“Are you sure?” he asks.
“Completely.”
I’m not lying, this really is perfect for us, and, to be honest, the typical date wasn’t what I expected of him. I expected more from him, I wanted more, and I got it. Ares is letting me in. He’s showing me this side of him, and the fact that he wants me with him at this moment means a lot to me.
The walk to the hospital entrance is silent, but not uncomfortable. I can feel the fear and anticipation emanating from Ares. He puts his hands into the pockets of his pants, pulls them out, runs them through his hair, and puts them back in. I can’t imagine what he must be feeling. When he takes his hands out again, I take one, and he looks at me.
“Everything will be fine,” I say.
Holding hands, we enter the white hospital world. The lighting is so bright that you can see every detail of the walls and floor. Nurses and doctors in white coats pass from one side of the hall to the other. Some carry coffees, while others carry folders. Even though my mom is a nurse, my visits to the hospital have been few because she didn’t like to expose me to this place, or that was the reason she always gave me. I glance at my hand intertwined with Ares’s and a warm sensation floods through me. After giving his name to some kind of doorman in the elevator, we go up.
The fourth floor is silent, desolate. I only see a few nurses in a stall that we pass as we continue to a long corridor where the lighting is no longer so bright. I find it curious that the intensive care ward doesn’t have the vibrant light of the floor below, as if the softer lighting suits the place. I’m sure this floor has witnessed a lot of sadness, good-byes, and grief.
At the end of the corridor there are three people, and as we get closer, I can see who they are: Artemis, Apolo, and Mr. Hidalgo, Ares’s father. My nerves jitter as I’m reminded that this is something very intimate for his family. What if I make them uncomfortable with my presence?
Mr. Hidalgo is leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, and his head down. Artemis is sitting in a metal chair, leaning back in it, his tie undone, and the first buttons of his shirt open. His usual perfectly coiffed hair is in disarray, and I notice he has a bandage around the knuckles of his right hand. Apolo is sitting on the ground, his elbows on his knees, holding his head with both hands. He has a fresh bruise on his left cheek. Did he get into a fight?
When they hear our footsteps, they all look at us. I swallow as I see a question about my presence in their gazes, but when they notice our intertwined hands, something changes, and they seem to relax. Ares rushes to his father, and I let go of his hand.
“How is he?” Ares asks.
“Awake, the neurologist is evaluating him, talking to him, you know, the checkup before doing other tests.”
“Will we be able to see him tonight?”
Ares doesn’t bother to hide the concern and uncertainty in his voice. I know that he’s desperate to know how much the stroke has affected his grandfather.
“I think so,” his father replies, relaxing his shoulders. I stand back, not knowing what to say or do. Ares turns toward me, and his father’s eyes follow his movement.
“Dad, this is Raquel, my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend.
The word leaves his lips naturally, and I notice how he remembers about us starting out as friends, but before he can take it back, I smile at his father.
“Nice to meet you, sir. I hope Grandfather Hidalgo recovers soon,” I say. He just smiles back at me.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Rosa’s daughter, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sir? You make me feel old.” Although he smiles, the joy doesn’t reach his eyes. “Call me Juan.”
“Sure.” He seems to be a genuinely nice man and that confuses me; I was expecting a bitter, arrogant old man. Although I guess I should have guessed as much when Ares told me about him last night.
My father was the only one who decided not to live off my grandfather’s money. He accepted money to start his business and when he became successful, he paid my grandfather back. I think that’s why my grandfather was always closer to us. In a way, he respected my father.
Juan has fought and worked hard to get to where he is now, and I think that speaks very well of him. I wonder what happened behind closed doors that caused Ares’s mom to be unfaithful to him and careless enough to let her son witness it. I always thought that men were the ones who screwed up homes. I know, it’s a terrible generalization, and now I realize that it’s not like that; mistakes that ruin lives can be made by both genders.