The Last Summer, page 11
The elevator opened again a few minutes later, and Addison and Glen walked in. “How is he?” she asked immediately. Luke stood up and shook hands with Glen. The air conditioning hit me without Luke’s warmth, and my heart twinged at the abrupt end of my brief feeling of solace.
Lily came back to give us an update.
“They’re prepping for surgery. For sure one of his legs and one of his arms are broken, and he’s lost a lot of blood. We won’t know the extent of all the damage until after surgery.” She rubbed her temples. “Y’all can go home. We’ll probably be here all night.”
“Then we should find some coffee. We’re not going anywhere, Lily,” Luke said firmly. She went back to join Sam and his mom, and the rest of us sat down on the sofas. I rubbed my arms in an attempt to fight the freezing temperature and wished I’d worn a sweater. I sat as close to Addison as possible, but neither of us seemed up for talking. I mindlessly scrolled through news articles on my phone while Addi checked her e-mail. Luke and Glen spoke in hushed voices. The cold, stark-white atmosphere did nothing to help with the fear drifting around all of us. About half an hour later, after Richard was taken into surgery, Sam, Lily, and his mom joined us in the waiting room. Jason came in at the same time.
Debra arrived about ten minutes later with reinforcements in the way of food. Most of us had missed dinner. We all reached for the sacks of Whataburger (Texas, y’all.) meals she dropped on the coffee table in the waiting room. The warm aroma of cheeseburgers, fries, and onion rings filled the area and was a welcome contrast to the smell of disinfectant cleaner. My stomach growled and I bit into a burger, thankful for Debra’s thoughtfulness. She and I sat silently next to each other, sharing French fries and watching Sam’s mother pace in the hallway.
I looked at our group. Debra and I sharing snacks. Addison on her phone. Luke and Jason and Glen watching ESPN on the mounted TV. Lily and Sam holding hands.
I felt it all over again.
Family.
These were my people.
Over the next two hours, more visitors stopped by, namely the pastor of the church Sam’s parents attended and two of his mother’s close friends.
Around 9:30 the doctor came out, and the Spencers all walked down the hallway with him for an update. We all perked up and Luke jumped out of his seat. After a few minutes, they came back to the waiting room.
“Thank you all for coming,” Macy said, obviously on the verge of tears.
“He’s out of surgery and stable for now, for the most part. They’ve stopped the bleeding and set the arm and leg. The doctor removed his spleen. I think Dad will be moving to the ICU.” Sam paused, taking a deep breath, his eyes red with restrained tears. “I’m going to be here overnight. My brother should be here in an hour. My aunt and uncle are coming from Shreveport tomorrow. Lily’s going to take my mom home now, though. They’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
“What can I do, bro?” Luke asked, placing a hand on Sam’s shoulder.
That simple gesture seemed to evoke all the emotion Sam tried to hold back; he just stared at the floor, unable to speak. We were all up at this point. Luke pulled him into a hug, and my eyes filled with tears. Jason moved close to put his arms around both of the guys. Then all of us were closing in, reaching out to touch Sam, reaching out to touch each other. The circle tightening.
Addison held Sam’s mother as she cried.
“Lord, we praise you in this moment,” Glen prayed aloud. My eyes squeezed shut.
We praise you when there’s nothing else we can do.
Teach me how, God.
Chapter Thirteen
Tuesday afternoon I left work early to join Lily at the hospital. She was sitting in the ICU waiting room, and I handed her a white mocha latte before sitting down next to her.
“Did you get any sleep last night?”
She yawned. “Not much. I got here at seven this morning and found Luke and Sam eating breakfast in the cafeteria.”
“Luke was here at seven?”
She nodded and warmed both hands around the cup. “He was here all night. I think he slept for a couple of hours on one of the waiting room sofas, but he wouldn’t leave Sam here alone.”
I smoothed my black cropped pants and crossed my legs. My heart squeezed at the thought of Luke sleeping here, to be near Sam. That was just how supportive of a friend Luke was.
