“SURPRISE!” a group of people yelled.
As I jerked to a stop, my eyes went wide, and I took in the group of people standing there in the wide archway of the waiting room. Everyone was smiling, some were holding colorful balloons, pink streamers hung from the ceiling, and nurse Ellen stood in the center with a big square cake decorated with a pile of icing.
“What is all this?” I asked, slightly out of breath.
“You didn’t think we’d just let you walk out of here without a proper good-bye, did you?” Ellen said.
Yes. That’s exactly what I thought.
“You, girl, are a miracle!” Maggie exclaimed, materializing out of the crowd. In her hands was a bunch of colorful flowers. “The strongest fighter this town has ever seen.”
Mary Beth nodded sagely. “You’ve been here so long it almost feels as if family is leaving.”
I started to cry.
It was totally embarrassing, but I couldn’t stop. I went from feeling completely overwhelmed by loneliness to suddenly being overwhelmed with people who cared. I wiped at my tears as they fell, sniffling and looking around at all the people.
There was some other sniffling going on around the room, but I wasn’t sure who it was. My vision was too blurred to tell.
Eddie’s arm wrapped around me, and I leaned into his side. “You have lots of people who care about you, Am,” he said quietly. “Leaving this hospital won’t change that.”
I cried harder. Geez, I was a baby! “Better write this down, Dr. Beck,” I announced. “I’m a big fat crybaby!”
“Showing emotion is nothing to be ashamed of,” Dr. Kline announced.
“Let’s have cake!” Ellen announced.
Eddie led me into the waiting room, where music played, balloons bobbed around, and cake was passed around the room. Joline and Jeremy from the town bakery had brought it, along with a bag of the monkey bread muffins I so loved. Even Eddie’s parents were here. I liked them, even though I got the opinion they came to visit just so they could keep an eye on me. They were worried about their son and how much time he spent with the girl with no memory. Sometimes they stared at me as if they were trying to see something no one else could, but other times, it seemed they wanted to genuinely get to know me.
A few people brought me gifts, which made me cry again. I don’t know if anyone knew just how much it truly meant to me just to have people care. I was a bit taken aback by how deeply this little going away party touched me, but it did. I felt their kindness and generosity deep, so deep it nearly stirred something inside me. But just as it started to rise to the surface, it was shoved back down again, out of reach.
The party didn’t last too long because most of the guests were staff, but it was enough to make me feel as if maybe I wasn’t leaving everything behind, instead just moving it all to another location. After promising to come back to visit and making a couple lunch dates, Eddie pulled me into the elevator.
“I was so not expecting that,” I told him, partially breathless. Feeling his stare, I turned to look at him.
He was smiling, gazing at me once again as if I were all he saw. “You deserve it. That and so much more.”
Outside, there was a black truck parked at the curb. I had no idea what kind or if it was old or new. It was just a black vehicle with big tires.
Eddie took my hand, tugging me near it. “This is us.”
“You parked at the curb?” I asked, amused.
“Would you rather I parked in the flowerbed?” he asked, gesturing toward a big patch of mulch with bushes.
The plastic wrapped around the bouquet of flowers I held crinkled as I laughed. “Um, isn’t there a parking lot for guests? I thought this was a no parking zone.” I pointed to the sign that clearly read: NO PARKING ZONE.
“That sign is just a suggestion.”
That sign was not just a suggestion. Eddie just didn’t think the rules applied to him.
“So this is your truck?” I asked.
“Yep, this is her,” he replied, slapping a hand on the hood. “Isn’t she pretty?”
Pursing my lips, I asked, “Do you have a crush on your truck?”
“Jealous?” He smiled swiftly, then wagged his eyebrows.
A funny feeling flipped around inside me. “Can I drive?”
He frowned. “Do you know how to drive?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Eddie sputtered. “I think we’ll save that little test for later. You’re just getting out of the hospital. It’s a little too soon to come back.”
“Fine.” I sighed.
Eddie opened the passenger door and beckoned for me to get in. Handing him my flowers and other gift bags loading down my arms, I jumped in and sat on the bench seat stretching across the interior. He put all the stuff on the floor near my feet.
Still holding the flowers, he glanced up. “Better scooch over. Make room for the flowers.” I held my hands out for them, but he shook his head. “Scooch.”
I slid over, and he dropped them beside me. Clearly, he was very concerned with their delicacy.
“Be right back,” he said before slamming the door and jogging around the front. Inside the cab, he started it up and smiled. “Hi.”
I was right beside him. You know, because the flowers took up so much room on the other side. “Hi,” I said back.
“Ready?”
I shrugged.
I’m pretty sure he drove like a maniac. Or maybe he was just a terrible driver. Either way, I was forced to cling to him in fear of my life.
After taking a wide turn onto a tree-lined street with beautiful houses set back on green lawns and fall leaves dotting the landscape, I sat up and gaped at him.
He laughed.
I smacked him in the ribs. “You are the worst driver ever!”
“How do you know?” he teased.
“I think I’m going to vomit.” I leaned forward.
He slammed on the brakes, his arm shooting out to block me from sliding forward. The second the truck bounced to a stop, he turned to me, immediately regretful. “Shit,” he muttered. “It’s okay. I’m sorry, I—”
My laughter bubbled up from my hunched over position.
He was silent for a heartbeat. “Are you laughing?”
Gleefully, I sat up and beamed at him. “Made you feel bad, didn’t I?”
His jaw dropped. “Are you playing me right now?”
My smile grew.
“Holy shit,” he swore. “You are totally playing me.”
“You asked for it!” I burst out. “You drove like a madman just because you wanted me to hold on to you for dear life.”
A sly smile broke over his features. “It worked.”
“We could have been in an accident!” I demanded, even though I really didn’t think he’d been driving that erratically. Especially in a town where we’d literally passed one car along the way.
Eddie shook his head adamantly. “No way. Never. I would never do anything to hurt you like that.”
My head tilted at his deep sincerity.
He held up his finger and made an X over his heart. “Cross my heart.”
“Hope to die,” I echoed.
His whole face changed. It was almost as if I’d said something sacred. “What did you say?” he whispered.