by Crowne, KC
“You’re going to be the best mother,” I said softly.
I carried her up the hill to the road and was greeted by first responders. They rushed from the ambulance and ran over to us, but it was difficult to hand her over to them.
I knew I had to, I knew they would take care of her, but it killed me to let her go.
What if this was the last time I’d ever get to hold her? What if I lost her?
The thought sat like a lead weight in my gut.
Ooo000ooo
“Christopher, it’s your dad,” I said, leaving yet another message for him. My voice cracked as I spoke. “Listen, I’m sorry about everything, and we need to talk. But first, you need to know that Molly is in the hospital. It’s bad, son. She was in an accident and I haven’t seen her since they took her, no news or anything. She needs her best friend here.”
I hung up. I hated leaving that kind of message in a voicemail, but he wasn’t answering his phone. Not that I could blame him. Like I’d told Molly, he needed time. Normally I’d give him some time and then try to talk to him after things had cooled off a bit, but we didn’t really have the luxury of time right now.
I knew Molly would want him by her side, and perhaps I was being selfish, but I could use him too.
I sighed and stared down at my hands. Another hour in the waiting room with no news. I was starting to go crazy pacing the tiny room, but there was no way I’d go anywhere. I would wait there forever until I heard the news.
Molly had to be okay, she just had to be.
She’d been talking to me afterward, that had to be a good sign. At least for her. My heart dropped as I thought about our baby. Please, God, let them both be okay. I wasn’t usually a praying man, but I found it in me to pray to whatever higher power would listen.
I heard footsteps and picked up my head, expecting a nurse or a doctor, but found Christopher and the man he’d been with at the bar.
Christopher had tears in his eyes. When his gaze fell on me, I prepared myself for the worst. I expected him to tell me how much he hated me, how I’d destroyed his life yet again. And he was within his right to say both of those things.
What I wasn’t prepared for was him running into my arms. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as he cried into my shoulder.
“Please tell me she’s okay,” he sobbed. “I can’t lose Molly. She’s the best person I’ve ever met. I just—” A sob ended his words.
“I know, son,” I said, patting him on the back.
I’d never been the affectionate type, but this felt right. My son needed my comfort, and I would give it. I think part of me needed it too.
“Is there any news yet, Mr. Walker?” the blonde man asked.
“Not yet.”
The man nodded solemnly. “My name is Tyler by the way. I’m a—a friend of your son’s.”
I had a feeling that he was more than just a friend but left it at that until Christopher was ready to tell me otherwise.
“Thank you for takin’ care of him and drivin’ him over,” I said.
“Of course.”
There was a look in the man’s eyes as he stared at Christopher. A look of concern and love that I recognized instantly. It was the same look I had for Molly. Tyler obviously cared for Christopher very much.
Christopher pulled away and wiped at his eyes. “I haven’t forgotten what you told me, and I’m not sure I forgive you yet, but we can deal with that later.”
“Thank you, Christopher.”
There were more footsteps, and this time, a nurse turned the corner. She had a friendly face and a smile that gave me hope.
“Are you here for Ms. McBean?”
“Yes,” we all said at once.
“Do you have any updates on her condition?”
“Are any of y’all family, by chance?”
Christopher’s face fell.
“I’m the father of her child,” I said slowly. “Does that count for somethin’?”
“It does,” she said. “Molly is awake and talking, so she can give us permission to let you back.”
“She’s awake?” My heart flared to life. Up until that moment, I didn’t think it was beating at all, but suddenly, I was alive once more.
“She woke up about twenty minutes ago, but she’s still in recovery. She had a head injury, a concussion, but she should be ready to see you shortly,” the nurse said.
I fell backward into a nearby chair, relief washing over me. “And the baby?”
I was almost afraid to ask. It felt like we’d already gotten lucky, that asking for the baby to be alright as well might be too much. I’d done so much bad shit in my life, but I prayed that my child wouldn’t suffer for it.
“The baby is fine,” the nurse assured me. “We’re monitoring both for now, but so far, everything seems to be okay.”
“Thank you,” I said, my eyes clenched shut to hide the tears of relief.
Molly and our child were going to be fine.
Molly
“You have visitors,” my nurse, a friendly woman named Betty, said in a sing-song voice. “You seem to be a pretty popular patient.”
“People? More than one person?” I asked, just to be sure. My voice was still strained, my throat sore from the breathing tube from earlier.
“Yes, at least three last time I checked,” she said with a smile. “Should we let them in?”
“Sure,” I said, curious who besides Silas knew about me being in the hospital in the first place.
Betty left, and a moment later, the door opened. Silas entered, and while that didn’t surprise me, it still filled my heart with happiness. I knew I wasn’t alone as long as he was there. Following him was Christopher, which did surprise me. And then the blonde man from earlier that I assumed was Tyler.
Tears welled in my eyes at the sight of my best friend, and he was crying too. He pushed past everyone to be by my side and leaned down to hug me tightly before pulling back. “Oh wait, is it okay? Do I need to be careful?”
