How Much I Love by Marie Force
Chapter 12
DEE
I’m nervous at brunch the next day. My uncle wants to talk to me. He says it’s nothing big, but it’s odd for him to ask for a minute alone with me. I’m also anxious because my parents didn’t come to brunch. Mom has a 102-degree fever, and Maria is concerned the port might be infected. She’s waiting for a call from the doctor, but my parents encouraged her, Austin and Everly to come to brunch.
In addition to all that, the word is out about me, Wyatt and his heart transplant. I can tell because everyone is acting weird, which I can’t stand.
We’re on Nona’s side of the house today, and Wyatt raves about the eggplant. I’m sure it’s great, but I can barely taste anything from being so wound up about everything.
“Why are you so tense?” he asks.
“Just everything.”
“Do you want me to check on your mom after brunch?”
“Would you?”
“Of course I would. I’d be happy to.”
“That’d be great. Thank you.” I already feel better knowing a doctor will examine my mom today, rather than another doctor making educated guesses over the phone. “I just have the thing with my uncle, but that shouldn’t take long.”
“I’m with you, sweetheart. Whatever you need to do is fine with me.”
On our second full day together, it already feels like we’ve been a couple much longer. Maybe that’s because we skipped all the preliminary bullshit and went straight to fully committed within a few life-changing hours. I have to say that there’s something to be said for cutting out the bullshit and getting right to the heart of the matter—no pun intended. After sleeping in his arms last night, I know where I want to be every night for as long as I possibly can.
Under the table, I squeeze his hand. “I’m so happy you’re here with me.”
“I’m thrilled to be here. I love your family.”
“I do, too, even when they’re staring at my new boyfriend and me and wanting me to stand and give a speech about all the details they’re dying to know.”
“Is that what they want? Well, that’s easy enough.” He releases my hand, stands and taps his knife against a wineglass full of water. When the room falls quiet, he says, “Hi, everyone. I’m Wyatt, and you probably remember me from Jason and Carmen’s wedding, which is where I met the amazing, beautiful bridesmaid named Dee Giordino. She and I have kept in close touch since the wedding, and when I had a chance to apply for a job here in Miami, I jumped on it. My interview is tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed I get the job because Dee and I have decided to take the plunge and be together from now on.”
My family listens to him in stunned disbelief that they’re getting the scoop on us without having to dig for details. That never happens. My siblings, cousins and I have made a blood sport out of making them wonder what we’re doing.
“I know the word is out about my medical situation, but for those who haven’t heard, the gist is I had a heart transplant seventeen years ago when I was seventeen. By that time, I’d spent nine years battling cardiomyopathy, which came on suddenly when I was eight. After the transplant, I was truly reborn, and my health has been excellent ever since. I’m hoping it’ll stay that way for many years to come, but the fact of the matter is, I’ve already exceeded the average life expectancy for a heart transplant patient by six years. I’ve never had any kind of life-threatening issue or any sign of rejection.”
He looks down at me with his heart in his eyes. “I also know how much you all love Dee, and I certainly understand why. I love her, too. She’s convinced me to abandon all my rules about not getting romantically involved with anyone and go all-in with her. If you’re concerned about what she may be getting into with me, I promise you I’ll do everything I can to make her as happy as we both are today for as long as I possibly can. If the worst possible thing happens, I hope I can count on all of you to be there for her when I can’t be. And, ah, that’s all I wanted to say.”
Through my tears, I see Maria, Carmen, my aunts Vivian and Francesca, as well as Abuela and Nona tending to their tears.
Nona leads a round of applause for Wyatt. “Welcome to our family, Wyatt. You’re right—we love our Dee very much, and it’s obvious to us that you two share something special. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that today is all we have. I hope you and Dee will be very happy together, and you have our word that, should the time come, we’ll take very good care of her if you’re not able to.”
“Thank you, Nona,” I say softly. To Wyatt, I add, “I can’t believe you did that. You’re amazing.”
“They needed to know how I feel and that I’m going to make you happy.”
“That means everything to them.” I notice my brother Nico watching me with an odd look on his face. “What’s up, Nico?”
“Everyone’s so happy for you,” he says. “I want to be happy, but Jesus, Dee.” His gaze shifts to Wyatt, who’s talking to Nona and Abuela. “The guy is like a ticking time bomb.”
