I’ve been so mad at you. You let me mourn alone and then you let me go. But I can’t let you go. I won’t.”
I don’t know how long I sat there, holding his hand, but the next thing I knew, the nurse was touching my shoulders. “Visiting hours are over.”
I nodded and wordlessly rose. I realized I was still holding Gray’s hand. I kissed his fingertips. “I’ll be back first thing.”
I gathered my purse and the stupid envelope. I stopped at the nurses’ station. “I think I gave all my information when I registered Gray, but to be honest, I’m not sure. I wanted to be sure you had my cell number. You’ll call me if there’s any change?”
She took the card I extended to her. “I’ll check that it’s in the system, and I promise we’ll call if there’s any change.”
I looked back at Gray before leaving. I don’t think I’ve ever walked so slowly.
I didn’t know where to go.
Ferncliff? Glenwood? I knew the phone reception was spotty at the Ferncliff house. That fact hadn’t bothered me before, but I needed to be sure the hospital could reach me.
I knew that Gray wouldn’t mind if I went to the house on Willow Lane, but I wasn’t sure I could face it.
I started to walk toward the elevator, still not sure where I was going to go, but needing to move.
“Addie?” someone said. I jumped at the sound of my name. It seemed to reverberate in the empty hall.
I spun around and found Ash sitting in a small bank of chairs across from the elevators. “Ash?”
I didn’t need to ask why he was here.
His face was pinched with worry.
Ash, the eternal optimist, was worried.
He always believed the world was a wonderful place. And why shouldn’t he? He came from an affluent, loving family. He’d met Gray in college and they’d meshed. They were more than friends from the beginning. They were brothers. They’d built a successful business before either had reached their thirties.
Ash was the other half of Gray in a way I’d never be.
“They said I wasn’t family, so I couldn’t go back,” Ash said. He sounded mystified that the hospital wouldn’t deem him family.
“You should have said you were his brother. We both know that’s the truth. Or you could have had the nurse tell me you were here. I would have come out and talked to them.”
“No. I saw you sitting with him and knew you were what he needed. You’ve always been what he needed, Addie.”
I snorted at that.
Ash beckoned me to sit down and I obliged, more because I wasn’t ready to leave the hospital than because I needed to hear Ash’s pep talk. I could see him forming his rah-rah comments as I sat there. “I know you two are going through a rough patch—”
I stopped him by thrusting the now-ragged-looking manila envelope at him.
“I was at his office today bringing him these.” Ash held the envelope as if he didn’t know what to do with it, so I said, “Go ahead, open it.”
He opened the envelope and pulled out the papers. “Divorce?”
“We’re well past the point of no return. I thought it was time. I asked for half our savings, my car, and my personal items, but everything else is Gray’s. The house. His stake in the company. I would never interfere with something you two worked so hard to build.”
“You’re entitled to part of it.” Ash said the words I’d thought Gray would say. I know the image for businessmen is greed, but that wasn’t the case with either Ash or Gray. They might have different personal styles, but they both had honor that was bone deep.
I liked to think that so did I. I shook my head. “No. The company is his and yours.”
Suddenly, Ash’s expression hardened. “So you gave him the papers and he had a heart attack?”
I shook my head. “No. He never saw the papers.”
I could see that moment so clearly. Gray had looked unsure, but happy to see me. And then he’d collapsed in pain. So much pain. And I’d been helpless to stop it.
Ash still eyed me suspiciously.
I don’t know how long I sat there, holding his hand, but the next thing I knew, the nurse was touching my shoulders. “Visiting hours are over.”
I nodded and wordlessly rose. I realized I was still holding Gray’s hand. I kissed his fingertips. “I’ll be back first thing.”
I gathered my purse and the stupid envelope. I stopped at the nurses’ station. “I think I gave all my information when I registered Gray, but to be honest, I’m not sure. I wanted to be sure you had my cell number. You’ll call me if there’s any change?”
She took the card I extended to her. “I’ll check that it’s in the system, and I promise we’ll call if there’s any change.”
I looked back at Gray before leaving. I don’t think I’ve ever walked so slowly.
I didn’t know where to go.
Ferncliff? Glenwood? I knew the phone reception was spotty at the Ferncliff house. That fact hadn’t bothered me before, but I needed to be sure the hospital could reach me.
I knew that Gray wouldn’t mind if I went to the house on Willow Lane, but I wasn’t sure I could face it.
I started to walk toward the elevator, still not sure where I was going to go, but needing to move.
“Addie?” someone said. I jumped at the sound of my name. It seemed to reverberate in the empty hall.
I spun around and found Ash sitting in a small bank of chairs across from the elevators. “Ash?”
I didn’t need to ask why he was here.
His face was pinched with worry.
Ash, the eternal optimist, was worried.
He always believed the world was a wonderful place. And why shouldn’t he? He came from an affluent, loving family. He’d met Gray in college and they’d meshed. They were more than friends from the beginning. They were brothers. They’d built a successful business before either had reached their thirties.
Ash was the other half of Gray in a way I’d never be.
“They said I wasn’t family, so I couldn’t go back,” Ash said. He sounded mystified that the hospital wouldn’t deem him family.
“You should have said you were his brother. We both know that’s the truth. Or you could have had the nurse tell me you were here. I would have come out and talked to them.”
“No. I saw you sitting with him and knew you were what he needed. You’ve always been what he needed, Addie.”
I snorted at that.
Ash beckoned me to sit down and I obliged, more because I wasn’t ready to leave the hospital than because I needed to hear Ash’s pep talk. I could see him forming his rah-rah comments as I sat there. “I know you two are going through a rough patch—”
I stopped him by thrusting the now-ragged-looking manila envelope at him.
“I was at his office today bringing him these.” Ash held the envelope as if he didn’t know what to do with it, so I said, “Go ahead, open it.”
He opened the envelope and pulled out the papers. “Divorce?”
“We’re well past the point of no return. I thought it was time. I asked for half our savings, my car, and my personal items, but everything else is Gray’s. The house. His stake in the company. I would never interfere with something you two worked so hard to build.”
“You’re entitled to part of it.” Ash said the words I’d thought Gray would say. I know the image for businessmen is greed, but that wasn’t the case with either Ash or Gray. They might have different personal styles, but they both had honor that was bone deep.
I liked to think that so did I. I shook my head. “No. The company is his and yours.”
Suddenly, Ash’s expression hardened. “So you gave him the papers and he had a heart attack?”
I shook my head. “No. He never saw the papers.”
I could see that moment so clearly. Gray had looked unsure, but happy to see me. And then he’d collapsed in pain. So much pain. And I’d been helpless to stop it.
Ash still eyed me suspiciously.
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