“Why can't you fix them?” It was a reasonable suggestion and Brad smiled at Page through his own tears.
“I wish I could.” But the truth was he didn't wish he could. He was happy to move on. He wanted his own life, his own apartment, and Stephanie. He was actually excited about moving. And she was thrilled. She wanted to move in with him right away, but Brad thought they should wait a month or two.
It was only when he came back here, when he saw how painful it was for all of them, that he didn't want to leave them. But he was smart enough by now to know that if he didn't move out, he'd be slipping away whenever he could in a matter of moments. He was ready to go, no matter how sorry he was, or how much he loved Andy.
“Don't do it, Daddy,” Andy begged, and Page felt nauseous.
“Son, don't. It's the right thing for all of us. I know it.”
“What'll Allie say when she comes back?” He was clutching at straws and they all knew it.
“We'll have to explain it to her.” Andy ran to his mother then and sobbed as she held him.
It was a terrible night for all of them. Brad decided to spend the night there and he worked through the night going through his papers. And by morning, they all looked as though they were in mourning.
Page made pancakes and sausages for all of them, normally their favorite, but no one could eat them. Andy had had a baseball game scheduled that day, but with his broken arm, he couldn't play. And he wanted Brad to stay and play with him, but by late morning, Brad said he needed to get to the city. He knew that Stephanie was waiting.
“When will I see you, Dad?” Andy asked, panicky, as Brad loaded his bags and boxes into the car, and prepared to leave them.
“Next Saturday, I promise. Just pretend I'm on a trip. You can call me every day at the office.” But Andy was beyond words and promises by then, he just stood there and cried and so did Page, as he backed out of the driveway and left them. Other than Allie's accident, four weeks before, it was the worst day she could remember. All that hope, all those years, those two shining people, the family they had built, gone forever.
Andy stood outside crying in her arms for a long time, and then finally they went inside, and sat together. It felt as though someone had died. They had lost two people they loved. And Page could hardly believe it when her mother called at lunchtime and thanked her for the lovely visit.
“Alexis and I had such a good time. And it was so good to see Allyson. I'm sure by now she's much better.” The glib words left her speechless, and she was in no mood to talk to her. Page told her mother she'd call her back sometime, hung up, and went back to Andy. He was lying on her bed, crying into the pillow. He felt terrible, and she had to admit, she didn't feel much better. Somehow, seeing Brad leave made it all so real, and so painful.
“I know you feel rotten, sweetheart. But we have to make the best of it,” she said through her own tears. And then Andy rolled over to see her.
“Did you want him to leave?” Was it her fault? His? Andy's? Allie's? …whose? …Andy didn't understand it.
“No. I didn't want him to leave, sweetheart. But I know he had to. Things had gotten pretty bad.”
“Why? Why were you fighting?”
“I don't know. We just were.” It was so hard to explain to him. She didn't completely understand it herself, how could she explain it to a child of seven?
Trygve called them late that afternoon, and she told him what had happened. He invited them over for one of his stews, but at first Andy didn't even want to see Bjorn, and then finally he relented. He got in the car halfheartedly, and took the teddy bear he slept with.
“Bjorn has one too,” he explained to Page. “He calls him Charlie.”
And when they got there, Bjorn could see that his friend was in bad shape. They sat outside and talked for a long time, while Andy told him what had happened.
“How is he?” Trygve asked, worried about them both.
“Upset. It was worse than I thought when the actual moment came. It was awful.”
“I remember only too well.” It still hurt to think about the day Dana had left. Everyone had cried for hours, even Dana. “God, you've all been through the wringer.”
“Who hasn't?” She looked over at him, exhausted again. It was a permanent state these days. “How's Chloe?”
“Raising hell at the hospital. She's supposed to come home next week, if we can rig up ramps for her, and she'll have to sleep downstairs in Nick's bedroom.” But listening to him, Page thought about how lucky he was that she was coming home at all. In four weeks, there had been no change in Allie's condition. It was not beyond hope yet, but soon it would be.