A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies - Christina Lee Page 0,22
hand, which made his skin prickle. They didn’t normally show each other affection so readily except under certain circumstances, so he knew it was Emerson’s way of offering support.
Rhys applied pressure to his hand. “Thanks for being here.”
“Of course. Where else would I be?” Emerson looked away as red dotted his cheeks, and it struck Rhys that something felt different about him, but he couldn’t exactly place his finger on what.
Was there something he was missing, something important he couldn’t recall? He felt a surge of frustration that he needed to tamp down. Trying to remember stuff exhausted his body as well as his brain, and the doctor had warned that he needed to take it easy. He certainly didn’t want to regress in his recovery.
He motioned to the side table and croaked out, “Can I get some water?”
His mother immediately stepped forward. “Sure, honey.”
“I can do it,” Emerson said, and he watched as he reached for the pitcher and filled the cup with water. He wished his mom and Carl would give them some privacy so he could speak to Emerson plainly, without worrying his mother.
“Here you go,” Emerson said, holding out the straw. When he tried to take the cup, he winced. It hurt just to lift his arms. Not only because of his ribs, but because his forearms were bruised; same with his knees. He couldn’t imagine what his accident had looked like from the ground. Or up close. Guilt swarmed him that he didn’t remember the girl that had come with Martin. Was her name Jill? She apparently was with him. Frustration arose again, but he swallowed it down.
As he sipped from the straw, he noticed Emerson studying his face, but when he looked up, Emerson’s gaze darted away. Yeah, something definitely felt strange between them.
“How are the kids?” he asked.
“Worried about you, but otherwise good,” Emerson replied. “They’re in the waiting room because they insisted on coming. The ICU rules don’t usually allow it, but I think I convinced the staff to let them visit for five minutes. The other option is to bring them back tomorrow when you move to a regular room.”
Rhys’s gaze darted to the nurses station as his chest flooded with deep regard. Those kids were like family. “I’d love to see them.”
“They have a three-person visiting rule,” his mom said, motioning to the door. “So we’ll head down to the cafeteria for a bit.”
“Be right back,” Emerson said, following behind them.
“Em, wait.”
“Yeah?” Emerson stepped toward the bed.
“Give it to me straight? Is everything gonna be okay?” His voice sounded wobbly with fear, so he swallowed roughly.
“Yeah, of course.” Emerson’s eyes were a stormy blue filled with emotion. “You just need time. I’m here for you.”
“Thank you,” he choked out, then looked away, embarrassed as his lip trembled.
“Always,” Emerson replied, then walked out, giving Rhys enough time to recover.
Sam stayed closer to the door when Rhys brought them into the room, but Audrey bounded toward him, though she slowed down at Emerson’s warning to be careful.
“You look so grown up,” Rhys said as he looked her over, and she scrunched her nose, realization taking hold. Her face crumpled a little. “I’m sorry I don’t remember—”
“Don’t be sorry,” Emerson said. “Sam, come say hi.”
Sam teetered on the balls of his feet as his gaze darted toward the equipment near his bedside.
“No need to be freaked, buddy. I know you and medical stuff don’t always mix.”
Rhys suddenly remembered Sam getting squeamish when he helped clean out a deep scrape on Rhys’s knee from wiping out on his bike.
Putting on a brave face, Sam padded toward his bed. “What are those for?” he asked, pointing to the machines.
“Hmm, I know one monitors my heart rate, and oh, this one gives me fluids.”
Sam gave a sideways glance toward the needle in his wrist, looking sort of green.
“You should definitely not pursue a medical profession.”
“Sorry,” Sam replied, a flush crawling across his skin. “Will you be coming home soon?”
He tried to remember what the doctor had told him the last time she made rounds. “I think so.”
Sam nodded. “Emerson says you’re gonna stay with us.”
Rhys’s eyes darted to Emerson, who looked a bit nervous. “Just while you recover.”
“No, you shouldn’t have to—”
“It’s already been decided.” When Emerson pinned him with a sharp look, Rhys nearly smiled at Emerson’s stern rebuke. He found he liked having someone he trusted call the shots, especially when he was traversing such a slippery slope. “Your mom and I think it