Page 56 of Really Truly Yours
Granted, perfect is a strong word, but I don’t see I’ve done anything that should produce the jitters.
Eh, not in the last few days. If I didn’t think the situation could be worsened, I’d wrap my hand around her pretty fingers and still the nervous gesture. I’d tuck her hair behind her ear. I’d…
Yep. Nope.
She lifts her phone, its screen bright. She gasps.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Donny. He fell and he’s been taken to the hospital!”
∞∞∞
The hospital in Chandor is bigger than I expect. The main section where we enter the emergency room is older. Two obviously newer wings branch out on either side. I state my name and purpose, and we wait to be taken to Donny.
A lady in gray scrubs comes out and asks if we’re family.
“I’m his son,” I say, the statement accurate but with the feel of falseness as it rolls off my tongue.
Moving in so that our sleeves brush, I draw Sydnee close with my hand on her back. “She’s my fiancée.”
I don’t know if Sydnee’s lack of relationship status could be an issue, but I’m not taking chances. The nurse nods for us to follow. I have to nudge Sydnee to get her feet moving. Maybe they don’t function correctly with her mouth open wide.
When we reach a curtained bay, the nurse peeks through the drape. “Mr. Grayson, your son and his fiancée are here.” She pivots, already moving on to her next task elsewhere. “As soon as they’re done drawing some blood, you may go in.”
Sydnee gawks up at me once we’re alone. “I doubt that was necessary.”
“Were you willing to take the chance?”
Her mouth snaps shut. Yeah, Donny, for some reason I’ve yet to figure out, means a ton to her.
When the maroon-scrubbed tech comes through the curtain carrying his haul of vials with blood that contains DNA marking the giver as my father, I prod Sydnee again. She goes straight for Donny, snatching one hand and patting his shoulder. For me, displays of affection still feel strange.
“What happened? How are you?” Sydnee fires off the questions.
The guy doesn’t appear to be at death’s door or anything, no more than usual. In place of answering, he splits glances between the two of us. “Did I hear the word fiancée?”
My toes bump Sydnee’s heels. I loop my arm around her waist, resting my chin onto her shoulder. Man, she smells good. “Yeah, haven’t you heard?”
For my trouble, I receive an elbow in the gut. She ducks from my arm’s circle, the movement mussing her hair. “Your son here told a wild fib, Donny.”
“A fib?” I sputter. Who says that these days? “It was a necessary evil.”
She grumpy-scowls at my eyebrow waggle and bats at some hairs straggling onto her cheek. My fingers squirm to help.
“Evil is not necessary.”
Uptight much? I mean, I actually agree in principal, so I two-finger salute. “Yes, ma’am, Miss Sydnee.” I pretend her disapproving frown doesn’t exist. “So, Donny. Tell us what happened.”
“I wasn’t feeling too good after y’all left.” He rubs his sternum. “Thought it was a little indigestion, and since I seen they got medicines and the like for sale up at the front, I decided to get me some antacids. Guess I tripped on a cord near the desk. Heard something snap in my ankle and fell down right there in the middle of the hall. Hurt like crazy. Somebody come an’ helped then. I’d of just called you, but when I mentioned my chest hurt, they called 9-1-1.”
Just what the guy needs. “Has the doctor been in yet?”
He nods. “Ordered an x-ray and a bunch of tests for my heart.”
Sydnee, snorting, wraps both her hands around one of Donny’s. “I would imagine the five-course dinner you shoveled in has something to do with the chest pain.” She shoots me a reprimand with a pair of squinty eyes.
Hey, the guy can use some calories.