when I read it. I’m not mad that you read it,” he said, linking our fingers together. He brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed my knuckles.
“She’s dying,” Brandon said with a sigh.
“Seems that way. Are you going to grant her dying wish?”
“I don’t know, honestly. A part of me feels like I’ve already mourned the loss of my mother years ago. She may not have been dead, but she might as well have been. I have a life that has never included her, but at the same time, maybe it would be good to make peace with that part of my life.”
We sat quietly while I tried to digest all of this information. “You should go see her.”
“What?” Brandon’s voice choked up.
“Yeah, I can’t believe I just said that either.” I put my hand on his cheek and rubbed my fingers along his scruff. “I worry that if you don’t do this, you’ll regret it. Sending a letter back is a cop-out, and I think that you need closure.”
“Why are you turning all Dr. Phil on me?” He chuckled.
“I don’t know about that, but I do know you, and I know this will eat away at you. Look at what it’s done these past few months. Listen, I have no love for you parents, but I’m trying to put my feelings aside and try to be there for you.”
“I guess I’m surprised at this change of heart,” he said, moving back to lean against the headboard. “You’re usually way more stubborn than this.”
I rolled my eyes. “That might be true. But I did have time to think about this in the car on the way up. I can’t say I’ll ever fully understand your feelings about all this, but I want to support you.”
Brandon reached his arms out for me, and I happily obliged his cuddle request and made myself at home in his arms.
“Thank you,” he whispered into my hair.
“I love you… always,” I said, tilting my head up so I could kiss him. He parted his lips, allowing my tongue entrance. I started to feel a tingle in all the parts that mattered, but I was interrupted by a text alert on my phone, which was sitting on the nightstand.
“It’s from Ray. He said to call as soon as possible.” Brandon searched for Ray’s contact information and put the call on speaker so we both could hear.
“Hello?” Ray’s voice was frantic.
“Ray, it’s Brandon. I have Ryan here on speaker, as well. Everything okay?”
“We aren’t sure. Quinn hasn’t been feeling great the last few days. We thought maybe she was getting the flu or ate something bad. She’s been throwing up for the past few hours and now says there’s a horrible pain in the upper right side of her abdomen.”
“Is she bleeding?”
“No. She’s just in a lot of pain.”
I looked at Brandon, hoping he would give me a reassuring look or maybe mouth the words “no big deal” since he dealt with pregnancies all the time. But Brandon’s brow furrowed, and he chewed on his bottom lip.
“Ray, get her to the ER. Call her doctor and let her know what’s going on. There could be a dozen reasons this is going on, and it certainly won’t help Quinn feel better if we all panic. We’re in Lake Geneva, but we’ll meet you at the hospital as soon as we can, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll get her over there, and I’ll call you as soon as we get there.”
“Sounds good, Ray. See you soon.”
Brandon swiped the phone close, and I was ready to pounce with questions. But he held his hand up to stop me. “It could be anything. She could have eaten something bad that caused food poisoning, or Ray could be right with the thought that it’s just the flu.”
“She’s only thirty weeks, Brandon.” I scooted off the bed and found some clean clothes in the suitcase. Brandon got up and went into the bathroom to gather our supplies.
“I see all different things in women’s pregnancies, Ryan. Don’t freak out.”
“Do you not know me? Freaking out is my specialty.” I pulled out clean clothes for him as he came out of the bathroom and packed the rest of our
“She’s dying,” Brandon said with a sigh.
“Seems that way. Are you going to grant her dying wish?”
“I don’t know, honestly. A part of me feels like I’ve already mourned the loss of my mother years ago. She may not have been dead, but she might as well have been. I have a life that has never included her, but at the same time, maybe it would be good to make peace with that part of my life.”
We sat quietly while I tried to digest all of this information. “You should go see her.”
“What?” Brandon’s voice choked up.
“Yeah, I can’t believe I just said that either.” I put my hand on his cheek and rubbed my fingers along his scruff. “I worry that if you don’t do this, you’ll regret it. Sending a letter back is a cop-out, and I think that you need closure.”
“Why are you turning all Dr. Phil on me?” He chuckled.
“I don’t know about that, but I do know you, and I know this will eat away at you. Look at what it’s done these past few months. Listen, I have no love for you parents, but I’m trying to put my feelings aside and try to be there for you.”
“I guess I’m surprised at this change of heart,” he said, moving back to lean against the headboard. “You’re usually way more stubborn than this.”
I rolled my eyes. “That might be true. But I did have time to think about this in the car on the way up. I can’t say I’ll ever fully understand your feelings about all this, but I want to support you.”
Brandon reached his arms out for me, and I happily obliged his cuddle request and made myself at home in his arms.
“Thank you,” he whispered into my hair.
“I love you… always,” I said, tilting my head up so I could kiss him. He parted his lips, allowing my tongue entrance. I started to feel a tingle in all the parts that mattered, but I was interrupted by a text alert on my phone, which was sitting on the nightstand.
“It’s from Ray. He said to call as soon as possible.” Brandon searched for Ray’s contact information and put the call on speaker so we both could hear.
“Hello?” Ray’s voice was frantic.
“Ray, it’s Brandon. I have Ryan here on speaker, as well. Everything okay?”
“We aren’t sure. Quinn hasn’t been feeling great the last few days. We thought maybe she was getting the flu or ate something bad. She’s been throwing up for the past few hours and now says there’s a horrible pain in the upper right side of her abdomen.”
“Is she bleeding?”
“No. She’s just in a lot of pain.”
I looked at Brandon, hoping he would give me a reassuring look or maybe mouth the words “no big deal” since he dealt with pregnancies all the time. But Brandon’s brow furrowed, and he chewed on his bottom lip.
“Ray, get her to the ER. Call her doctor and let her know what’s going on. There could be a dozen reasons this is going on, and it certainly won’t help Quinn feel better if we all panic. We’re in Lake Geneva, but we’ll meet you at the hospital as soon as we can, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll get her over there, and I’ll call you as soon as we get there.”
“Sounds good, Ray. See you soon.”
Brandon swiped the phone close, and I was ready to pounce with questions. But he held his hand up to stop me. “It could be anything. She could have eaten something bad that caused food poisoning, or Ray could be right with the thought that it’s just the flu.”
“She’s only thirty weeks, Brandon.” I scooted off the bed and found some clean clothes in the suitcase. Brandon got up and went into the bathroom to gather our supplies.
“I see all different things in women’s pregnancies, Ryan. Don’t freak out.”
“Do you not know me? Freaking out is my specialty.” I pulled out clean clothes for him as he came out of the bathroom and packed the rest of our
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