|
Julie noticed that Gabi’s mood had improved drastically over the last two weeks. They hadn’t talked much about it, but she could see in Gabi’s eyes that things were working out. Gabi was cheerful and vivacious - she was getting better tips than Julie ever had. Gabi had quiet moments when Julie would see tears welling in her eyes, and she was still running to the bathroom three times a day, but Julie was happy for her friend and assumed everything was going well.
They were cleaning up to leave for the night when Julie finally had to ask. "So, Gabi? I take it he was happy about the baby?" Gabi stopped in her tracks. She looked down at the floor for a few seconds and then put her hand to her stomach, as she did hundreds of times a day now. A sad smile crossed her lips and she looked up to her friend. "Yes," she said almost whispering. She didn’t want to go into any more detail with her. It was too complicated. She was sure Julie would wonder where the baby’s father was eventually, but for the time being she thought it best to just leave it at that. "Good," Julie said happily. They finished their shift and headed out together. GABI’S APARTMENT Gabi could hear the phone ringing as she fumbled with her keys in the lock. She was anxious to pick it up since she didn’t get many calls and assumed it must be Vanessa. She ran in and breathlessly answered, "Hello?" There was a short silence on the other end before a deep, somber voice finally spoke. "Gabi." There was a long pause. She waited quietly. "It’s Ricardo." Her heart felt like it had stopped in her chest. She searched for a response. "My God, Ricardo," she said softly. "How did you..." Her voice trailed off. "I talked to Vanessa. She didn’t want to give me your number, Gab, but I insisted. I told her it was extremely important." Gabi could hear the sorrow in his voice and she began to get a little panicked by his tone. She had never heard him like this, ever. Her heart began to pound so loudly she was sure he could hear it. "Ricardo, what’s going on? Is something wrong?" She dreaded the response she might get, but she had to know. Ricardo took a deep breath. "It’s Antonio, Gabi. He’s..." Gabi’s heart sank. The tears rushed to her eyes as she placed her hand to her stomach and summoned all the courage she could. "He’s what, Ricardo?" she could barely manage the words. "He’s very sick, Gabi. They think he’s..." Gabi could hear Ricardo choking back the tears. "Gabi, they don’t think he’s going to make it." Gabi gasped for air. Her head was screaming, "No. NO!" but the words wouldn’t come out. She grabbed on to the arm of the sofa in an attempt to keep herself upright. "Gabi, I think you should come home. I think you should come home now." Ricardo’s voice was soft and gentle. He knew how close Gabi and Antonio were. They had relied on each other so heavily since almost dying together in the cave in. He knew that Gabi would want to be with Antonio when he slipped away. If he only knew the depth of what they shared. "Ricardo, what happened?" Gabi could barely hear her own voice. "It’s a long story, Gabi. I’ll fill you in when you get here. Please, Gabi. I know Antonio would want you to be here. I promise we won’t get into..." "I’ll be there in a few hours." Gabi interrupted. She hung up the phone and jumped from the couch. Her head was spinning as she attempted to throw some clothes into her suitcase. They had to be wrong...Antonio was too strong to... She wouldn’t allow herself to even think it. She quickly called the restaurant to notify Dave that she had a family emergency and was going out of town. She promised to call when she knew how long she would be gone. Gabi locked her door and headed for her car. She was on auto-pilot, her body was moving, but her mind was completely numb. It wasn’t a long drive back to Sunset Beach. She should be there in a little over two hours. She tried hard to stay focused on the road through the tears that were swelling in her eyes. "Hold on, Antonio. Please, hold on" she said over and over in her head, willing him to hear her. THE HOSPITAL Ricardo paced the hallway anxiously. It had been almost three hours since he spoke to Gabi and he was worried. He knew that she was upset and hoped she hadn’t been driving irrationally. He knew it would be hard not to run to her and take her into his arms the moment he saw her. The days had been interminable since she left. He missed her laughter, the way she smiled at him, the way she kissed him and the way he felt when he rolled over and woke up next