The Mechanics of Mistletoe - Liz Isaacson Page 0,73
was the wrong thing to breathe as he had earlier, and he entered the appointed room.
It was empty.
He turned in a full circle, as if Sammy would be hiding somewhere. Perhaps they’d gone with Vaughan for the scans. Bear pulled out his phone and called her, pushing against his hunger and boredom and restlessness.
Bear didn’t sit around hospitals much, and he was used to working all day long. Working hard.
“Hello,” Sammy said, and Bear could hear something else in the background.
“Hey,” he said, infusing some happiness into his voice. “Where are you? I was thinking I’d go get us some lunch if you guys want. Then when your father gets back from the MRI, we’ll be able to wait without wanting to gnaw off our own arms.”
“Oh,” Sammy said. “Um, my mom and I are getting lunch right now.”
Surprise leapt through Bear. “Oh.”
“I didn’t—you didn’t have to wait, Bear.”
“Well, I did wait.”
Sammy didn’t say anything, and something scratched on her end of the line. She said, “I’ll be right back, Mom,” her voice farther from the speaker than normal. A few seconds passed, and she said, “I didn’t ask you to wait.”
“You didn’t even say hello to me,” he said.
“You left, and I didn’t know where you were.” She sighed, and he could just see her trying to find the right thing to say. He’d like to hear it too. “I had everything handled, Bear. I didn’t need you to rush over to my parents’ house in the first place.”
Bear’s irritation grew. “I apologize for being concerned about my girlfriend’s father.”
“Bear,” she said.
“No,” he said. “It’s fine. You don’t like it when I try to be in your life. I get it.”
“It’s not that,” she said. “That’s not fair. You can’t just put words in my mouth.”
“Then what are the right words?” he asked, disliking how harsh his tone was. But the grizzly had come out, and he hadn’t been out of his cave in a long time. He turned and left the room, because there was no point in staying here now.
“I don’t need you to save me,” she said. “We’ve talked about this before.”
Yes, they had. Bear had made her feel weak by stepping in and taking care of things. Had he done that here? He didn’t think so. He’d been in town. His brother had called him during a meeting and said Sammy’s father was injured. Ambulances had been called.
It was one hundred percent normal for him to go to her parents’ house.
“I can bring you something,” Sammy said.
“It’s okay,” Bear said. “There’s a cafeteria here.” The thought of eating in the hospital cafeteria had Bear’s stomach revolting, but he didn’t care.
“Bear,” she said, her voice heavy with frustration.
“I’ll just go back to the ranch,” he said. “You clearly don’t want me here.”
“That’s not true either,” she said, her voice soft yet still heavy.
He went out into the waiting room. “What do you want, Sammy?”
Silence poured through the line, and Bear disliked this contention between them. Things had been going so well, and he’d been getting so close to knowing with every fiber of his soul that he loved her.
She sniffled, but her voice was strong when she said, “I just want my father to be okay.”
Bear’s emotions flew up and down, almost in the same second. “I know you do.” He stared out at the parking lot, undecided about what to do next.
What’s the right move here? he prayed to know. An answer didn’t come.
“Just wait for me to get back,” Sammy said. “I’ll bring you an avocado burger, okay?”
Bear nodded, his mouth watering already. “Okay,” he said. The call ended, and Bear wandered down the sidewalk to a bench. He didn’t want to wait inside, and he couldn’t sit in that small room, waiting for Vaughan to come back from his scan.
He still had nothing to do, but his mind was consumed with thoughts of Sammy now. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Sammy sat next to him on the bench, a Styrofoam clamshell container in her hand.
She passed the food to him, and he took it without looking at her. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
He opened the lid and took out the burger, his stomach cramping painfully. He ate in silence, Sammy at his side and plenty of tension inside the bubble where they existed.
He wiped his face and tossed his napkin in the container before he closed it. “Thank you.”