311
Tony
Sunlight glinted off the hood of my car as I cut the engine and looked up at the edifice of the daycare building. I took a deep breath and slipped out. There was no putting off anything any longer. Oren wasn't going to back down easily. Maybe with Nora here, I could leave them both at the penthouse. At the least, it was more secure than the daycare.
Hopefully.
I headed inside. The foyer was even more of a riot of color and excited chatter than the last time I'd been there. I headed down the hall to where Quillan would be. It took no time to see him rushing around with a group of kids, seemingly overly concentrated, building a tower of plastic blocks, his tongue peeking out in concentration. He looked adorable. I could see that same expression on Ginevra's face from a memory I only had a piece of.
I waited until he placed his last block before calling to him. He spun around, and his face, smudged with a bit of paint, erupted into a grin that could melt glaciers.
"Daddy!" he squealed, abandoning the tower to rush across the room to me. I couldn't help it, laughing as I caught him and held him close. The scent of crayons, paints, and toddler sweat clung to him, making me relax in a way I hadn't been all day.
It was a little startling to realize how quickly I was getting used to being a father.
"You had a good day?"
He nodded quickly. "Are we really going to go see Mommy?"
"We really are." I ruffled his unruly curls. "There's someone else you'll be seeing too. Care to guess?"
He frowned. "Someone else?… Like your Mommy?"
My lips twitched at the thought. "No… Someone else."
He scrunched his face up.
I smiled. "Want a hint?"
"No, I can guess!" I chuckled, carrying him across the room toward where his teacher was.
Then, his eyes widened. "Is it Auntie Nora?"
"It is."
He squealed. I set him down. "Why don't you go clean up and get your things?"
"Kay!"
I chuckled, watching him shoot off. I turned to his teacher.
"He's been excited all day," he said.
I nodded. "I hope… that it'll stay that way."
The man pat my shoulder. "You're doing the best you can. Quillan may be young, but he's very bright. Intuitive. You're doing well."
I damn sure hoped so.
Quillan came back after scooping all the blocks he'd been using into the tray and grabbing his bag.
"Bye, guys! See you tomorrow!"
He slipped his hand into mine and bounced on his toes. "Is Auntie Nora going to be here long? Is she moving in with us?"
"I think she'll be here for a while at least…"
Quillan's rapid-fire questions didn't stop until I'd already gotten him in the car. The drive felt harder than it should have been. Quillan's chatter was a welcome distraction from the truth I was dreading. Each mention of Ginevra, each excited question about her and Nora, twisted a knife in my gut. He deserved so much more that the tragedy that was very much likely going to happen.
My steps faltered as I crossed the threshold, the familiar hospital smell clinging to the air like a shroud. But before I could take a moment, Quillan tugged at my hand, his excitement unbridled.
“Come on, Daddy!” He said, pulling me inside. People smiled at us, clearly finding him adorable, but the sterile halls of the hospital loomed around us as we walked down the hall toward Ginevra’s room. The elevator felt tiny with Quillan’s excitement filling the air.
As we headed down the hallway to her room, my heart started to race. If there was any hope that Ginevra had miraculously woken up, I wanted it to be now, but the realist in me wouldn’t let myself hope.
The door at the end of the corridor swung open, and Nora emerged. Her eyes were less red-rimmed than earlier. She’d changed clothes into something that made more sense.
“Auntie Nora!” Quillan hurtled toward her like a tiny torpedo hurtling towards her. She scooped him up with a laugh, her embrace fierce and tender in equal measure. The sight of them warmed and chilled me.
Quillan asked her a million questions about where she’d been and how long she’d be here if they were going back with her as I approached. Nora looked up at me. The anger from earlier had faded.
"We'll see, pumpkin. Ready to see your mom?"
He nodded, and then he frowned. He looked up at me uncertainly.
"I'll tell him," I said, my voice tight.
Nora nodded and handed him to me. She sniffled as she turned and pulled out her phone, heading down the hallway toward the stairwell. I held him close.
"Quillan… You know your mom is sick, but she's not…" I sighed, rubbing his back before pulling back. "I want you to know that there is still a chance that she'll be okay, but… she's not right now."
He blinked at me. His eyes glossed over, and he looked down.
"Mommy's still sleeping?"
I nodded. "Yeah… and the doctors aren't sure how long she'll stay that way."
He scrunched his face up. "Mommy would never want to be Sleeping Beauty. She hates that movie." I laughed. "But… could you kiss her anyway?"
I blinked. "Kiss her?"
"Yeah, like the prince in the movie." He tightened his fists in my collar. "Do you think it would help?"
My lips twitched. No, I didn't, but I could see that it would make him feel better to try.
"Well… magic is strange, isn't it? Maybe."
He nodded. "Can we go in now?"
"Yes."
I opened the door, and my heart stuttered against my ribs as I saw her lying in bed.
"Hey."
I turned to see Matt slumped in the chair on the other side of the room. Relief washed over me. He was still here, and he looked mostly the same as he had earlier. Maybe there was a little more color in his cheeks. The shadows in his eyes were lesser. What had happened?
I closed the door behind me and set Quillan down. "Hey. Have you eaten?"
He nodded and tilted his head toward the cooler beside him. "Brought extra. I figured you'd be starving."
I nodded and looked at Quillan. His eyes, wide with wonder, were glued to the still form on the bed. He tiptoed closer, his small hand reaching out to brush a feather-light touch across Ginevra's pale cheek. I braced myself for the inevitable meltdown, but it never came. Instead, Quillan crawled onto the bed, settling himself beside her with a practiced ease that tugged at my heartstrings. How many times had he been in a hospital? His tiny fingers danced across the thin layer of curls that crowned her head.
"Don't be mad," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper, a faint smile played on his lips. "Your cowlick's going to come back, but Daddy can fix it. You have to wake up soon and try some of Uncle Matt's cookies…"
Then, he curled up beside her. "And so you can be a Power Ranger with us… I told everyone that we were going to be Power Rangers for Halloween… and how cool you are on your bike…"
I settled into the seat beside Matt, breathing deeply as he kept talking. His voice trembled a little, but he didn't stop. Ginevra didn't stir, but I hoped she could hear him. The faint glimmer of platinum around her neck caught my eye as Quillan started to play with the little dandelion charm.
A soft knock announced the arrival of a doctor, her white coat a stark contrast to the muted colors of the room. She smiled stiffly. "If you could step outside for a moment?"
I couldn't make myself move faster than Matt did. He pressed on my shoulder.
"I'll go."
I nodded. "Thank you."
My jaw trembled as he slipped out of the room.
"And I asked Daddy to be prince charming," he said. "If it works, can I call you by your middle name sometimes?" He giggled a little. "Auntie Nora will probably do it all the time."
I stood, remembering the promise. I knew it wouldn't help, but as I leaned over her, ruffling Quillan's hair, I hoped it did.
Please, Ginevra. Don't leave him.
I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to her forehead. My eyes burned.
Don't leave me.
Something shifted in me. A heat and warmth that I couldn’t exactly explain started to bubble up. Something pulsed in my chest, a rhythm resonating with the steady beep of the monitor, yet distinct, primal. It felt like something dormant was waking. My hearing expanded. I could practically count the strands of hair on her head. The hum of electricity was so much louder than before.
Then, there was movement in her face, and the EKG’s rhythm changed.
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