Page 74 of The Boyfriend Blog
âYou gave us a scare,â I say, my voice breaking.
âStop that. No crying.â Ednaâs eyes drift shut, and when she opens them again, she looks at Aiden and holds out her hand. He walks across the room and sits beside her, his big, warm hand enveloping hers. âAre you officially out of the Friend Zone?â
Aiden and I look at each other and laugh. âYes,â he says. âThanks to you.â
âPfft. I had nothing to do with it.â She cuts a frail hand through the air as her words morph into a cough. âMy throat is dry.â
Aiden grabs the pink pitcher of water on her bedside table and pours her a small glass. Bringing it to Ednaâs lips, he helps her take a sip.
âNot too much,â I warn.
She relaxes against her pillows when sheâs done and sighs. âYou look tired.â
âItâs your fault.â I laugh and brush another tear from my face. âHow do you feel?â
âLike I had a heart attack.â
âEdna.â
âToo soon?â She laughs and blinks slowly.
âIf youâre tired, sleep. Aiden and I will be here when you wake up.â
Edna considers that for a second and then shakes her head. âI can sleep when Iâm dead. Iâd rather talk to you. When does the next trivia game at the Senior Center start?â
âYou just had a heart attack, you shouldnât be worrying about a trivia game.â
âIâm thinking that since you two are a couple now, Aiden will have to join the womenâs team.â
âNo way.â Aiden laughs and shakes his head. âI canât leave my brothers hanging.â
Edna laughs, and I stand up. âCan we please talk about something other than a stupid trivia game?â
âLike what, dear?â
âLike the fact that you just had a heart attack. Do you understand how serious that is? You couldâve died, Edna. Maybe we should be talking about what weâre going to do when you get out of here. Youâll need to change your diet to something more heart-healthy. No more salt orââ
âLizzie.â Edna frowns. âIâm okay.â
âBut you couldâve died,â I sob. Aiden releases Ednaâs hand and walks around the bed to hug me.
âBut I didnât. I didnât die, and no way in hell am I giving up salt. I love salt.â
Is she crazy? âYou have to do something.â
âI am,â she says. I sniff and turn in Aidenâs arms to look at her. âIâm going to live the rest of my life the way I want to live it. Iâm going to eat salt and chocolate and probably French fries because you know how much I love them, and Iâm going to be as active as God will allow me to be, and youâre going to accept it.â
âEdnaââ
âI love you, Lizzie. And I love Aiden. If I couldâve had a son, daughter, or grandchildren, Iâd hope that they would be just like the two of you. Iâm grateful that Iâve had you two to help take care of me the past couple of years. But letâs face it, Iâm no spring chicken, and Iâm going to die. Everyone does.â
âI know that. But Iâm not ready for you to kick the bucket.â
Edna laughs. âThereâs my girl. How about you sit back down here and tell me about how Aiden swept you off your feet.â
; âItâs an epic love story that Iâm sure youâre going to enjoy,â Aiden says, kissing Edna on the head. âAnd while Lizzie tells you about it, Iâm going to call my parents and reschedule our dinner plans.â