Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
“We’re getting there. Very soon.”
He smirked, but I could see the concern in his expression. How could he not have been when he didn’t have a clue what the truth really was?
“I’m sure you have your reasons, but just know, whatever they are, I’m here for you when you’re ready.”
“I know that. Would never doubt it.”
He put his arm around me and kissed my forehead, reminding me of the way he used to when I was a kid.
We enjoyed a few more rides before heading to the ice-cream stand, as we had always done, not only at the fair, but during our secret ice-cream runs, when he would promise my dad that he definitely wouldn’t be getting me any ice cream, even though he most definitely would.
At a nearby stand, when it was finally our turn in line, Tex told the woman behind the counter, “Two scoops of the strawberry for me…” He eyed me for a moment. “Should I take a guess at what you want, or have you changed that much?”
“Some things never change.”
He cracked a smile, turning back to the cashier. “And a vanilla, two scoops, with fudge and Ree—Ree—”
It sounded like he might have gotten something caught in his throat, or just forgotten how to say Reese’s cups.
“Cat got your tongue?” I asked before he turned and I noticed his stiff, disoriented expression.
More than what was happening, though, I had this foreboding feeling in the pit of my gut.
Something was very wrong.
Panic coursed through me as he reached out to me, terror in his eyes.
“Tex?”
He was all shivers as he collapsed to the ground, with me doing my best to brace his fall.
Holy fuck, holy fuck.
“Tex? Tex?”
I wasn’t thinking clearly, or quickly enough, but as people gathered around, I was just glad that I was pulling out my phone, dialing 911.
41
James
I’d abandoned Kendra and my other fellow faculty friends at the restaurant, rushing to the Wyachet Hospital. Every light along the way, every stop sign, even the hospital parking garage, agitated the hell out of me.
Tex was hurt, and that meant Kyle would be hurting too.
I hurried to the reception desk of the floor Kyle had texted me to meet him at.
“I’m here for Tex Harris,” I told the receptionist, who pointed me in the right direction. I found the waiting area, a room with about a dozen chairs and a large table in one corner. Kyle sat, hands covering his face before he lowered them, revealing how red it was and tear-streaked. When his gaze set on mine, he pushed to his feet and hurried over.
There was no one else in the room, so I didn’t have to stop him as he threw his arms around me, not that I would have been able to muster the courage even if there had been.
He pushed me back against the door, putting all his weight against me as he sobbed into my shoulder.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
There was so much pain in the word. I could feel his desperation about the man he cared for with every part of his being.
“He was totally fine. We were having fun, getting fucking ice cream, cracking jokes…and I was making fun of him for stuttering…God, I made fun of him…”
“Hey, no, no.” I pulled away and looked into his eyes. Tears pushed free, sliding down his beautiful face. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t give him a stroke. You didn’t know what was going on, and neither did he. Okay?” They suspected a stroke, but were still running tests.
The tears continued as he nodded, even though I could tell he still wasn’t convinced of his own innocence.
“Come here. I’ve got you.”
But just as he started to get close again, I heard something behind me and turned to see a nurse in the doorway.
Goddammit.
It was like the whole fucking universe was conspiring against us.
Kyle pulled back and turned away from me, batting his hands at his eyes.
“Oh, hello. Are you family too?”
“No, he’s not. He’s…my teacher.” Kyle said the words so bitterly. I knew he didn’t mean them as anything against me, but because he was as bothered as I was by the obstacle that prevented us from sharing this moment the way we needed to.
“What’s up with my uncle?” he asked.
“He’s been stabilized, and he’s about to be transferred to ICU. We’ll let you know as soon as we have results from labs and testing. In the meantime, you have some friends here to see you.”
Taryn and Ben stepped in behind her, rushing to Kyle’s side. They comforted him, pulling him into a nearby chair as we all sat there, doing our best to be there for him. To make him feel less alone through the fear and uncertainty that lay ahead.
Once the conversation had petered out, we were all on our phones, Kyle and I texting each other.