Life, Love & A Little Coffee

Chapter Forty-Nine: Faith

"I don't know if I can do this," Ada said in a trembling voice as soon as they stepped off the elevator. "I don't know if I can look at her mom and not break."

It took them longer than Tom had planned to get there. Though he'd driven in this city plenty of times, the most recent going furniture shopping with Ada, he'd never gone to the hospital there before and the GPS seized to be helpful after all the construction they'd completed the year before around the area. After finding the place, finding a parking spot was the next challenge and took another twenty minutes all by itself.

Ada remained quiet, almost catatonic, for the rest of the drive, not seeming to notice all the times they'd gotten lost along the way.

This was the first time she'd spoken since they'd gotten out of the vehicle, maybe even since they'd pulled over on the side of the road.

There was nothing Tom could say or do to bring Ada any real comfort, and it killed him. As he'd told her once in the cafe, right before he admitted his feelings to her the first time, being a man and not being able to help the one he loved made him feel fucking useless. Like what she was going through with her mother and the uncertainty of her own fate, all he could do was give her space when she needed it and hold her when she needed comfort.

So that's what Tom did. He pulled her against his chest and held her. His fingers drawing invisible lines up and down her back with the most gentle touch he could muster. When her words repeated in his head, it brought him back to another memory. "So break. You don't have to be strong, Ada. You can fall to pieces and I'll be right there to remind you it's okay for that to happen."

Ada snorted against his chest and he couldn't tell if it was an amused one or if snot had just filled her nose from crying so much. Even as a hot mess, she was still beautiful, maybe even more so. As much as it broke his heart to know that hers was breaking, she also seemed more... he wasn't sure. Real, maybe? Vulnerable? He wasn't sure what the word for it was, but her lack of perfection and her not feeling like she needed to be strong around him at all times tugged at his breaking heart.

She was honest, raw and imperfectly perfect for him. And while Tom could not fix the problems she was facing, he was proud to be the man to help her pick up the pieces when she fell apart.

Tom separated their bodies and placed his hands on her shoulders, giving just enough space between them so she could look into his eyes through the tears in her own. "If you need to cry, do it. If you need to scream, go for it. But you will get through this, Ada, and so will Brittney."

It would take Brittney much longer than Ada to deal with all of this once she woke up after surgery. She wouldn't be there tomorrow to receive her diploma. Even with a wheel chair, she wouldn't be ready to go to college in the fall, if she went at all. Unlike Ada, who made the choice to change the plans she had for her future, Brittney didn't have a choice. Everything just changed for her in a blink of an eye, and she would likely feel resentment for that for a long time.

That age old saying of 'life is what happens when you're busy making other plans' took its meaning to a whole new level today.

Tom saw from the corner of his eye Jeff's gigantic frame walking toward them. He didn't bother to let Ada go as this wasn't a romantic embrace, not that he felt Jeff's rules applied at a time like this. Or applied at all, it seemed, as proof of last night.

When Ada's eyes followed where his own were focusing on, her left hand came up and collected his from her shoulder. Rather than drop it, however, she linked their fingers together and met his gaze. "Don't let go."

A small, tired smile tugged at the corner of Tom's lips. He didn't have energy for much else. After a moment of silence between the two of them, Tom shook his head. "I won't. Not until you ask me to." Seeing as Brittney's mom knew damn well who he was, he didn't how they would handle things once they got closer to the waiting room. He supposed he'd just have to follow her lead once the time came.