The Professional Lover (18+) | [Complete]

27 : Supporting Him

We traded in our tickets to Greece for a standby to Boston. I've never been there before. Mickey says he hasn't been back in years. Between calls and texts from his sister, we know his mother had a shattered limb and bad head injury. They scheduled her for surgery in three hours. We would land hours after she got out.

His hand squeezes into a fist on top of his bouncing knee. Every inch of my body hurts, my heart pounds nervously in my chest as I watch him. My version of this nightmare was in the backseat of Vick and Jerry's car, crying onto my pregnant belly for hours, only to arrive in enough time to identify my father's body. 

I would give anything to keep him from feeling that pain. 

"She's going to be fine," I say to him. He looks over at me, his face tense with worry. "Keep telling yourself that."

He nods, but his knee continues to bounce absentmindedly. "She has a ... thing where putting her under can paralyze her lungs. It has some long name."

"Pseudocholinesterase deficiency?" I ask him. He looks at me surprised. The name isn't really important, it's the fact that it could make surgery with brain swelling a lot more touch and go. I won't tell him about that. "That's genetic, Mickey. Do you have it?"

"No. My siblings do though."

"Okay." I place my hand in his. He weaves his fingers through mine and grips it tight. "She's going to be fine," I remind him.

"She's going to be fine."

♡♡♡

It's dark by the time we make it to hospital. The emergency wing is old and unrenovated, the smell of bleach overpowering when we approach the desk in ICU. "Hi," Mickey greets the woman sitting there. "My mom is supposed to be here. I don't know which room."

I watch the blush appear on her cheeks as she hesitates. "Can you give me a last name?"

"Valentino."

She smiles and her cheeks get rosier. She looks down at the screen and bites her lip to pin her smile. "Room 1341. Just take a right and the end of that hall," she points.

"Thank you." 

He holds his hand out to me, and I take it. I keep up with his hastened pace as we go down the hall and turn, following the increasing room numbers.

"Dickey?" someone says from down the hall. Ahead of us, a man stands against the wall. He's about Mickey's height, but thicker and older. He has fairly generic features, and graying hair. Mickey's pace slows, but we continue to walk over.

"Billy," Mickey says simply.

"Didn't think you'd come," Billy says back. Mickey's mouth twists slightly, but he doesn't respond. The three of us go into the room together.

Inside, a woman stands with two more men near the bed. They all turn to face us, and I get nervous.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" the tallest man says. He looks miffed.