“Sam and Macy are with Richard now. He’s sleeping. He looks terrible, Sara.” Dark circles ringed her eyes, and Lily’s normally coiffed short blonde hair hung lifeless and dry around her face.
“Oh, Lily.” Weight settled on my chest and my throat tightened.
“We’re just thankful he’s alive, of course. The driver of the other car died this morning.”
I gasped.
“His family was here earlier. That was devastating.” Lily closed her eyes. “They’re watching Richard closely. He’s had a fever today. They said they may have to do another surgery when he’s a little stronger. I have to try not to cringe when I see him. There are stitches across his forehead. He’s bruised badly. The arm and leg are in casts.”
“But he’s alive, like you said,” I told her. “That’s what matters. He’s alive.”
Lily sipped her coffee. “I’m glad they’d already begun the transition for Sam to take over more of the business responsibilities. He’ll need to handle everything for a long time to come.”
“How long do they think his dad will be in the hospital?”
“They haven’t said. With the fever and an additional surgery, I expect him to be here for a while.”
“How can we help Macy? Do you want the gang to bring over meals?”
“Their church has stepped in to help, and they’re taking care of that. Sam’s brother and sister-in-law, and his aunt and uncle are all staying at Macy’s house, which is good because she’s not alone. Sam will have a couple of guys from the business take care of the yard for her, but if I think of anything, don’t worry, I’ll call on the group. I know you guys are there for us.”
“We are. You guys are never alone in this. Not for one minute,” I promised.
“You know what the scariest part was, Sara? It was just a regular day. We weren’t ready—the thought of Sam never seeing his dad again, it would never have occurred to us. You’re just going about your life, and then suddenly something happens and the world stops for you.”
I placed my hand on her arm. “I know.” My heart ached for Sam, Lily, and Macy. “But he’s going to make it through. We have to keep believing that.” He’d come so far already. I shot up another frantic prayer that God would bring healing and comfort for Richard and the rest of the family.
“I know. At least, we think so. He’s weak from the surgery. That’s why they’re watching him so closely for infection, for more bleeding.” Lily looked at me. “I’ve never seen Sam really afraid before now,” she said. “We haven’t gone through anything like this together. This is new ground for us.”
“You’re the strongest couple I know,” I told her. “He needs you now, Lily.”
She nodded her agreement.
Jason showed up an hour later with dinner for Macy, Sam, Lily, and myself. We ate, and he and I sat and talked with Lily and Sam for a while. Macy rarely left Richard’s room, but Lily and Sam needed a break. While Jason and Sam watched TV in the waiting room, Lily and I went for some fresh air outside. A couple of hours later, Jason walked me to my car when it was time to go.
“I wish there were more we could do,” he said with obvious frustration.
“I think it helps just knowing how much we all care. Knowing we’ll be here if they call on us. Knowing that when we say we’re praying for them, we really mean it.”
Jason and I walked together slowly through the parking lot, passing row after row of cars. The muscles in my shoulders throbbed from a long day at the museum and now hours spent at the hospital, and Jason seemed quiet, lost in his thoughts. I pulled out my keys as we reached my car.
Jason stuck his hands in his pockets. “Sam is my best friend,” he said, staring out at the night sky. “He and Luke are the brothers I never had. I’d do anything I could for him.” I paused and turned to him.
“I know,” I said. “He knows.” Neither of us spoke for a moment. The parking lot was silent.
“The night we met, we were at the church gym, playing basketball with a bunch of people. Sam dunked on me and nearly broke my nose. Afterward, he and Luke took me out to that little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant we used to go to—Guadalupe’s—for tamales. We’ve been best friends ever since.”
It was a story I’d heard many times. The guys loved to tell it—eating tamales with Jason, bonding over bloody noses. I stepped forward and gave Jason a hug. He patted my back before releasing me.
