Chapter Nineteen

Aiden

 

A brown truck pulled up in front of the house, and a man hopped from the back with a box in hand. I opened the door to greet him as he smiled, handing me a box and a tablet to sign. I thanked him, went inside, and tore open the box. It was the sheets Blake and I had ordered: our first, and only, wedding gift.

I was excited that they came in only two days and was hoping that they would give Blake the incentive she needed to climb back into my bed.

I didn’t push for her to stay Friday night, after our Thursday all-day in bed adventure, but I wanted her there. We’d watched a movie and snuggled on the couch that night, and then she announced she needed to work. I didn’t find it too odd that she disappeared into her room to work more on her book; it was quiet there, peaceful. But, I did find it a little odd that she never came into my room, our room.

Tonight would be different. Tonight, she would sleep in my arms, on our sheets, in our bed.

Everything was working out great, and I couldn’t have been happier.

I left the box on the coffee table, so Blake would see it when she got home from the library and headed off to work.

On the way, almost to the shop, my phone rang.

“Hey, mom,” I greeted my mother sweetly.

“Aiden, are you sitting down?” she asked, her voice panicked and tired.

“I’m driving. What’s wrong?” I asked, anxious by her tone.

“Call me when you stop,” she said softly.

“No. Tell me now,” I insisted.

“I don’t want you to wreck…I couldn’t bear it,” she sobbed.

“Mom, tell me,” I demanded.

She was a drama queen, my mother, but this sounded serious, really serious.

“It’s your abuela; she’s in the hospital,” she blurted out.

“I’ll be right there,” I told her, hanging up the phone quickly.

I immediately called Blake, not sure if she’d even answer while researching for her book.

“Hello?” she answered, her voice soft due to the library rules for quiet.

“It’s my abuela; she’s in the hospital,” I blurted, feeling the pangs of pain in my heart as I spoke the words aloud.

“Why?” Blake gasped.

“I don’t know. I’m heading there now,” I explained.

“Okay. Where are you now?” Blake asked.

“I’m almost to work, turning around at the light,” I told her.

“Pull into work, wait for me. I’ll pick you up, and I’ll drive,” she insisted.

The library was only a couple blocks from my shop, and I did need a moment to calm down.

“Okay, thank you,” I said, and then hung up the phone.

My gut was twisting at the thought of losing my abuela. The talk about the will, the need for me to have a child, it was all making sense to me now.

It was only a few minutes, and Blake was pulling up beside me. She rolled down her window and waved for me to come on.

I turned off my truck, locked it, and walked over to Blake’s small car. My knees bent so high that they nearly touched the dash. I was too large for her car, but I didn’t care. I knew I couldn’t drive, not if…no, I couldn’t think about that.

“Thank you for coming,” I sighed as Blake pulled from the parking lot.

“Of course,” she said sweetly, and then took off onto the main road.

She drove like a maniac, which both scared the hell out of me and impressed me at the same time. We made it to the hospital in record time, and we both rushed to the front desk, getting the room number for Anna-Marie before headed for the elevators.

“She’s not in ICU; that’s a good sign,” Blake encouraged.

I knew she was right, but it was still the cardiac floor. Did she have a heart attack?

“Mom,” I gasped as the elevator doors opened.

Liana was standing in the hallway, pacing back and forth outside a large, wooden hospital door.

“She’s in there with the doctor now,” she explained, motioning towards the door.

“Why aren’t you in there with her?” I questioned.

“She said I was making her nervous, so she threw me out,” Liana explained.

Blake chuckled, causing me to turn and look in her direction. “She must be doing okay if she’s still that feisty,” Blake explained herself quickly.

Liana smiled, but it was a weak one, forced onto her face by her polite nature. I wrapped my arm around Blake.

“C’mon, we’re going in,” I told her, guiding her towards the door.

I could feel her reluctance, but she didn’t fight it. We walked inside the room to find my abuela in the bed, a young male doctor by her bedside, and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ playing on the hospital television.

“Abuela, are you okay?” I asked, rushing to her side.

It was the first time I’d let go of Blake’s hand since we entered the hospital.

“I’m fine; it’s just high blood pressure,” she scoffed.

I looked towards the doctor for confirmation and quickly was given a nod.

“Your abuela had a small attack, a mini-stroke you could say, a warning. Her blood pressure was extremely high, but it’s stable now. There’s no reason for us to believe anything serious is wrong, but we’ve run tests just to be sure. She should be able to leave tomorrow after all the results come back, and with a diet change, some added exercise, and medication, she’ll be just fine,” the doctor said calmly.