Thankfully, the seats between us are empty at the moment, so we can have this fight in relative privacy. “No, he isn’t. He’s in better health than you are.”
“Right now, maybe. Look, I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I think you’re crazy to take a chance like this.”
“Thanks for your input.”
“Dee, come on. What would you say to me if I was the one telling you I was getting involved with someone who had a looming expiration date?”
“I’d tell you to be thankful to have found someone to love and who loves you and to be grateful for every second you have with her. Look at what happened to Carmen when Tony went to work one day as a perfectly healthy twenty-four-year-old and never came home. Do you think she regrets the time she spent with him because of how it ended?”
“She doesn’t, but still… It’s different going into it, knowing it probably won’t last.”
“Let me tell you something, Nico. I spent years with the wrong man, and you know how I know that? Because I found the right one. I’ll take whatever time I can get with him and be thankful for every second of it. I appreciate your concern, but frankly, I don’t want to hear it.”
Maria approaches us. “Um, what are you guys fighting about?”
“Nico doesn’t approve of me being with Wyatt.”
“I never said that. I said I’m worried about you taking on something like this.” He softens his tone. “None of us want to see you hurt again, Dee.”
“And I appreciate that. I really do. I know what I’m getting myself into, and I feel very good about it. I just want you to be happy for me. Can you do that?”
“I’ll work on it.” He glances toward Wyatt, who’s laughing at something Uncle V is telling him. “He seems like a nice enough guy.”
“He’s a great guy. If he weren’t, I wouldn’t care the way I do.”
“You’ve said your piece,” Maria tells our brother. “Let it go now.”
Nico holds up his hands. “Don’t hate on me for caring.”
“No one is hating on you,” I say. “But I don’t want to talk about gloom and doom today. I’m happy. Oh, and Wyatt offered to take a look at Mommy’s port after this.”
“That’d be great,” Maria says. “I could use another opinion.”
“Uncle V wants to talk to me before I leave, and then we’ll head over there.”
“What’s up with Uncle V?” Maria asks.
“No clue.” We watch as Nico goes to talk to Sofia, who smiles like I’ve never seen her smile when he says something to her. “What’s up there?”
“I have no idea, but he’d better not be messing with her.”
We’ve all become protective of Sofia and her son. It was Nona’s idea to hire her to work at the restaurant, and she and Abuela have taken the young single mother under their formidable wings ever since.
“Let’s keep an eye on that,” I say to Maria. We love our brother, but because of the trail of broken hearts he’s left in his wake, we don’t always have faith in him to do the right thing when it comes to women. There’s no way we’ll let Sofia end up on that ignoble list.
When I see Uncle V heading toward the bar, I decide to follow him, hoping we can talk about whatever’s on his mind so I can get on with my day with Wyatt. “I’ll be back in a few,” I tell Wyatt.
“Take your time.”
While the rest of the family starts to leave, I take a seat at the bar.
Uncle V pours me ice water and tops it with a lemon. “Thanks for sticking around.”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking. Well, Viv and I have been thinking, I should say.”
“What about?”
“Retirement.”
“Seriously?” If you’d asked me to bet on what he might want to tell me, that wouldn’t have made the top one hundred.
“Ever since your mom got sick, it’s been a big wake-up call to us that we’ve become all work and no play. We’ve got stuff we want to do, places to see… Carmen has no interest in the business. We’ve known that for quite some time, and it’s fine. She needs to follow her path, but we’ve decided we want to hire someone to be our general manager so we can take some time off and leave the business with someone we trust. That way, we can enjoy ourselves.”
“That sounds like a great idea.” I can’t imagine why he’s telling me this. Does he want my advice on who to hire?
“When we got to seriously talking about who we might hire, we kept coming back to you.”
“Me?” I must be looking at him like I think he’s crazy. “Why me?”
“You have a business degree and worked for years as an office manager—”
“That’s not the same thing as running a restaurant of this magnitude.”
“It’s management experience. It’s supervisory experience. We can teach you the rest of what you need to know. We plan to hire someone now and start taking a step back in six months or so. If you want the job, it’s yours.” He recites a six-figure salary that has my mouth hanging open in shock and then sweetens the deal with three weeks of paid vacation, a 401(k) and health insurance. “I’m not joking, Dee. We need someone we can trust, and we’re offering it to you.”
