Something’s wrong.
There are so many questions floating through my mind. What’s he worried about, why’s Gram calling, and why is he here sleeping with me, and why is he naked? I don’t have to ask any of them as the phone is thrust into my hands. I peek under the covers to see if I’m clothed. “Hey, Gram,” I say as I try not to cringe at the fact that I, too, am naked under the sheets. Oh, God. What did we do?
“Mac,” Gram says, her voice cracking, pulling me out of my mental fog. Something’s seriously wrong. That’s when it registers that Rip told her when he was walking back into the room that we would be on the next flight out.
I sit up straighter, not bothering to hold the sheet over my chest, letting it pool at my waist at the broken sound of her voice. “What’s wrong?” I can barely think over the pounding in my head, and at this point, I’m not sure if it's last night's alcohol consumption or the fear and sadness in Gram’s voice.
“It’s your grandfather. We had to call the ambulance. We’re at Mercy General. He’s had a heart attack.”
“W-What?” I croak. I want to say more, but I can’t seem to form the words. I feel Rip’s hand on my naked back as he pulls the phone from my grasp.
“Agnes, how is he?” he asks. I sit here as the words she just uttered to me bounce around in my head.
Not Gramps. No, this can’t be happening.
“McKenna and I are on the next flight home. We’ll see you soon.” Rip ends the call by dropping my phone on the bed, only to put his to his ear. “Mom, hey, can you do me a favor?” I listen as he explains the situation, asking his parents to go be with Gram until I can get there. No, until we can get there. Ending the call, he pulls me into his lap. “I’m going to get you home, baby. We need to get dressed and get to the airport.”
There’s so much going through my head right now—my worry for Gramps, the fear that we could lose him. Then there’s the fact that I’m naked, sitting on Rip’s lap who is also naked. I’d be lying if I said the feel of his skin against mine and the way his arms hold me tight was uncomfortable. It’s anything but.
I nod, wrapping my arms around him as the tears begin to fall. Naked bodies be dammed. I need this. I need the comfort he’s offering. I was gone to college for so long. So much time was missed with my grandparents, with Gramps, and now I might lose him. That’s not how this was supposed to happen. We were supposed to work together, at least for a little while, until he retired and spent his days doing whatever he and Gram wanted to do. This isn’t how it was supposed to go.
“Kenna, baby, I’m so sorry.” Rip holds me tighter, and I’m grateful for him at this moment. His strong arms give me a sense of security, and that’s a feat considering my world just tilted on its axis. The fact that we’re naked is never too far from my mind, and I know we need to talk about it. And we will, but not this minute.
“We have to go,” I say, crawling off his lap. I rush around the room, picking up my clothes from last night, I swallow hard, and I need to brush my teeth. I could really use a shower, but there’s no time. “I’m never drinking again,” I mutter under my breath.
“Hey, it’s me.” I hear Rip say into the phone. I’m sure he’s talking to Laramie or Colby. “We’re heading back today. Harold had a heart attack. Agnes just called. No, I got us on the next flight out. She’s… as good as can be expected. Yeah, I’ll let you know.” He hangs up the phone and comes to me, wrapping his arms around me once again. “What can I do?”
God, he feels good with his arms wrapped around me, skin to skin.
“Nothing. I—” I stop and look up at him. “I don’t know why we’re naked in my hotel suite, but I don’t have time to dissect that right now. Thank you for getting me on a flight home. You don’t have to come with me. I don’t want to cut your trip short too.” I’m rambling as my mind races to catch up with what’s happened since the shrill ringing of my phone woke me.
“Hey.” He places his index finger under my chin so that we’re eye to eye. “I want to be where you are, McKenna. Lean on me. Let me help you and your family through this.”