I hold Elvis close as we watch Gladys closely for any sign of movement. I glance at him and can't help but notice the bags that are slowly making themselves permanent under his eyes. It's been two weeks and Gladys hasn't improved at all. She still hasn't taken a turn for the worse, but she's been in the same state as the night she was admitted. Elvis has been here every day since, and I've been making the trip from our house to the hospital every weekend. It's taken a toll on the both of us, and our relationship has been suffering because of it. I can't blame him, though, because I'd stay here everyday too if my mother were Gladys and in the hospital.
"Elvis, you doin' okay son? Visitin' hours are almost over," Vernon cautiously says as he steps into the room. Elvis doesn't even spare him a glance and hasn't since their fight the night of her admittance into the hospital. I take the hint though and stand up, pulling Elvis with me. He says nothing as I guide him out of the room, and I shoot Vernon a pitying glance as we enter the dull hallway.
Elvis turns to me and I see a fire in his eyes that points to nothing good. "I jus' can't stand that son of a bitch! He acts like he cares so much 'bout me, but he can't be there when I need him most!" He exclaims and I bite my lip, holding back what I want to say. I decide to take the gentler approach.
"I think he wants to make things right between you two, babe. He just doesn't know how, that's all. Maybe think about giving him a chance?" I ask, trying to calm his anger, but he isn't buying it.
"So you're on his side? Of course I can't trust you no more. I know y'all have been talking behind my back!" he yells as we exit the hospital through the sliding doors. I feel my patience snap as we've had this same exact argument before.
"Listen to me," I demand, and he begins to open his mouth, but I shut him down immediately. "No. It's my turn to talk. Your dad is not evil and he is not out to get you. He is a father struggling to juggle his wife in the hospital, his son who is extremely sad, and his heavy emotions which he was taught not to show. He loves you very much and he wants to connect with you, seeing as you're his only kin left. So please, go easy on him and give him a chance. You're all he's got," I finish, and I open the car door and slide into the driver's seat, not looking at him as I close the door in his face. I watch in the rearview mirror as he trudges his way around the back of the car. I let out a needed sigh while he plops into the passenger side, and I start the car, backing out and heading home.
The car ride to his childhood home is silent, and I can tell that there's a storm brewing in his head. To try to ease his suffering, I whip out my phone at a red light and put on his playlist, and at the first note of Blue Suede Shoes he immediately perks up. He looks at me, and when I briefly meet his eyes I am taken aback by the large, goofy grin plastered on his face. It's a sight I haven't seen in a long time, and I feel a smile slowly form on my own face.
"What are you smiling at?" I ask, and he genuinely laughs. Whether he's going through a mental breakdown or not I can't tell, but I don't dare to ruin his mood.
"I jus' really love you, yeah? I'm sorry I'm bein' so grumpy lately, I jus' don't like seein' mama in a bed like that, and I'm slowly losin' hope that she'll get better. Puttin' college on hold for this semester isn't helpin' either. Stay the night with me, please?" He begs, and my heart cracks. I know that I have class tomorrow morning, and I should get back as soon as possible, but I can't say no to him.
"Okay, I'll stay, but I can't do it again. I'm getting close to the absence limit for my classes, and I can't afford to fail my classes this semester," I warn him, but I know he ignored everything I said after the word 'okay'. I smile as I pull into the driveway, and he hops out of the door before I can put the car in park. I climb out and am immediately swept off my feet, causing me to squeal. Elvis laughs, and I am transported back to when we first started dating and were in the honeymoon phase.
"You know, I'm tempted to never put you down so ya never leave me. Stay here with me forever? Let's get married and have lots of kids," he spitballs and I am pretty sure this is the beginning of a breakdown on his part.
"Okay, but let's at least shower. I feel gross after being in that hospital all day," I suggest and his eyes light up. We hold eye contact and I know he wants more than a shower. I smirk at him and he darts up the stairs, causing me to yell and cling onto his neck.
