His mom. That was one issue he was dealing with right now. Illness or not, she couldn’t say mean things about Lily, or to her brothers.
He said his goodbyes to Lily’s family. They were much too understanding and kind to him.
“We’ll call you if there’s any change,” Lily’s mom, Gabby, told him. They’d come into the waiting room a few minutes ago and been as gracious as Caleb and the other siblings. Everyone except Lily. Not that he blamed Lily, he just wished he could beg her to forgive him and she would listen.
He hugged her mom again and managed to say around the lump in his throat. “Thank you. I’ll be back in the morning, if that’s all right? I’d really like to see Josh.”
“That sounds great,” her dad said.
“Are you all staying all night?” Hyde wanted to stay with them. Hold Lily’s hand and help Caleb deal with blaming himself. None of this was Caleb’s fault. It was all on Hyde. How could he have ever believed that Lily would cheat on him with Ike? Now she might never forgive him. He blinked quickly.
Every one of them nodded.
“I’ll bring breakfast in the morning,” Hyde said.
“Thanks.” Gabby whispered then turned away, fresh tears on her face.
Hyde walked slowly down the hallway, partly wishing Lily would return and he could try to make things right with her, but knowing they both needed time or maybe they both needed a whole lot more than time. Could he even heal these wounds?
He stopped by the front desk. The twenty-something blonde smiled flirtatiously at him, but then her jaw dropped. “You’re Hyde Metcalf!”
He nodded, trying to smile, but it probably fell flat. “Hey. I need a favor. I can pay whatever, but there’s a family up in your neuro intensive care unit. Their little guy is in a coma and the entire family is staying all night.”
“Oh, the poor thing,” she gushed.
“Yeah. Hey, could you get them blankets, pillows, drinks, snacks, whatever you can do to make it more comfortable for them.” He pulled out a couple hundred dollar bills and handed them over.
“Of course. I can even find some rollaway cots, extra blankets, and stuff, and make sure they’re setup in the waiting room.”
“Thank you. This means a lot to me.”
“It’s no trouble. But is there any way you could…” She glanced down and smiled shyly. “Take a selfie with me?”
Hyde exhaled, but muttered, “Sure,” then leaned in and she snapped the shot. He hoped his smile didn’t look as plastic as it felt.
The drive home took forever, but at the same time wasn’t long enough. What was he going to say to his mother? Was it even fair to confront her on this? Yet he had to do something. She’d unwittingly hurt Lily and her family, especially little Josh. Sure, she didn’t cause the accident, but turning the boys away like that. It was unacceptable.
Hyde banged through the garage door. “Mom?” he called.
“In here.”
Of course she was in the kitchen. It was nighttime so she couldn’t be in her gardens. His heart softened when he saw her, wiping down counters that were already sparkling clean. She smiled brightly at him. Her eyes looked clear today. Hyde bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek then took her hand and led her to the padded barstools.
“We need to talk,” he said.
Her eyes grew wary. “Why?”
“Mom. I know what you told the reporter about Lily and I know that you told Caleb and Josh not to come see me anymore.” He shook his head. She sat still, hardly blinking. “Caleb and Josh got in an accident after they left here, Mom.” His throat clogged up and he tried to clear it.
“Oh, no.” She covered her mouth with her hands. “Are they okay?”
“No.” He swallowed and managed to say, “Caleb’s okay. Josh is … in a coma.”
“The little guy? The one that idolizes you?”
Hyde nodded, the pain ripping through him again. He shouldn’t have come home. He should be sitting by Josh’s bedside waiting for his buddy to wake up.
“I did tell them you didn’t want to see them again.” She sniffled.
Hyde nodded. She remembered. That was something at least. “Why, Mom? Why would you say that?”
Her rounded shoulders rose and fell. “I… don’t know.”
Hyde watched her for a few seconds. She looked scared, vulnerable.
“I’m never going to desert you,” he said. Hyde didn’t know if it was the right direction to go, but why else would she run off every girlfriend he’d had?
