She picked her mug back up and made her way to the refrigerator. “Now I’m going to eat some ice cream and pretend like my life isn’t going back to normal.” She swung open the door, taking out a tub. “Now get ready so you can leave when that hottie gets back. I can’t promise I can behave myself.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I made my way to my room.
I opened the door and spotted the red plastic cup on the table, warming my heart.
My happily-ever-after starts now. It’s not a fairy tale. It’s a choice.
With a bounce in my step, I began to gather my belongings, putting them back into my suitcase. My mind wondered to how things would be when we got home. I needed to find an apartment. I needed to come clean with my father. I needed to thank Nick, whoever he was.
There was a knock on the door.
“You left your phone in the kitchen. Here, it says it’s Max.” Heather’s hand was extended, my phone in midair.
“Thanks,” I said, taking the phone. “Max?”
“I don’t know, Jada!” Kari’s voice broke over the phone.
“Kari? What’s going on?”
“It’s Dad, Jada. The hospital just called me and he’s been admitted!”
“At the hospital!? Kari! What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. He was taken to Mary Sherman Hospital where I work. One of my friends on the staff put two and two together and just called me. They think he’s had a heart attack. We just landed at Sky Harbor and are on our way, but I knew you would want to know.”
“I need to be there,” I wailed, thinking of my dad in a hospital bed and my sister all alone. “We weren’t going to leave for a few days, but I have to get back there now.”
“I don’t know anything. It may be nothing,” she said softly. “I don’t want to scare you, but I had to call you.”
“I will catch a flight home as soon as I can.”
“Jada, I called you from Max’s phone because I was charging mine. But it’s charged enough now and I need to call the hospital back. Can you talk to Max?”
“Sure,” I said, throwing the last of my stuff into my suitcase and sitting on the bed, looking at Heather nervously.
“Jada?” he asked, his voice gravely.
“Max?” I spun my ring around my finger, wishing I was home.
“It’ll be all right, Jada. We don’t know how bad he is or what is the matter for sure. Just stay calm, all right?” His southern drawl settled my nerves a bit and I remembered to breathe. “Where’s Cane?”
“He went for a run. I will be there as soon as I can.”
“When were you coming back?” he asked.
I sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “In a couple of days. We hadn’t decided. As soon as he gets back, we will head to the airport.”
“Keep me posted okay? Have Cane call me when he gets back.”
“I will,” I said, my voice breaking before pressing END.
I threw Cane’s things in a bag haphazardly, grabbed my purse, and headed to the front door. I sat our bags off to the side and paced the room.
“It’s going to be fine,” Heather assured me. “Kari will be there soon, right?”
I nodded, thinking the worst. “I need to get plane tickets. Where’s my cell?”
Heather shrugged, looking around. “Did you leave it in the bedroom?”
I raced down the hall, searching frantically for my cell. It was lighting up, alerting me of its location as I neared the bed.
Max: Southwest A1278 leaves at 3:45 PM. Just use the self check-in, I already bought them.
I smiled, looking up at Heather. “I hope my sister knows what a great guy she has.”
JADA
Kari pushed open the door to Dad’s room and we made our way inside quietly. He lay asleep on his bed, an oxygen tube up his nose and various monitors taped to his chest.
He looked pale and grey, not at all like the strong, vibrant man I once knew. I instinctively grabbed Kari’s hand. My heart broke at the sight before us.
The blood pressure cuff on his arm made a sound and Dad’s eyes fluttered open. “Damn thing,” he muttered before he saw us standing in the doorway. His face lit up and he tried to move before giving up. “There are my girls,” he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.
“Hey, Daddy,” I said, my lips trembling as I made my way to his bedside. “How are you feeling?”
“Like garbage.” He held out his arm as the cuff released the air. “You didn’t come all the way home because of this, did you?”
I nodded, looking at all of the wires extending from his body. “Of course I did. I was worried.”
“Ah, I’m a tough old guy. Don’t worry about me.”
“You didn’t do this on purpose, did you? Just to get her back here?” Kari winked at me.
“Maybe I did,” he chuckled. “How are you, Jada?”
“I’m great. Fantastic.” Even I didn’t believe it by the sound of my voice.
Dad reached over and took my hand. “You should be great. You should be great every day of your life. Both of you girls,” he said, looking at Kari. “Because once you are lying in a bed like this and realize that you can be called to the heavens faster than you want to be, you realize that the only thing that mattered in your life is what made you happy.” He smiled wistfully. “Do you know what I would give this very minute to go back and redo everything?”