Page 30 of When the Leaves Fall

LUCA

H e’s being so incredibly selfish, and I’m tired of taking care of him. Why won’t he just listen to the doctor? He’d be so much happier if he were able to drive, leave the house, and go back to work.

I don’t like seeing him miserable, but even more than that, I hate seeing Mom sad and tired all the time. She needs someone to take care of her, too.

I work the next four nights in a row, meaning Drew and I won’t be able to have much time together, if any. Just thinking about not seeing her makes my heart hurt.

She sent me a text a few hours ago, while I was sleeping in preparation for tonight’s shift, asking that I come in early to meet her. We agreed to meet at the same place where we had coffee and bagels. When I arrive, she’s already waiting for me at the same table we sat at before.

“So, is this like our table now?” I ask when I approach.

She lets out a small, forced laugh. Fuck.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I have good news,” she replies. Her words sound happy, but her voice doesn’t. “Mom is doing so well that she’s moving to a care facility on Monday.”

“That’s great!” I reply. And then it hits me. What this actually means for Drew. For us. Instinctively, I grab her hand, but she pulls away immediately. “Drew?”

“I wanted to tell you in person right away,” she says.

“I appreciate that,” I reply, reaching for her hand again.

She pulls back, placing both of her hands on her lap. She looks nervous. Sad.

Fuck, I’m nervous and sad. It doesn’t matter that we knew this was coming. It still hurts.

“Drew, this is good news. I’m so happy for your family.”

She nods slowly.

“Is she going to a local facility?” I ask.

She nods again.

“Okay, then. We’ll have to make sure we make the most out of that time.”

She stops nodding. “No,” she whispers.

“No?” I ask.

She inhales deeply, then looks up to meet my gaze. “Last night was one of the best nights of my life, Luca.” Her voice is trembling. “The perfect ending. ”

Oh, shit. She’s ending things now.

“Drew,” I start, reaching across the table. She abruptly stands, almost knocking her chair over.

“Luca, I had the best time with you. You’re the reason I made it through all of this. Thank you so much for everything. I’ll never forget any of it.” She starts to back away from the table. “I’ll never forget you.”

I attempt to stand, but my legs are weak. She holds her hand up, gesturing for me to stay. “Please don’t make this harder, okay?” She pushes her chair under the table. “Last night was perfect, Luca. Thank you.” She turns, and I watch the love of my life walk away from me…forever.

T he next few hours pass in a blur. I tried going down to see Drew during my breaks, but she was never in Sandra’s room when I walked by. Sandra caught me once and made me come into the room. I said my congratulations and goodbyes to her and Frank. But Drew was nowhere to be seen.

“She went to our house to pack up some clothes for Sandra,” Frank mentioned. “And we have a list of things we need to do before she gets to come home. Drew is working on that.”

I nod slowly, shooting him a grateful smile before heading back to the CCU.

Even though I knew this was going to end, I wasn’t prepared. I thought we had more time. I knew saying goodbye would be hard. I knew it would hurt. But right now, my heart feels like it might burst from this pressure, this constant aching.

I can’t imagine never seeing Drew again.

Never kissing her.

Tasting her.

Seeing her smile.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let someone in again.

Fuck, I need to snap out of this. I still have half of my shift left, and the CCU is no place to be distracted. One mistake can cost someone their life.

I step into the bathroom and splash my face with cold water. Get it together.