Page 7 of When the Leaves Fall

DREW

D ad starts chest compressions as I run out the door to wave down the Sheriff. My parents live out in the country, and I want to make sure the Sheriff knows which driveway to turn into.

“Here! Over here!” I yell out. The Sheriff parks her truck and then grabs a bag from the back before running into the house. I watch as she checks my mom’s vitals before unpacking the bag.

“Can you tell me what happened?” the Sheriff asks.

“I don’t know what happened,” I cry. “She was absolutely fine, and then she collapsed.”

The Sheriff quickly takes over compressions from my dad. The sound of another vehicle in the driveway grabs my attention, and I see another woman running into the house holding a bag full of medical supplies.

She jumps right into work with the Sheriff. They talk to each other in rapid, but calm voices, spewing things I could only hope to understand. Maybe on a good day, I could decipher it, but that’s not today.

While I stand in the doorway, feeling completely helpless, and anything but calm.

I could get lost in Luca’s hazel eyes. They’re such a unique blend of colors.

Sometimes when I look at them, they seem greener with flecks of gold in the iris.

Other times, they are a tad browner with light specks of green.

All I know is they’re intoxicating. And I love the way they shine when he talks about why he loves his job, even though he experiences some horrible things.

“Is that your phone?” he asks.

“What?” I reply, confused.

“Your purse is ringing,” he points to my purse on the ground.

“Oh. Oh!” I quickly grab my bag and dig through it to find my phone, worried it’s Ruby and I’m going to miss an important update about my mom.

I look at the caller ID and see it’s my uncle, the youngest one, whose kids and I grew up together. I haven’t heard from my other uncle at all since this happened. No surprise there.

“Sorry, I should take this.” I apologize to Luca, but he nods in understanding .

“Hey, Uncle Scott,” I say as I push away from the table and walk a few feet away.

“Hey, sweetie,” he says back. “Calling to check on you and your dad. And see if there are any updates on your mom.”

I give Uncle Scott an update on everything, and he lets me know he plans to visit later this week. After I hang up the phone, I glance back over at Luca. He’s been so kind and patient. I feel like I’ve known him for months, not less than twenty-four hours.

“Well,” I say as I approach him sitting at the table. “I guess I should probably head back up to my mom’s room. I appreciate the coffee and bagel. It was seriously so thoughtful of you.”

Luca stands. “Of course,” he replies. “I don’t work tonight, so maybe I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

“Oh, okay. Sounds good.” I grab my coffee and the rest of my bagel and turn to head back inside. “Thanks again.”

I step inside my mom’s room and see my dad standing there talking with Ruby.

“Hi, Dad,” I whisper as I approach him. He envelops me in a tight squeeze.

“Hey, sweet girl. Ruby here was giving me the update.”

“Anything new since I left this morning?” I ask.

Ruby smiles gently and shakes her head. “Sorry, dear. ”

I nod solemnly. I don’t understand why she isn’t awake yet. I know she was under heavy sedation, but the doctors said she should be waking by now.

Like she could read my mind, Mom’s eyes pop open.

“Dad, look!” I nod toward Mom.

“Sandra, babe.” Tears roll down his cheeks. “Hey, baby. I’m here.”

Mom turns her head toward us, and we see tears welling in her eyes. She looks scared. Unsure. Ruby stays to the side, monitoring Mom but letting us have this time with her.

“Mom, hi,” I choke out. “It’s Drew.” I watch as she slowly opens her mouth, but no words come out.

She slowly raises her arm and tries to pull the cords out of her nose.

Instinctively, I reach out and pull her hand back.

“Sorry, Mom. Those have to stay put for now.” I inhale deeply, preparing myself for what’s next. “You’re in the hospital.”

Fear takes over every feature of her face. Her brows furrow, and her breathing becomes more rapid.

“It’s okay, honey,” Dad says, stroking her forehead. “You’re going to be okay. You’re in good hands here.”

Her eyes fill even more with water, and a single tear rolls down her cheek. I watch as Dad reaches over and gently wipes it away with his thumb. “You gave us quite a scare, Sandra. But you’re a strong woman who wasn’t ready to leave us yet. Thank goodness.”

My dad isn’t usually one to openly show his emotions— hmm, I must not fall from that tree— but I can tell the toll seeing Mom like this has taken on him.

Even with all of his restraint, he can’t hide the worry in his eyes.

It lines his face. It’s seen in the way he won’t let go of her hand and how his eyes have yet to leave hers.

He’s so in love with Mom. They’re best friends, and I truly don’t know if he would have been able to cope if we’d lost her.

It scares me to consider that. But for a short while, I had to.

I had to think about what the next steps would be.

What life would be like without my mom. How Dad would handle it.

If he could handle it. If I were to lose him, too, in a sense.

Mom’s eyes have been open for ten minutes, but it seems like both a lifetime and only a few seconds. I can tell she’s getting tired again, but part of me doesn’t want to let her rest. There’s a fear lingering deep down that worries about whether she closes her eyes, she won’t open them again.

“We don’t want to overwhelm her with too much stimulation right now,” Ruby informs us.

She’ll wake up more often and stay awake longer each time.

During those times, our staff will want to check on her, which alone will tire her out.

I know you have family who wants to visit, but I think it’s important they realize it’s best for her right now if we limit who, when, and for how long people stop in. ”

“Understandable,” Dad replies to Ruby, not taking his eyes off Mom. “I’d like either Drew or me to be able to stay here, but we’ll be sure to limit who else stops in. ”

Ruby nods and walks out of the room to chat with the charge nurse.

“I’ll give Uncle Scott a call.” I already have my phone out and ready to tap his name on my screen. “I know he wants to stop in soon.”

“Have you heard from Eddie?”

Before I realize what I’m doing, I let out a loud scoff. Yeah, freaking right. I know Dad left Uncle Eddie at least two voicemails, and I’ve texted him as well. Not once has he responded to let us know he got our messages or to check in on how his only sister is doing.

Dad closes his eyes and nods slowly. I’m pretty sure he closed his eyes, so I couldn’t see them roll. It doesn’t seem to matter; this is how Uncle Eddie has always been for some reason, and it always shocks my parents.

“I know Uncle Scott is keeping Sarah, Lexi, and Ryan up to date, though. They’ve been texting me off and on to check in, but don’t want to overwhelm us either.”

Sarah, Lexi, and Ryan are Uncle Scott and Aunt GiGi’s children, who my parents basically helped raise. I loved having my cousins around a lot growing up. I never felt like I was the only child, but being the oldest of the bunch, I take on that “oldest child syndrome” like my mom does.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Dad says to me. “And let Mom get some rest.”

“Sure, Dad. That sounds nice,” I reply. “I’ll call Uncle Scott when we get back.”