I only walked with Adam as far as the door to the hospital room. I knew this was a family thing, and I wasn't about to intrude. Adam stood in the doorway staring at his mom in the bed while I sat down in one of the chairs outside. I've never been good in tough times, but my friend needed me, so I had to give it my best shot.
"I'm sure this is hard for you, and I hope this doesn't come out wrong, but wouldn't you rather be standing next to her bedside than out here?" I asked.
"I want to," Adam said. "I'm just a little nervous. I've never seen either of my parents like this before."
"I know," I replied. "That's why I'm here. I never got to see my parents, probably for the best, but I've got your back if you need me. I'm not going anywhere."
"Will you come in there with me?" Adam asked.
"I don't want to intrude," I said. "This is a family thing."
"You're like family to me," Adam replied, starting to tear up again. "Please? I don't think I can go in there alone."
I sighed. "How can I say no to you now?"
I stood up and once again offered Adam my arm as we made our way toward his mom's bedside. His dad was passed out in the chair on the opposite side until I accidentally bumped into a table, knocking a pitcher of water onto the floor. At that point, I felt like my being in that room was a horrible mistake. I started to back away, but as I did, Adam just tightened his grip on my arm. Whether I liked it or not, I wasn't going anywhere. Mr. Harris made his way around to where we were standing and gave his son a hug.
"How is she?" I asked, noticing that Adam was a little too choked up to speak.
"The doctor said she was lucky we came in when we did," Mr. Harris said. "If we had waited, it may have killed her. They've prescribed her some heart medications, but said she should be fine to go home in a few days."
I turned to Adam. "You hear that champ? Your mom is going to be just fine. Now go on and give her a hug, will you?"
Adam slowly let go of my arm and inched closer to his mom. I watched as she slowly opened her eyes, then smiled when she saw her son standing in front of her. She held out her arms for a hug, which he gladly accepted, and then he burst into tears. I listened to her reassuring Adam that she was going to be fine, but she was happy that he had come to visit her. She turned her head in my direction and mouthed the words "thank you" as she continued to console her son. I smiled and nodded in her direction, then turned to make my way back outside. Mr. Harris, however, had other plans.
"Just where do you think you're running off to, young lady?" he asked.
"I was just going to wait right outside, like I had originally planned," I said. "I didn't want to intrude on this beautiful family moment."
"Nonsense," he replied. "If my son considers you family, then you have every right to be here. Besides, look at him. He's a mess. He needs you right now."
I nodded and made my way back toward Adam and his mom. "I'm happy to hear that you're going to be alright, Mrs. Harris. As you can probably tell, your son was seriously worried about you."
"Thank you, Kara," she smiled. "And thank you for bringing him by. That was very sweet of you. Why don't you two go home and get some rest. You look exhausted. Besides, the doctors want me to get lots of rest myself."
"Yes, ma'am," I said, carefully pulling Adam away from his mom. "Come on, darlin'. Your mom needs her rest and she thinks you could use some too."
Mr. Harris pulled us both in for a group hug before we made our way out to the main lobby. The ride home was quiet, and oddly enough I was fine with that. Adam was having a rough night, and who was I to stop him from letting his emotions go? Back at the house, I wished him a good night before making my way into my bed. About thirty minutes later, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. Adam made his way over to me and I sat up as he sat down.
"I wanted to thank you again for coming with me tonight," he said. "It really meant a lot to me. I'm sorry you had to see me cry, though."
"Don't apologize for having feelings," I told him. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. And you're welcome for the company."
"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight," he admitted. "I know my mom is going to be just fine, but that phone call is still echoing in the back of my mind."
"You're welcome to stay in here with me if it helps," I offered. "I know after my parents died, I wished I had someone to keep me company that first night. Paige felt more obligated to spend her time getting drunk with her friends."
"I'm sorry," Adam said. "Are you sure it won't make you feel uncomfortable? I wouldn't want to ever make you feel that way."
"Don't be ridiculous," I smiled. "Besides, it'll be just like all those times we passed out together on the couch, just a little more comfortable. You need a friend right now. That's where I come in."
"I don't deserve a friend like you," he said, as he gave me a hug. "You are just too good to me."
I grabbed an extra pillow out of my closet and set it next to mine. I laid back down, then motioned for Adam to lay his head on MY shoulder for a change. I wrapped my arm around him, letting him know that he was not alone in his grief. I stayed awake until he finally fell asleep. Thankful that I was able to help him get some sleep, I too fell asleep.
