My voice trails away as I speak. I wipe the tears from my eyes. He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes tell me that he knows.
“And... I haven’t made it easy on you,” I continue. “I want to tell you that I forgive you. I know that Mom forgives you, too. And most importantly, you should forgive yourself.”
One stray tear rolls down his face, and I wipe it with my hand.
“Don’t cry,” I tell him. “Everything will be alright. Just come home, OK?”
He nods, more forcefully this time, like he wanted to convince me that he means it this time. I press my lips on his hand, softly. He is cold. I adjust his blanket a little, and he gifts me a smile. I kiss his sweaty forehead, then squeeze his hand.
“I gotta go now, dad. But, I promise I’ll be back soon, OK?”
It’s getting harder and harder to talk, my words are swallowed by the tears that just won’t stop.
“Later, alligator,” I wave at him, then exit the room slowly.
Anderson is there, and he immediately wraps me up in a hug. I bury my nose into his neck, and we remain like that for a few moments. I feel like the whole world has stopped spinning, just for me, just so I could have this special moment, and I’ve never been more grateful for anything I had in my life.
“How is he?” Anderson asks, once I let go.
“Weak.” My answer is honest. I guess, I picked up more from Fynn than I intended to. “But, he’ll be fine. Us Holloways are like that. Resilient. You can’t kill us.”
Anderson chuckles, presses his lips to my temple, and we walk out of the hospital, hugging. I feel the newfound lightness in my step, and I know that life will be perfect from now on, because I will make sure that it is.
Chapter 29
That same evening, I’m sitting on the sofa, reading my book. Huddled underneath a small blanket, I can’t really focus on what the heroine should do, and I can’t really root for her, mostly because I can’t stop smiling. I can’t stop thinking how fortunate I am, to have everything I ever wanted, right by my side.
A little later, Anderson walks in. He has a mischievous smile on his face. His eyes are beaming.
“Come on,” he says chirpily, without any introduction or explanation why, and offers me his hand.
“Where?” I smile, closing my book and taking him by the hand.
“You’ll see,” he tells me playfully. “Just be patient.”
“You know that’s not one of my strong suits,” I laugh.
He takes me over to the ground floor bathroom, the one with the big bath tub. The upper floor bathrooms all have shower stalls instead.
“Now, close your eyes,” he instructs me, before opening the door.
“OK,” I reply, feeling giddy.
I hear him open the door, and he leads me in, my eyes still closed.
“Open.”
The moment I open my eyes, I find an amazing oasis of relaxation inside. There are red and white candles scattered about the bathroom. There is a soft scent of jasmine permeating the air. I see my favorite bathing products in the corner of the bathtub, next to a glass of wine, filled to the brim.
“Wow,” I gasp in awe. “What is all this?”
“Fynn and I decided that today is a great day to celebrate,” he explains. “Your father is awake. And, you are the best thing that ever happened to us. What more could we want?”
“You guys…” I cup his face with my hands and give him a smooch on the lips.
“So, you just rest and relax in the tub, everything you need is here, but if we missed anything, there’s a bell you can ring for assistance.”
He points at an actual little bell next to the wine glass, and I chuckle out loud.