The pizza guy handed over the big box, and I gave him a tight smile in response. When I got back behind the wheel, the call switched over to the Bluetooth speaker. If Coop was alone in the waiting room, he needed a distraction.
“Did I ever tell you about the time me, Graham, and Tip convinced Eli we were all going skinny-dipping in Trandle’s pond but then the rest of us snuck in swim trunks?”
He let out a soft, wet laugh. “No, but I can picture it.”
“The water was cold as shit. School had already started, so it was probably September. I want to say I was ten, so he would have been sixteen. It was Tip’s idea, of course, to see who could cross the pond the fastest. Anyway, Tip had also told his girlfriend at the time, who was head of the cheer squad. They all came down there to the beach side with their bikinis and whatnot. We’d put our trunks in a little baggie that Graham managed to hide in the water. When we swam over to the beachside of the lake, all the girls were there. Graham hands Tip and me our suits, and we all walk out of the water dressed like it’s no big deal.”
Another soft laugh. “If God loved me, there’d be pictures.”
I described Eli’s historic hissy fit and then went on to tell him several more Eli stories he’d never heard before. By the time his mom came out of Jackson’s room, he sounded much better.
He said something to his mom and then came back on the line. “Thank you.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Anytime.”
“Isaac?” He sounded so tired. All I wanted was to hold him.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Um… I just…”
“Go be there for your mom right now. Everything’s going to be okay. I… Eli will be there soon.”
30
Cooper
I was so fucking tired. Hearing Nine’s sweet voice over the phone had drained all the remaining energy out of me, and now all I wanted to do was sleep.
“He’s resting peacefully,” Mom said, taking the seat next to me on the little sofa in the private family waiting room they’d given us.
I put my arm around her shoulders and leaned my head against hers. “Why don’t you head home and get some rest? You’ve been up all night. I’ll stay here in case he wakes up.”
For a brief moment, it looked like she might argue with me, but then she smiled and stood, leaning back down just long enough to kiss me on the top of the head. “Okay. We’ll take turns, but only if you agree that means you take a turn when I get back.”
Ah, the Mom trick. “We’ll see.”
She promptly sat back down and crossed her arms. I sighed and waved my hand. “Fine. Go. I promise.”
After kissing me again, she was off. I settled back onto the little love seat and tried closing my eyes for a while. There was no telling how long I dozed for before a young nurse came in to wake me.
“Mr. Heath? Dr. Levine wants you to visit the lab for some blood work if you’re up for it. I have the orders right here.” She handed me a plastic sleeve with some paperwork in it. “I can show you to the lab when you’re ready.”
I rubbed my face and stood to stretch. My entire body ached from napping on the hard piece of furniture. “I’m ready now. Thanks.”
I followed her down the hallways to the lab before remembering that the blood draw would involve needles, and I hated needles. My body went tingly, and I suddenly felt nauseous.
Get it together.
Beads of sweat formed on my upper lip, and my throat felt topped up with acid sludge. I stupidly wished my mom had stayed. How the hell did Jacks withstand all of this medical stuff? He’d never had a problem with needles the way I had.
When a tech led me to a chair with special blood-drawing arms, I clapped my hand in front of my mouth. “Might need bed,” I mumbled through sweaty fingers. “Sometimes faint.”
The tech nodded and gave me a reassuring smile as he led me farther back to a narrow exam table. “Vasovagal response. It’s more common than you think. Go ahead and lie down here.”
By the time he pulled out all of his supplies, my body was trembling. I hated feeling this way. I despised acting like a child, being out of control. Adults shouldn’t have the same fear responses as toddlers for god’s sake.
It took him five tries to find a vein.
By the time he finally found one, both of my arms were mottled with fresh bruises, and hot tears ran down my neck. I missed Nine. I missed him so badly, and I just wanted him there to hold my hand and keep telling me it was going to be okay.