to her each morning. He leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes remembering how beautiful she had looked on their wedding day. His thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. "Tyus." "Sorry, Ricardo. I thought I should come find you. There’s been a turn...Antonio is worse." The words tore at Ricardo’s heart. He looked quickly away from Tyus so he wouldn’t see his tears forming. Tyus continued gently, "Ricardo, his blood pressure has dropped significantly. I’ve administered some medication to help thin his blood. This should increase his circulation and help his blood pressure come back up. My main concern is that his fever has spiked again. I’m sorry, there isn’t much else we can do." Ricardo shook his head furiously. "No, Tyus. No, this can’t happen." Tyus squeezed Ricardo’s shoulder. "I know how hard this is for you, Ricardo. Antonio has put up a good fight. I wish I could give you more hope." "How long?" Ricardo closed his eyes tightly. Tyus paused. "I don’t know, Ricardo. Probably not much longer." Ricardo opened his eyes and looked to Tyus. He could see how hard it was for Tyus to deliver this news. He shook his head slowly and Tyus turned and left. "I have to call Maria and mama." Ricardo looked at his watch – 11:45 p.m. He turned to head for the payphone when Gabi came rushing out of the elevator. Ricardo stood in front of Gabi, his hands in his pockets and his heart on his sleeve. Gabi searched his eyes and found the answer she didn’t want. "Oh, Ricardo," she cried. She rushed to him without hesitation and placed her arms around his neck. As much as she loved Antonio, she did have feelings for Ricardo. He had been so good to her. Her heart went out to him, too. "Gabi, I’m so glad you made it." Ricardo hugged her tightly. For the moment, neither of them remembered the events of their wedding. All that mattered now was Antonio. Ricardo led Gabi to one of the waiting chairs and sat down next to her. "Gabi. It’s been so horrible," he began, his voice cracking with emotion. Gabi reached and took his strong hand in hers. "It all started when Antonio returned from Central America." "Central America?" Gabi was taken aback. Ricardo explained the circumstances of Antonio’s trip. "And he had been back for two days. I called him about a teen in the parish and he hadn’t gotten back to me. You know, T, that just wasn’t right. I got really concerned and went to see if he was alright. That’s when I found him." "Found him...?" Gabi saw the pain in Ricardo’s face as he envisioned how he had found his baby brother slumped on the floor of his office. "He was so sick, Gab. He was lying on the floor and his body was so still and lifeless." Gabi closed her eyes trying not to picture Antonio this way. "He had a faint pulse and I called the ambulance. It took them forever to get there." Gabi instinctively reached her hand to Ricardo’s cheek. He raised his eyes to meet hers. "He’s in a coma, Gab. He hasn’t been awake for two weeks." The words pierced Gabi’s soul. The tears welled in her eyes and she fought to keep them in. Ricardo continued, "Tyus ran all kinds of tests, Gab. They found a rare strain of viral bacteria in his system they think he must have picked up in the village he was in. They tried a million different treatments. He hasn’t responded to anything. He’s put up a tough fight, Gabi. He was always such a strong kid…" Ricardo’s voice trailed off as he hung his head. Gabi put her hand on his shoulder, "Ricardo...?" She could sense he was keeping something from her. Ricardo took a deep breath, "Tyus doesn’t expect him to make it much longer." He was choking back emotions and the words caught in his throat. Gabi was in shock. She grabbed for Ricardo’s arm as the room began to go black. Ricardo looked up to see Gabi’s face an eerie shade of pale. He put his arm around her back and grabbed her quickly. "Gabi. Are you alright?" "Yes, I...I’m fine," she mumbled. "Where is he? I need to see him, Ricardo. Please?" "I think you should sit for a minute. You don’t look so good, Gab." He held on to her tightly. "NO!" she said stubbornly, her color now returning quickly. "Now, Ricardo." She stood up and waited for Ricardo to show her to Antonio’s room. Ricardo directed her to the door. She put her hand on the handle and began to turn it when Ricardo placed his hand over hers. "Gabi, I just want you to be prepared," Ricardo said gently. Gabi looked into Ricardo’s eyes and his pain seared into her. She pushed the handle down and slowly opened the door.
|