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"Hello?" TK muttered into the phone, eyes still closed as he loosely held the phone up to his ear.
"TK?"
His eyes shot open. "Mr. Reyes?"
"TK- are you working right now?" The older man asked, and the words sounded strained.
"I'm not. I'm at home. What- what's going on?" He asked hesitantly and then, his heart nearly stopped as a thought crossed his mind. "Is it Carlos? Is he-"
"Carlos is fine, TK," he interrupted him, "it's Andrea."
TK forgot how to breathe for a few seconds, and all he could think of in that fleeting period of time, was: Please God, don't let him go through what I did.
"-K? TK?"
He threw the covers off his body and hurried to his closet, pulling out a random shirt and sweatpants. "What happened? Is she okay?"
“I didn’t get much out of the doctor, but he told me she was alright," he assured him, sounding much softer than he had been at first, "it was just a small accident. But I can't get a hold of Carlos and I need someone to pick her up since I'm stuck here," he could sense how upset the man was, and TK found himself hiding a smile.
"I'll be at the hospital in ten minutes, Mr. Reyes," he told him, grabbing his wallet and keys as he headed down the stairs, "I'll keep you updated."
"Alright," the older man sighed, obviously relieved, "thank you, TK."
.
"I'm here for Andrea Reyes," TK said in a rush, and even though he knew she was okay, there was still a part of him that worried.
The nurse blinked up at him, phone cradled between her cheek and her shoulder.
"Andrea Reyes?" He asked again, impatient, and she seemed to shake herself, sitting up straight and placing the phone back on the desk.
"What's your name, sir?"
"TK Strand," he told her, "I'm her son in law," TK lied smoothly.
"Just one moment," she told him, grabbing a couple of files and disappearing down the corridor. TK drummed his fingers on the counter impatiently, checking his phone to see if he'd misses a call from Carlos, but there was none.
Taking a breath to center himself, he unlocked his phone and sent off a text to Gabriel, letting him know he was in the hospital and was about to see Andrea. He then attempted to call Carlos, who answered just before TK was about to hang up.
"TK?! Dad left me a voicemail, my mom-"
"I'm about to go in to see her, babe," he interrupted him, an attempt at soothing him, "she's okay, Carlos."
"You're- you're already there?"
"Yeah," TK said softly.
"Okay. Okay," Carlos let out a breath, and even though he couldn't see him, TK knew he was holding back tears. "She's really okay?"
He leaned back against the counter. "That's what the doctor said."
"I'll be there as soon as I can," Carlos said, and TK could sense there was more he wanted to say but was holding back.
He didn't push, though. "Alright, Drive safe. Love you."
There was a pause, and when he spoke, the words were quiet, and a little choked up. "I love you, too."
.
"Mr. Strand?"
TK straightened up immediately. "Yeah?"
"You can see Mrs. Reyes now."
.
"Andrea," he breathed out, the last of the tension leaving his body as soon as he saw her sitting up in bed.
"TK," she said brightly, beckoning him over. As soon as he was close, she opened her arms and he fell into them, making sure to be gentle as he wrapped his own arms around her.
He pulled away slowly, dragging a chair close to the bed, not letting go of her hand. "I'm really glad you're okay."
Her uninjured hand found its way to his cheek and he leaned into the gentle touch. Andrea smiled, thumb softly stroking his cheek. "Thank you for coming, TK."
His lips twitched up into a smile. "Of course."
They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence that lasted a few seconds, until Andrea cleared her throat.
"How are you doing, TK?"
The question took him by surprise, and he found his shoulders tensing. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He asked, teasing, in an effort to hide the tension.
She huffed. "That is not an answer," she replied, pointedly.
He didn't know what to say to that, because it was the truth.
"How are you, TK?" She repeated the question, though this time, it was softer, quieter; like she already knew the answer.
"I'm fine," he replied automatically, knowing she wouldn't believe him.
Andrea, predictably, didn't. She pursed her lips, waited for his eyes to meet hers, and smiled when they did. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mijo. Gwyn was a wonderful woman."
Tears sprang to his eyes and he nodded. "She was."
Andrea smiled sadly. "She was very proud of you, of the man you are now."
TK squeezed his eyes shut, an attempt at stopping the tears from falling, and nodded. "I know," he said, but it sounded hollow.
She hummed, and another silence fell upon them, "she told me so herself."
His head snapped up and he stared at the woman, wide eyed.
"When we invited them over for dinner, the last time she visited you- she and I talked about you boys and," Andrea paused, smiling as tears welled in her eyes, "she said she was proud of you, and that she hoped little Jonah would take after you."
He shook his head. "I don't know why she would say that," he laughed a little, voice thick.
"I do," she told him, taking his hand, "you are a good, gentle man, and no one knew that better than your mother."
TK bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood, to keep from crying.
"I made her life hell, growing up- and I never made it easy."
"But you filled her it with joy, too," she countered. "Something I've learned, probably a little too late- is that it's never a child's responsibility to make anyone's life easier," she told him softly.
"I-" he stopped, took a breath, then- "I miss her so much, and I don't know what to do with it."
"Do not avoid it," she advised him, tone firm, "and do not let it consume you. When you miss her, remember the good things. The laughter, the joy, the love. And let go of the painful things- holding onto them does you no good, Mijo."
He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. "Thank you."