Three days later, Adam's mom was back home where she belonged. I handed Adam my car keys and encouraged him to go over and visit her. He took the keys and asked if I wanted to come along. Since I had felt out of place at the hospital, I decided to sit this one out. I told him I was feeling a little under the weather (which was partially true...my sinuses were out of control), and it would be better for his mom if I just stayed behind. He thanked me for allowing him to use the car and left for his parents' house. No sooner had he walked out the door when my phone rang. The caller ID told me that it was Luke.
"What's up nerd?" I answered. "I thought you were still away on job training."
"I got home early yesterday morning," he said. "What are you up to right now?"
"I was getting ready to snuggle under a blanket with some hot tea and a good movie," I told him. "My sinuses are on high blast today."
"Where's Adam?" Luke asked.
"He went over to his parents house for a visit," I said. "His mom just got out of the hospital. She had a mild heart attack."
"Oh wow," Luke replied. "She's going to be ok, though?"
"She'll be fine," I said. "They have her on a bunch of different heart medications, but other than that, healthy as ever."
"That's good to hear," he said. "So I'm guessing you're not up for leaving the house today?"
"Not really," I answered. "But if you want to come over and keep me company, that would be alright."
"I wish I could," Luke said. "Jamie and I have plans with mom and dad, but they wanted to see you again and thought you might want to tag along."
"Really?" I asked. "Now I wish I weren't feeling like crap. Your parents are awesome. Please tell them I'm sorry, but thank them for the invite."
"You know I will," he said. "I hope those sinuses of yours clear up soon. I know how much you hate being stuck indoors."
"I might see if Adam can pick up some medicine for me before he comes back," I replied.
"Good thinking," Luke said. "I guess I'll see you another day, then?"
"Anytime, you know that," I said. "Y'all have fun."
I went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. While I was waiting for the water to boil, I sent Adam a quick text asking him if he could pick up some allergy medicine on his way home. Since he was visiting with his parents, I wasn't expecting a reply, but I got one telling me that he would. Once I had my tea in hand, I made my way back into the living room. I set my cup on the table, got my blanket ready, and got settled in on the couch. I decided to scroll through my movie channels this time around, see if anything caught my attention. When I found something I knew I would enjoy, I got comfortable once more. I think I got about halfway through the movie before I dozed off. A few hours later, I was woken up by a gentle nudge on my shoulder.
"I guess those sinuses really WERE kicking your butt," Adam smiled, handing me a box of Tylenol.
"Thank you for getting these," I said. "How was your visit with your mom and dad?"
"Better than the first one," he replied. "I'm just relieved that she is home now. I felt so uneasy being in the hospital that day."
"I know you did," I said. "Seeing a loved one in a position like that is very difficult. I'm just glad your mom is okay."
"Have you eaten anything today?" he asked.
"Just breakfast," I answered. "Obviously I was out for a while."
"Why don't I make you some homemade chicken soup?" he offered.
"That would be amazing, thank you," I smiled.
When I was a little girl, whenever I got sick, my mom would always make homemade soup to help me feel better. It has been said that no two people cook alike, but Adam's soup was pretty darn close to the one my mom used to make. Since he had cooked, I offered to wash the dishes. Adam would have no part of that offer, though. He told me to go back out in the living room and get comfortable. After he was done with the cleanup, he came out and he joined me on the couch.
"Thanks again for preparing that soup," I said. "It was really good."
"My mom taught me how to make it," he admitted. "She used to make it for me whenever I got sick."
"My mom was the same way," I said. "I think you would have liked her."
"If she was anything like you, then I definitely would," he smiled.
"My dad always used to joke that I was cut right out of her butt," I giggled. "Paige was more like him, attitude-wise. Dad would have never ignored his family in a time of crisis or made anyone feel like less of a person."
"Sometimes we become like the company we keep," Adam said. "The only one of the three stooges who has any maturity level at all is Lexi."
"I've noticed," I agreed. "But let's not talk about that anymore...it's a touchy subject these days. What are we going to watch tonight?"
"I'll find something," he said, taking the remote from me.
That night we watched movie after movie after movie, and neither one of us were showing any signs of wanting to sleep. Knowing that a warm shower usually helps, I excused myself and went up to my bathroom. I stood under the water for about thirty minutes, hoping that would do the trick. After changing into my pajamas, I went back downstairs and re-joined Adam on the couch. As usual, he decided he wanted some popcorn and left for the kitchen. My shower definitely helped because I passed out before he even came back into the room.
An entire month had passed since Adam's mom had been hospitalized, and her meds were working perfectly. Adam had visited her several times over that month and he noticed that she was back to her spunky self. Every time he tried to call and see how she was doing, her and Mr. Harris were out doing something fun. I noticed that Adam's demeanor had changed substantially; he was not as worried and stressed out as he had been. I was hoping this meant that I could get him out of the house a little more, so I arranged another trip to Busch Gardens. My plan was to have Jamie and Luke accompany us, but they were away on vacation, so once again it would be just Adam and me.
