Losing Him (Mitchell Family #8)(40)

I heard Jessie talking. “I don’t know what else to do. It’s been three days. Why isn’t she responding?”

“I don’t know. Look, I need to get out of here. Miranda hasn’t talked to me in days. She thinks I’m making a mistake. Van’s husband is on his way to pick her up since she stayed a couple days later. I need to be there when he arrives.”

“Ty, thanks again. I don’t think you’re as much of a dick as I did before. Heather would appreciate you coming.”

“I just thought I’d give it a try. I mean, she hates me more than anyone. If she won’t wake up for love, I figured hate might work.”

They both laughed and the room got quiet. I didn’t want them to leave me, even if they weren’t even really there. “I keep thinking my phone is going to ring and you’ll be on the other end asking to talk to Jacob. He misses us, you know. I haven’t left your side for three days. Amy keeps bringing me food. It’s funny. Before we came here, I thought they were all horrible people. It turns out that they are pretty cool. Even Ty is doing his best in light of the situation. It’s happening and you’re missing it. They’re letting go of the past. Isn’t this what you’ve dreamed about?”

It was.

Too bad it wasn’t real.

My mind was playing tricks on me.

“Heather, I need you. Things will be different. I won’t walk away from you again, I promise. Just wake up for me.”

I tried again to reach out to him, but nothing happened. The room got silent and I was all alone again. Inside I was screaming out for Jessie, but he couldn’t hear me.

Chapter 22


Jessie


It was difficult for me to have to make the decision to go home and make arrangements for Jacob. Luckily, my sister offered to take him and let me stay at her place, while I waited for Heather to wake up. I didn’t care how long it took, I was going to wait and prove to her that she could count on me. I was going to fight for her, like she’d always wanted me to do.

It was weird how I’d gone for months and not been near Heather, but this accident had made me not want to be away from her. I missed the way she smelled when she came out of the shower and put lotion on her legs. I missed how when she got mad at me, she’d pretend she wasn’t, or how she’d cook something that was delicious and swear that we were lying when we said we loved it.

I wanted all of that back in my life. I wanted the little details that drove me crazy. I wanted to be the woman that drove me crazy; the woman that gave me life’s greatest gift.

Leaving the hospital, for even a day, was hard. I felt like as soon as I walked away she was going to wake up or something bad was going to happen. It was a good thing that I had a son that I missed like crazy. He’d been spoiled for a coupled days, but knew something was wrong.

I had to take him home and sit him down before I could tell him about his mother. He sat there, with his hands folded, waiting for me to tell him.

“Buddy, Mommy’s been in an accident and she’s at the hospital.”

“Can we go see her?”

I shook my head. “They don’t allow kids in the part of the hospital they are keeping her. I wish you could come. I know she’d like to hear your voice.”

“Let’s just call her.”

I got on my knees on the floor and faced him. My hands cupped his knees. “We can’t call her, because she’s sleeping.”

“We can wait until she wakes up.” He looked at me like I was an idiot for not figuring that out.

“Mommy isn’t sleeping like you and I do when we go to bed. She has a head injury and she can’t wake up yet.”

“Did you try to scream? Mommy wakes up when I’m loud.” His response was well thought, but he still wasn’t getting it.

“I tried to scream. I even invited people that know Mommy to come and talk to her. She still won’t open her eyes.”

He talked in almost a whisper. “Is she going to die like Nana?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. As much as I wanted to believe that Heather was going to be okay, she still hadn’t opened her eyes or reacted at all.

“Jacob, I’m not going to lie to you. You’re a big boy and you deserve to know the truth. I don’t know if Mommy is going to get better. I want her to wake up, but I just don’t know if she will.”

He started to cry and I pulled him into my arms. “I’m sorry, buddy. I know it sucks. We just have to pray. Daddy is doing everything I can think of. I need you to be the strongest boy you can be right now.”

He pulled away and looked right at me with tears running down his face. “I don’t want Mommy to die.” His lips quivered and I felt like bawling myself.

It was too much to take. “I don’t want her to die either.”

“What can we do? How do we make her get better?” Bless his little heart for wanting to do whatever it took to help his mother.

“For starters, we can head to your aunt Krista’s house. She lives close to where Mommy is in the hospital and that way Daddy can be there in case she wakes up.” Jacob only saw Krista twice a year, so I knew he wasn’t thrilled about staying under her care. I didn’t have a choice. Being without him to care for Heather wasn’t an option. I needed him close to me, no matter what happened.