“No, it didn’t. But, as I got older, it made it easier to accept. I would’ve still lost my dad that day because he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he hadn’t put himself in front of that truck,” Jonah said.
I stayed snuggled against him for several minutes hoping I was silently comforting him when I had an idea. “You want me to stop by your mom’s room after my shift?”
“I’ve seen you walk in the door and practically fall asleep walking to your room. I don’t want you staying any longer than you have to and risk falling asleep on your way home,” he said seriously.
“Okay, how about this? I’ll go home and sleep, then I’ll come back to see how things are going,” I offered.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll be okay,” he countered.
“All right. Let me know if you change your mind,” I said. I wasn’t going to argue with him, but I was going to come back to check on him after I got some sleep.
And that’s exactly what I did almost twelve hours later.
I didn’t expect to find Jonah alone in his mother’s room. His head was resting on the bed, and he had one of her hands clutched in his much larger one. Even in his sleep, lines of worry were etched on his face.
I stood in the doorway for several minutes wondering if I should leave and come back later, but ultimately decided to quietly slip into the room and wait for him to wake up, which he did around an hour later.
His eyes landed on me the moment they opened, and the corner of his lips tipped up into a smile. “Hey,” he rasped. “How long have you been here?”
“About an hour or so. I didn’t want to wake you. Figured you needed the sleep.”
He stood and stretched, causing his T-shirt to reveal a hint of his toned stomach. He totally caught me staring and laughed. “You make me feel like a piece of meat.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please. Like you don’t know you’re hot.”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” he grinned and came over to sit beside me on the small sofa in the room.
“How’s your mom?” I asked, changing the subject intentionally.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No changes. I didn’t realize how long and drawn out the cooling and rewarming process would be.”
“They didn’t explain that to you?”
“I don’t know. Somebody probably did along the way, but it wasn’t knowledge that I retained. Initially, I only wanted to know if she was expected to live and, if so, would she make a full recovery.”
“For future reference, if you have any medical related questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me,” I offered, and then I explained the rewarming process to him and what to expect.
“Thank you. I’ve been waiting for her to wake up, and I’ve been growing more and more concerned as each hour passed.”
I patted his thigh. “Glad I could help.”
He scooted closer and put his arm around me. “Me, too, and I’m glad you’re here,” he said softly and kissed the top of my head.
I relaxed into him, and we fell into a comfortable silence until more visitors arrived some time later. I hadn’t realized that they had other family members that might be coming by to visit, so I was surprised when three people and a very large dog entered the room.
My eyes widened and I turned my head to Jonah. “It’s okay; Titan’s a service dog.”
I turned back to the dog and realized he was wearing a service dog harness. “I know he looks scary, but he’s harmless…unless you’re trying to attack me. Then, he’ll hurt you,” a girl who looked vaguely familiar said.
“Not helping, sister cousin,” Jonah chuckled.
“Any news, brother Judge?” she asked.
“No, and there probably won’t be until sometime tomorrow. The rewarming process can take close to a day, and she probably won’t wake up right away once she reaches the regular temperature,” he explained, just as I’d explained to him.
The girl smiled sadly. “Well, I guess no news is good news then.” She cleared her throat and made a show of looking from Jonah to me and back.
He chuckled, “This is my friend, River. River, this is my nosy little cousin, Harper. That scary looking fucker is her fiancé, Carbon, and the one who looks like me, but not as handsome, is her brother and my cousin, Duke. And, of course, Titan.”