“What?” she squeaked out.
“I’m not Dad. I won’t ever desert you. Even if I fall in love and get married. I would never marry a woman who didn’t love you too. There would just be more people to love. Does that make sense?”
She blinked quickly and leaned toward him. “I can’t lose you, Hyde.”
“Mom, you won’t.” He took her hand and felt moisture coming to his own eyes. Clearing his throat, he continued, “You will never lose me. I will always be here for you and if I get married my wife will be here for you.” He cracked a small smile. “If I married Lily her parents and six siblings would be here for you too.”
“Six?” she croaked out.
“You understand, don’t you, Mom? You don’t have to sabotage Lily and I. You can let her into your heart.” If Lily ever forgave Hyde and gave them a chance to be together.
“But she was dating that other guy. The reporter had proof and it made me mad that she’d do that to you.”
“It was all lies, Mom.” Hyde shook his head.
“Oh, no.” She smiled weakly. “I should be the first one to know how reporters distort everything. I shouldn’t have said any of that about Lily.”
He nodded then continued, “Lily would love you as much as I do, and neither of us would leave you like Dad did.”
She swallowed and picked at a nonexistent piece of lint on her pants. “I miss him. I know things weren’t great between us, but … it’s miserable being alone.”
“Oh, Mom.” Hyde enfolded her in his arms. They quietly shared their sorrow for a few minutes. “I miss him too,” he managed.
She pulled back and sniffed. “I haven’t been completely truthful with you, Hyde.”
“About what?”
“You know the letter he left for you? Explaining why he left?”
“Yes.”
“He left me a letter too. It was mean.” Her voice drooped. “He’s never coming back Hyde, but it’s my fault, not yours. He said I was too sarcastic and gave Allie more attention than I gave him. And some other … personal stuff.”
Hyde stared at her. What a jerk his dad was. No wonder she’d gone downhill so fast with his dad deserting them and then her being diagnosed shortly after. He still couldn’t believe his dad would just ditch her instead of try to work it out.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but don’t blame yourself. You’ve always been there for me.”
She smiled at him, but it was tinged with something unreadable. “I’m sorry, love. I’m sorry that I never give your girlfriends a chance.”
“Can we change that?”
“With Lily?” She gave him a perceptive look and she looked like his mom of last year, not the past three months.
“Oh, I hope so.” Hyde smiled. “But she’s pretty ticked at me right now. She’s blaming me for everything.”
“Well, that’s not right, it’s all my fault.”
“It’s not all your fault.” He wanted her to know she couldn’t talk to Lily or her brothers like that, but she was sick, she couldn’t be blaming herself for everything.
“Yes, it is.” She stared out the dark window and muttered, “I’ve been faking, Hyde.”
“Excuse me?” Hyde rocked back, staring at her. “Faking what?”
“That the Alzheimer’s was worse than it really is.”
He was tired and she was tired. She wasn’t making any sense. “Mom. I know it’s hard to know you have a progressive disease, but like I said, I’ll be there f
or you. It’s okay.”
“Hyde.” She gripped his hands tightly. “Listen to me. I know I’ve got early-onset Alzheimer’s. I forget things. I’m more irritable than I used to be. But I am not out of it like I’ve been pretending the past few months.”
Hyde’s back slammed against the padded barstool. Was this for real? “Mom? Why? How could you?”
She shook her head and released his hand. “I’d already lost your dad, I was terrified of losing you. Terrified of losing my mind. I flipped out. I could see how upset you were about my diagnosis and I used that to keep you close until I figured things out.”
“I’m so confused right now. You’ve been playing me?”
His mom’s body shuddered and tears leaked out. “I’m not proud of it, okay?”
She shouldn’t be proud of it. She’d lied to him. To everyone. He jumped to his feet and paced the room. The implications of her deception were almost as huge as the shock. How could she fool him like this?
He walked to the kitchen door.
“Hyde?” she called to him.
