaze back to her face, the pissed-off expression coloring her features was telling. She didn’t want me here. Well, too damned bad. I was there, and I was going to help her.
“You ready to go?” I held up the folder the nurse provided me with all of Waverly’s papers, orders, and prescriptions and appointments. “I got your discharge papers, and the nurses said you’re free.”
“Where is Alandria?” she snapped.
Not this shit again.
I sighed in aggravation. It took everything in me to overlook the longing I detected in her voice masked by her disdain. From my perspective, the relaxed reunion I’d hoped for was more than likely going to be a combative meeting I didn’t want anything to do with.