All My Life

Chapter 32

Meryl and Don sat there in silence for the longest time while Don held Brad's right hand with his left; and his right arm was wrapped around Meryl holding her close. Don noticed that darkness was starting to set over Indianapolis; and he knew she probably needed to go to their babies. He couldn't believe that the babies and his mom could still be asleep. "Baby, you should probably go out to the babies. I've been selfish keeping you in here with me."

"I like it when you're selfish." Meryl flirted with a kiss to his lips as she got a serious look on her face. "Sweetheart, will you be okay?"

Don lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "As long as I've got you."

"Always." Meryl choked with a kiss to his lips. "You will always have me."

Don nodded as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm fine, Darl; go check on the babies. Maybe once Mom comes back in then I can come hang out with the 3 of you while you're nursing."

"Sweetheart, you do what you need to do; that is more important to me than anything." Meryl knew he felt torn especially since the babies weren't back there with them. "We'll be fine."

Don nodded with tears in his eyes. "I need to see them, M."

"We'll figure it out." Meryl was bound and determined to find a way to bring their babies back into Brad's room. "I'll send your mom back in; but you call if you need me."

Don nodded as he pulled her to him again; placing a kiss on her lips. "Same goes for me; just because I'm in here doesn't mean that you can't count..."

"You're the first and only person I count on heart and soul." Meryl winked. "I'll send your mom in."

Don nodded as something from the bed didn't look right. His father's body was convulsing. "MER!"

"What?" Meryl asked as she turned around and saw her father-in-law convulsing in the bed. She immediately ran to the door. "HELP! WE NEED HELP!"

Don ran to his father, afraid to touch him if he was having a seizure. "Dad, it's Don. Meryl and I are right here."

"Baby." Meryl went over to him. "Come here."

Don froze for a minute when he heard an all too familiar sound; Brad was flatlining. "NO. NO. NO. SHIT NO. He's..."

"Mr. Gummer, you need to get out of here." A nurse said rushing in. "We're going to bring him back. Does he have a DNR?"

Don shook his head with tears in his eyes. "No, I don't think, I don't know..."

"Save him." Meryl said strongly to the medical team as she tried to pull Don out into the hallway. "Don Man, we need to give them room to work."

Don shook his head as he cried. "I can't leave him, Mer. He was without me for too long."

"Baby, it is so they can work; this is what's best for him." Meryl stood on her tiptoes and pressed her head against his. "Come on, we'll just be right outside."

Don didn't fight his wife anymore as she was pulling him into the hallway; and he looked at the doctor. "Come get me."

"Come here, baby." Meryl pulled him close as she pulled out her phone. "It's going to be okay."

Don started shaking when they closed the blinds. "They did that with you."

"What?" Meryl was starting to take her phone out of her cardigan but stopped when she saw the look on his face. "Sweetheart, what are you talking about? What did they do with me, baby?"

Don didn't look back at her; he just kept staring at the windows. "They kicked me out. They closed the blinds. I couldn't see what was going on. You were dead."