“You’re fine,” I said. “Come here.”
Christopher leaned back toward me and we embraced. I was sobbing now, so thankful he was there for me.
“I’m shocked you’re here.”
“I may still be hurt, but you’re my best friend, Molly. And nothing will ever change that.”
“You mean you don’t hate me?” I asked, pulling back to stare into his teary eyes.
“I don’t hate you. I love you, silly. I just needed some time to process everything.”
“It’s…a lot to process,” I admitted.
“Hush. We’ll talk about it later. For now, let’s just focus on getting you well.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “That’s more than I deserve.”
“No, it’s not, Molly. You’ve been there for me through everything these past seven years. We’ll figure it out.” Christopher kissed the back of my hand. He looked at the blonde man and motioned for him to step forward. “Molly, I want you to meet Tyler. Tyler, this is my best friend, Molly.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I couldn’t help but smile at the way the two of them looked at each other. It was clear they were smitten with one another. I’d never seen my best friend look at anyone that way. I knew they’d be getting married at some point. I wasn’t sure how they’d work out the distance, but I knew they would find a way.
“And you,” Tyler said. “Christopher’s told me so much about you. I can’t wait until you’re all better and we can spend some time together. You can give me all the dirt on this one here.” He looked at Christopher and smiled.
“Oh, if it’s dirt you want, it’s dirt I’ve got,” I chuckled.
“All right, you two,” Christopher said, pretending to pout while Tyler and I laughed.
I looked past them at Silas, wondering if he could see what I did. It was almost hard to miss it, honestly. And when Christopher reached out for Tyler’s hand, holding it right there in front of all of us, I knew Christopher no longer
cared if his dad knew.
And I was happy for him.
“Alright, I think it’s time to let you two talk,” Christopher said, his face pained at the idea of leaving my side. “We’ll be in the waiting room.”
Christopher and Tyler left the room, hand in hand. If Silas noticed, he didn’t make a big deal out of it. He didn’t even stare.
His eyes were on me and only on me.
As soon as they left, Silas moved to my side, dropping down in the seat beside me. He leaned forward and kissed me before I had a chance to say anything.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered. His voice cracked and tears shone in his hazel eyes. The big, bad tough as nails rancher was crying. I was crying too, and he cradled my face in his hands, kissing every inch of my face. “I can’t lose you, Molly. I just can’t.”
I let out a deep breath. “I can’t lose you either, Silas,” I said. I’d had a lot of time to think in recovery. The way he’d jumped in to save me, the gentleness and care he’d had with me. I remembered most of it, and I saw the look in his eyes - that fear of losing me.
And I realized that my biggest regret had I died was that I didn’t have more time with him.
That I didn’t give us a chance.
“At the restaurant, I had another surprise for you but didn’t get a chance to tell you about it,” he said.
I cocked my head to the side. “What are you talking about?”
“I bought you a store.”
“I know, in Houston. I can’t accept it, Silas. I already told you—”
“No, not in Houston. In New York City. I found a small space in Manhattan, and I had the savings to put down on it. It’s yours. I only ask for one thing in return.”
My breath caught in my throat. A store. For me. In the city. Everything I always wanted, yet, I couldn’t just take it.
Silas didn’t give me a chance to say no.
“I only ask that you split the time between New York City and Texas. I’ll get us a place in the city, somewhere I can stay too. We’ll be together no matter where you go, Molly.”
“Silas, I—”
“Please, don’t say no right away. Think about it. I realized there’s no way I can lose you. If you asked me to, I’d up and move to New York City to be with you, but I’d rather not. I want our child to know the ranch and the plains and the clean country air.”
“And he or she will,” I said softly. “Because I want the same thing, Silas.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” I giggled. “Yes, I want to be with you, Silas. I don’t ever want to lose you either, and I would never ask you to give up everything you have here. We can split the time between both places, but I can’t accept the property you bought.”
“You can and you will. Just wait and see,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose, then my forehead before resting his head against mine. “I’d give you the moon, Molly. Anything you ever want, it’s yours. Just stay with me, please.”
I ran my fingers down his jaw, stroking the scratchy beard as I stared into those hazel eyes. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Silas Walker. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me now.”
“Good,” he said, kissing me again. “Because I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.”
Silas
“How is she?” Christopher asked, hopping up from his chair in the waiting room. His hand had slipped from Tyler’s when he stood up. Tyler stood beside him.
“She’s doin’ good. She fell asleep, and I wanted to let her rest a bit,” I said. “I also wanted to talk to you.”
Christopher’s face hardened immediately, as if he was preparing for an argument. But I wasn’t about to argue with him.
“I’ll give you two a moment alone,” Tyler said, stepping out of the room.
“Dad, if you’re going to—”
I held up a hand to stop him. “Listen, son. I just wanted to get somethin’ out in the open. I’ve been waitin’ for you to tell me, when you felt the time was right, but I feel like you think I don’t love you for who you are.”
