“Déjà vu.” She smirks, reminding me how I asked her the same question in the past. “Yes.”
Only I don’t get the chance. The doors leading back through the ER open and Dad comes out again.
Brandon jerks out from around a corner and I pull from Charlotte to step toward him. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh! Wow. Surprised to see you kids here. I didn’t even know you were in New York.” Dad says to Charlotte and Alec.
“They’re here for two weeks,” I say.
“Thanks for coming. I’m sure Nathaniel and Brandon appreciate the support.” Dad tells them.
Brandon steps closer to Dad. “How’s Mom?”
“Better. The bleeding has almost completely stopped. That doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet, but it’s a good sign. They’re bringing her upstairs in about five minutes. The doctor said you boys could go in and see her for a minute, and then why don’t you head home? There’s nothing you can do here right now. If anything changes, I’ll call.”
Brandon and I look at each other. My brother nods. “Yeah…okay.”
“It’s the third room on the right,” Dad tells us. Brandon and I go in to see Mom. She’s all covered up in white hospital blankets, her hair a mess, but with a small smile on her face.
“Hey, guys.” Her voice is raspy.
“Hey…” I grab her hand and Brandon steps to the other side, doing the same. She has IVs in and there are machines all around.
“How are you?” I ask.
“Okay. Tired.”
“Mom?” Brandon’s voice cracks and his eyes pool. Shit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother cry. Not since we were kids, at least.
“Shh. Your brother and I will both be fine. You understand that? I promise you guys. The Chase boys are fighters. This little guy is going to take after both of you. My strong, brave, wonderful boys. He’ll be okay and we’ll all get to meet him and you two will be able to show him just how wonderful you both are, okay?”
My eyes are wet, too. I squeeze her hand, but not too tight, afraid I’ll hurt her. “You’re strong, too,” I tell her.
Mom smiles. “I love you guys. Go home and get some rest. Your dad and I have his under control. We’ll call you later.”
I nod before leaning down to kiss her, and then Brandon does the same.
Dad gives us another hug when we walk back out to the waiting room. “I told Charlotte and Alec that they’re welcome back at the house with you guys.” He eyes me. “But be good. I’m trusting you.” But he really means me since I’m the one bringing a girl home to an empty house for who knows how long.
“I will.”
Brandon’s quiet as Dad goes back into the waiting room. Charlotte and Alec walk up to us and I say to Charlotte, “Do you have to go back?”
She shakes her head. “No and I can’t believe how long you’ve traveled every day, Nate. I didn’t know.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
And even though I can’t stand Alec, I’m glad he took the train ride with her to keep her safe. When the four of us walk out of the hospital, I can’t help but think it feels good. It feels like so many of our summers from the past.
“I can’t believe I’m in your house.” Charlotte stands in the entryway looking around. “It’s huge, Nate. How many bedrooms are in this thing?”
“Six. Wanna come up to mine?”
Her eyes go wide and it makes me crack a smile. “Just to sleep. I’m tired as hell.”
“Yeah… I do. But I just have to talk to Alec for a second.”
Of course he picks that moment to walk up. They don’t say anything. He pushes a hand through his blond hair. Maybe it makes me a prick, but I’m not walking away and leaving him alone with her.
“I’m good,” Alec tells her and I wonder why he wouldn’t be.
“Brandon can show him to one of the guest rooms,” I say.
Charlotte nods and then follows me upstairs to my room. When we get inside, l close the door and step out of my shoes as she walks around, looking at everything.
“Oh my God! You still have your old hat! You never wore this after the first summer.” She grabs the Yankees hat off my dresser.
“It got too small.”
She examines the bookshelf, my desk, the corkboard where there’s a picture of us from the second summer. “You still have this?”
We’d taken it on our hike. “Yeah.” I can’t really manage much more than short answers. I’m tired, worried about Mom, and a little annoyed that Alec is in my house. “I’m dead on my feet. You have to be tired too.” I nod my head toward the bed. “Lay down with me.” And then I realize it probably won’t be comfortable for her to sleep in jeans so I go to my dresser and pull out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for her. “They’ll be big, but it should work.”
Charlotte nods.
“The bathroom is across the hall.”
Another nod before she walks out. I step out of my jeans, pull on another pair of shorts, and toss my shirt to the floor. By the time she comes back in, I’m already laying down.
I pull up the blanket. Charlotte hesitates for a second before switching off the light and climbing in. She curls right up to me and I wrap my arm around her. “They’ll be okay.” The words come out for me, more than they do anything else.
“I know.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” she replies and just that quickly, I’m out.
At about noon, I wake up. Charlotte is asleep beside me, this half-smile on her face. I wonder if she’s dreaming and what it’s about. She stirs slightly, but doesn’t wake up. Grabbing my cell phone, I send a text to Dad to check on Mom. He replies back and tells me she’s resting, they’re monitoring the baby, but the bleeding has stopped.
A huge weight lifts from my chest.
“Hey,” Charlotte says from beside me.
“Sorry. Did I wake you up?”
She shakes her head. “Nope.”
“I don’t know how I would be dealing with this if it wasn’t for you,” I tell her. She smiles up at me.
“I have something for you,” Charlotte says. Getting out of bed, she grabs her shorts and pulls something out of the pocket. Once she’s back next to me, she opens her hand, showing me the two leather necklaces inside.
“I wasn’t sure if I should give it to you or not, but…I have to. I don’t know if you’ll want it—”
“I want it,” I tell her, taking mine from her hand. Guilt pulls at my seams, threatening to pull me apart. “I shouldn’t have ripped it off. I was so…yeah, it killed me seeing him with you and I didn’t know what to do. I wanted it back, though. Even right after I did it.”
“I hate what happened to us. We wasted so much time.”
Charlotte has fixed the latch on the broken cord. It’s the second time it’s been broken, but the leather stays strong. Hopefully we can do the same. I sit up and put it on my neck. “Let me do yours,” I say, and she sits up before handing me her necklace.
“I still wore it, but I took it off before we had coffee. Other than these couple days, I’ve always worn it.”
Looking at her, I don’t think I’ll ever love another girl like I love Charlotte. Despite everything with Alec or the time we’ve spent away from each other or the fact that we’re young, I still know I love her. Leaning forward, I press my lips to hers.
Charlotte gives a shocked noise, but then she’s opening her mouth and I’m slipping my tongue inside. She leans back and I go down with her. Her hands trace paths up and down my back and I slip my hand under her shirt. My body is screaming, finally! But I’m trying to slow down because I don’t want to rush her.
It feels different than the other times I’ve kissed her, and I wonder if it’s because we’re older now and if it means we’re more ready. Or, hell, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, something I only do with her.