She tugged at the hand she was holding until he stood up, then pulled him down, enveloping him in a warm, comforting embrace that reminded him so much of his mother's, and he finally let the tears fall- he didn't make a sound, and once he pulled away, the only evidence of his lapse in control was the wet spot on the shoulder of her gown, and his own red eyes. "Sorry," he muttered, wiping at the tears.
She shook her head, and smiled. "Don't be. You're going to be alright, TK."
He smiled back. "Thank you."
I hope so.
.
The hospital room door clicked shut behind him just as Carlos came running down the corridor.
TK intercepted him before he could get in the room. "Hey, the nurses are in there with her," he told him, placing one hand on his chest and the other on his neck. "She's okay. It's just a concussion, and they're probably gonna discharge her right away."
Carlos closed his eyes. "What was she doing, driving the truck?"
"She wanted to visit us- thought it was our day off," he answered, "and your dad has a shift, so she decided to drive."
Carlos exhaled. "The truck is as old as I am," he muttered, "dad's been trying to convince her to let him get rid of it for the past two years."
TK could tell he was on the verge of tears, so he pulled him in. "She's okay, I promise."
Carlos breathed him in. "I'm sorry," he whispered in the skin of his neck.
"It's okay," he whispered back, understanding that Carlos wasn't apologizing for freaking out, but probably because he felt he didn't have the right to be upset over this when TK had just lost his mother less than a week ago. "Carlos," he pulled away, making sure to look him in the eye to let him know he meant it, "it's okay."
His boyfriend closed his eyes. "Okay."
"Mr. Strand?"
Carlos jerked in his hold and turned to the nurse. "Is my mother okay?"
She nodded curtly. "You can go in to see her now. Nurse Davison is just finishing up with her," she said, barely looking up from her phone as she passed them.
Carlos huffed, and TK took his hand on both of his and opened the door. Nurse Davison, when they entered, was filling out Andrea's chart.
"How is she?" Carlos asked the young woman.
"This is Carlos, Andrea's son," TK interjected.
The nurse looked from him to TK, then down to their joined hands, and smiled brightly. "Your husband," she said, walking over. She missed the way Carlos' eyes widened, the way he stiffened in surprised, or the twinkle in Andrea's eyes, and continued obliviously, "your mother is doing okay. Doctor said she has a mild concussion, so she might suffer from headaches, nausea, dizziness, but it should go away in a day or two. She also has some brusing on her left upper arm, but that should clear up in a few days too."
"Thank you," he responded, smiling softly. "When can she be discharged?"
"Her discharge papers will be ready in a few minutes," she told him, heading for the door. "Mrs. Reyes, do you need anything before I go?"
Andrea shook her head. "No, thank you."
Once the nurse left, Carlos bounded over to the bed and leaned down to hug his mother, tight enough that TK saw her wince. "I'm glad you're okay, mami," he heard him mutter, "I was so worried."
Her hand smoothed down the hair at the nape of his neck and she smiled. Her eyes caught TK's and the compassion he saw in them overwhelmed him. He pointed his thumb back at the door, and she nodded, understanding.
He mouthed a sincere 'thank you' before he stepped out of the room quietly, let his weight rest back against the wall, and closed his eyes tightly.
She said she was proud of you
She hoped the little one would take after you.
Tears prickled his eyes, and the closed his eyes again to stop them from falling.
.
“Son in law, huh?” Andrea teased him as he helped her into the car, Carlos already in the driver’s seat.
TK blushed. “I had to- they wouldn’t have let me-"
She pursed her lips, obviously fighting back a smile and just raised an eyebrow.
He could do nothing but smile, helpless and fond.
Some day, he thought, looking over at his boyfriend, who must have sensed his eyes on him and looked his way, smiling.
Some day.
.
"Hey," Carlos said softly, stepping out of the bathroom and into the living room.
TK let his heard rest back on the arm of the couch, and Carlos bent in half to place a kiss on his forehead. "You okay, sweetheart?"
TK just nodded.
Carlos shook his head with a fond smile. "One of these days, you're actually gonna talk about what's going on in your head without me needing to pry it out of you," he teased him gently, though TK was sure a part of him meant it.
TK made room for him on the couch, then pulled him close by the hand, until he was laying beside him.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he whispered, pressing a kiss to his head, "I just want you to know that you can talk to me, that even though I can't understand-"
"It's not that," he cut him off, sitting up a little to look him in the eye, "it's hard, putting it into words when I can't even let myself fully think about it, you know? It's nothing to do with you, Carlos," he promised him.
Carlos pursed his lips, and though TK could tell he didn't like his answer, that he wanted to push, he didn't say anything.
TK, wrong footed and feeling guilty, leaned forward to kiss him, hands cradling his cheeks gently. "Be patient with me?"
Carlos kissed him again, and when TK made to pull away, he didn't let him, instead reeling him back in for another deeper kiss. "Always. Just promise me that eventually, you will talk about it? If not with me, then with anyone, just- you have to talk to someone, TK."
He smiled. "I promise."
Carlos kissed him again, making himself comfortable on the couch and pulling TK on top of him. TK laughed quietly and shook his head. "What are you doing? Your mother is like, right there."
Carlos just pulled him closer still, enveloping him in warmth and safety. "I love you."
"I love you."
He would talk to him, TK vowed, maybe not today or tomorrow, but he would.