Page 81 of This I Promise You
“Thank you, Dr. Shinabarger.” The man shakes the doc’s hand and Dr. Shinabarger leaves.
Huxley sees me and her face turns sour. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve called like a billion times.”
“Phone died.” I shrug. I’ve had some time to think and I’ve come up blank. I just want to see Easton and go to bed.
“Easton’s been trying to call you.”
“Wait, what?” I pull my phone out and try to turn it on…again. Nothing happens. “Fuck!”
“You must be Paul?” The man, Easton’s dad, steps a little closer to me. Everyone is standing around in a circle but making sure to keep their distance…from me. I need to get my anger in check before I do something I’ll regret. This isnothow I wanted to meet his dad.
“Sir.” I nod curtly.
He smiles, but it’s faint. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you. I’m Nick, Easton's dad.” He looks like he wants to shake my hand but then thinks better of it and keeps to himself. “It is nice to meet you, though I’m sure East would have liked it under better circumstances.”
I nod again.
“He’s going to be fine. He—” Nick starts, but I cut him off because what the fuck!
“He’s clearly not fuckingfine.” I scoff and roll my eyes. “Sir.” Guess I should still be polite. Don’t want to burn that bridge before it’s ever been built.
He rubs his hands together. “We’ve known about his MS since he was sixteen. But heisfine. He just overexerted himself and his body reacted. The doctors here have spoken with his primary doctors back home and are helping to give him the best care they can.”
“I’m sure,” I deadpan.
Easton’s dad smiles at me again, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “He wants to talk to you.”
This sets me off. I motion towardKevin the Receptionist. “I’ve been trying to fucking do that, but they won’tlet me—”
“Paul,” Huxley interjects.
“—and my phone is dead.”
Huxley unlocks her phone. “Here, use mine. I’ll call him now.”
She hands me her phone and I step away from the group. It doesn’t finish a full ring before the line connects. “Huxley, did you find—”
“It’s me,” I nearly whisper. I thought hearing his voice would make me feel better, I thought it would help calm my fucking nerves, but it just doesn’t. I feel like my insides are going to implode.
He sighs, “Paul.”
“Yeah.” I grit my teeth. There is so much I want to say. I want to make sure he’s okay. I want to fuckinglay into him. I want to tell him nothing else matters because I…love him. But I don’t. I don’t know how to do any of it over the phone when he’s probably two doors down.
“Paul, I’m so sorry—”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Good, ’cause you scared the fuck out of me, Easton.”
“I’m so, so sorry! I wanted to tell you. I—”
“You fucking lied to me,” I nearly yell.
Easton’s dad steps over. “If you can’t talk to my son calmly, then I suggest you hang up and deal with this when you’re not worked up.”
“Sorry, sir,” I say and take a breath before I turn from him to talk to Easton again. “I trusted you with mylife. But you couldn’t trust me, could you?”