"Where are you taking me?" Adam inquired. "And why are you trying to keep it a surprise? Haven't I ever mentioned that I don't like surprises?"
"You'll like this one, I promise," I smiled. "I had originally planned for four of us to go, but Jamie and Luke are on vacation."
"Who needs 'em?" he joked. "Seriously though, where are you taking me?"
"You'll know as soon as we turn this corner," I said, pointing to the entrance to the park.
"Revisiting the scene of our first hangout day, are we?" he smiled. "This is awesome. Thanks."
"I figured with the rough couple of months we both had, we needed to have a day of fun," I told him.
"We've had some fun days in the last two months," he pointed out.
"Yes, but come on...it's Busch Gardens!" I was obviously excited.
We walked around the park for hours, riding every ride as many times as the lines would allow, eating some of the greasiest (but oh so yummy) amusement park food we could find, and skipping the games this time around. When it started getting dark, we were about to head back to the car to leave until we heard an announcement that there was going to be a firework show that evening. Adam's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning, and I had loved fireworks ever since I was a little girl, so we made the decision to stay and watch. We both decided that the most comfortable spot for us to sit was in the car, so we made our way back there and I let Adam take over the driver's seat. As the fireworks were starting, Adam turned to me looking like he had something on his mind.
"I have something I need to get off my chest," he began. "I don't want you to take anything I say the wrong way and I definitely don't want you to feel uncomfortable. If at any point you feel that way, please feel free to stop me."
"You've never made me feel uncomfortable before," I said. "As long as you're not about to tell me you're dying or something, I think I'll be alright. You're not dying are you? I can't take anymore bad news yet."
"No, I'm not dying," he promised.
"That's good," I smiled. "So what's up?"
"I've been running this scenario through my head for so long, and I still don't know how it's going to play out," he said. "I just don't want to ever lose you, you know? You've been so good to me for so long, and at times I don't think I deserved it."
"Adam, whatever it is, you're not going to lose me," I told him. "You have my word."
He let out a big gulp before he spoke again. "I have feelings for you, Kara. I'm not just talking about feelings of friendship, like you and Luke have. I'm talking about stronger feelings than that. I'm in love with you. I have been since the first day your sister introduced us. Of course I didn't say anything back then because I was still with Paige and I am in no way a cheater. I've wanted to tell you so many times, but I was fresh off my breakup with your sister, and then my mom..."
I sat there in silence as he continued on. "I get that you may not feel the same way, and that's alright, but I couldn't have hidden it much longer. You deserve to know the truth, even if it's not what you want to hear, you know? I'm rambling on now, so I'm just going to shut up."
I didn't know how to respond to this shocking revelation. I didn't want Adam to think I didn't care about him, because I did, and I certainly wasn't going to tell him to get out of my life forever. The truth was that I had grown close to Adam these last couple of months; I enjoyed our time together, no matter what we were doing. I think I just needed some time to let everything sink in.
I reached over and gave him a hug. "Thank you for sharing all of this with me. I don't want you to think I'm being insensitive, but I need a little time to process this information."
"Of course," he replied. "Why don't we head home now? It's late and the drive is a little long."
My mind was racing a mile a minute. Adam had just confessed his love for me and all I could do was give him a hug. I felt horrible. I'll admit that the first time Paige introduced us, I felt my heart skip a beat...he was handsome and a gentleman, and I may have felt a little jealous that someone like Paige had gotten his attention. Did that mean I had feelings for him too?? I was so confused in that moment that I didn't know what to think. When we got back to the house, I ran up to my room and hopped in the shower. Thoughts were running through my head so fast I felt a little nauseous. Why had I really gotten upset when Adam kissed me? Even if he HAD done it out of desperation, I had to admit that it kinda felt right. Whoa, Kara. DO you have feelings for Adam?? I came to the conclusion that yes, I did. I stayed in the shower for about 20 more minutes before drying off, getting dressed and going to find Adam.
I knocked on his bedroom door first. "Adam? Are you in there?"
"Come on in," he said. "I promise I'm fully clothed this time."
I opened the door and made my way over to the bed. "May I sit?"
"Of course you can," he smiled, patting the spot next to him. "Are you ok?"
"Yes," I assured him. "I wanted to say I'm sorry if my reaction seemed a little shallow or insensitive."
"After all the scenarios that played out in my head, your reaction was actually quite welcomed," he admitted.