My aunt Vivian joins him behind the bar. “Judging by the shell-shocked look on Dee’s face, I take it you’ve shared our idea with her.”
Vincent puts his arm around his wife. “I have, and she’s indeed shell-shocked.”
I’m also on the verge of tears. That they’d think of me for something like this is beyond overwhelming. “You guys… I have no idea what to say. I’m so honored that you think I’d be capable of this.”
“It’s not just us, honey,” Viv says. “Nona and Abuela also think it’s a brilliant idea. You’ve worked here on and off since you were fifteen. You know the customers, the routine, the menu, the culture of the place. You’re perfect.”
“I’m speechless. When you said you wanted to talk to me, I never imagined this.” As I swipe at a stray tear, I can’t find the words to tell my aunt and uncle what this means to me.
“If you need some time to think about it, we’d certainly understand,” Uncle Vincent says.
“No, I don’t need time to think about it,” I say, laughing. “I’d be so honored to be your general manager, to run your business for you so you can take some time to enjoy yourselves.” I get up from the stool and go around the bar to hug them both. “You have no idea how badly I needed this. Thank you, and I promise you’ll never be sorry you asked me.”
“We know we won’t, honey,” Vincent says as he pulls back from me. “You were the only one we considered. We’re relieved you said yes because we didn’t have a plan B.”
“What did she say?” Nona asks as she, Abuela, Carmen, Jason, Maria, Austin, Everly and Wyatt come into the bar area.
“She said yes!” Vincent says with a fist pump.
Excited family members hug and congratulate me.
“What am I missing?” Wyatt asks when he’s finally able to break through the group and get to me.
“My aunt and uncle offered me a fabulous opportunity to be the restaurant’s general manager.”
“Wow!” His face lights up with pleasure. “That’s fantastic. Congratulations, honey.” He hugs me tightly. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you. I’ll be happy for me when the shock wears off.”
Carmen hugs me. “You’ll be great. When Mom and Dad told me what they were thinking, I couldn’t have been more excited for them or you.”
“Thank you so much for trusting me with this.” I’m well aware that this place is her legacy, even if we all feel like it belongs to us.
She’s been after her parents for a while now to work less and play more.
Vincent pours flutes of champagne for everyone. “You know what this means, ladies,” he says to Nona and Abuela. “We made a deal.”
“What deal?” Carmen asks.
“When we told Abuela and Nona our plan to ask Dee to be the general manager, we got them to agree that if Dee said yes to our offer, they’d also take more time off to do the things they’ve been too busy to do.”
“I have no idea what to do with myself if I’m not working,” Abuela says, frowning.
“It’s high time you figured that out, don’t you think?” Carmen asks her.
Abuela shrugs, seeming sad. We’ll rally around her and try to help her figure out some things she can do outside of work.
“Maybe it’s time to say yes to poor Mr. Muñoz in C32,” I suggest.
“Bite your tongue,” Abuela snaps as the rest of us crack up. “The last thing I need is an old man to take care of.”
“Maybe he would take care of you,” Carmen says.
Abuela dismisses the topic with a fierce scowl. “Pish.”
“What about you, Nona?” Maria asks.
“I’m signing up for flying lessons.”
Vincent stares at his mother. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me. I’ve always wanted to learn to fly, and if I’m going to have more time off, that’s what I want to do.”
“Now, wait just a minute,” Vincent sputters.
We laugh at his reaction.
Nona gives her son a defiant look. “You’re not the boss of me, but you are the one saying we need to live more and work less. I’ve already looked into it, and there’s a great flight school at MIA. I’ve got a call into them.”
“I hate to ask this,” Jason says tentatively, “but is it possible you might be past the age where you can be licensed?”
Nona gives him her most withering look. “Are you saying I’m old, young man?”
He swallows hard. “Not at all, ma’am.”
Laughing, she says, “There’s no age limit on private pilots, as long as my vision checks out and I have all my faculties, which I certainly do. My father was a pilot, and we’d always planned for him to teach me, but he died before he could. I’m closing that circle. I’m doing it for him.”
“That’s amazing, Nona,” Carmen says. “I’m so excited for you. Isn’t it awesome, Dad?”
Vincent frowns but gives a subtle nod. “I’d feel better knowing you won’t be up there by yourself, Mama.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine.”
She seems so delighted with her plan that I can’t help but be happy for her.
“I may even give sky-diving a try while I’m at the airport.”
