Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
27
Ama
THE WEDDING
Elliot drives to the ER. He ignores every single word I say in the car, even when I resort to begging. By the time he’s lifting me into a wheelchair, I’m back on the phone, checking in with Vince about why Jake says the horses aren’t there yet.
“Vince. Vince,” I cut him off. “Are you telling me that you didn’t leave with enough time to prepare for traffic? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Elliot wheels me up to the check-in as I listen to Vince’s excuses. He’s writing down my name and information as I pull out my health insurance card.
“Vince, just pretend for one second that we’re paying customers. Let’s pretend that we not only rented your horses, but we also bought out your hayrides for today. Let’s imagine a world where that exists, and get your fucking ass to the park.”
I hang up on him and smile up at the nurse behind the desk. “Hi! What’s the wait time like today?”
She lifts a brow at me. “Honey, this isn’t an Applebee’s.”
“Right. I just mean, if I need an X-ray, how long am I going to be here? Ballpark?”
Frowning at me, she points to the waiting room, which looks suspiciously full.
Elliot wheels me over and places me next to a chair that he drops into. “You need to chill for a second.”
“The wedding starts in an hour.” I can hear the terror in my voice. “This is not chill.”
“Tell me the list. What do you need to do?”
His voice is calm, and his eyes are on me. I sink into them for a moment, and I remember his mother’s wedding—how he let me keep him up all night, how I forced him to listen to my lists, how he got me off just how I needed it. My throat bobs at the memory, and heat flushes my cheeks.
“Prioritizing,” I say, thinking. “The wedding arch is possibly broken. The florist needs to arrive at the venue and fix it.” I keep from nagging him and just stick to facts. “I need to confirm that the officiant has arrived. I need last looks at the Rose Garden. I need—” Yet another thing suddenly occurs to me and I press my eyes closed. “I need to lay out the programs on the chairs.”
“Continue,” he says, stopping me from spiraling out.
“I need to be with Jackie and Hazel. Jackie is freaking out. I can hear it in her voice. I haven’t even spoken to Hazel since last night. I need to make sure the film crew isn’t taking up valuable time and pushing them off schedule.” I suck in a breath. My eyes snap to him. “Whitney. I can call Whitney and see if she can spare someone today.”
“No.” His voice is cold, but his eyes are ice. “No, she isn’t getting your big day. Over my dead body, Ama.”
It jars me. My foot throbs and my heartbeat stutters as he glares at me.
“Continue,” he says firmly. I swallow.
“I need to know that Vince and the horses are set. I need to check the reception hall. I haven’t even been there today. I need to get more ice, now that I know the basin is a bathtub. I need to elevate the tub somehow …”
“Elevate?” he asks, and I realize he’s not just getting me to calm down. He’s listening.
“The ‘basin’ would have laid on the table next to the bar. Now that it’s a tub on the ground, people are bending over, maybe not even seeing it. It needs to be displayed better or … I don’t know.”
He nods. I take a breath and continue.
“I need to do final checks on catering. I need to double-check George and Mar. I told them how to do the table settings, but I need to see it.”
He doesn’t tell me I should trust them. He doesn’t tell me what should come off the list. “That’s all preshow. What are you responsible for at go time?”
The realization that I may not make it to go time is seeping into my veins. I take a shaky breath, and Elliot reaches out, placing a hand on my knee. I look down at it. It calms me for two seconds before I see my knees and dress—scratched and stained from the driveway.
“I need to change my clothes.”
“We’ve moved on,” he says. “We’re on to go time.”
“Jake leads Hazel down the side street to the back of the garden. Mar stands with the bridesmaids in the Airbnb. I cue the musicians. I cue Mar on each bridesmaid. Then I cue both Jake and Mar for the brides to leave from opposite directions and arrive at the center. I cue the music throughout. I cue Jackie and Hazel’s carriage to arrive, and shortly after, the line of carriages come. I stay until the last guest is loaded, and then Sarah waits for George to break down the ceremony while Jake and I go to the reception—”
“Alright. We’ll start with that,” he says, standing. “You are calling Jake about the officiant”—he counts off on his fingers—“calling Mar about the schedule of the wedding party, calling Vince again. I’m going to the Rose Garden now to fix the arch. I’m going to put Ben on bathtub—ice and elevation.” He pauses. “Which is comical, considering your condition.”
I snort, and something flickers across his face.
“When you’re done with your calls,” he continues, “you will call me, and cue the wedding from here.”
My stomach twists at the impossibility of this. “Can’t I just come with you?”
“Not until you’ve been seen by a doctor.”
I’m numb. I feel like everything I’ve been working toward for seven months—for more than that—is all falling apart.
Elliot reaches forward, and I think he’s going to cup my jaw, but instead his fingers carefully remove the Bluetooth from my ear.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“If I’m going to be the wedding planner today, I need the wedding planner Bluetooth.”
There’s something very heroic about it all. He gives me one final glance and marches toward the sliding glass doors. I feel my heart lifting—like maybe we can do this. Like maybe it’ll be like old times where we created magic together.
Suddenly, Elliot pivots and walks back to me. I’m petrified something’s happened—
“How do …” He stares down at the Bluetooth sheepishly. “How do I use this thing?”