The second we arrived at the hospital, Laura rushed to the front desk to get more information after telling Elliott and me to wait for her in the waiting room. We sat beside one another, not speaking a word.

He made sure to leave a seat between us.

Every now and then, Laura glanced back at us, giving us a soft smile before turning back to the desk.

“Okay, thank you,” she told the receptionist. Then she hurried back over, sat down between us, crossed her legs, and smiled. “Sorry, it was a lot to take in.”

“No worries.”

“He suffered a pretty big stroke and is having a hard time with his heart.” She must’ve seen the worry in my eyes, because she placed her hand on my forearm. “It’s okay. He’s in the ICU right now, and will be for a few days.”

“And he’s awake?”

She shook her head. “Not right now, but he will be. He will be okay.”

“How can you say that?” Elliott questioned. “How do you know?”

“I don’t know for sure,” she said softly. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “But sometimes I have to lie to myself to keep from falling apart. Sometimes lies are the only thing that keep me getting out of bed each morning.”

The honesty in her confession shook me.

She lied to herself so she could keep going through life. I knew that feeling all too well.

She cleared her throat, and her gentle eyes met mine. “He’s going to be okay, right?”

I nodded. “Right.”

* * *

Hours passed, and TJ was still unstable. After I grew sick of sitting in that chair, I stood up and walked around the hospital for a bit. I called Ray to update him on what had happened, just to have someone to talk to, and he insisted on coming home.

“No way,” I told him, my hand wrapped around the key necklace. “You have a show in Portland tomorrow.”

“I know, but over the weeks, I’ve listened to you tell me how important this guy is to you. If you need me…”

“I’m okay for now, I promise. The moment that changes, I’ll let you know. I just needed to talk to you, I guess.”

“I’m glad you called, Snow. Always call. I’ll always answer.”

I agreed, and as we hung up, I headed to the cafeteria and grabbed three coffees. Walking back to the waiting area, I noticed Laura was off to the side talking to a nurse, and Elliott was in the same spot, with his head lowered as he stared at his clasped hands.

“Coffee?” I asked, handing one his way. “Cream and sugar is already inside.”

He glanced up then back at his hands. “I don’t take sugar.”

“Oh, well, here.” I handed him my cup. “I drink it black.”

“I’m good.”

“Come on…” I nudged his arm. “We could all use the energy.”

“I’m fine.”

“Eli…”

“I said I’m f-f…” He closed his eyes, and his hands made fists. I saw the pressure building up in him the same way it had when we were kids, the panic that was overtaking him as he tried to push out words. “I’m fine!” he snapped, making me jump back a bit. When he looked up and our eyes locked, I saw his truth—not his harsh reaction, but his sadness. He stared at me as if he were walking through a dream, uncertain of what he saw.

It’s me, though.

He was seeing me, and I saw him right back, even though he tried to hide.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell…it’s just my words sometimes…”

I nodded. “I remember.”

He turned away again and murmured, “Th-thank you, anyway.”

“You’re welcome.” I sat back down, leaving a chair between us, because I knew that made him feel more comfortable. What probably didn’t make him feel comfortable was the amount of time I spent staring at him, but I couldn’t help it.

Even with his hardness, he still looked like home.

I wondered if he kept replaying our kiss in his head like I had the past few weeks. I wondered if I kept crossing his mind the way he crossed mine.

“Eli,” I whispered, leaning his way. “When we first saw each other…”

He parted his lips to speak, but then he stopped himself. His hard stare forced every hair on my body to stand up. I didn’t know what to do. My mind began to swirl. I wanted to hug him and hold him and hit him and cry.

“Listen,” he started coldly. “What happened between us…that kiss…”

Just then, Laura came back with a bright smile on her face. “I have good news—they said he’s awake. He’s been moved to a room, and we’re able to visit him now.”

“Is he okay?” I asked, taking my thoughts from Elliott and giving them to TJ.

He’s awake.

Those were officially my new favorite words.

“He is. He has an oxygen mask, so he can’t speak, and his hands are shaky, but he’s awake. He’s doing okay. Let’s go visit.”

“Yeah.” I let out a deep breath and nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * *

When we arrived in his room, he was already falling back asleep, and we all agreed it would be best to let him sleep through the night.

“I’ll stay here with him tonight, if that’s okay,” I asked the nurse. She agreed that it was fine. Laura thanked me and gave me a tight hug.

Elliott grabbed a notepad and scribbled something down, then handed it my way. “My number, in case anything changes.”

I took it and thanked him.

As they prepared to leave, Laura walked over to TJ and gave him a small kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow, TJ,” she said softly. “Before you even wake, I’m sure.”

She released a breath as she walked away, and as she passed by Elliott, I watched him grab her hand and squeeze it for comfort.

Laura looked up at her son, and tears started rolling down her cheeks. She seemed thrown off by the small touch—stunned.

“I’ll drive you home,” he whispered.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” He walked to TJ and gently touched his shoulder. As he stared down at the older man, his mentor, his family, Elliott’s eyes softened for a split second. Then, he stepped away and turned to me. “Jasmine.”

“Yes.”

He didn’t say a word, but there was a small nod of appreciation, and I read it loud and clear.

“You’re welcome, Elliott.”

They left, and I made myself comfortable. In the middle of the night, TJ awoke, and when he saw me, he tried to speak, but he couldn’t. His hands moved to the oxygen mask, which he tried to remove, but I stopped him. I rushed to his side to soothe him, taking his hand in mine. “You’re okay, TJ. You’re okay. You’re not alone.”

He began to breathe a bit easier, and his eyes slid shut. When I was certain he was okay, I allowed mine to do the same.