He put up a hand. “Give me a second.”
The cool night air brushed over him. His mom had lied. Because she was scared and lonely and had been deserted by the man who had promised to love, honor, and cherish her. Part of him wanted to jump in his sport utility and get out of here for a while, but that was the last thing she needed. He wasn’t his dad and he wouldn’t run from his responsibilities or his problems.
He was mad and confused, but in a way could see why his mom had done it. He paced the back patio for a few minutes, letting himself calm down and trying to figure out how to reassure her while still wanting to cuss her out. Stopping, he sank into a plush patio chair and put his head between his hands. Everything was crashing in on him—Josh being hurt, Lily hating him, his mom lying, but not being as sick as he thought. Of the three, he’d take this news. Even though it made him mad, it was actually good news.
Finally, he reentered the house. His mom was where he’d left her, kind of slumped down in a barstool. She straightened when she saw him. Hyde sat down and stared at her, waiting for her to fill the gaps in for him.
“I’m an awful mother, Hyde. I’ve been holding you back.” She sniffled and then grasped his hands tightly. “Thank you for reminding me that you wouldn’t desert me. You’re a great son to me even when I’ve done something unacceptable. I was an emotional wreck after your dad left and I was diagnosed, but I’m doing okay now. I’m finally coming to grips with everything. It’s time you live your life. Go play ball this year and date Lily. I won’t hold you back anymore.”
“So you’re really going to be okay?” He was still struggling to wrap his mind around this news.
“Yes, and when I really do degenerate you can hire somebody to take care of me. Please don’t tie yourself down because of this awful illness. Will you promise me that?”
It was a complete one-eighty. Hyde wasn’t sure what to think. He would always be there for his mom, but for this moment her day to day care wasn’t as crucial as he’d feared.
“Thank you, Mom.”
She nodded tightly.
Hyde had a sudden thought. “Does Allie know?”
“She’s suspected.”
“She’s going to be ticked when you tell her.”
His mom grimaced. “Isn’t it enough that I told you?”
“No! You have to make this right. With Allie and with Lily and her family.” Hyde was reeling with the implications. His mom was sick, but she wasn’t out of it like he’d feared. This was crazy and he was upset, but more than anything he was relieved. His mom wasn’t gone mentally. Not yet, at least.
“Okay, I’ll do it.” She blew out a breath and gave him a brave smile.
Hyde stood and tugged his mom up, enfolding her in his arms. “Mom. I feel like, I’ve got you back. I can’t believe you’d pretend to be out of it when all I’ve been wanting is my mom.” He was sniffling at tears again. If his teammates saw him tonight they would kick him off the team.
His mom hugged him tightly. “You mean you’ve felt deserted too?”
“Dad was gone and you were like this shell of you, and it’s been miserable.” He gently shook her. “Don’t ever do something like this to me again.”
She laughed, but it slid away quickly. “Eventually I will be out of it, Hyde. It’s scary to know you’re going to lose your mind.”
He exhaled. “I can’t imagine. But I’ll be here and we’ll keep working with the best doctors and doing all we can to keep you here as long as possible. I love you, Momma.”
“I love you so much.” She cried quietly.
Hyde held her close and though tonight was one of the hardest of his life, he felt relief in knowing his mom was still here with him.
Chapter 15
Lily returned from the bathroom and peeked around the corner at her family. Hyde wasn’t with them. She sighed in relief, though part of her wished he would fight for her, for them, but no, he’d left. It was better that way.
Her family was in the waiting room with rollaway beds, piles of blankets and pillows, and a table full of food and drinks that her mom was sharing with an older couple, praying for news about their son-in-law who’d had an accident involving a parasail. The only person from her family who was eating was Brandon. He could eat almost as much as Josh. Oh, Josh.
Lily bit her lip to stay under control and approached her mom. “Did they say when we could see him?”
“Caleb’s in there right now,” she said. “Do you want to go next?”
“Yes, please.”
