“Run, Aunt Kristi!” I said through my laughter. “Run!”
As Brody turned on the hose and chased after his aunt, my cell phone rang. I backtracked into the house and picked it up off the table, not bothering to see who was calling.
“This is Ana,” I said.
“Hey.”
Tyler sniffled on the other end of the line, and I instantly switched into protective mode.
“Tyler? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I need to see you. Please.”
“Tell me what’s wrong,” I said.
“Ana?”
I held my hand up to Kristi as she stood there, drip-drying in the doorway.
“Did I bother you? I’m so sorry—”
“Tyler, stop it and talk to me. What’s going on?”
I looked back at Kristi, and she furrowed her brow at me.
“It’s Mom,” he said.
“What happened to your mom?”
“She’s in the hospital, Ana. She’s got—”
My stomach dropped to the floor as my eyes connected with Kristi’s. She shooed me with her hands before she went to tend to Brody, and I grabbed my purse from the kitchen. I dug my keys out as Tyler composed himself on the other end of the line.
“I need you to take deep breaths, okay?” I said.
I ran out the front door and to my car before I whipped the door open.
“She’s got cirrhosis, Ana.”
“I’m so sorry, Tyler.”
“She’s in the ICU at Ronald Reagan.”
“I’m on my way to the hospital now.”
“I’m not there. I just—my father’s there with her and the ICU only lets one person in the room at a time. Her withdrawals are bad, Ana. They’re so bad.”
“Where are you?” I asked.
“I’m at my office, but I can’t focus.”
“Where’s your office?”
“You don’t have to—”
“Damn it, Tyler. Stop fighting me. Where’s your fucking office?”
“1418 Solemn Drive. I’m on the top floor.”
“Fancy stuff. I’ll be there soon, okay?”
“Will you stay on the phone with me?”
“Of course. When did this all happen, Tyler?”
I tore out of the driveway as Brody and Kristi came running into the front yard. They were playing with one another as if I hadn’t just left, and I was thankful for it. I didn’t want to upset Brody with my reaction to what was going on. Nor did I want him asking me questions.
Not with Tyler on the phone.
“She was admitted yesterday. Dad said she collapsed on the floor at home with yellow eyes and he called an ambulance. She needs a liver transplant.”
“Are you and your father being tested as potential donors?” I asked.
“We are. I just got back from having blood drawn to be tested.”
“How is your mother holding up?”
He drew in a shaky breath as I wheeled myself around the corner. I’d never heard Tyler so distraught in my life. Knowing he had gone through this an entire day by himself made my heart ache. I stayed on the phone with him as I made my way through town, finally finding Solemn Drive.
“I’m almost there. Are you still in your office?”
“I am,” he said.
“Good. Once I park I’m coming up to you. Okay?” I asked.
“Okay.”
“Then we’ll talk. Or sit there. Or cry. Or whatever it is you want to do.”
“Ana?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for picking up the phone.”
“I’ll be up there soon, Tyler.”
I hung up the phone reluctantly and found myself a parking space. I raced across the street, slamming through the front glass doors of the building. I ran to the elevator and caught it just before the doors closed, then pressed the button for the top floor. People kept glancing at me as I gasped to catch my breath, and I felt sweat trickling down the back of my neck. Fuck only knew what I looked like running through that lobby, but I didn’t care.
Tyler was aching, and I felt my heart breaking for him.
Everyone poured out on all the other levels, leaving only me to ride to the top. The doors opened and I stepped off, scanning the floor. It was nice. The carpet was plush underneath my feet and the walls were a bright white. The few decorative items were in rich, thick colors: blacks, deep blues, and dark greens.
It was a really nice contrast to the light pouring in from the windows that surrounded the space.
“Ana?”
I whipped my head down the hallway and saw Tyler step out of an office. It seemed as if he was the only one up here. I took off down the hallway as he opened his arms to me, and I rushed into his embrace. His face dropped to my shoulder and he began to cry tears I’d never known him to have. I wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could, my purse falling to the ground in the process.
“I’m right here, Tyler. I’m here.”
“Thank you so much for coming,” he said.
“It’s not a problem. I swear. Come on, let’s get you sitting down.”
I picked up my purse and escorted him back into his office. He closed the door behind us, and I gazed around the room at the deep mahogany furniture that filled it. There were bookcases stacked with books and a sprawling desk with mounds of paperwork. Leather furniture sat in the corners, no doubt so clients felt more comfortable during private meetings.