"I'm also sorry I ran off so quickly when we got home," I said. "I needed a shower to cool off. My mind was racing about a mile a minute."
"I'm sure it was," he agreed. "Mine was racing twice as fast, believe me."
"It's my turn to make a confession," I said. "When Paige first brought you home and introduced us, I felt a sense of jealousy towards her. You're handsome and you're such a gentleman, and me knowing the kind of girl my sister is I felt she didn't deserve someone as good as you. I also realize now that I have had feelings for you since that day. I remember my heart skipping a beat when I first laid eyes on you, but it took you opening up to me about your feelings for me to even realize it."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Adam asked.
"I didn't want to admit it," I said. "You dated my sister, you know? I felt like it would be super weird for me to have feelings for my sister's ex. I tried so hard to fight it, not knowing how you felt, knowing full well how Paige would react if she knew. I was just so confused..."
"And are you still confused now?" he asked.
I didn't speak, just stared deep into his eyes and planned my next move. I put one hand behind his head and pulled him toward me. Pressing my lips to his, I gave him a kiss that was reminiscent of something you'd see in a movie. When it was over, I let go of his head and just sat there quietly waiting for him to make the next move. My heart was pounding, I felt butterflies in my stomach, and even though at one point I would have thought this was so wrong, it felt so right.
"Wow," he replied. "I'll take that as a no."
I smiled. "I hate to spoil the moment, but I'm beat. Do you mind if I leave you now? I think my bed is calling my name."
"I wish you wouldn't," he said. "But I can't make you stay here with me. Go get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning."
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the smoke alarm going off. I took proper precaution when opening my door (testing for hotness first, just in case) then made my way down the stairs. I saw smoke billowing from the entrance to the kitchen, so I covered my nose and mouth before making my way in. Adam was standing next to the stove. He had a frying pan in one hand and was grabbing for the garbage can with the other.
"Sorry to wake you like this," he said. "I was trying to surprise you with breakfast, but I burned most of it."
I laughed. "It happens. At least you didn't set the house on fire."
"I'll wash these dishes and try again," he promised.
"I appreciate the gesture, but why don't we just go out instead?" I suggested.
"Only if you let me treat," he said.
"Fine," I agreed. "But I get lunch."
"Deal," he smiled.
We both returned to our rooms and got ready to go out. When we got out to the car, I handed the keys over to Adam and we were on our way to find some breakfast. We wound up at the local diner first, but decided to head elsewhere when I saw my sister and her besties through the window. I wasn't ready for that confrontation yet. Not that Adam and I had officially become a couple yet, but she had already given us problems just for hanging out, like we weren't even allowed to be friends. We drove around for a little while until we spotted an IHOP. Once we had been seated and placed our orders, I decided to start a conversation.
"I apologize for making us drive a little further today," I said. "I didn't want to deal with Paige's attitude today. It's like we're not even allowed to be friends around her. Almost like it's a sin."
"I don't blame you," Adam agreed. "I honestly didn't want to deal with it either."
"So anyway, about last night..." I started.
"Before you say anything, can I just say that kiss was amazing?" Adam smiled.
"Don't make me blush," I said. "Anyway, I want to make this work, and I know you do too. I'd prefer to take it slow, though. Given the circumstances, of course. I know we don't have to answer to anyone, but I'm sure you understand."
"Absolutely," he said. "I'm not going anywhere, and I know you're not either. Let's just keep doing what we've been doing and see where it goes."
"And what about the making out part?" I asked. "Because that is my favorite part, even though we've only kissed twice."
"We can do that in the comfort of our home for now," he said. "Until we're both ready to let the world in on our little secret."
"I like the way you think," I smiled. "Where's our food already? I want to go home."
"So soon?" he winked. "We live together now. We have all day and all night. Whatever happened to taking things slow?"
"Just for that, I'm going to eat my breakfast in slow motion," I said.
We both enjoyed a laugh just as our food was being brought to our table. When we were all done, Adam paid the bill and we headed on our way back home. As soon as we were inside, Adam scooped me up in his arms and planted a big kiss on my lips.
"Do you feel better now?" he asked.
"My tummy is full and I'm here with you," I replied. "I'm happy. How about you?"
"I'd be happier if we made this official," he said. "Kara Baker, would you be my girlfriend?"
"There's nothing in this world that I want more," I smiled, kissing him.
We made our way over to the couch and sat down. Instead of turning on the television, I continued to let Adam kiss me until my phone decided to ring. Seeing Jamie's number, I knew I had to answer it. I excused myself to the kitchen and picked up just before it went to voicemail. As much as part of me wanted to let voicemail answer, I'm really glad I decided to pick up that call....