Her mom’s mouth twisted like she was trying to give a reassuring smile, but she’d just eaten an onion and couldn’t get the bitter taste out of her mouth. “Just buzz in at the door and tell them who you’re visiting. Only one of you can go in at a time.”
“Okay. Where did all of this come from?”
Her mom shrugged. “Some blonde girl just kept bringing stuff in. She asked how we knew Hyde. Said he gave her money.”
Hyde did this. It was so him. Even though he’d left, he wanted to take care of them and it made her miss him all over again. The way he always took such good care of her.
“Honey.” Her mom wrapped a concerned arm around her. It felt so much like being a child and Lily would’ve appreciated the comfort, but she couldn’t handle her mom’s thoughts about Hyde right now.
“None of this is Hyde’s fault,” her mom said.
Lily had no response to that even though it was semi-true. A lot of blame lay with Ike, Teresa, and even Lily for bringing Hyde into her family’s lives and giving Josh this dream that ultimately crushed him.
“I’m going to see Josh.” She shrugged out of her mom’s hold, turned, and hurried to the intensive care door. She’d have to apologize to her mom later, but she couldn’t think about Hyde right now. She was already on edge and didn’t need another explosion.
The nurse buzzed her through and told her to wait outside Josh’s door. She could see Caleb bent over their little brother’s bed.
“Let him stay as long as he wants,” she told the petite nurse who looked to be close to her mom’s age. “I’ll wait.”
“Okay. When he comes out you can go in.”
“Is Josh going to be okay?”
The nurse elevated one shoulder and shook her head. Her curly brown hair bounced. “His vitals are really good, honey. It’s hard to say with brain injuries though. Sometimes they wake up as soon as we ease off the barbiturates, but sometimes … they never come around.”
Lily recoiled. She didn’t want that kind of truth. The nurse walked away without trying to remedy what she’d said or comfort Lily. It was for the best. Nobody could comfort her right now.
Caleb turned as if he sensed her watching him through the small window on the door. His face was streaked with tears, his dark hair tousled. He turned back to Josh and squeezed his little arm then walked to the door and slipped out.
Lily grabbed him in a fier
ce hug. She couldn’t stop the tears flowing or the vain reassurances, “He’s going to be okay. He’s going to be okay,” she kept repeating as she rocked him back and forth.
Caleb sniffled and clung to her. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t pull away so she simply rocked him in her arms like he was a little boy. Being eight years older than him, she remembered how cute and tough he’d been as a little boy. He’d never let her hold him like this, that was for sure.
He broke from the hug and wiped at his face. “Thanks, sis,” he muttered then walked toward the double doors and punched through them. The poor kid. Lily wished she could do more for him, but there were no words of comfort that would help. Only Josh waking up would cure this pain. And if he didn’t … Well, then she’d have to pray her guts out that Caleb could someday forgive himself and they could all survive without their little sunshine boy.
She squared her shoulders and pushed the door open. There were monitors beeping, oxygen whooshing, and hoses snaking everywhere. Josh had a tube down his throat, an IV coming out of his left arm, and monitors attached to his bare chest. His face and abdomen had a grayish-white tinge like dirty snow.
Lily forced herself to look over his body. He was a thickset kid, but he looked so small in that crisp, white bed. His chest looked okay, rising and falling under the power of the machine, but there were a lot of small scrapes on his face and arms. The airbag exploding on his bare skin?
Lily focused in on his face. She’d never seen Josh so lifeless. It was worse than seeing her grandparents in their coffins and realizing they’d never hug her again. Would Josh ever give her that mischievous smile and throw a football to her again? Would he ever slam into her and knock her over with his exuberant hugs?
She sank into the chair next to the bed, reaching for his fingers and squeezing, praying, aching for a response, any slight movement would do. She always loved the feel of his slightly chubby fingers grasping hers. For the first time that she could remember, he didn’t squeeze her hand back, he didn’t open his eyes and give her that toothy grin that always made her day.
Pass Interference Page 13
