He frowns and glances at the nurse before turning his attention back to me. “Then you’ll want to stick around for this.”
That surprises me. Usually non-family are the first to get the boot.
Mrs. Jenson walks in clinging to the Judge’s arm, while Gabe trails in behind them. They all look as drained as I feel. Heavy lines mar both of Aubrey’s parents’ faces, making them seem much older than they had merely a day ago.
“Is there any news, Dr. Bartley?” Aubrey’s mother asks with a hopeful tone.
The doctor leans back against the footboard of the bed, and folds his arms across his chest while he faces all of us. The nurse continues to work on the computer as he starts speaking, “There is news. It appears Aubrey has a slight brain bleed.”
Her parents both gasp next to me and her mother clutches her chest. “How bad is it?”
“It’s very small—only about five millimeters in size. The brain should be able to reabsorb that with little to no damage.”
“So why hasn’t she woken up?” I ask.
His gaze fixes on me. “We don’t know. We hope her this coma is just temporary, and that body her body is going to taking time to heal and will kick-start itself soon. All of her vitals are stable and there are no other concerns, but I have to ask—did you know she’s pregnant?”
My mouth drops open and tingle bursts open in my chest. “Did you just say pregnant?”
The doctor’s lips pull into a tight line. “She’s not very far from what I can tell—about three weeks if all the ultrasounds are correct.”
I shake my head as my entire body goes numb. “That can’t be. I’m sterile.”
The doctor grabs a chair, motioning for me to have a seat. “Why do you think you’re sterile?”
I rub the back of my neck. “I was in an accident when I was sixteen, and that’s what the doctors told me and my mom.”
He pats my knee. “We aren’t always right, you know. Congratulations, son. Looks like you’re going to be a father.”
Could he be right? It’s not like I’d ever tested the sterility thing with anyone else other than Aubrey. She’s the only girl I’ve ever had any unprotected sex with, and I know once we became exclusive she stopped her birth control because I’d told there was no point in using it with me. Is it possible? We’re they wrong before?
“I’m going to be a dad?” I ask timidly.
He smiles. “Yes.”
It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever felt so close to ever having something that was truly mine. I glance over to Aubrey lying in the bed, unmoving, and stare at her stomach. My kid is in there. We’re going to be a family. It’s crazy to know find out the same day I lost my father, I’m going to become one.
Panic instantly sets in. What if I’m not good enough to be a father? What if I fuck this up? I rest my elbows on my thighs and press my folded hands against my forehead. What if they don’t make it? I begin to cry as the knowledge that I might not get a chance if Aubrey doesn’t wake up.
I bat a tear away and turn my gaze to the doctor. “What can I do to make her pull out of the coma? I’ll do anything. Anything.”
He smiles. “Try anything you can think of. Talking to her about memories and things that mean the most to her might help bring her around.”
“I’ll do anything for her,” I say.
“I trust that you will.” He glances up at her parents. “We’ll continue to run a few more tests. They’ll start later on this evening if there’s no improvement. Any other questions?”
They all shake their heads and the doctor excuses himself from the room.
The Judge turns to me and I instantly bolt up from the seat, ready to kick his ass if he wants to try and fight with me over this. Aubrey doesn’t need to hear that.
He takes quick steps over towards me and I throw my hands up, ready to fight, but instead of attacking me like I thought he wraps his arms around my shoulders. The powerful Judge squeezes me tight as he begins to weep. “You do whatever you have to and bring her back. I know you love her just as much as she loves you. I see it. If anyone can bring her out of this, it’s you. I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time before. I wanted her to be with someone who loves her.”
“I do love her—with all my soul,” I answer.
He pulls back. “I know you do. I understand that now.” The Judge claps my shoulder and smiles at me sadly before heading for the door. “Come on, Connie. Let’s give the man some time alone with our girl.”
Mrs. Jenson kisses my cheek and then pats it with her fingers, before following her husband and Gabe out of the room.
I lick my lips and bend down to open the case before pulling my guitar out. I drag a chair next to her bedside and stare at her. She reminds me of a princess caught up in a sleeping spell, waiting on a kiss of true love to awaken her. Hopefully, I’m that man for Aubrey.
I strum the guitar and a song that spoke to me a lot when I was going through some major issues comes to mind. It’s not until I play the first lick on the strings that I realize how fitting it is for how I feel about Aubrey.
I slow the rhythm down a bit and say, “The Cure helped me make it through the death of my mom and sister, but Lovesong takes a whole different meaning when I think about you.”
My fingers slide down the neck of the guitar as I sing about how when I’m with her she makes me feel whole again. She’s filled a hole in me that I didn’t know was possible to fix, and made me understand that I’m worth loving. That I mean something and my life isn’t just one huge fucking mistake.