Love Resolution

Avery stared blankly out the window of the Mercedes as Ray deftly maneuvered the car in and out of the late night traffic. Marcus twisted around to make sure that his parent’s taxi was able to keep up. He swiveled back around in time to notice Avery’s shoulders slump. Her forehead dropped against the window pane. She’d hardly spoken since they’d received the news. She had withdrawn into a silent world of suffering, and he felt helpless to reach her.

He unbuckled his seat belt and scooted over beside her. Placing both his hands on her tense shoulders, he began to massage them. She leaned her head back onto his shoulder and sighed.

“Ace.” He couldn’t stand it anymore.

She turned to face him, eyes haunted.

“I really don’t know what to say. I just…” He laid the palm of his hand against her soft cheek. She leaned into it. “I love you. And I want you to know that I’m always here for you. No matter what. We’ll get through this together.”

“Thank you.” She closed her eyes and buried her face against his shoulder. Her voice was muffled into his leather jacket. “If it weren’t for Justin, I don’t even think I’d want to see him.”

“You would,” he said with absolute certainty.

“I don’t know. I’ve hated him for so long.” She shook her head against his chest. “I don’t know how I feel right now,” she admitted numbly.

When they arrived at St Paul’s Hospital and entered the emergency room waiting area, Justin rose to greet them.

“Sis,” he sighed, crossing the room, arms open. Avery stepped into his embrace.

After a long moment, she asked quietly, “What happened?”

Wearily, he ran a hand across his face. “When I got to his hotel tonight, he didn’t look so good. He was really pale, and his hands were shaking. We talked for a long time about mom…about the past…his drinking.” He pulled her over to one of the chairs and took her hands in his as they sat down. “Sis, he told me he sobered up as soon as we left. Stopped cold turkey. And he spent what money he had left hiring private investigators trying to find us after we ran away. He kept telling me how sorry he was…” His voice deepened with emotion. “I told him that didn’t change anything and he agreed.” He was quiet for a moment. “Except that he does seem really different.”

When Avery didn’t comment, he continued. “Anyway while we were talking he kept excusing himself to go to the bathroom. The third time he left the room, he didn’t come back for the longest time. So I went to check on him.” He let go of her hands and pulled his fingers through his hair. “He’d been vomiting blood, Avery. It was all over him, his clothes, and the counters. I guess something had really broken loose. That’s when I called an ambulance.”

“What did the doctors say?” Marcus asked.

“Something about putting some bands in to stop the bleeding and that they would have to give him a transfusion. They took him right back for surgery, and I haven’t heard anything since then.

“Mr. Jones?” A tall man with glasses and blue scrubs approached them.

“Dr. Roberts.” Justin took Avery’s hand and stood with her. “This is my sister, Avery.”

“Oh.” The doctor’s eyes widened slightly with recognition. He cleared his throat. “I wanted to let you know we’ve got your father stabilized. He’s being transferred to a private room on the fourth floor.”

“Will he be alright?” Avery asked in a soft voice.

“For now,” the doctor responded with empathy. “But your father has end stage liver failure. He’s dying. He asked me to tell you both in case you had any questions that he couldn’t answer.”

Avery felt the blood drain from her face. She swayed unsteadily. Marcus immediately put his arms around her shoulders. Rheta, Don, Dwight and Lisa gathered around the twins.

“How long does he have?” Justin asked with a clenched jaw.

“Without a liver transplant, six months to a year. We were able to control the bleeding this time, but at some point it will happen again.”

Avery sat back down, putting her head in her hands. She looked up at Marcus, “I can’t even process this right now,” she told him. The antiseptic smell of the hospital was messing with her equilibrium. It brought back unpleasant memories of the last months of her mom’s life, especially that awful feeling of helplessness. “I’m going out to the courtyard. I need some fresh air.” She stood, spun on her heel, and fled down the hall.

Marcus started to follow, but Rheta stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Son, let me talk to her.”

After a moment, Marcus gave a tight nod.



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