MR. MORENO'S SURROGATE ✔️

39 - Leilah

I'm pacing in the waiting room. My thoughts are loud and insistently running around in my brain as I try and process this. What happened? All of this was so sudden and literally came out of nowhere. Who was behind this? Why did they do it? I rack my brain for every answer as I pace around. Then, suddenly, a desperate voice calls out to me and I'm pulled from my thoughts.

"Leilah," I hear Karla say. I look into the direction of her voice and she's coming toward me with open arms. She wraps her arms around me and almost knocks me over with how hard she pushes herself into me. "I heard about what happened. I can't imagine what you must be going through."

I don't say a word. I just hug her back and I close my eyes, marveling in her comfort. When I pull away I give her a somber smile and she gives me a comforting one in return. I look up to Cayson and he has Maverick on his lap, his car seat next to Cayson's leg as he looks at the baby, smiling as he talks to him. Daro stands next to Cayson, smiling down at him too.

"Have you been able to see him yet?" Karla suddenly asks, pulling my attention to her.

"No," I say numbly. "They haven't said anything. It's been hours."

"Oh God. I hope..."

"Don't. Please don't, I can't handle that kind of pain, Karla, I can't."

"I know Leilah. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."

I sigh, shaking my head.

"I don't know what to think. What to do."

"And you know what, that's okay. Just take it day by day. Hour by hour if you have to."

"I'm trying. I'm just worried. I don't know anything," I say, a lump forming in my throat as tears threaten to fall from my eyes.

"Listen to me. He's gonna be okay. I promise you. Just please don't cry. I can't stand it when you cry, sis." She wraps me in a hug and we stand there in each other's embrace until we're pulled apart by a voice.

"Ma'am? Are you Mrs. Moreno?" a nurse asks.

"Yes," I reply, almost cutting her off. "Where's my husband? Is he alright?"

"He's doing just fine. The surgery's just been completed. He's resting now."

An overwhelming feeling of relief showers over me and I almost break down.

"Oh thank God," I sigh, wiping my tears and steadying my breathing.

"We'll allow you to sit with him for the time being. Visitors can come later whenever you'd like."

"That's amazing, thank you so much," I say relieved and on the verge of tears. She leaves and I turn to everyone. "Is everyone waiting out here or are you going home?"

"We're waiting. I'm not leaving until I know my brother is okay. Really," Cayson says, looking up at me while bouncing Maverick on his knee.

"I'm with Cayson. I'm going wherever he goes," Karla says, backing her boyfriend. She sits next to him and places a hand on his free knee and smiles.

"Just let me know when he's awake and when we're able to visit. Me and Cayson will figure this out and murder them all in cold blood. That's a promise. I'll have to leave and grab laptops for us to work, but I'll be back shortly," Daro says, a serious look on his face.

"Okay. I'll call Cayson's phone when he's up and ready for visits," I say before walking over to Cayson to bend over and gently grab Maverick and his bag.

I walk to the back and I find his room number that I got from the front desk, and when I walk in, I see my husband lying in his hospital bed with an oxygen mask on his face and tubes and wires surrounding him. He has a clamp on his thumb to track his heartbeat and an I.V. in his arm as he sits there breathing peacefully. In a way, it saddens me to see him like this because I've always known him to be more independent and stronger than anything he's ever been faced with.