“What do you mean?” Christopher’s face blanched.
“Christopher, I know you’re gay. I’ve known since you were fifteen and moved in with me,” I said. “I walked in and saw you moonin’ over that Twilight poster on your wall. Whatever the werewolf was called, that guy—”
“Jacob,” Christopher said softly, his eyes turning downward.
“And when you told me you were takin’ a friend to homecoming, what was his name? Nick?” Christopher nodded sheepishly. “I knew he was more than a friend. When I came to pick you up, I saw the two of you kissin’ out front of the school. If I was ashamed of my son bein’ gay, don’t you think I’da thrown a fit about it that night? But no, what did we do?”
“You took Nick and me out for ice cream,” he murmured, his face coloring.
“And gave you time alone too, didn’t I? Because I knew a date when I saw one, and I didn’t want to intrude.”
Christopher lifted his head and met my gaze, and there were tears in his eyes. “Dad, I— I just always thought with you being a big tough rancher, there was no way you’d be okay with your son dating other men. I figured I’d be a disappointment to you.”
“Christopher, I didn’t even know I had a son until you were ten years old. I had no preconceived notions about what your life would look like. Nor should I. You’re your own person, and as long as you’re happy - I’m happy for you.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “All I want is for you is to find happiness in your life, wherever that might be. And from the looks of it, Tyler brings you a lot of happiness.”
“He does,” Christopher said, a smile pulling at his lips.
“Then I like him already.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect at this point - maybe Molly had been right about my approach to things, maybe I shouldn’t have just ripped the band-aid off here either. But the look on Christopher’s face proved to me that I’d made the right choice.
He wiped the tears away and came forward, hugging me again. I patted my son on his back and hugged him hard.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, Christopher. Not right away. But I do hope we can repair our relationship in time.”
He backed away and eventually nodded. “I think so. I just need some time to get used to the idea that my best friend will be the mother to my sister or brother.”
“Take all the time you need,” I said. “I promise that we never intended to hurt you. We were gonna tell you soon. But we had to figure out the best way. I went about it all wrong, and I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, Dad. No one’s perfect. Not even you.” He offered a sly grin, and I felt closer to him than I had in years. I knew it would take some time, but I hoped that maybe we could come together and be a family.
“Well, except Molly, of course,” he added. “She’s as close to perfect as you can find. I think she’ll be good for you.”
“Yeah, I think so too.” He was right. Molly was as perfect as they came - and she was all mine.
Ooo000ooo
A banner across the doorway said, “Welcome Back, Molly.” It was all Emily’s doing; I knew my sister’s handiwork.
Molly’s smile lit up the room when she saw it. She’d spent about a week in the hospital and was finally cleared to go home. And for now, the ranch was home. We weren’t pressing our luck with her flying just yet, even though the doctor said she’d probably be fine.
Or perhaps I just didn’t want her to go.
It was impossible to keep the news from everyone, since they had questions about why she was back in town and why I was spending so much time at the hospital. We had to tell them eventually.
Christopher and Tyler were also at the house, along with my brothers Chase, Travis, and Wyatt. Mama G had, of course, baked a cake and made enough food to feed half the state of Texas. Any excuse to put together a special meal.
My mother was the first one to greet us.
�
�Wow, all this food. It looks amazing,” Molly said, grinning from ear-to-ear.
“Well, you know, we have to make sure you’re good and fed. You’re eating for two now, and I want my next grandbaby to be healthy and strong.”
Molly seemed surprised that Mama G and the others took it so well, but I had an amazing family. None of them had believed she was with Christopher anyway, and the age difference wasn’t that big of a deal when you thought about it.
Not when two people were good for each other.
“Please tell me you’re gonna stay awhile,” my mother said, taking Molly’s hands in hers.
Molly looked at me. We’d barely talked about what we were going to do. She agreed that splitting her time between the two places sounded like the best idea, but that was right after the accident. Perhaps she’d had a change of heart.
“Actually, yes. I talked to Christopher about it, and we’re going to open our boutique in Houston to start out,” she said. She winked at Christopher. “We both have reasons for wanting to spend a lot of time here, after all.”
That was news to me. I had gifted Molly with the deeds to both properties; I had told her it was her choice.
“And eventually,” she continued, “we’re going to open a bigger store in Manhattan, but not for a while. Let us get our footing here first, in a smaller market.”
“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Mama G said.
Molly reached over and took my hand in hers, giving it a firm squeeze. “Me too.”
After everyone greeted her, I pulled Molly aside. “So you and Christopher, everything is all good there?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “He stopped by one morning while you were here, and we had a long talk about everything. We still have some work to do, but we’re going to be just fine.”
“Well hello there, partner.” Christopher’s voice took us both by surprise. “And by that, I mean business partner. Not cowboy partner.”
“Of course not,” Molly giggled. “Because you’ll never completely be a cowboy.”