“Good night then, Sara.” Jason took off toward his car, and I got into mine. I sat for a moment, wanting to pray. No words came to me, but love for my friends flooded my heart. And that felt like a prayer somehow.
As fate would have it, I was the only one available to take Debra and Luke to the airport the following Saturday morning at 6:30. The irony of this was not lost on me. That love that had flooded my heart days earlier was waning a bit. Deb sat in the backseat, chattering away on a work-related call. In the front seats, Luke and I spoke in quiet voices.
“No word on Sam’s dad being released from the hospital yet?” he asked me. I shook my head.
“Lily said they’ll do the other surgery Monday morning. Probably at least another week and a half in the hospital, if not more. He’s also going to need physical therapy after the bones heal.”
“Call me if anything happens, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Jason’s picking us up Tuesday night, so don’t worry about that.”
Excellent.
I swerved into the departures lanes at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Cars filled nearly every spot.
“Looks like a busy travel day,” I commented.
“What?” Debra said, clicking off her phone and looking out her window in the back.
“See, Debra. I told you,” Luke said.
“Yeah, yeah. I still think we didn’t need to get here two hours early,” she grumbled. Luke’s insistence to be cautiously early to airports and Debra’s tendency to be late to every event she attended had me suppressing a laugh. Luke hauled their luggage from the trunk to the sidewalk. Then we stood awkwardly, saying goodbye. I felt like I was their mother or something. Goodbye, children! Please don’t do anything inappropriate, like make out on the plane!
After dutifully hugging them both and saying to have a great time, I left.
Working for Art as Life that Saturday turned out to be a godsend. The crowds and activities at the park and amphitheater kept my mind off Colorado and the lovebirds. Chalk artists drew colorful art on the sidewalks near the amphitheater. Families and couples and groups of teenagers visited vendor booths selling everything from artwork to popcorn. A lively bluegrass band played onstage. Since the park was so close to the hospital, Lily came over later to get a break. She and I walked around, looking at chalk art and eating peppermint fudge.
“I wonder how it’s going for Luke and Deb,” Lily mused.
Really? When I’m pretending they aren’t on a weekend trip together?
“I’m trying not to think about it.” We paused to see what the man in front of us was drawing.
“How’s that going for you?” She knew me too well.
I glanced over my shoulder at the band as the tempo picked up. “I’m all right. There are worse things in life than losing the man you love to one of your closest friends.”
Lily chuckled. “Such as?”
I didn’t answer, though Sam’s dad came to mind. “I keep thinking—and maybe this is wrong—but I just can’t help wondering if Luke’s going to realize that they are so different, that maybe it’s not the match he was thinking it would be.”
“That could happen,” Lily allowed. “But you need to prepare yourself, honey, if it doesn’t. Lots of couples are very different, and they make it work. Look at me and Sam. I mean, this morning the boy went to do a job wearing the same clothes he worked and sweated in yesterday.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I just looked at him and thought, Lord, who is this man I married? When I mentioned to him I thought that was gross, he told me he’s just going to get dirty and sweaty again today.”
I nodded with understanding.
“So, Addison pushed out the trial food service date since Debra’s out of town and you have so much going on with Sam’s family,” I told Lily. “I think it’s next Sunday night, and if you can’t make it even then, don’t hesitate to say so. She understands. We all know how much stress your family is under right now.”
Lily didn’t respond for a moment.
“Lily?”
“I’m trying to be extra patient with Sam right now. He’s really the one under all the stress. Between spending as much time at the hospital as he can and managing all the jobs they had lined up, he’s running on fumes at the moment. But I have to go back to work at the bookstore next week. I know he thinks it’s not as important, but we need that extra money every month. He wants me ferrying his mom back and forth to the hospital. But she’s perfectly capable of driving. She’s much better now that they feel Richard’s going to pull through. And Macy has friends from church helping her. I can’t spend every day glued to her hip.”
I just listened.
