A Missing Heart(85)

“Is he out of danger now?” Hunter asks.

“We did a thorough check for any further trouble areas, and it looks like we have everything cauterized. Thankfully, there appears to be no permanent damage, so once we get him back on his feet, I’m confident he’ll make a full recovery.”

I place my hand over my heart, feeling it pound against the inside of my chest. Hunter puts his arm around me and he squeezes, putting more weight on me than I think he realizes. He has his hand over his eyes and his body is shuddering against my side. I take Gavin from his arms, and AJ’s parents pull Hunter in, both hugging him.

I hold my gaze on the doctor, feeling the heaviness in my chest lighten up. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“He’s lucky,” he tells me. “He’s going to need to take it easy for a while, but other than some light physical therapy, we’re going to be in good shape.”

“Okay,” I tell him.

The doctor places his hand on my shoulder and offers a gentle smile. “Please don’t hesitate to call me with any questions,” he says, handing me his card.

“When can we see him?” I ask.

“A nurse will come out to get you when he’s settled in recovery,” he says.

The doctor retreats back through the metal doors, leaving us all staring at his disappearing shadow. At the same moment, the sun pours into the waiting room, which seems symbolic for the occasion.

I turn to Hunter and AJ’s parents. “I’m not sure how much AJ has told you, but Ever and I are moving back to Connecticut. I think AJ and I are going to move in together and take things slowly from there.”

AJ’s mom reaches out for me, removing one arm from around Hunter. “I can’t tell you how happy this makes me,” she says.

“I think it’s going to be a great thing,” I reply.

“You know,” AJ’s dad says. “I’ve got this buddy in real estate and he was just telling me about this house that went up for sale last week. It needs a little work, but that obviously won’t be an issue with the three of us carpenters.” AJ’s dad is beaming with the thought. “Oddly enough, AJ and Hunter were supposed to start work on it this week for the realtor.”

“Are there lots of trees in the back yard?” I ask, appeasing the little dream we’ve had, the one I soothed AJ with before his surgery—one we used to talk about all of the time when we were young.

“Uh, I’m not too sure about that but I know there are at least a few large oaks back there. Did you want a clear yard?”

“No,” I tell him. “Not at all.”

“I think you’ll really like it. You know, AJ sold his house in less than a week last month, so I think you should act quickly on this. You two can discuss it when he’s up for it, and I can help you with what needs to happen.”

I had no idea AJ sold his house. He didn’t mention it. “Where has he been living?”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you two hadn’t talked about it,” AJ’s dad says.

“He and Gavin were staying with me. We’ve been giving him a hand with Gavin,” Hunter says. “He didn’t want to tell you until he figured out his next move. He was waiting on the hearing; I know that much.”

“Wow,” I say through a heavy breath. “We talked almost every day.”

“He didn’t want to add stress to your plate,” Hunter says. “Don’t blame him for that. I can tell you it was all out of love, Cameron.”

“I would never question that,” I tell him, feeling more relief set in.

“Looks like all of your pieces are falling into place,” his Mom says.



It takes a little over an hour before a nurse comes back to get us. Gavin is wound up and going through his hyper hour of the day so we’re taking turns visiting with AJ. I insist that Hunter and his parents go in first this time. “Mom, are we really moving back to Connecticut?” Ever asks.

“Yes, is that okay with you?” I ask her.

“Yeah,” she smiles. “What about school?”

I look down at my watch for the date, noting that school must be starting in less than three weeks now, being that it’s the beginning of August. “We’ll enroll you in the high school—my old high school. There will be lots of new kids there for freshman year, and it will be the perfect transition for you.”

She looks a bit nervous, as I would be, but I know this is what’s best for her. “We'll go back-to-school shopping, and you can pick out whatever you would like. How does that sound?”

“You would have always been a really great mom, you know,” she tells me, instead of answering my question.

“Maybe, maybe not, but I’ve learned that this was always meant to be my life.” I sit down next to Ever and kiss her cheek. “And this little guy. After spending so much time with him this week, I don’t know if I could imagine not having him in my life too.” I kiss Gavin’s head and squeeze him as he wriggles out of my arms.

“It is kind of cool that I have a brother,” Ever says.

Hunter and his parents come back out, all three with large smiles on their face. “Looks like the surgery added an extra hop to his humor. Good luck with him,” Hunter says.

I laugh a bit, wondering what they mean, but AJ has always been a clown. The clown in him has just been buried under a lot of darkness from this past year. It’s time for happiness and a new start now.