Chapter 16
When Meredith and Vi came out into the hallway, Miguel was gone. His parents’ faces turned toward them as they walked through the door. They looked careworn and tired, much like Meredith herself felt.
Meredith gave them a weak smile and introduced Vi, who politely shook their hands.
“Do you mind if we wait with you in the lobby?” Meredith asked, trying to sound casual. Her stomach twisted as she dreaded the worst for Miguel, but she was determined not to show it.
“Of course. We’d like that,” Mr. Alvarez said. He picked up his wife’s hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm.
As they emerged into the main corridor, Meredith overheard someone standing a few feet down saying, “I think you should come down here right away.” She glanced over at the man, who was talking on a cell phone, and their eyes met.
He turned away casually, walking the opposite direction down the hall, still speaking quietly into his phone.
Meredith had a strange feeling that she had seen the man before. She couldn’t recall from where, however, and she quickly put it out of her mind as she followed Miguel’s parents to the lobby.
They sat next to a bank of windows in one of the emptier rows of chairs, settling in for a long wait. Josh hopped over to join them, holding both crutches in one hand. Introductions were made again, and then Josh sat next to Vi with his crutches leaned against the wall. Meredith took off the green coat that she had taken from Eleanor, stuffing it under her chair.
After a few minutes, Mrs. Alvarez turned in her chair toward Meredith. She was in her mid-forties and had thick, curly hair. Her eyes reminded Meredith of Miguel’s, which made her stomach tighten once again.
“So you and Miguel know each other from school?” Mrs. Alvarez asked conversationally.
Meredith answered politely, though she wished that she didn’t have to make small talk with Miguel’s mother. She wondered how long they would have to wait to find out Miguel’s fate. She laced her fingers together nervously, squeezing until her fingers ached.
Mrs. Alvarez persisted. “Do you spend much time together outside of class?”
“We’ve been out a few times. School keeps us pretty busy though, so we don’t hang out very often,” Meredith replied. She didn’t offer any more information, hoping that Mrs. Alvarez would give up. She wondered if Miguel’s mother would be so eager to get to know her if she knew the truth--that if Meredith would have opened up to her son, he probably wouldn’t be going in to die right now. But of course, Mrs. Alvarez didn’t know that her son might not come back.
Mrs. Alvarez leaned away and busied herself with a magazine, disappointed with Meredith’s short but polite answers. Meredith was relieved to be left to her own dark thoughts. She kept replaying her conversation with Miguel in her head, wondering if there was anything she could have said differently to change his mind. It was no good; she was now paying the price for keeping him at arm’s length, for keeping things between them conveniently casual. And for what? It wasn’t as though Meredith had been hoping someone better would come along.
Meredith came out of her reverie as she became aware of Josh and Vi’s conversation a few seats over.
“I broke up with my girlfriend,” Josh said pointedly, leaning on the arm of his chair toward Vi.
Sitting in the chair next to him, Vi sneered. “Good for you.” She trained her eyes on her fingernails, carefully cleaning the dirt out from under them, one by one.
“So I was wondering, do you think you might--”
“What makes you think I’m interested?” Vi moved on to the next fingernail, refusing to make eye contact.
Josh noticed Meredith’s interest in the conversation and gave her a boyish smile. Meredith shrugged and looked away, wanting to stay out of it. To Vi, Josh said, “You’re not?”
“I might have been a few days ago, before I knew that you’d led me on and flirted with me even though you already had a girlfriend.” When Vi had begun the sentence, her voice was casually detached, but as she spoke, it changed to a low growl as she became angrier.
“Guys, this is not the time and place for this crap,” Meredith interrupted, with a glance toward Mrs. Alvarez. Josh and Vi would have to work out their issues later.
Mrs. Alvarez politely continued to read her magazine while Mr. Alvarez dozed beside her. Miguel got his height from his father, along with his strong, competent bearing. In his sleep, the worry slipped away from Mr. Alvarez’s face, and he looked about twenty years younger.
Suddenly, the double doors across the lobby opened with a bang, and Miguel came through them, still wearing his hospital gown. Meredith gaped at him while Mrs. Alvarez woke her husband and stood up in alarm.
Miguel’s eyes scanned the room and settled on their small group, and he rushed over to them. His legs looked strong under the short gown, and his bare feet smacked on the linoleum floor urgently. He held the back of his gown closed with one hand while everyone in the lobby stared shamelessly.
Meredith could feel the energy radiating off of his body and intertwining with her own, making her realize just how much she enjoyed its comforting presence. Relief flooded through her as she stood up to greet him.
Before Meredith could speak, Mrs. Alvarez said, “Miguel, what is this? Why aren’t you in surgery?” She reached a hand toward him instinctively, eyes snapping with concern.
Miguel glanced at Meredith. “I’m not going to have the surgery, Mama. I don’t think I need it.”
Behind him, Dr. Wells came through the door with two beefy orderlies right behind. The orderlies looked so similar, Meredith thought they could be brothers. They were tall and muscular, with medium brown hair and eyes. Their expressions also mirrored each other, jaws clenched determinedly. Between them, Dr. Wells’s eyes narrowed as she recognized Meredith. She stalked toward them angrily, her heels clacking insistently.
From the corner of her eye, Meredith saw Vi stand up and nudge Josh. Meredith grabbed Miguel’s hand and squeezed it hard. “Time to go, Miguel.” She glanced at Dr. Wells, who was quickly approaching. “Now.”
Miguel looked at her in confusion.
“I promise I will explain everything,” Meredith said, her heart racing. “Let’s go.” She took a step toward the door, tugging on Miguel’s hand.
Mrs. Alvarez grabbed Miguel’s arm. “Mijo, what are you doing? You’re sick. Who is this girl to you?”
Dr. Wells reached them, saying, “I don’t know what sort of stories this girl has been feeding you, but you need to get into surgery immediately.”
Miguel looked between his mother, the doctor, and Meredith. “In for a penny,” he murmured, looking Meredith in the eye.
They both ran toward the door, while Dr. Wells yelled, “Don’t let them leave!”