Sam wiped at her eyes with a tissue. “We were at dinner and he just dropped.”
“What did the doctors say?”
“He’s in emergency surgery right now. We don’t know anything yet.”
“What about the stent from last time?”
“I don’t know.” His mother sank back into her chair. “I don’t know anything. I just told them to do whatever they needed to do.”
Sam noticed me standing there and eyed me warily. “Who’s she?” I felt suddenly selfish for intruding on their family crisis.
Alex flinched. “Sorry. Sam, Mom, this is my friend Lily. Lily, this is my mom, Angie, and my sister, Samantha.”
Samantha shook my hand limply, apparently less irritated now that I was a friend and not more, and told me to call her Sam. His mother nodded in my general direction, but was understandably too distracted for much else.
“I’m going to see if I can get an update,” Alex said, looking around for the nurses’ station.
“They said they’ll tell us when there’s news,” Sam said.
“Well I need to do something.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Angie said quietly. “Just sit. Please.”
Alex sat down heavily next to his mother. I took the seat on his other side, trying to be unobtrusive. His hand was on the armrest between our chairs and I put mine over it. He turned his over to hold mine, and our fingers intertwined, which sent a small jolt of entirely inappropriate excitement down my spine.
No one spoke. My phone vibrated and I slid it discreetly out of my pocket with the hand that wasn’t in Alex’s. It was Becca, asking how the date went. Good, I assume, since you’re not home?
Terrible, actually.
Then where are you?
I texted slowly, left-handed. At Sibley. Alex’s dad had a heart attack.
Oh no! Let me know what happens.
I told her I would and slipped the phone back into my pocket. Alex looked over at the motion. “Everything okay?” he murmured. “You don’t need to stay.”
“I’m fine right here.” I looked over to his mother and sister. “Can I get anyone anything? Water? Coffee?”
They both shook their heads. “I could use a coffee,” Alex said. “I’ll go.”
“Stay,” I told him, standing and untangling our fingers. “You don’t want to be gone if the doctor comes out. I know how you take it.” He nodded and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his eyes. He looked older in the harsh fluorescent lighting, and there was a hint of gray in his sideburns that I swore hadn’t been there earlier.
I followed signs to the café, which was closed, but there was a vending machine that served coffee. I got a cup for Alex and paused as I passed the food machine. They had Skittles, so I got a bag for him as well. We had joked when we went to the movies that his preference was perfect because I wouldn’t steal any—I maintained that the calories weren’t worth it if the candy wasn’t chocolate.
By the time I got back, a doctor was talking to the family. I hung back, not wanting to interrupt, but tried to catch the drift of what he was saying.
“—an excellent prognosis, assuming surgery goes well. It’s a very common procedure.”
“How long?”
“Probably two more hours. He only needs a single bypass because the stent is holding, so we think it should be uncomplicated.”
Sam and Angie were holding on to each other, and Alex shook the doctor’s hand and thanked him. I waited until he turned to leave before I returned to them and handed Alex his coffee. “What did he say?” I asked quietly.
“They’re doing a bypass now. The doctor thinks he should be okay, assuming there are no complications in surgery.”
“That’s great!”
“Yeah.” Alex sat down shakily and took a sip of the coffee. “This is horrible.”
“There was only a vending machine.” I held up the bag of Skittles. “But I figured these would make a decent chaser.” I sat down next to him. “And I won’t even steal any like you did with my M&Ms after swearing you wouldn’t.”
He smiled weakly. “I’m like that blood type that’s a universal receiver, but with candy. I’ll take any of it.”
“Hospital humor, I like it.”
He put his hand over mine on the armrest. “Thank you.”
I laid my head on his shoulder. “Obviously, I hope there’s not a next time, but anytime.”