Choosing Henley(55)

Two hours pass painfully slowly before the phone rings and John jumps up to get it. “Hello,” he answers quickly. “I’ll be right there.”

When he hangs up, I sit upright from my spot on the couch, eager for any news on Jami. So far, there’s been nothing. It’s getting late, which also means that it’s getting colder and darker on the mountain.

John sees the look in my eyes and slowly shakes his head. “That was Patti’s sister. Her flight will be arriving in the next fifteen minutes. I’m just going to pick her up and then I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Okay. Drive safely.” I stand, wrapping him in a hug.

“I will. I’ll be right back.”

It doesn’t matter that I’ve known him a few days. Jami’s dad feels like family. He radiates the same warmth as his son.

“He loves you, Lennon. I’ve never seen my son look at anyone the way he looks at you. There’s not a chance in hell he’d leave this Earth without growing old with you,” he whispers gruffly, kissing me on my hair again before walking out the front door.

I manage to hold it together until he’s gone, but then I burst into tears again. “I waited too long,” I croak out, looking at Hannah. “I always thought we had time. That I’d have time to tell him.”

She stands, wrapping me in a hug before pulling me back over to sit down on the couch. “You need to eat something. Lennon.”

I shake my head at her. “I can’t.”

She knows better than to argue with me, so she lets it go. I can’t think of food right now. All I can think of is the man I love, the man who healed me and put me back together again. All I can think of is him. Where is he?

Twenty minutes pass from the time John left and Hannah’s phone rings again. “It’s Greyson,” she says before putting it to her ear. “Hey,” she answers softly. “Hold on.” She brings the phone away from her ear and hits the speaker button. “You’re on speaker.”

“Lennon? It’s Greyson. Are you there?” he asks.

“Yes,” I whisper back into the phone.

“I wanted to be the one who called you so you could hear it from me.”

I put a hand over my mouth as I wait for him to finish.

“They found him, Lennon,” Greyson tells us. “He’s alive. Search and rescue is bringing him down the mountain now.”

A sob escapes me, but this time, it’s followed by a flooding relief.

“Can you meet us at the hospital? They’ve already contacted his parents. They are going to come straight from the airport to meet you there.”

“Is he okay?” I cry into the phone.

“I won’t know anything until I have him in the bus, Lennon, but I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep him safe. I’ll see you girls soon. Love you,” he says before we hear a click and the line goes dead.

It takes us less than a minute to leave the house and only another ten to get to the hospital. Hannah slams the car into the closest parking spot at the emergency entrance and we rush inside. I run to the desk, gripping the edges with my hands.

“Jamison Henley please,” I beg her, looking from side to side, trying to see if I can find him myself.

“The ambulance is on route now. He’ll be here shortly,” the older nurse, whose name tag says Suzanne, says to me.

“Can I see him when he comes in?” I plead with her.

Suzanne shakes her head softly at me. “I’m sorry, miss, but you won’t be able to see him until the doctors can take a look at him. Please have a seat over there.” She points to the waiting area of chairs. “The doctor will come out as soon as he’s made an assessment.”

“Come on, Len. Let’s sit,” Hannah says, tugging the sleeve of my coat.

We’re just sitting down when the electronic emergency doors open and a rush of people come with it.

“He has got hypothermia! Vitals, core temp, and cardiac rhythm monitored during transportation!” Greyson shouts to an attending doctor as they disappear again behind a set of closed doors.

“Oh my god,” I gasp, dropping my head between my legs as I struggle to breathe. I barely saw him with all the people surrounding him, and he was covered in blankets.

The doors to emergency burst open again. Patti and John Henley rush towards the front desk. “Jamison Henley,” he tells Suzanne.

She’s in the middle of giving them the same spiel when I walk over, touching Patti lightly on the shoulder. “They just brought him in,” I tell them, trying to stay composed for his mother’s sake. I can tell that she’s been crying, and the way she’s clinging to John tells me that she’s very likely to start again.