“The rest of the family who came from Dallas and Louisiana have to leave by Tuesday. Maybe that will help us get back to some kind of normalcy. Of course, we’ll keep going to the hospital as long as he’s there. It’s when he’s home that I’m thinking about. Macy will need help moving Richard around. He can’t do anything with the casts on, and he’s really weak. She’s going to need Sam to help maneuver him. Everyone else will be gone.”
We came upon a bench, and I sat down and pulled Lily next to me.
“Don’t get me wrong. All of this is doable. We’re a family. We pull together. Sam’s just already hanging on by a thread. He’s running low on patience and energy. I’m running low on those things too.”
I scooted close enough so that our shoulders pressed up against each other. It hit me at that moment that we’d mostly been thinking of ways to help Macy and Richard, but Lily and Sam needed us to serve them while they served their parents.
“When do you want to go back to work?”
“I’ll need to be at the hospital with Sam on Monday during the surgery. And I need to be around Tuesday to say goodbye to our extended family. But I was thinking I should try to get back on the schedule on Wednesday.”
“Okay then. I’ve got your garage door code. I’m bringing dinner on Wednesday. I’ll let myself in. Don’t argue,” I insisted when Lily opened her mouth to object. “And Addison and Jason will want to bring meals over the next couple of weeks too. Zip it.” I stopped her again. “This is what friendship is, Lily. When we say we’re a family—this is what that looks like.”
She nodded finally.
“I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I get off work Monday.”
“Thank you, Sara.”
Nudging her shoulder, I put on my best imitation of Lily’s southern drawl. “Sure thing, honey.” She chuckled and relief washed over me. While the heaviness of the situation had not lessened, it felt good to hear Lily get her laugh back, even if just for a moment.
When I showed up at the hospital Monday, I found a weary group of people. The surgery had taken some unexpected turns, but overall, Richard had pulled through. Lily, Sam, and Macy wouldn’t be able to see him for at least another half hour, so Lily had asked me to take a bunch of the flowers they’d received to her house. At that point, Richard’s room resembled a florist shop, and they needed more space.
So I packed my little car with bouquets of flowers and headed to Lily’s house. I let myself in through the garage and drew in my breath sharply as I walked in the kitchen.
Let me explain that Lily is from a Better Homes and Gardens era. The kind where everything has a place and better be in it, y’all. So to see her sink full of dishes, garbage filled to the brim of the stainless-steel trash can, and clothes spilling out of the laundry room—I was in shock.
It took three trips to the car to unload all the flowers. I glanced at the clock. 6:30 p.m. I cracked my neck, rolled up my sleeves, and started a load of clothes before I tackled the dishes in the sink.
Two hours later I headed home, dead tired, but Lily’s house sparkled. I’d just changed into my pj’s when my phone buzzed. I checked the text.
WE JUST WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR. I’D CALL YOU, BUT I’M BAWLING. YOU CLEANED MY HOUSE.
I smiled.
LOVE YOU TOO.
The next day I called Addison at lunchtime to explain the situation with Lily and Sam. She immediately said she’d take over a meal Friday. She also said she’d call Jason. With his need for culinary practice, we could probably get a whole slew of meals that Lily and Sam could freeze.
Mission accomplished.
Well, first mission.
I knew Luke and Debra arrived back in town that night, and I was wondering how long I could put off hearing about their no-doubt glorious trip.
I actually did manage to avoid this inevitability until Sunday night, the night Jason was cooking for me and Addison and Debra and Lily. Addison had told Lily she absolutely didn’t have to come, but according to Lily, she desperately needed a fun night away from the hospital.
Fun night is not how I would describe the evening.
We all sat in the living room while Chef Jason cooked in Addison’s kitchen. Sipping on white wine and munching on appetizers, we waited for Jason to impress us. I’d had one stuffed mushroom when Debra squealed and clapped.
“Okay! I just have to tell you guys about the trip! Oh my gosh. I love Colorado.”
I pasted what I hoped was a pleasant look on my face and prepared myself for another play-by-play of the Debra-and-Luke romance.
