“Breathe,” Gavin whispered. His hand moved up to cup her cheek, and she closed her eyes. “Just breathe.”
She shook her head before burying her face in the crook of his neck as she curled into him. He didn’t hesitate to hold her tight. His fingers brushed through her hair, and he whispered against her ear that everything was going to be fine.
A soft knock caught Lila’s attention. When a gentle hand came down on her shoulder, she looked up to see her mom. “Time to get up.”
Lila nodded, still unable to speak. Her mom turned on the small lamp on the bedside table then left to get ready herself. Lila sat up, and Gavin followed.
“I’m going to go home and shower, but I’ll be back before you leave,” he said.
“Gavin?” She finally found her voice.
“Yeah?”
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she shifted to face him. “You should stay home.”
“What?” His brow creased in the center. “No, I’m going with you.”
“The hospital is over an hour away,” she said. “It’s silly for you to drive all the way there just to sit with me for five minutes before they take me back.”
He pressed his lips to hers. She slid her hand up his chest, but he pulled away too soon and stood from the bed. He walked around to her side of the mattress, saying, “I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”
As she opened her mouth to protest, he bent down to kiss her again, hard and desperate. Then he was gone.
She sighed. She wanted him there, but she was afraid it would only make things harder.
The warm shower soothed her tense muscles some. It helped wake her up and clear her mind. Everything was going to be fine. Photos and video clips—memories of an eventful couple weeks—filled her phone, giving her something to look back at later. No matter what happened when she woke up, she’d have her parents. And Gavin would be there to remind her.
After standing under the steamy water for too long, she had to dress quickly, grab her hospital bag and phone, then head downstairs. Her mom stood at the counter, pouring coffee into two tumblers. Lila’s stomach grumbled, and she moaned as she sank into a chair.
“I’m so hungry,” she said.
Her dad chuckled as he came up behind her and kissed the top of her head. “Sorry, you know the rule.”
She let out an exaggerated sigh. “No food until after.”
“How are you feeling otherwise?” her mom asked as she handed her dad a coffee. She picked up Lila’s bag, pulling it over one shoulder.
Looking at her hands, Lila said, “Nervous.”
Her dad sat his coffee down and squatted in front of her, covering her hands with one of his while the other tilted her chin up. Emotion filled his eyes as he gave her a sad smile. He nodded then pulled her into a hug. She fell against him, reveling in the comfort.
“We need to get on the road,” her mom whispered after a moment. She placed a hand on Lila’s shoulder. But as Lila stood, her mom hugged her just as hard.
They walked out to the car, with Lila’s arm looped through hers. When Lila saw Gavin and Mrs. Miller leaning against their car, she shook her head. “He’s so stubborn.”
Her mom chuckled and unlinked their elbows to put the bags in their own car. Lila moved into Mrs. Miller’s open arms, ignoring Gavin’s smirk.
“You two really don’t need to come,” Lila said, stepping back. “What about the Scoop?”
Mrs. Miller looked down for a second before meeting her eyes. “Actually, I’m not going. Gavin’s dropping me off on the way. Kaley’s good, but I’m still not comfortable leaving her to run the whole thing with Cass for the day. Not when it’s so busy. She told me to give you this, by the way.”
She pulled out a wrapped rectangle from the hood of the car behind her. Lila glanced at Gavin, but he just grinned at her. She tore off the paper as her parents joined them. Inside was a small yellow book with the words “remember who you are” sprawled across the front in swooping letters. Lila let out a half-sob, half-laughing gasp.
Flipping the cover over, her smile grew. A picture from the lake party greeted her. Everyone looked happily at the camera, except Gavin, who stared down at her tucked into his side. Photos from the past two weeks filled decorated page after decorated page. Pictures she’d taken, but also some she hadn’t.
The hair dying mess, her and Gavin in the pool, singing karaoke, and the two of them covered in paint. Her sitting with the baby goats. The group racing in the school halls and her with Kaley on the football field. All of it documented.
“How?” She glanced up at Gavin, knowing it was truly from him.
He shrugged. “I sent the pictures to Kaley last night after you fell asleep. We had the rest already put together. She dropped it off twenty minutes ago.”
Lila looked back down. The last photo was from the morning before. It showed her sitting on the cliff in the sun with her eyes closed and Gavin kissing the side of her head. Across from it was her list. Every item crossed off. She didn’t bother fighting the tears or wiping them away.
Handing the book to her mom, she quickly moved to Gavin, who held her close. Against her hair, he whispered, “I told you, I will help you remember. I’m not going anywhere.”
Gavin put the car in park and took a deep breath. He looked over to Lila, laced his fingers through hers, and brought her hand up to kiss it. “Ready?”
She nodded but stayed quiet. After dropping his mom off, Lila had switched cars to ride with him as they followed her parents to the hospital. The long ride was quiet. He’d turned on a playlist full of showtunes,
