“Yeah. I want to see Will.”
“That’s good of you, Micah.”
“Yeah, I’m a fucking saint.”
Dec appeared on screen, making Simon scoot over to share the chair with him. “That was Will’s coach.”
“Any news?” Simon asked.
“Not really. Just checking in.”
“Micah’s getting in on Wednesday,” Simon told him.
“Oh?” Dec looked at Micah through the screen. “That’s great. Emma will be here by then too.”
“The chicks are returning to the nest,” Simon said, trying to sound brighter than they all felt.
“I can’t believe this is the reason why.”
Simon hugged Dec, and Micah watched Dec allow himself to be swallowed up in a much needed expression of love. He felt he was intruding, and said his good-byes.
Closing his laptop, he sat in the darkness for a while before finally getting up and going to bed.
Chapter 11
MICAH LANDED in Melbourne late Wednesday night and had a sombre dinner with his family before going straight to bed. He really didn’t want to have them looking at him sadly and wondering if he was going to crack over Will’s current state. They remembered Will, of course, and had always been unhappy about what had happened with his father. They didn’t always used to feel so generous to Will, when they had known he and Micah had trouble. But they had felt if their son was mature enough to go on to a civil relationship with Will, then they should as well. They now saw him as a kid who had been getting his life together and always seemed to have it made harder for him.
And now he didn’t even have the support of his father.
The next morning Micah woke up late, cursing his phone and the fact he had been so tired he had forgotten to set the alarm on it. He had the briefest of showers and ran into the kitchen still half-wet with his clothes sticking to him.
“Why didn’t anybody wake me?” he demanded.
His dad and Alex stared at him.
“I thought you were already up,” Rick said.
Alex finished his mouthful of cereal. “So did I.”
Had they already forgotten what it was like to have him as part of their home? Micah couldn’t dwell on it; he snapped his fingers at his father. “Keys.”
“I thought you were catching the tram?”
“I’m meant to be meeting Emma at nine, and I need to catch a tram and a train to get to the hospital. So I need the car now. Please. I know you’re working from home today!”
Rick dug into his pockets and produced the set. “Hey, try not to stress too much, mate.”
“Yeah, that’ll happen.” Micah fumbled around on the chain for the lock fob. “I don’t know what I’m going to say to him.”
“You don’t have to say too much. He’ll probably just be glad you’re there for support.”
“Some support,” Micah mumbled.
“It is,” his father stressed to him. “You’ve taken time out of your training, which I know isn’t easy—”
“That was actually the easiest part.” Even though Sam had been the one to arrange it for him. Micah hadn’t had to do anything except get his rocks off with some stranger for his own gratification. He wondered what his dad would say if he told him.
“Well, whatever, it’s a good thing you’re doing.”
“It’s the proper thing to be doing,” Alex nodded.
Micah didn’t want to admit that if he could, he’d run away and avoid seeing Will. He felt completely adrift. Emma would probably know all the right things to say, and would just be a ray of light in the hospital ward with her mere presence, while Micah would be the sullen cloud and about as useful as a brushed potato in the scheme of things.
“Gotta go,” he said. “Thanks.”
He wished it would take him far longer to get to the Austin than it actually did.
EMMA WAS in the main waiting area on the first floor, and she rushed towards him as soon as he entered.
She looked leaner than the last time he had seen her—but he guessed he did too. Their physical activity had kicked up a fair few notches since they went to their respective professional postings, and it was showing. But her face was pinched and blotchy, and Micah was touched by her blindingly obvious devastation at the news about Will.
It made him feel guilty for not being as open about it. Did she think he was maybe unfeeling, and that this hadn’t really affected him? No, Emma wouldn’t be that shallow.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “My bloody alarm. I had to steal my dad’s car in order to get here.” At her look of alarm, he gave a weak smile. “Exaggeration. He gave permission.”
“It’s okay,” she replied, her tone nervy. “Visiting hours didn’t start that long ago. How are you?”
“I hate that question. Especially now. What kind of response can I give?”
“I know. I hate it too. I can’t believe I asked it.”
“But how are you?” Micah asked before he could stop himself.
They both laughed, and stopped almost immediately as if ashamed they could find anything amusing at this very moment.
“I feel like shit,” Emma said, finally.
“Me too. Are you ready?” he asked.
She readjusted her bag on her shoulder, composing herself. “I guess so. He’s in Ward 54. I already checked.”
They made their way in silence to the lifts, and didn’t break it as they rode to the fifth floor. They waited for an orderly with a trolley to disembark before they followed him out.
“Simon and Dec have already seen him,” Emma finally said.
“Yeah, they told me the other night. Simon said it was pretty horrible.”
“So we should prepare ourselves.”
“I don’t think we can,” Micah said. “It’s going to be a shock, no matter what.”
At the nurses’ station they confirmed Will’s room number. It was the next one down from the hub, which meant he truly was in a serious condition if he was so close at hand. The door was closed, and they stood outside it hesitantly.
“Why do I feel so nervous?” Emma asked, wiping her hands down her skirt.
“Because we’re lucky. I mean, we’re out here, not in there.”