Unspoken - Sandi Lynn Page 0,18
I hadn’t been in a long time.” I tucked my hands in my pants pockets.
“Bullshit, Henry.”
“Mom. You need to—”
“Shut up, Addison. This is between me and your brother,” my mother spat.
“Do not talk to her like that!” I spoke through gritted teeth. “We can discuss this later. Right now, this is about Dad, not me.”
She pursed her lips and narrowed her eye as she glared at me.
“We always took pride in the fact that you never disappointed us, Henry. I can no longer say that. I’m going to get some coffee.”
“Mom, I can—”
“No, Addison. I’ll go myself.”
I turned and faced the window as I stared at the outside. I honestly didn’t know what to think about what my mother had just said to me.
“Obviously that little bitch ran to them last night,” Addison spoke as she placed her hand on my shoulder. “Don’t let what Mom said upset you. You know she’s just worried about Dad.”
“I think in some subtle way she’s blaming me for his heart attack.”
“God, Henry. No. She is not blaming you.”
My mother walked back into the waiting room with a coffee in her hand and took a seat. Addison sat down next to her, and I took the seat across from her. She wouldn’t even look at me, so I got up and went out into the hallway and leaned against the wall with my hands tucked tightly into my pockets. Being in this hospital brought back so many memories of Abigail.
It had been four hours and we still hadn’t heard anything. I was in desperate need of coffee so Addison and I walked down to the coffee bar that was situated off the lobby. As I was paying for our coffee, I heard someone say my name.
“Henry?”
Turning around, I saw Ellie standing there.
“Ellie? What are you doing here?” I signed as I noticed her staring at Addison.
“I’m visiting a friend of mine who just had a baby.”
“Ellie, this is my sister, Addison,” I signed. “Addison, this is Ellie. She can read lips.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Ellie.” She smiled as she placed her hand on her arm.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, Addison. What are you two doing here?”
“I was going to text you later. Our father had a heart attack. He’s up in surgery,” I signed.
“I’m so sorry. I hope he’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you. So do we. We were just grabbing a cup of coffee. Can I buy you one?”
“Thank you, but no. I’m good. I was just heading to the gift shop to get some flowers and a balloon.”
“I’ll go with you.” I smiled as I signed to her. “Addison, I’ll meet you upstairs.”
“Okay.” She patted my shoulder. “It was nice to meet you,” she spoke to Ellie.
Ellie gave her a nod and smile as we headed to the gift shop.
“She’s a beautiful girl,” she spoke.
“She is.” I smiled. “I’m sorry I didn’t text you sooner.”
“Don’t apologize. You have a lot going on, and you need to be with your family.”
After she picked out some flowers and a balloon, we stepped into the elevator together. As soon as it stopped on my floor, I pressed my lips against her forehead.
“I’ll text you later.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “I’ll keep your father in my prayers.”
I stepped out of the elevator and just as I walked into the waiting room, the doctor walked in.
“How is my husband?” my mother asked him.
“He’s in recovery in the ICU and he’s stable. As far as we can tell, the triple bypass went well and with the proper care and rest, I expect him to make a full recovery in about six to twelve weeks.”
“When can we see him?” Addison asked.
“As soon as he wakes up which won’t be for a couple more hours. But visits need to be brief because he needs his rest.”
“Thank you, Dr.”
“You’re welcome, Mrs. Walker. A nurse will come get you as soon as your husband wakes up,” he spoke before walking out of the room.
“Thank God,” Addison spoke as she hooked her arm around our mother and they both sat down.
“Mom, you need to eat. The doctor said it’ll be at least a couple more hours before Dad wakes up. Let’s go to the cafeteria and grab something.”
“I’m not hungry, but you two go.”
“No, Mom. We’re not leaving you,” Addison said.
“Did you ever stop to think that I want to be alone for a while?” she snapped at her.
“Come on, Addison. Give Mom her space,” I spoke with irritation.
“What the hell