A North Carolina Autumn

Chapter 7

My heart hurt for Sam. I knew this was probably just as hard on him as it was on me.

When they finally join us again, both Sam and Jeremy have red rimmed eyes. They each take a seat on either side of me, and I feel a sad smile slip onto my face. I reach over and take Jeremy's hand before laying my head on Sam's shoulder.

These were my guys. I'd been grateful for them in the past, but I don't think I'd ever been more grateful than I was now.

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The rest of the week passes by so slowly that it feels like an entire month. Rylie's injuries had been healing little by little. Or at least, the outside injuries had. The doctors still couldn't determine why she wasn't awake. I tried to keep the negative thoughts from my mind, but one always snuck its way in.

How long does she have to be asleep before the doctors tell us she's not going to wake up? What happens then?

I'd seen the movies. I'd read the books. I knew what happened. But that wasn't a thought I wanted to entertain for even a second. A world without Rylie was a world I wanted no part of.

I spend every waking moment at the hospital, and Sam and Jeremy do pretty much the same. My mother left Friday morning, promising to come back on Tuesday. I'd managed to take work off for this week, but I was scheduled in the mornings nearly every day next week. Larry hadn't been thrilled when I'd asked for this week off, so I didn't want to chance anything by asking for more time off. Plus, it would probably be good to get back into a somewhat normal routine to distract myself.

Part of that normal routine was Harvey. I was going to pick him up from the vet in just a little while, and I was so excited. The vet had offered to keep him while we were dealing with everything, but I was ready to have him back.

Rylie's doctor enters the waiting room a few minutes before I'm about to leave, and my eyes snap to him. They'd been doing yet another test on her, so we were all anxious for any update he had to offer. It was just me, Sam and Kristen here now, everyone else had work or meetings.

"I have some good news." The doctor says excitedly. I hold my breath, trying not to get my hopes up too much. "Rylie is breathing on her own. We've taken her off of the ventilator and we're constantly monitoring her just in case. We're not out of the woods yet, but this is a huge improvement."

"Oh my God." I breathe, letting out the breath I'd been holding. I glance down and release my white knuckled grip on Sam's hand. "Sorry," I laugh, but he shakes his head.

"It's okay!" His laugh joins mine before he pulls me into a hug. The doctor excuses himself and I turn to Kristen with Harper in her arms.

"This is great news. I'm going to call Brad and Dillon. Would you watch Harper?"

"Of course! Come here, little baby." I grin, reaching for Harper. She smiles happily at me and I laugh.

"You okay if I make a few calls, too?" Sam asks, and I nod before focusing on Harper. She was growing so fast, but she was still so tiny. I loved playing with her, but I also loved just holding her, especially when she was sleeping.

Today, she lays in the crook of my arm, quietly playing with a small pink toy. "You are so precious." Her eyes suddenly meet mine and I'm shocked, once again, with how similar they are to Rylie's. "I really miss your sister." I whisper, and Harper's eyes stay locked on mine. "She is pretty incredible, but you already know that. And I bet when she wakes up, she'll be desperate to hold you again." I smile, and I shiver as Harper's sharp blue eyes jump back and forth between mine. A strange feeling washes through me, and I briefly wonder when I'd felt it before.

"Thank you for watching her, Aspen." Kristen says, pulling me from my thoughts. "Not just right now, but all the other times, too. She does really well with you, and you have no idea how helpful it is to me."

"She is a really special baby. She helps distract me, I'm happy to hold her anytime." I respond with a warm smile.

"Rylie was right about you being such a selfless person."

"She said that?" I ask as my throat tightens.

"She did. She said a lot about you. Rylie really loves you." I appreciate the way Kristen says 'loves' instead of 'loved' like a few other people have said.

"Thank you." I say, swallowing the tears before they can escape.

Kristen nods before gently taking Harper from my arms. "Now go get your puppy." She smiles.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I say before waving goodbye. On my way out, I run into Sam. "Hey, I'm headed out. Will you call me if there are any changes at all?"

"Of course. Are you coming back in the morning?"

"Yeah. You?"

Sam shakes his head. "I have to head back to topsail for the day, but Emma and I will be back Monday morning."

"Okay. How has she been with everything?" It turns out that Sam and Emma had come back early from their honeymoon for a health scare with Emma's grandmother. Everything was okay, but that's when Sam's mom told him about Rylie.

"She's a blessing. It'll be good to be with her again." Sam says.

"I know the feeling." I joke, and Sam gives me a sad smile.

"You know better than anyone. Except you haven't been able to talk to your girlfriend in over a week."

"Thanks for the reminder, Sam." I tease.

"Hey," He chuckles, pulling me in for a hug. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it painful. You're incredibly strong, and you're holding up so well despite how hard this is trying to tear you down."

"Thanks, Sam." I pause, taking a breath. "She kind of proposed."

"I know." Sam starts, but then he pauses and pulls back. "Wait, what do you mean 'kind of'?"

"I mean that she asked me what I would say, but then she told me not to answer and that she would do it again, but for real. What do you mean, 'you know'?" I challenge.

"Oh, she told me at the luncheon that she was planning to propose, but I think she was planning something more than just asking if you would say yes..." He grins, but then his face softens. "I'm sorry that it didn't exactly happen..."

"Me too. She put so much thought into it, Sam."

"Of course she did. This is Rylie we're talking about. And, she was proposing to her best friend, the love of her life. She wanted everything to be perfect."

"It was perfect. It made mine feel super lame." I laugh.

"I'm sorry, yours? You were going to propose, too?" Sam looks flabbergasted.

"Yeah," I laugh. "The same night, too. I had no idea what she was planning."

"She had no idea, either. Damn, that would've been really cute." He chuckles.

"Yeah, but it's okay. Or at least, I think it will be."

"It will be. This is Rylie we're talking about." He says again, and I laugh.

"I'm glad you're here, Sam."

"Me too."