“Nona!”
She bursts into laughter, thrilled to have gotten a rise out of us.
Carmen, Maria and I end up off to the side of the others by ourselves.
“What do you guys hear about Marcus?” I keep my voice down so no one can overhear me.
“I heard he checked himself into rehab for thirty days,” Maria whispers.
I’m shocked to hear that. “What kind of rehab?”
“Alcohol.”
“Seriously? Since when?”
“From what I heard from two other people, for a while now. He was blackout drunk when he married her and has no memory of any of it.”
“Come on,” Carmen says. “Is that the truth or what he wants people to believe?”
“I did a little more digging around and heard from two of his close friends that he’s been a mess with booze for quite some time.”
I’m shocked. “How did I not know this?”
“You’d been living apart for a long time,” Maria reminds me.
“Still, he came to New York and spent days with me, and I never saw him drink like that.”
“He probably made an effort to keep it under control in front of you, and it’s not like his friends were going to report to you about what was going on down here while you were in New York.”
“Me staying in New York when he moved home screwed up everything.”
“Don’t go there,” Carmen says fiercely. “Maybe it put some added stress on him, but it’s not your fault he’s an alcoholic.”
That may be true, but I feel sick hearing this. I notice Nico talking to Sofia at one of the waitress stations. He’s smiling, and her face is flushed as if she’s overheated or embarrassed. Knowing Nico, it’s probably the latter. I nudge Maria and use my chin to point her attention toward them. “What’s he up to?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
“I don’t, either,” Carmen says when she tunes in to what we’re discussing. “Sofia is a sweetheart. I’d hate to see him play his games with her, of all people.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Carmen says. “It’ll go better coming from me. I’m not his sister.”
“Let us know what he says.”
“What if…” Maria’s unfinished question hangs in the air.
“What if what?” I ask her.
“What if she’s really into him and is encouraging his attention?”
“If she’s into him, she doesn’t know him well enough to make that decision.” I feel immediately guilty for the harsh words about my brother, but his track record with women is awful. “And yes, I feel terrible saying that out loud.”
“It’s the truth,” Maria says bluntly. “I wouldn’t fix him up with my worst enemy.”
“Maybe we can fix him up with the skank to get him away from Sofia,” Carmen says, and the three of us lose it laughing. We laugh so hard that we have to hold each other up.
When we finally calm down, I find Wyatt watching me with the sweetest look on his face, as if it makes him happy to see me having a good time.
We leave the restaurant a short time later and head to my parents’ home to share our news with them and, if my mom is amenable, have him take a look at the chemo port that’s giving her trouble. I’m nervous about them hearing his story, although, knowing my family, they probably already know all about him. I’m sure one of my aunts called them after brunch to fill them in on the goings-on.
“My parents might already know everything.” We’re at a red light on Calle Ocho. “News travels fast in our family.”
He squeezes my hand. “I’m ready for them. Don’t worry.”
I love how he always wants to be touching me, even if we’re just driving somewhere together.
“Any thoughts on the possibility of coming to Phoenix and driving back with me?”
“I’d love to. My uncle and I agreed I’d start next month. He said they need some time to get a few things figured out on their end, but we’re going to start training this week.”
“That works since I’d have to give a couple of weeks’ notice to my current job. Can you get coverage for your shifts at the restaurant so you can come with me?”
“I won’t be able to leave the same day you do, but I’ll make it so I can come there later so I can help you pack and drive back with you.”
“That means a couple of weeks with no Dee. How am I supposed to deal with that?”
“We can FaceTime every day.”
“I guess. See what you’ve done to me in three days? The thought of being without you for even two weeks sends me into a deep, dark depression.”
“Stop being dramatic,” I say, laughing even as he sets my heart to racing with his sweet words.
“I’m not dramatic. I mean it. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too. Hopefully, it won’t be for long.”
“I’m probably jinxing myself by making plans as if I’ve already got the job.”
“You’ll get it. They’d be crazy not to hire you.”
“They may have the same concerns you do about my expiration date. I’m under no illusions that they haven’t already discovered I’m a transplant recipient.”
“I have no concerns whatsoever about your expiration date. I happen to believe you’re going to live to be a cranky old man who drives me crazy chasing me around the house trying to get lucky.”
“Will you still want to be caught when I’m old and crotchety?”
“Hell yes.”
“You give me hope it might happen.”
