We arrived at the hospital Sunday evening ready to take over the waiting room with our magic friend power.
“Dallin parked on that row,” Lisa said, pointing two rows up from where I was turning in to find a spot.
“I saw an open space over here.” I pulled in and turned off the car. “Are we about to overwhelm Mrs. Matson with seven of us showing up at the same time?”
She shrugged. “I hope not. But she’s probably bored, don’t you think? She sits in a waiting room all day.”
“True.”
When we climbed out of the car, the others were walking toward us. Dallin was carrying a baseball bat.
“Are you planning to beat someone?” I asked.
“Jeff needs some inspiration. He has six weeks before our first game.” Dallin swung the bat like a ball had just been pitched to him.
“You’re giving him a visual timeline?” I asked.
“Yes, yes, I am.” He poked me in the stomach with the end of his bat. “I know how Jeff works. It will be motivating.”
Lisa stole the bat from him and carried it over her shoulder as we walked into the hospital. Like always, tension spread across my shoulders the second I was inside. Maybe it was the hospital smell. I couldn’t wait until Jeff was out of here.
Mrs. Matson’s hands went to her mouth when she saw us, letting out a small squeal. “You’re here! You’re all here.”
“We got your text yesterday,” Dallin said, “and just wanted to come congratulate you and leave a gift for Jeff.”
He held out the bat. Much like when I had held out the flowers, she squished Dallin into a hug, the bat between them. “Thank you, thank you,” she said. When she pulled back she laid the bat on the table with the various other items she had there. “I’ll put this in his room when they move him downstairs.”
“Are they moving him out of the ICU?” I asked.
“Maybe. Hopefully. He opened his eyes but still hasn’t said anything, so we’ll see.” She smiled and grabbed my hand, holding it between both of hers. “Oh, Autumn, I’m so glad you’re here. Let me go check and see if the nurse is done drawing blood, and you can come see him, hon. Maybe you’ll be our good luck charm again.” With that, she left me alone with six sets of eyes on me.
Dallin was the first to speak. “Wait. Have you actually seen him?”
Lisa put her arm around my shoulder. “Don’t you know that Autumn is his cousin?”
“Since when?” Dallin asked.
“Since his mom declared it,” she said.
“Why you?”
“Because he . . .” I couldn’t finish that sentence out loud. Dallin was Jeff’s best friend. His very best friend. If he was asking that question, maybe I didn’t have as much reason to believe Jeff and I were a possibility as I thought. “I don’t know. I’m sorry,” I finished.
Morgan picked up the bat off the table and held it out to Dallin. “Maybe you need to smash your way in there.”
I appreciated her effort to break the ice but it didn’t work. Dallin was hurt; I could tell even though he tried to play it off otherwise. “Not a big deal. I guess it’s good that one of us has talked to him.” He sank into the nearest chair and spun an empty Coke bottle on the table in front of him. “Anyone up for a game of spin the bottle?”
Avi sat next to him. Lisa tightened her hold around my shoulders reassuringly.
I wasn’t sure what to say. Apologizing again seemed pointless.
Mrs. Matson poked her head back into the waiting room. “Okay, Autumn, come with me.”
I wished I could tell her to take Dallin instead but I knew she wouldn’t, and her saying no would only make it worse. I followed after her. When we were alone I asked, “Has the doctor said anything else about his recovery?”
“Tests have come back strong. His brain activity is good. He seems to have feeling in his limbs. He just needs to talk to us now and we’ll all feel better.”
I know I’d feel a lot better. “Dallin really wants to see him. He misses him.”
“I know he’s been here a lot, and I love that boy to death, but I can’t trust him to be calm in Jeff’s room. He’s too much of a jokester.”
I smiled. Dallin would probably find that reason funny. “Wait . . . he’s been here a lot?”
“Almost every day.”
I was surprised we hadn’t crossed paths, but that made more sense to me than the Dallin who had been putting on a face all week. He really was worried.
She opened the door for me and left me alone.
I slowly made my way over to him. The stitches on his head had been removed; angry red holes lined the bright pink line down his forehead.