“Hey, Keiko,” I say as I press the button on the bed to lift me up so I can see her better.
Shyly, from the edge of the doorway, she flicks her wrist up in a quick wave, but then huddles next to the wall.
“Do you want to come in?”
Her teeth roll over her bottom lip and she slowly nods.
“Come here,” I say, seeing just how upset she is. I can’t imagine what she must be feeling. I still haven’t seen what I look like, but from my brother’s descriptions, I know it can’t be pretty.
She shuffles over to the bed, and when I think she’s about to sit in the chair Killian just vacated, she surprises me by crawling up onto the bed. She snuggles against me, resting her head on my chest, right before she breaks into a fit of tears.
“Hey,” I say softly. “Keiko, it’s okay. I’m okay.”
She shakes her head. “Do you know the probability of surviving a motorcycle accident of that magnitude? It’s one out of eight hundred ninety-nine people. Without a helmet, the percentage drops drastically.”
“I was lucky.”
She clutches me more tightly and doesn’t say anything. Instead, she lies with me on my bed and sobs.
I’ve never seen Keiko like this, so emotional. It brings tears to my eyes.
Her hand curls around the fabric of my hospital gown and in a voice wet with tears, she says, “You’re my best friend, Pike.”
The tears that welled in my eyes slip out, and I carefully lift my good arm to wrap it around her shoulder. Even though the movement feels like drawing the energy to run ten miles, I hold her tightly.
“I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” I say. “I’m here.”
She shakes her head again. “I’m aware, but with Cora, everything is a mess.”
Oh.
Fuck.
I didn’t even think about how this all would affect Keiko.
“Hey.” I give her a squeeze. “No matter what happens with me and Cora, I’ll always be your friend. I promise. You’re not losing me.”
“Promise?” she asks, lifting up. When she’s vulnerable like this, she almost feels . . . abnormal. Probably to someone who doesn’t know anything about her, this would look normal, like a concerned friend experiencing a rush of relief to see the person she cares about awake, but to me, who has always known Keiko to be calm, collected, a walking thesaurus, it’s abnormal. Strange. I half expected to hear her exclaim the percentages of my chances of getting Cora to talk to me again. But I never would’ve expected this in a million years.
“Promise.” I move my hand over her hair. “Best friends, right, Keiko?”
“Best friends,” she says softly, and then she snuggles in closer.
We lie like that, not saying anything, not moving, but reassuring each other that, no matter what, we’ll always be best friends. Such an unexpected friendship, one I never thought I would share with a woman, but one that I cherish greatly.
When Killian comes back into the room, he stumbles to a stop at the sight of Keiko sleeping on my chest. His brow quirks to the sky as he looks at me.
I chuckle and whisper, “Friends . . . only friends.”
Killian holds his hands up but doesn’t say anything as he takes a seat in the corner. After another ten minutes, Keiko stirs and slowly sits up, realizing where she is. Her eyes flash to mine in a panic and she hurries out of bed, stumbling and nearly falling.
“Whoa, Keiko, are you okay?”
Killian hops to his feet quickly and catches her by the arm, which she of course pulls away quickly. She smooths her hands over her hair and straightens, making sure her clothes aren’t askew. She then rubs her hand over her slightly rounded belly and says, “This is not to be told to Kelvin.”
“Who’s Kelvin?” Killian asks.
“My husband and the father of my baby.” Gone is the emotional woman who walked into the hospital room, and in her place is the Keiko I recognize. “If you must know, I haven’t slept very well since the accident. I was quite worried.” She holds her chin up high but her lip trembles. “It was a relief to see that you are breathing.”
Jesus.
“Keiko, you could’ve just called, or asked, or come in sooner.”
“We were visiting with Kelvin’s family for the holiday celebration since your calamity, and it is impossible to be in two places at once.”
“You’re right about that. But, hey, I’m okay. No need to worry. Just some broken bones and cuts. I’ll be fine.”