“We just have to believe. My mom has been reading a lot of self-help stuff since she got sick, and the one thing she’s always telling us is that we have to stay positive, that an optimistic mindset is as critical as the medical treatment she’s receiving.”
“She’s right. I see that a lot in my practice. Patients who stay positive and keep fighting tend to be the ones who live the longest. It makes a big difference.” He pauses before he adds, “I appreciate that you have such a strong belief that everything will be okay as long as we stay positive.”
I take my eyes off the road to glance over at him. “But?”
“The odds are what they are, no matter how much faith we have in miracles. We need to stay positive, but keep it real at the same time.”
“We can do that, can’t we?”
“We can certainly try.”
“I refuse to obsess over what might happen sometime far off in the future.”
“That makes you a unique woman, love.”
“I am rather unique, and did you hear I’m going to be the general manager of one of the most popular restaurants in Miami?”
“I did get that memo, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
“I have no idea what I’m doing, but Vincent and Viv told me they’d teach me everything I need to know, and of course, they’ll always be available if I need them. It’s just so crazy that they asked me.”
“No, it isn’t. They see something in you they need, and not just family loyalty, but a practical, no-nonsense, get-things-done professional woman who already knows their business and can pick up the reins from them and run with it.”
“Wow, you make me sound so amazing.”
He kisses the back of my hand. “You are amazing, and everyone knows it, especially me.”
“This weekend started awful and turned into one of the best of my life.”
“For me, too, only it didn’t start awful like yours did.”
“I heard some stuff about him today.” I don’t even stop to wonder if I should be sharing things about my ex with him. It’s so easy to talk to Wyatt about anything and everything, and it was like that from the start. We talked about so many things at the wedding, which was why I didn’t hesitate to take him up on the invitation to hang out afterward.
“What kind of stuff?”
I tell him what Maria found out. “How can he be an alcoholic, and I had no idea?”
“I’ve heard of instances where spouses didn’t know that their significant other was a secret alcoholic.”
“Really? That can happen?”
“Sure it can. People go to great lengths to keep addictions hidden from their loved ones.”
“I hate that he was suffering like that, and I was oblivious.”
“He chose to hide it from you, Dee. There’s probably nothing you could’ve done differently.”
“I could’ve moved home from New York.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Maria would tell you there’s nowhere better than right here, and I agree with that, but I had this… I don’t know how to describe it except as a burning need to get out of here and be somewhere else for a while before I settled down and got married and raised a family here. That’s why I only applied to colleges in New York and Boston. Marcus and I had started dating by then, and he applied in the same places, so we could still see each other. Everyone here thought I was crazy to go so far from home, but I needed it.”
“You wanted an adventure.”
“Yes,” I say on a sigh, relieved that he gets it. “My cousin Dom, who’d been there a year by then, made it sound like so much fun, and for him, it is because he makes bank as a sales rep for a medical supply company.”
“It wasn’t for you?”
“Not so much after college. Living in New York City is hard. It’s insanely expensive and crowded, and even the simplest thing, like grocery shopping, is complicated. I barely made enough for my half of the rent, so I didn’t get to go to all the shows I thought I’d see or the concerts or the museums. But hey, at least I can say I did it.”
“That’s a big accomplishment for someone so close to her family.”
“I was so homesick at first. It was awful. I missed everyone so much.”
“It’s interesting to me that you missed them, but you didn’t say you missed Marcus.”
“I did. Of course, I did.” Sighing, I add, “But not like I missed them.”
“Interesting.”
It is. I vividly remember yearning for my family, especially on Sundays when everyone would be together at brunch. While I missed Marcus after he went back to Miami, it wasn’t the same way that I missed everyone else. And I never really thought about it that way until right now. I already know I’d never be content living away from Wyatt. Now that I know he exists in the world, all I want is to spend every second I can with him.
Very interesting, indeed. Maybe Marcus did us both a favor by blowing up our relationship and giving us a chance to find something better than what we had together.
When we get to my parents’ house, I park behind my brother Milo’s silver Toyota Highlander. “Milo’s here, so you’ll get to see him, too.”
“Great.”
He follows me inside to the kitchen. My dad and brother are at the table playing dominoes while they drink coffee. “Uncle Vin sent some leftovers.” I put the boxes from the restaurant in the fridge.
“Thank you, honey,” my dad says when I kiss his cheek.
