Neil heard a knock on his door and rushed up to get it. He opened it and immediately pulled JJ into a hug as he shut the door. He buried his face in her neck and sighed.
"Oh honey, I came as soon as I heard." She felt the tears soak through her t-shirt and she closed her eyes. "It's okay. I got you. I got you," she whispered.
"I told him to check it out so many times, Jay. He said it was nothing and now look. He has someone drilling into his skull and we don't even know if he'll make it."
"Hey your dad is a strong man. I think he has too much pride to die on a hospital bed and be proved wrong." Neil pulled away with a soft laugh. JJ wiped away his tears and gave him a small smile. "Hey...I love you. You know I hate seeing you cry."
"I love you too." He leaned down to kiss her and even through the kiss, she could feel his lips trembling. "I don't want him to die, Jay. He's my best friend." She saw fresh tears start to fall down his cheeks and pulled him in for another hug. She rubbed his back for a few minutes until his shoulders stopped shaking. When he pulled away, she said nothing and held onto his hand, guiding him into the room. She sat him down on the bed and before she could walk away, she felt his hand on her wrist.
"Don't leave me," he whispered. "Please don't leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to get you a glass of water and just check on Lara. I'll be back in a minute."
After checking on Lara, JJ walked into the room to find Neil pacing back and forth. When he saw her, he stopped. "Hey, get back into bed. You need to get some sleep."
"I can't. I can't. What if someone calls? What if-"
"Neil, honey, you need to relax. If you're not gonna sleep then just lie down with me for an hour okay. I'm here." She gave him the glass of water and he took it with shaking hands. "Okay now get into bed. I'm here." She helped him into bed and then got in herself.
"I shouldn't have left the hospital. What was I thinking? I shouldn't have left Steph there."
"Neil, I hate to say this but you're a mess. Listen, we'll just lie down for an hour, wait for a call and see how it goes. When we get a call then you need to be up and functioning to see him yeah?"
Neil gently placed his head on her chest. He held onto her tighter than she liked but she didn't say a word. Instead she kissed the top of his head and ran a hand through his hair. "There's so many things I haven't told him yet."
"And you will when he's out of surgery."
"You don't know that. It's brain surgery, anything can go wrong."
"Whatever happens then we will deal with. Just have a little faith."
"Cara, you weren't there. I thought he was going to die in my arms. He got cold so quickly and he was so floppy...he's my dad, cara. He's my best friend. He's who I go to when I want to talk and I don't know what I will do without him."
"I'm so sorry, Neil. I'm sorry I can't make you feel better." He looked up and frowned. "I'm sorry."
"You always make me feel better. I love you, cara."
"I love you too. Please just close your eyes for a few minutes." He nodded his head. She leaned down and kissed him slowly. "I love you so much. Everything is going to be fine."
* * *
"Cara!" Neil screamed. She rushed into the kitchen to see a smile on his face.
"Good news? He's awake?"
"He's awake. And he's talking and god thank you so much." He pulled her into a hug and lifted her off the ground. He heard her laugh and then put her down. Cupping her cheeks, he leaned down to repeatedly kissed her face. "I love you, I love you, I love you! Come on, get ready so we can see him. I've gotta get Lara up and-"
YOU ARE READING
The Deal
Random"Promise me," he whispered before he looked at her. His eyes were searching her light brown eyes and was once again lost in the beauty. "Let's make a deal. That we stay together. That we stay a family." She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not crazy...
