door and got out, and he reached for my hand as I slid across the seat after him. I felt the warm th of his touch as his strong hand wrap ped around mine , and in that moment I had an odd feeling that Travis would always protect me. The worry on his face revealed the same thing, and I followed him to the parking lot , trusting that somehow I’d hold it together with him here beside me .
“Okay, now tell me how to get to the hospital,” Travis said once we were safely inside of his car. I hadn’t even noticed what type of car he drove as I’d gotten into the passenger side , and I briefly found it ironic that I’d been so interested in him for months, and was finally at his apartment building and in his car, yet couldn’t care less.
“You need to get on 66,” I said, referring to the highway that led from Washington out into Virginia’s sprawling suburbs.
“Okay,” he said quietly , lost in his own thoughts , as he navigated through the city streets.
Just over an hour later we were pulling off the interstate. I gave him directions to the hospital near my parent’s house. He pulled into the vast complex and seemed to hesitate for the first time. “Where do you think we should park?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. Emergency room?” Just saying it sounded scary, and right at that moment I watched as an ambulance c a me wheeling in, sirens blaring . Travis drove over to the correct parking lot and pulled into a n empty space . I shakily got out of the car, and he quickly walked around to my side. Glancing down at me, he held out his arm. I clutched onto him as we hurried toward the entrance. In another place, at another time, we might just be some couple walking together , maybe out on a date , maybe heading home. But as it were, tonight, he was my coworker, offering me his help. And I was here at a hospital to see my mom.
I gave my mother’s name to the nurse manning the front desk, but as she searched her computer, I heard my brother calling out my name. I turned to see him hurrying in my direction. “Brian!” I called out , running over to him. His face looked tired, and his brown hair was slightly disheveled. I figured that he had just come from work as well because he was wearing a dark suit. I threw my arms around his neck, forcing him to bend down and hug me in return. He was as tall as Travis , a lthough with a more lanky build . “How’s Mom?” I asked anxiously .
“Dad’s i n with her now, but she’s going to be okay. She hit her head pretty hard in the accident, so they were worried about her having a concussion, but so far there’s been no swelling.”
“ Oh , thank God ,” I said, exh aling with relief , not even realizing that I’d been holding my breath as he answered my question. “Can I go see her?”
“Yeah, in a few minutes. The doctors are in with her now.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding, and suddenly releasing how utterly exhausted I was. All the adrenaline rushing through me had kept me going for the past hour, but now I felt like I could collapse on the chairs here in the waiting room. It had been s uch a long night already, and a ll I wanted to do right now was sit down and spend some quiet time alone with my mom.
Travis came slowly walking over to where I stood with Brian . I guess he’d wanted to give us a few moments alone . “Any word o n your m om?” he asked as he approached us. I repeated what Brian had just told me, and Travis nodded, looking relieved himself.
I realized that I still hadn’t introduced the two of them. “Travis, this is my brother, Brian. Brian, this is my coworker, Travis.” The two guys shook hands, and I noticed that they were indeed the same height —probably around the same age as well.
“Thanks for driving Maddy out here, Travis,” Brian said , sounding very much like the older brother. “She’s lucky to work with such great people.”
“Of course,”
“Okay, now tell me how to get to the hospital,” Travis said once we were safely inside of his car. I hadn’t even noticed what type of car he drove as I’d gotten into the passenger side , and I briefly found it ironic that I’d been so interested in him for months, and was finally at his apartment building and in his car, yet couldn’t care less.
“You need to get on 66,” I said, referring to the highway that led from Washington out into Virginia’s sprawling suburbs.
“Okay,” he said quietly , lost in his own thoughts , as he navigated through the city streets.
Just over an hour later we were pulling off the interstate. I gave him directions to the hospital near my parent’s house. He pulled into the vast complex and seemed to hesitate for the first time. “Where do you think we should park?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. Emergency room?” Just saying it sounded scary, and right at that moment I watched as an ambulance c a me wheeling in, sirens blaring . Travis drove over to the correct parking lot and pulled into a n empty space . I shakily got out of the car, and he quickly walked around to my side. Glancing down at me, he held out his arm. I clutched onto him as we hurried toward the entrance. In another place, at another time, we might just be some couple walking together , maybe out on a date , maybe heading home. But as it were, tonight, he was my coworker, offering me his help. And I was here at a hospital to see my mom.
I gave my mother’s name to the nurse manning the front desk, but as she searched her computer, I heard my brother calling out my name. I turned to see him hurrying in my direction. “Brian!” I called out , running over to him. His face looked tired, and his brown hair was slightly disheveled. I figured that he had just come from work as well because he was wearing a dark suit. I threw my arms around his neck, forcing him to bend down and hug me in return. He was as tall as Travis , a lthough with a more lanky build . “How’s Mom?” I asked anxiously .
“Dad’s i n with her now, but she’s going to be okay. She hit her head pretty hard in the accident, so they were worried about her having a concussion, but so far there’s been no swelling.”
“ Oh , thank God ,” I said, exh aling with relief , not even realizing that I’d been holding my breath as he answered my question. “Can I go see her?”
“Yeah, in a few minutes. The doctors are in with her now.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding, and suddenly releasing how utterly exhausted I was. All the adrenaline rushing through me had kept me going for the past hour, but now I felt like I could collapse on the chairs here in the waiting room. It had been s uch a long night already, and a ll I wanted to do right now was sit down and spend some quiet time alone with my mom.
Travis came slowly walking over to where I stood with Brian . I guess he’d wanted to give us a few moments alone . “Any word o n your m om?” he asked as he approached us. I repeated what Brian had just told me, and Travis nodded, looking relieved himself.
I realized that I still hadn’t introduced the two of them. “Travis, this is my brother, Brian. Brian, this is my coworker, Travis.” The two guys shook hands, and I noticed that they were indeed the same height —probably around the same age as well.
“Thanks for driving Maddy out here, Travis,” Brian said , sounding very much like the older brother. “She’s lucky to work with such great people.”
“Of course,”
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