“Wyatt, you remember my dad, Lorenzo, and my brother Milo from the wedding.”
He shakes hands with both of them. “Good to see you again.”
“You, too.” My dad takes a closer look at Wyatt. “Heard you two made quite a stir at brunch.”
“I told you they’d already know.”
Wyatt’s smile tells me he doesn’t care.
“You had a heart transplant,” Milo says. “That’s sick.”
“Not so much if you’re the one getting your chest cracked open.”
“Ouch,” Milo says.
“Not the most fun I’ve ever had.”
“They said…” Dad looks up at me and then at Wyatt. “That it only lasts for so long.”
“That’s right, but so far so good for me seventeen years in.”
“Where’s Mommy?” I don’t wish to dissect Wyatt’s situation again. We’ve already had enough of that for one day.
“She’s in the living room watching the news.”
“How’s she feeling?”
“So-so,” Dad says.
He looks exhausted and pale. My mother’s illness is taking its toll on him, too.
“Wyatt said he’d take a look at the port for her if she wants him to. He’s a doctor.”
“Let’s go see what she has to say.”
I take one look at my mom and can tell she’s got a fever. Her eyes are glassy, and her cheeks are rosy. “Mom, my friend Wyatt from Car’s wedding is here. He’s a doctor and said he’d be happy to take a look at the port if you want him to. Wyatt, you met my mom, Elena, at the wedding.”
My mom smiles at the way I come in hot. “Hello to you, too, my sweet.”
I lean in to kiss her cheek and come away alarmed by how warm she is. “Hello, Mommy.”
“If your handsome doctor wants to take a look, I won’t say no to that.” She unbuttons her blouse and tugs it to the side so he can see her port.
“How long has it been red and puffy?” I ask her.
“Since Friday. The doctor gave me antibiotics, but they don’t seem to be working.”
Wyatt takes a close look at the site and then sits back to speak to her. “I think you should probably go to the ER, Elena. The port is infected, and you may need IV antibiotics.”
She moans at the thought of being back in the hospital.
“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you don’t want to let that get out of control. Infections can be risky.”
My mom’s deep sigh says it all. “If you think it’s that serious, then I guess that’s what we’ll do.”
She wants to shower before she goes, so I help her through that, blinking back tears as I always do when I see the scars from her surgery as well as the weight loss, bruises and other ravages of her illness. I engage in cheerful conversation as I help her get dressed in loose-fitting sweats, always focused on keeping her spirits up, regardless of the latest setback.
“Your Wyatt is gorgeous,” she whispers, even though there’s no one around to hear her.
“I think so, too.”
“We need to talk.”
“I know, but not now, okay? Let’s get you to the ER so we can figure out what’s going on and get you home as soon as possible.”
My dad insists on taking his car, so Wyatt and I follow them to Miami-Dade in my car. On the way there, I call Jason to ask if he knows anyone in the Emergency Department who can pull some strings, so my mom won’t have to wait in a room with sick people for hours.
“I’ll make a call and get right back to you,” he says.
“Thank you so much.”
“Good idea to call in favors,” Wyatt says. “Her immune system is compromised from the treatment.”
“I feel so bad that she’s dealing with this when she’s already had so many setbacks.”
“Cancer treatment is like that. Hell, a lot of treatment is like that. It was for me. One step forward, three steps backward until there was nowhere left to go but on the transplant list.”
“What do you think will happen for my mom?”
“They’ll start her on broad-spectrum antibiotics.”
“What if that doesn’t work?”
“They may have to remove the port and put in a new one after she recovers from the removal.”
My heart sinks. That’d be two more surgeries.
“But port removal is rare. Try not to worry about that until you have to.”
Thankfully, he offered to drive because I can’t see through my tears.
His hand covers mine, infusing me with comfort.
“I hate to drag you to a hospital on a day off,” I say. “If you don’t want to come—”
“I’m with you, kid. It’s all good.”
“It’s all good because you’re here with me.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“It was so heartbreaking just now… helping her in the shower.” I wipe away the tears that slide down my cheeks. “She’s so embarrassed to need the help.”
“I remember what that was like, too. I was twelve or thirteen, and my dad was helping me in the hospital, and I was just dying from embarrassment. You know what he said?”
“What?”
“That he and I have all the same parts and that I shouldn’t be embarrassed about him seeing me. I needed to pretend we were just a couple of guys in a locker room doing what guys do.”