I thanked him as he said his goodbyes to my abuela and then left the room.

“You scared me,” I gasped, leaning down to embrace my abuela.

“You start actin’ like your mother, I’ll boot you from here too,” Anna-Marie said with a smirk.

Her eyes moved towards Blake, and she lit up with a wide smile. I could feel the tension in Blake as she stood beside me, and I knew that this would send her back to the place where she wanted to fess up, call it off, and walk away. I couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving, not now, not ever.

Blake took a seat by the bed, and my mother walked into the room. Her eyes were red and puffy as she worked her hands like a wet washcloth.

“It’s okay, Mom, it’s just her blood pressure,” I explained.

It was obvious she wasn’t convinced, and the fear of losing her mother was weighing on her heavily still. I reached for her, wrapping my arms around her, comforting her until she finally calmed down. She took a seat by Blake, and I sat down by my abuela’s bed, holding her shriveled, frail hand.

“I’m glad you’re okay, but you’re gonna have to take better care of yourself from now on,” I told her.

The old woman smiled, and she squeezed my hand tightly. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to stay around and meet my great-grandchildren,” she insisted.

My heart sank, and as I turned to Blake, it was obvious hers had as well. The guilt she felt was displayed all over her face, and I knew I had to get her out of there before she blurted out the truth.

“I’ll let you get some rest,” I said sweetly, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“I am tired,” she smiled.

“I’m staying,” my mother announced, and I watched as my abuela rolled her eyes.

“Do you need anything before I go, or anything from home I can bring up?” I asked.

“No. I have everything I need. They are taking very good care of me here, and I’ll be leaving tomorrow,” she insisted.

Blake stood, leaned over the bed, and kissed Anna-Marie on the cheek before we left. I insisted that she call, or my mother, if they needed anything at all.

Blake was quiet, too quiet, as we left the hospital. I squeezed back into the passenger seat of her car, and waited for what I knew was to come.

“We have to tell her the truth,” she blurted out as we drove through town.

“And cause her blood pressure to go up even higher?” I scoffed.

“It’s not fair. It’s not right,” Blake argued, tears forming in her eyes.

“She’s going to be fine. She just needs medication and a better diet,” I explained.

“I don’t like the feeling of fooling an old woman of denying her a last wish,” she sobbed, pulling into my shop parking lot next to my truck.

I sat there, unsure what to do, what to say. I didn’t want to hurt my abuela, but I didn’t want to lose Blake. Things were going great, and we were getting along perfectly. Soon, if everything happened as I hoped, there would be nothing to lie about.

“I think we should give us some time,” I insisted.

“Us, there’s no us; there’s just a big fat lie,” Blake snapped.

Her words hurt me, deeply. I opened the door, got out, and walked to my truck. She was already pulled out and on the road before I could unlock my door and climb into the driver’s seat. I wasn’t sure if she was going home, or back to the library, but it was obvious she wasn’t planning on falling in love with me and living happily ever after.

I drove home, unwilling and unable to focus on work. The house was empty; Blake obviously headed back to the library to work, or to just stay away from me.

I opened a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured a drink over some ice. I stared out the window as I sat on the couch, just waiting for her to get home. Hours went by, and several drinks made their way past my lips, leaving me in a drunken stupor by the time Blake’s car pulled into the driveway.

It was almost dark, the sun already nesting behind the trees, and the air becoming cool. She walked into the front door, her expression filled with irritation as she stared in my direction. I was drunk, I could admit that, but I was also hurt, mad, devastated. A feeling in my gut that I didn’t recognize had taken over. It wasn’t hunger; it wasn’t the anger or the sadness; it was something else, like an ache. It was something I’d never felt before.

“You’re drunk,” Blake snarled.

“No shit,” I spat back at her.

“You think that’s a good idea?” she questioned.

“Only idea I had,” I chuckled.

“I’m going to bed,” Blake announced, starting to head down the hall.

“Our sheets came today, but I guess you don’t want em’ now,” I blasted at her.

She turned, looked in my direction with narrowed eyes and tight lips. She didn’t speak, but her eyes said plenty. She was disgusted with me, angry with me, and possibly even done with me.

“That’s what I thought,” I sighed, feeling my perfect life crumble from underneath me.