Chapter 27: We Are Going To Have It All

Landon:

I step off the plane into the sunny outdoor airport in Galway, Ireland. Time seems to be suspended, while at the same, time is flying by. The flight was only six hours, but as my gut churned and twisted in anxiety, it seemed forever long. There was a nagging voice in the back of my mind asking the same question over and over: Is it too late? It seemed impossible to block out the thought, no matter how much I had tried.

I head toward the car rentals immediately. Thankfully, I had the forethought to only bring a carry-on, so I do not have to wait for anything. After receiving my keys for the rental, I hurry to the parking lot. I grew up in Galway, and while Brooke's little cabin is technically in a small village right outside Galway, I know how to get there. It is a two-hour drive, but I can make it in an hour and twenty minutes if I speed the whole way and traffic allows it.

Brooke:

I open my eyes and immediately re-close them. A piercing pain stabs behind my eyes, and nausea rolls through me. Breathing slowly to calm my wayward stomach, I decide there is no reason to get out of bed today.

I feel like I have just fallen back asleep when an irritating knock persists at my door. Glancing at the clock, I see that it is 1:15 p.m. Who could possibly be visiting me? Groaning, I start the process of slowly getting up. Whoever is at the door is just going to have to be patient with me. I finally make it to a standing position when the searing pain returns behind my eyes. I stumble forward, knocking over a small table by my bed.

Get up, I plead with myself as darkness slowly encroaches on my vision. You must get up. But no matter how much I plead with myself, I cannot.

Landon:

Hearing the crash, I cease knocking. "Brooke!" I yell and decide to kick the door in. The lock gives way easily. Damn and blast! Anyone could just stroll in here if they wanted to. I will think about that later.

"Brooke!" I shout again. I hear a small groan from the bedroom. She is alive. Racing to the door, I come to a halt as I witness the awful scene in front of me.

Brooke is curled in a ball on the ground. A small decorative table is toppled over, and broken pottery and dirt are spread about her from what I assume is a plant that rested on the table. I kneel down in front of her.

"Brooke. Beagchaithnini sneachta." I gently brush back her hair and feel for a pulse. Thump. Thump. It is there. It is not very strong, but it is there. Cradling her in my arms, I lift her off the floor.

We are too far away from the city for an ambulance to get here fast, so I quickly lay her down in the back seat. I buckle her up as best I can with her on her side before hopping in the driver’s seat. I press on the gas and head to the closest hospital.

***

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" I yell as I pull up to the emergency doors of the local hospital. A woman in scrubs runs out to greet me as I am opening the back door.

"What can I help you with, sir?" she asks.

"It’s my wife," I say as I pull her out of the vehicle, bridal style. That is when I freeze. She looks like she is sleeping as I hold her tightly. I realize I did not carry her like this on our wedding night. Why didn't I carry her over the threshold? Why did I waste so much time being angry with her?

"Sir. Sir. Sir." I look up at the nurse. "We need you to put her on the gurney, please." I nod and place her down. The army of nurses and orderlies quickly secure her and wheel her away.

"Sir, if you'll come with me, I have some questions for you," the nurse says. I nod my head.

"Of course."

It seems like I am answering millions of questions. A lot of them are hard to answer. How long did she have Wilson's disease? When did she stop treatment? How has her diet been since she gave birth? Has she had any irregular bleeding? Has she been experiencing nausea or headaches? What was the last thing she ate?

How am I supposed to know these things when I have not seen her in a week? As soon as I am done talking to the nurse, I get the surgeon, Doctor Parker, that is going to perform her surgery. He has me put him on the phone with the doctors who are in the back with her now. The doctors determine it is not safe to move her, and that Doctor Parker get on the next flight out. I get Jared on the phone next, letting him know I found her, and to get himself and Macintosh on the next flight here.

After everything is set, Brooke has a schedule for a liver transplant tomorrow at noon. I sit down next to her bedside, holding her hand. Now she just has to make it through the night.

"Hey, babe, it’s me. Your husband, Landon. I just wanted to let you know that I am here. And I'm not going anywhere, okay." I choke on a lump in my throat but force it back down. "Cahal misses you, but he's strong, and he'll be okay for a few more days without you. So, do not worry about him. He eats and sleeps a lot, and Sonia is staying at the house helping Mrs. Fanny with him."

I stop and listen to the steady beeping of the monitor. They told me she is in a medically induced coma and would not wake. I just had to hope she could hear me. "But we need you to fight, okay? Tomorrow you will go into surgery, and you must be strong because...because I cannot do this without you. I love you, beagchaithnini sneachta. And I promise you that when you make it through this surgery, we're going to buy you an art studio and show the world your beautiful work. We're going to travel the world and take pictures together with the sunset as our backdrop in every country." I brush away a tear.

"And maybe when Cahal is a little bit older, we can have a little Marie Eira Campbell. She will have beautiful chocolate eyes and curly dark hair like her gorgeous mother. And we will put a playground up in the backyard. We can have a dog, an Alaskan Husky named Shadow. Cahal will chase him around, and he will let him pull on his tail. He'll protect them." I sniff. "We're going to have it all, baby. You just got to fight. Just this once. I will never ask you to do it again, I swear.”

I crawl into her bed with her, wrapping my arms around her. I do not want to sleep tonight. I do not want to miss a moment of what might be our last night. But my eyes do not agree with me, as they slowly droop until I succumb to sleep.