Page 78 of You First
EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED. Her priorities and her fears had shifted so fast Meredith felt dizzy. Instead of denying what she felt for Gray, those feelings trumped shame and doubt and insecurity to direct every move.
She led them back to the house, already making mental lists of what she needed to do and whom she needed to call. And when she stepped into Gray’s living room, she’d almost forgotten his entire family waited for them.
Three pairs of eyes — full of anguish and hope — homed in on her, and she would have been cowed if the job ahead had been any smaller.
But there wasn’t time for that.
“Gray? Was she able to talk some sense into you?” his mother asked, perched on the edge of his sofa and looking ready to tip over.
“She was, actually,” Gray said, glancing down at Meredith, the smile in his eyes making her world go still.
Dahlia Blakewood shot to her feet. “Thank God! Let’s get you to General.”
The name of the hospital hit Meredith with a jolt. The afternoon had been a series of jolts, but the reality of the situation and the risk he was taking shook her to the bone.
“Sit down, Mom. We have time,” Gray said, raising his hands in placation. “We’ve got two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Her look of horror was such a contrast to the calm smile Gray wore, Meredith would have found it funny on any other day. But not today. She knew exactly what the woman felt. How had she agreed to two weeks of waiting and worrying? Two weeks of risking his life?
“Two weeks will give me enough time — I hope — to put my affairs in order.”
Meredith felt a wave of nausea at his choice of words, and she wasn’t the only one.
“Jesus, Gray,” Bax hissed. “Do you have to say it like that?”
“You know what I mean,” Gray said, shrugging off their superstition. “I’m about to have my head sawed open and part of my brain cut out. I need to get my shit together.”
At this, everyone else in the room gasped, buckled, or sagged. Meredith found herself gripping the back of a chair for support. His eyes swung to her in alarm, ignoring the effect his words had on anyone else. She felt his hand close around her arm.
“I’m sorry to shock you, Meredith. I’ve had a couple of months to think about this and little else,” he explained grimly. “I’m used to it.”
“Gray…” his father said, recovering from the gruesome image he surely held in his mind. “Dr. Cates wanted you to have the surgery tomorrow. It’s too dangerous to wait two weeks.”
“Dr. Cates wants tomorrow. I want another month. Meredith agreed to help me for two weeks, so that’s that.”
All eyes lasered on her, and Meredith held her breath.
Bax was the first to speak. “Well, it’s two weeks more than any of us could win,” he said, eyeing her with approval. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”
Gray raised a finger and pointed it at his brother. “You keep your distance, Bax.” He spoke lightly with a tease in his voice, but beneath that was a hard note Meredith was sure everyone heard.
They didn’t have time for this. Precious minutes were slipping by, and Gray needed to work. So did she.
“Gray…” She waited until his eyes found hers again. “…two weeks.”
In the tilt of his chin, she saw he took her meaning. “Right.” He cleared his throat and faced his family. “Meredith is handling all the details. I’m going upstairs.”
He set off across the room before Bax stopped him.
“Wait. What details?” he asked, confused.
Gray shrugged. “Everything that’s not writing.” And he disappeared into the hallway.
Vulcan and Juno followed, leaving Meredith alone in the living room with the rest of the Blakewoods — all of whom stared at her with the same mystified expression.
She swallowed. It would be great to be able to sit down in a quiet place and hash out everything that needed to be done. Meredith had no idea where to begin, and under the scrutiny of Gray’s family, she didn’t even know what to say.
“Um…” Not the most promising of beginnings, she knew. “…would anyone like some coffee?”
