I got going again and by the time I’d gotten everything out, he had several sheets of paper filled with lists of things we needed to do, written in bright green crayon.
I finally sat down and took another breath.
“You good?” Lucah asked. I took another breath and my chest felt a little bit lighter. I liked lists. I liked tasks. Tasks I could do.
“I think I am now. I needed that.” He gave me a brief smile.
“You always do. It’s your thing.” It was my thing. Just as it was his thing to listen to me and help me work through the mess going on in my head.
“Thank you,” I said, only just realizing that I hadn’t thanked him. I leaned over and put my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being who you are. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
I really didn’t. It scared me to think of it. Before I could hop on a bad train of thought, I kissed him. I let myself forget about everything but his mouth for a few seconds.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he said and I knew he was telling the truth.
“Okay good. Because I think I’m going to need you to help me make some phone calls.”
~*~*~
Two hours later, we’d notified all the vice presidents and the Board of Directors. Everyone in upper management that needed to know was aware of what had happened and we’d set a meeting for Monday morning, first thing. We’d need to keep the fact that Dad had had a heart attack under wraps, at least until we voted on an interim president and figured out how long he was going to be out. Or if he was coming back. Right now, we were still talking like he was going to be back soon.
“Wouldn’t it pass directly to you?” Lucah asked.
“That’s not how they wrote the bylaws. Dad always wanted everything to be put to a vote, so this will be as well. The candidates are all the vice presidents, including me. But they’re not going to put an entire company in the hands of some twenty-four-year-old girl. It’s just not going to happen. They’ll pick someone more senior. Maybe Roland or Orrin.” They were both nearly three times my age and had been with the company since the beginning. They were also friends of my dad’s and had been able to stick it out through the most recent crisis. Oh, God, we’d barely recovered from that and now…
It never ended. Not that it was Dad’s fault he’d had a heart attack. It wasn’t like the assholes embezzling, but still. Things had just sort of gotten back on track and now they were up in the air again.
“You’re thinking too much, Sunshine,” he said, running his fingers down the side of my face.
“I know. I can’t help it. It’s who I am.”
He just kissed me again and said that we should go back to the room because visiting hours were going to be over soon.
~*~*~
Mom refused to leave Dad, so they were bringing in a cot for her. I remembered when we’d all taken shifts with Ryder. There was a lot less cursing during this hospital stay, though.
Lucah and I were going to leave and come back in the early morning with clothes for her and to give her a break, even though she insisted she didn’t want one. I knew what it was like to spend the night in a hospital. It took it out of you.
“Are you sure there isn’t something else you need? Before we go?” I asked, but she waved me off.
“There’s a whole hospital of people. I’ll be fine.” I hated leaving her, but she insisted that I go home. I couldn’t really argue with my mother.
It was around eleven when Lucah and I finally walked into the apartment. I had a moment of déjà vu when I was, once again, grabbed up into a hug.
“Oh, Rory, are you okay? Is your dad okay?” All I could see was dark hair and I could smell her perfume. Sloane. She’d been waiting for us. She let me go and there were tears in her eyes. Everyone was crying today. Seemed like a good day for it.
“Yes, we’re all okay. He’s going to be okay. No surgery, but he’s going to have to take it easy and he’s probably not going to be allowed to eat bacon ever again. Mom’s going to watch him like a hawk.” I could just imagine that she was making a new grocery list and looking up healthy recipes. Maybe they’d go vegan. My mother never did anything by halves.
“Good, good,” Sloane said, wiping her eyes. She stepped back and I saw that my apartment was full of people. In addition to Sloane, I saw Ryder and Marisol and Chloe.
“What are you all doing here?” I asked.
“We’re here for moral support,” Chloe said, handing me a glass of wine. “Here, have some moral support.”
I burst into tears. Again.
Eleven