“Alright, Jed, you’re looking great this morning, and I see your whole family is here again.” Doctor Hardy strode into Jed’s hospital room wearing blue scrubs.
Diana held Jed’s hand so tightly that he lifted hers and kissed the back of it.
“Diana, it’s okay.”
She let out a shaky breath. “I know it is. I’m just… Doctor Hardy, please bring my husband back to me.”
Doctor Hardy faced Diana on the other side of the bed, standing beside Rodney and Becky. “Jed is in good hands.” There was something about him when he gave her all of his attention that instilled confidence. “Let’s stay positive, everyone. Jed, are you ready to go up now?Everything’s ready.” Doctor Hardy accepted the chart from one of the nurses dressed in pink scrubs.
Jed cleared his throat. “Yup, let’s get this show on the road.”
“Okay, everyone. Jed, I’ll see you up there.” Doctor Hardy handed the chart back as a gurney was wheeled in by two orderlies and slid beside the bed. It was then that Doctor Gordon walked in and uttered something to Doctor Hardy, who nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll take care of it.”
“Is something wrong?” Diana was struggling to keep herself together now, and seeing that woman wasn’t helping.
“Everything’s fine, Diana. Doctor Gordon is just making sure everything’s ready for the surgery.” Doctor Hardy glanced at Doctor Gordon and inclined his head toward the door.
“Jed, we’ll see you up there, and don’t worry: You’re in good hands with Doctor Hardy,” Doctor Gordon said as she slipped out.
“Son, we’ll be waiting here for you. Everything’s going to be fine.” Rodney slid his arm around Becky’s shoulder, and Becky smiled through the glimmer of tears that brightened her eyes.
The gurney rail was slid down. “Okay, Jed, we need you to slide on over.”
Diana leaned in and kissed Jed on the lips, tracing the veins that showed on his shaved head. She didn’t want to let him go just yet. She wanted more time, and she felt the panic expand and rise up inside her, squeezing off all her air until she gasped and tears spilled down her cheeks.
“It’s okay. We talked about this.” He rested his hand on top of her head and kissed her back.
Diana gripped the faded blue hospital gown and twisted the fabric at his chest, burying her face into him.
She heard someone clear their throat, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t let him go, not yet.
“Hey… hey, Diana, come on. Look at me,” Jed said.
But she couldn’t, and she shook her head.
Jed wrapped his arms around her tight, and she heard him say, “Give us a minute.”
Diana had no idea if everyone was still there or if they’d left as she struggled to catch her breath and control her sobs. Jed just rubbed her back and held her tight. He pressed his lips into her hair, against her forehead. She gazed up at him, and he tenderly kissed her lips, holding her face between his hands.
“I love you, Diana. I need you to be strong, okay? Weren’t you the one who convinced me to have this surgery and trust Doctor Hardy, to have faith and believe that everything will be okay? That wasn’t some other Diana, right?”
Diana used the sleeve of her blue shirt to wipe her eyes. “I know. I’m just not ready.”
“I can call them back in if you want and tell them the surgery’s off today. Is that what you want?”
“No… I’m just afraid. I can’t lose you. Please promise me you’ll come back to me.” She gazed into those deep, loving eyes of the man who protected her, made her feel so safe.
“Diana, come on. I need you to be strong for me. You need to be there for Danny. We talked about this. Remember, we’re taking this chance, and we’re going to hope for the best because we can’t settle for anything less. I’m coming back to you, I promise.”
She held his determined gaze and took a shaky breath.
Jed glanced over her shoulder and said, “Neil, take her. Remember your promise.”
“You go and you do this. We’ve got Diana. We’ll take care of her.” Neil slid his arms around Diana’s shoulders. He pulled her back, and Jed slid over onto the gurney.
“Let’s go,” Jed said, and he wouldn’t look back at Diana as he was wheeled out of the room past Brad, Rodney, Becky, and Andy, who lingered in the hall with Laura.
Diana cried and felt her body sag, and her legs would have given out on her if Neil hadn’t been behind her, holding her up.