He nudged his head. “Let’s go. Let’s get this shit over with. I have a wife and dogs to get back to.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
Inside, Dr. Tuscano addressed any last minute concerns we had.
“So, we’re clear on everything that’s gonna happen? The incision will be made down the center of Damien’s chest. The cut muscle will eventually heal on its own. We use a heart-lung machine during the procedure, which helps protect the other organs while the heart is stopped. Once the operation is over, Damien’s heart will start beating on its own again with no problems.”
The doctor noticed Tyler and Damien’s mother waiting outside the door and waved them in. They looked just as nervous as I did. Damien was being stronger than all of us.
Dr. Tuscano finished answering some questions that Monica had before he said, “Surgery should take about five to six hours. Don’t be alarmed if no one comes and updates you. We typically need full surgical staff to remain in the operating room for this procedure.”
Damien hugged Tyler and kissed his mother. They were just about to leave to allow us a moment alone when Damien called after his brother.
“Dude, keep Mom and my wife sane out there. I’m counting on you.”
“You got it, man.”
After the door closed, Damien whispered, “By the way, when I said you should move on with another man, that doesn’t include Tyler. I’d find a way to come back from the dead to castrate him if he ever made a move on you.”
He’d managed to make me laugh a little. “Understood.”
After a long silence, there wasn’t anything left for him to say except, “I love you.”
“I love you so much.”
“Be strong for me, okay?”
“Okay.”
Dr. Tuscano was all suited up when he came in with a staff to wheel Damien out. “Ready?”
Damien squeezed my hand one last time before letting it go. “Yep.”
As they took him out of the room and down the hall to the operating room, I started to feel weak, like my legs were going to give way. Just when it seemed like I was going to collapse, I felt Tyler’s hands on my arms, gripping them and essentially holding me up.
“He’s gonna be okay.”
I just kept shaking my head, desperately trying to convince myself of that. “I know.”
He had to be.***The first hour was the hardest. It went by painfully slow. As much as Damien had asked Tyler to look after us, it seemed Ty was just as nervous as we were and needed us just as much as we needed him.
Damien clearly underestimated how hard this would be for his brother, who’d been his closest confidante long before I ever came into the picture.
Tyler held my left hand and Monica held my right. Damien was our common denominator, the person each of us loved most in this life.
At one point, Tyler looked down at my ring. “Holy shit. He wasn’t kidding when he said he spent a fortune on that thing.”
Staring down at my rock, I agreed. “He’s crazy.”
Monica chimed in, “No, he’s not. He just loves you so much.” She sighed. “Congratulations. I know it was supposed to be a secret, but he told me everything. I’m looking forward to being there for the big one.”
“We didn’t mean to exclude anyone.”
“I know that. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. I’m so happy you did it the way you did.”
“Thank you.”
Tyler grinned. “I’ll never forget the first day he told me about you. He said, ‘Ty, there’s this girl who moved in next door. She’s quirky, a little fucked-up in the head, can’t get out of her own way, but she’s beautiful, like the most natural beauty you’ve ever seen and the realest person you’ll ever meet. She came to complain about the dogs, and all I wanted to do was kiss her senseless.”
“He said that?”
“He did.”
Once the somber first hour of waiting passed, the mood changed drastically. It all started with a pizza.
A deliveryman showed up to the waiting area.
“I have a pizza order from Damien?”
“Damien couldn’t be ordering pizza. He’s in surgery,” I told him.
“Nope. He scheduled a delivery.”
“When did he call?”
“I don’t know. Anyway, I’m supposed to bring the pizza here and give it to Chelsea with this note.” He handed it to me.
“Thank you.”
The pizza box felt hot on my lap. The smell of the cheese and sauce reminded me that I hadn’t eaten anything. I ripped off the paper that was taped to the top and read it.It’s not as good as mine, but I’m a little busy at the moment and couldn’t bake you one. So, this will have to do. I knew you wouldn’t eat unless I brought it to you.
—DIf we thought that was the only waiting room surprise, we were wrong. The next hour, came a ginormous fruit bouquet from Edible Arrangements along with a note.