t y s o n
☤
"I don't think I'm going to make it tonight." Trey says over the phone; his voice sounds pained.
"Is everything okay?" I ask him.
I hear him set the phone down, and then vaguely hear retching in the back.
"Trey? I'm coming over." I say. Before I press end call, I hear him protest but I don't listen.
When I pull into Trey's driveway, his sister opens the door for me.
Trey and his sister, Skyla, live together in an apartment with Skyla's boyfriend, Cooper.
"What's going on with him?" I ask Skyla, waiting as she closes the door.
"I'm not sure, Coop is up there with him right now... All I know is that he said his stomach hurt, and then about five minutes later he started throwing up."
"Could be appendicitis. He needs to go to the ER and get checked out." I say.
She nods. "I think so too, but he won't go. You know he's stubborn."
"I'll make sure he goes." I say.
Trey is leaning over the toilet, crying, when Skyla and I get upstairs. Cooper is sitting on the ledge of the bathtub, rubbing his back soothingly.
"Hey," I say. "Can I have a minute?"
Cooper nods, walking past me and closing the door.
"Hi, baby," I say softly, standing over him, wiping his face off and flushing the toilet.
He groans, leaning back against me, tears rolling down his face.
"I told you not to come." He says pointedly.
"Since when do I listen?" I ask, joking.
"Skyla said you were having some stomach pain?" I ask.
He nods, looking at me, misery painted across his face.
"Where's the pain? Is it all over, or?"
"I-it started behind my belly button, but it's moving lower."
"We need to go to the hospital, okay? This could be appendicitis." I say.
He nods, not putting up a fight like I thought he would.
"Do you want us to call 911, or will we be able to drive you?" I ask him.
"Y-y-you..." he stammers.
☤
We've got Cooper and Skyla in the front seat; I'm in the back with Trey and a bucket. Skyla quickly packed a bag with some extra clothes for him then we headed downstairs.
I help Trey lift his sweatshirt over his head, leaving him in a t-shirt.
Trey is crying from the pain, and I'm trying to be the best boyfriend that I can.
"It's okay," I whisper. "You're going to be alright..."
I press my lips to his temple.
"I love you," I tell him, trying to take his mind off the pain. He nods, leaning back against my chest.
"Skyla, can you call ahead?" I ask. "They might be able to have someone waiting when we get there."
When Cooper pulls into the ER drop-off lane, I get out of the car, going to open Trey's door, helping the nurse get him out.
I help him into the wheelchair, promising I'll be back as soon as I can.
"Hey, I love you," I tell him, squatting in front of the wheelchair, grabbing his hand and pressing my lips to it. "You're going to be okay."
"We'll let you know as soon as we have an update." The nurse says, giving me a smile.
☤
Skyla, Cooper, and I have been in the waiting room for about forty-five minutes when a nurse comes into the waiting room. When the nurse calls out Trey's name, we all three stand up and walk towards her.
She tells us he does have appendicitis and that they need to do an emergency appendectomy.
"We're doing it in about an hour." She says. "You guys can come back to sit with him if you'd like."
Skyla and Cooper decide to wait until after surgery, so I'm the only one who follows the nurse back to Trey's room.
He looks up as I walk in, a smile spreading across his face.
"Hi," I say, grabbing the chair and pulling it to his bedside. "What'd they do for you?"
He smiles at me. "They gave me some anti-nausea meds and let me clean myself up. I'm having emergency surgery in about an hour. The anesthesiologist is coming in soon,"
I nod. "That's good," I tell him.
"This IV itches." He says after a moment of silence, trying to scratch at it.
"Stop messing with it," I tell him, grabbing his hand.
He looks up at me, smiling.
"A nurse and the anesthesiologist will be in here soon," the nurse who brought me back here says, popping her head in the door; Trey and I nod.
Trey pulls me down to him, putting a hand on the side of my face. "Gimme a good luck kiss," he says, smiling at me. I lean down, closing my eyes and pressing my lips against his.
"You got this, baby," I say, pulling away slowly. "I love you,"
He smiles at me, pulling me back to kiss him.
☤
That night, I crash at Skyla, Cooper, and Trey's apartment.
In the morning, we arrive as soon as visiting hours allow us.
"His surgery went amazing! He did alright over night, but we'll probably keep him one or two more nights, just to make sure." The nurse says. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you back to see him."
Skyla and Cooper tell me to go ahead, they'll be back in a little bit.
I follow the nurse to Trey's room where he's sitting up in the bed as a nurse takes his blood work. He looks bored, but as soon as he sees me his face lights up.
I stand against the wall as the nurse finishes up with the bloodwork and hooking up a new IV bag. After she leaves the room, I walk over to him.
"How was your night?" I ask smiling as I lean over the arm railing, leaning down and kissing him.
"It was good," he says. "I got to eat breakfast this morning and kept it down."
I smile at him. "I love you," I say, kissing him again, harder, putting a hand on his face.
"I love you too, Ty," he says, his eyes sparkling as he lays his head back on the pillow.
2/18/21
this one do be cute
