"Two souls are sometimes created together and in love before they're even born." -F. Scott Fitzgerald
When eight year old Beau Ruby met twelve year old Colton Caine, she had no idea she was meeting the love of her life. She had no idea she'd grow...
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Minutes ticked be. Hours ticked by. Time ticked by with no update from anyone.
Jack and I took turns pacing the floor.
One hour. Two hours. Three hours.
Anna opened the door carefully, holding out coffee to both me and Jack. Jack sat on the love seat, his head in his hands, and I paced the windowless room, wringing my hands together as if they were a wet kitchen towel.
"Beau?" Anna said, reaching out touch my arm. "You're shaking. Why don't you sit down?"
I was still shaking. Why did people feel the need to point that out?
I shook my head and continued moving, afraid if I sat down for too long I'd lose all ability to keep myself upright.
When she sat down by Jack, I noticed that she had also been holding something under her arm. She shifted the items around and set a pack of wipes down on the cushion beside her.
"Basically all of Tri-County Electric is in the main waiting room," she started. "They're all asking for updates, but we can't tell them without y'all."
She took a wipe from the package and pulled his hand gently away from his face. After laying it in her lap, she gently started scrubbing his hands and arm, wiping away the caked, dried blood from Colton's body.
"Neil brought you an extra T-shirt he had in his truck," she continued, "It's clean." She dropped the now soiled wipe on the cushion and held out the shirt to unfold it. It was heather grey with a red and blue "Tri-County Electric" logo on the back. Colton had one just like it on the floor of the guest bedroom at home.
Jack nodded and allowed Anna to continue wiping away the blood and dirt on his skin. When she was finished, he pulled the blood-stained shirt up and over his head and dropped it by his side before pulling the clean one over his shoulders.
When he looked like he hadn't just come from the scene of a horrific accident, he hugged Anna tightly and thanked her for help. She encouraged him to go to her house, which was nearby, and take a shower. He refused but promised to go when Colton was out of surgery.
He asked Anna to tell the guys to go home, promising he'd call later with updates. He seemed exhausted, unable to move from the spot where he sat.
Anna was understanding, and she kissed his cheek before standing and leaving. She reminded us to call if we needed anything, and we both nodded.
On her way out, Dr. Addington walked in. I froze in place and turned my eyes toward him. Jack straightened his shoulders. The doctor looked absolutely exhausted. His eyes were red, and there were lines on his face from the mask he had been wearing.
"The good news is," he started, "we stopped the internal bleeding. We were also able to set his broken fingers in place, as well as his wrist. We don't wanna wake him up until we've set his ankle, but I'm waiting on an orthopedic surgeon to start that surgery."
