CH 101
Jackie held Andrianne’s hand and looked into her eyes, “Listen to me, Andrianne. You look exhausted and you can barely stand. You need to go home and rest. Lucas would want you to take care of yourself too.”
Andrianne shook her head, “I can’t leave him alone, Jackie. What if something happens while I’m gone? I need to be there for him.”
Jackie nodded, understanding her friend’s concern for Lucas, but she also knew that Andrianne needed to take care of herself. “Andrianne, the doctors are with him, and he’s in good hands. You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of him. Go home, take a shower, rest, and come back later. I’ll stay here and keep you updated on his condition.”
Andrianne sighed, feeling torn between her love for Lucas and her own well-being. She knew Jackie was right, but she didn’t want to leave Lucas alone. “Okay,” she finally said, “I’ll go home, but promise me you’ll call me if anything happens.”
Jackie smiled, “I promise. Now let’s go, I’ll drive you home.”
Andrianne nodded and allowed Jackie to lead her to the car. As they drove away from the hospital, Andrianne couldn’t help but feel guilty for leaving Lucas alone, but she also knew Jackie was right. She needed to take care of herself so she could take care of Lucas when he woke up.
As they arrived at Andrianne’s house, Jackie helped her inside and made her some tea. Andrianne took a shower and changed into fresh clothes before settling on the couch. Jackie sat next to her, and they chatted for a while.
“Andrianne, have you thought about what you’re going to do after Lucas gets better?” Jackie asked.
Andrianne shook her head, “I don’t know, Jackie. All I know is that I still love him, even with everything that has happened.”
Jackie nodded, “I understand, Andrianne. But you also need to think about yourself. Do you want to go back to him knowing that he cheated on you with Emily and got her pregnant?”
Andrianne looked away, “I don’t know, Jackie. It’s complicated. I still love him, but I don’t know if I can trust him again.”
Jackie put her arm around Andrianne, “I know it’s hard, Andrianne. But you need to take your time and figure out what you want. You don’t have to decide right now.”
Andrianne nodded, feeling grateful for her friend’s support and understanding. She knew she had a lot to think about, but for now, she needed to rest and take care of herself.
Andrianne sat on the couch in Jackie’s living room, staring at the wall in front of her. She had just come back from the hospital, and although she had managed to get some rest during the day, her mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Lucas.
“Hey,” Jackie said as she sat down next to her. “How are you holding up?”
Andrianne shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m worried about Lucas.”
“I know,” Jackie said, putting a comforting arm around Andrianne’s shoulder. “But he’s in good hands. The doctors will take care of him.”
Andrianne nodded, but didn’t say anything. She was exhausted from the constant worry, and her body ached from sleeping on the hospital couch the night before.
“Hey, why don’t you go take a shower and get some rest?” Jackie suggested. “You look like you could use it.”
Andrianne hesitated. “But what if something happens? What if Lucas wakes up and I’m not there?”
Jackie smiled reassuringly. “If he wakes up, the doctors will let you know. And besides, you need to take care of yourself too. You won’t be any good to Lucas if you’re completely worn out.”
Andrianne considered this for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll go take a shower.”
Jackie stood up and gave Andrianne a hug. “You’ll feel better after some rest, I promise.”
Andrianne managed a small smile. “Thanks, Jackie. You’re a good friend.”
After Andrianne had left to take a shower, Jackie sat down on the couch and pulled out her phone. She had been keeping tabs on Lucas’ condition through Andrianne, but she wanted to make sure there weren’t any updates she had missed.
As she scrolled through her news feed, she couldn’t help but think about how much Lucas had changed since Andrianne had first met him. He used to be carefree and spontaneous, but now he seemed weighed down by the responsibilities of being a father and a husband.
She wondered if Andrianne still loved him, or if she was just holding on to their past. But she knew better than to bring it up. This wasn’t the time or place for such conversations.
When Andrianne emerged from the shower, looking more refreshed and rejuvenated, Jackie gave her a small smile. “Feeling better?”
Andrianne nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I needed that.”
They talked for a little while longer, but eventually Andrianne’s fatigue caught up with her and she decided to head to bed. Jackie wished her goodnight and went to her own room, hoping that Lucas would make a speedy recovery so that her friend would come alive.
Andrianne was awoken by the ringing of her phone, groggily she reached over to her nightstand to answer it. She looked at the screen and saw that it was her dad calling. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Hello?” she said, her voice groggy with sleep.
“Andrianne, it’s your dad. I’m sorry to wake you up, but I need to talk to you about something important. Can you come to my house?”
Andrianne sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She couldn’t imagine what could be so important that her dad would need to see her in the middle of the night.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.
“I’ll explain everything when you get here,” her dad replied. “Just come as soon as you can.”
Andrianne hung up the phone and sighed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep now, so she got out of bed and went to take a glass of water, all through the night she could only think of what her Dad had to say.