“That’s so sweet. Your dad knew just what you needed to hear.”
“He did. After that, it wasn’t as weird to let him help me. Better than my mom, anyway.”
I laugh at the grimace he adds to the end of that sentence. “I’m sure.”
“Bottom line—as someone who’s been where your mom is, you appreciate the help even if you wish you didn’t need it. Having you guys around while she’s going through this makes all the difference, even when it’s hard.”
“I’m so thankful I can be here to help them both through it. My dad is so heartbroken she’s sick that all he does is weep when she suffers. Part of what we’re doing is keeping him busy, too. Nico and Milo take him golfing at least once a week, and I’m hoping to get him out on the water again soon. He doesn’t want to be unreachable, so that’s why we haven’t done it before now. And Uncle Vin is planning to take him to some of Austin’s games this summer. We’re all doing what we can.”
“They’re fortunate to have so many people looking out for them. Believe it or not, someday when your mom is back to full health, you’ll look back at this very intense time as a blip in the grand scheme of things.”
“I look forward to that day. Do you think she’ll fully recover?”
“There’s no way to know for sure, but someone very wise once told me we have to stay positive and hope for the best.”
I smile at him, which is miraculous when you consider how low I was feeling only a minute ago. “She must be very wise.”
“One of the wisest people I’ve ever met.”
“Surely that’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. She makes me believe anything is possible—even things I used to think were impossible.”
“And you make me feel much calmer than I would if you weren’t here to tell me my mom is going to be okay.”
“It’s hard to stay calm when the setbacks happen, but my therapist used to tell me that each setback was a step forward on the overall journey. It took me a while to wrap my head around that, but with hindsight, I could see she was right.”
“That perspective must mean so much to your patients.”
“I think it helps. Knowing I’ve been there, done that makes them feel like I get what they’re going through. I want to write a book about going from a transplant patient to a cardiothoracic surgeon.”
“You totally should. That would be an amazing story.”
“It’s on my bucket list.”
As we’re driving into the hospital parking lot, Jason calls me back. “Hey, ask for Dr. Simmons, and he’ll get you right in. He also reached out to your mom’s oncologist to let him know you’re on your way in.”
“Thank you so much, Jason.”
“Keep us posted on how she’s doing.”
“I will.”
Dr. Simmons takes Mom straight back to a room, examines the port area and orders the IV antibiotics. We send Dad to the cafeteria to get coffees for everyone to give him something to do besides fret over Mom. Milo tags along with him.
“Thanks for sending him on an errand,” Mom says when she, Wyatt and I are alone. “He makes me so nervous with how upset he gets over everything.”
“It’s hard for him to watch you suffer,” Wyatt says. “I remember what that was like for my parents when I was sick. Sometimes I felt like it was harder on them than it was on me.”
Mom eyes him with new appreciation. “So, a heart transplant, huh? Way to one-up breast cancer.”
Wyatt tips his head back to laugh. “It’s not a competition. It all sucks equally.”
She pats the side of the bed. “Come sit with me.”
He glances briefly at me before he accepts her invitation.
She takes hold of his hand. “You seem like a lovely young man.”
“Oh, thank you. That’s nice of you to say.”
“My Dee is an extraordinary person.”
“I agree. I think she’s amazing.” He leans in to add, “And super pretty.”
Mom smiles as big as I’ve seen her smile since this nightmare began. “I know I’m biased, but I think my girls are the prettiest girls in the whole world.”
“You won’t hear me arguing about that,” he says, winking at me.
Could he be any cuter?
“I want you to know something,” she says, continuing to hold his hand. “Before I got sick, I probably would’ve told Dee not to take this chance with you. They say the odds aren’t too good for you, right?”
“That’s right. I’m about six years past the average survival rate.”
“But you feel good?”
“I feel great, especially since I met Dee.”
“Being sick like this… It changes how you look at things. Did that happen to you, too?”
“It did. You have a new appreciation for every good day.”
“That’s what I was going to say. And I want you to enjoy every good day you have left with my Dee.”
“That’s our plan.”
When he extends his free hand to me, I grab hold of it while trying not to lose my composure once again.
“Dee’s convinced me that I need to know what it’s like to be in love.”
“What do you think so far?” Mom asks him.
He looks right at me when he says, “It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had.”