Pushing the bathroom door open, he drops me on my feet. "Strip," he demands, and I tease him by taking my time with removing my shirt. He growls and pulls it off me, connecting our lips as he throws the shirt on the floor. With the hunger in his kiss, I know it's going to be an intense night that we both need in order to blow off some steam.
********************
I open my eyes to sunlight streaming in through the crack in the blinds, and I sigh contently, the events of last night making my cheeks pink. I reach over to pull Elvis closer, only to be met with an empty bed. I sit up and worriedly look around the room, looking for any trace of Elvis that I can find.
Finding no sign of him, I dart out of bed and fly down the stairs and into the kitchen, and to my relief I find Elvis cooking up some breakfast in the kitchen, laughing with his father. They both turn and look at me concerningly when I come barreling in.
"Hey," I breathlessly gasp, and Elvis smiles as he looks me up and down.
"Mornin' darlin, what's the rush about?" He asks as if his mother isn't in the hospital.
"I- I was just worried that something, you know, bad happened." I explain, and Vernon's gaze softens. He gets up from the table and walks over to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders comfortingly.
"Don't you worry darlin, she's the same as yesterday. We would wake ya up if there were any changes," he reassures me, and I melt into his grasp. The heart eyes Elvis is sending me are unreal, so I unwrap myself from Vernon and walk to the stove, circling my arms around him. I inhale, and the scent of him fills my nostrils.
"Can I get some breakfast? I've gotta eat and head out so I can make my bio lab," I tell him, and he gives me the biggest puppy eyes ever. But with the lab being 10% of my grade, I can't miss it if I want to graduate. I step away from him to prevent myself from being sucked into his begging. "No, I have to go. I'll be back Friday night, okay? I'm sure you'll be able to handle yourself here. Your daddy needs good food to eat, so be sure to take care of him. Now, give me some of that breakfast you whipped up, because it smells scrumptious."
Elvis chuckles and grabs a plate, loading it with eggs, bacon, and pancakes as I sit down at the table. The moment the plate is set in front of me, I dig in to satisfy my growling stomach. Vernon smiles and shakes his head, suppressing his 'you'll get sick if you eat that fast' talk. Elvis sits at the table beside me, setting his plate down and sliding Vernon's across the table to him. We sit in silence as we scarf the food down, and before I know it our plates are clean and I'm making my way upstairs to grab the overnight bag I brought with me.
I return to the kitchen dressed and ready to go, and Vernon gives me a kiss on the forehead before whispering "I don't know what you did to him, but thank you," and leaving us to say our goodbyes in peace. Elvis wraps his arms around me and nestles his nose in my hair, swaying us back and forth as I hold him tight.
"I love ya, and I wish ya didn't have to go so soon. Have a good week, and let me know how baby Jane is," he says as we depart from each other and head to the door.
"I will. I'm spending Wednesday afternoon over there after I get out of my last class. I'm going to miss you though; home isn't the same without you, love," I tell him, and we hug briefly before I open the door and start walking toward the car.
"Drive safe!" he calls after me, and I spin around and give him a thumbs up, earning a laugh from him. I throw my bag into the back seat and plop into the driver's side. As I back out of the driveway, I feel Elvis's eyes follow me down the road and out of Lauderdale Courts.
I think of Baby Jane, who two weeks ago was fighting for her life. I regret not being there for her when she was sick, but I couldn't leave Elvis's side for the first few days after we visited Gladys in the hospital. Codi wasn't too happy with me, but we eventually made up after crying together for a while. I seriously have no idea what I would do without her. We are best friends for life, and nothing can change that.
The drive seems to go by quickly, and before I know it I'm back at Elvis and I's house. I park the car in the garage and unlock the door to the house, dropping my bag inside and grabbing my backpack. I hop back into the car to try and make it to lab in time. I just have to get through this week and I can see Elvis again.
I sigh, wishing that he was here with me.