Kathryn adjusted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. She’d dozed off in the hallway of the hospital about 45 minutes ago. She was stirred awake when her right foot slipped and fell to the ground. She was wearing a distressed concert t-shirt, capri jeans and a pair of running shoes. It was a stark contrast to her formal wedding attire of the night before. Her hair remained up, a hollow shell of the meticulous hairstyle of the night before. It was now forming a messy ponytail. She instinctively checked her phone for the time and any messages—6:53 a.m. and none. Then she scanned the corridor to see that she was alone. While there was no one else around, she heard a group of people approaching. Staring intently at the end of the hall, she saw a posse of early morning visitors come into sight. They set up shop at the bank of seats where the hallway turned to the right. There were several familiar faces from the wedding the night before. She saw Trent’s parents and brother. Roland followed with the first of two trays of coffee and A.J. was close behind with another. The group sat quietly talking about the wedding and Derrick. A little while later, they were joined by Jenna and Trent. There was a muted cheer for the newly married couple. They were then presented with cups of coffee as they leaned in for details. Kathryn turned away from the gathering and sought her own cup of coffee on the floor near her feet. Thankfully it was still hot. She realized she must have fallen asleep a few sips into her drink. She thanked “Past Kat,” chuckling to herself as she took a long drink. She looked at her watch again—7:01—and figured now was the time to check with a nurse. She avoided the group despite having done the electric slide with them only 10 hours earlier. This led to a complicated path to the nurse’s station. “Excuse me,” interjected Kathryn politely, interrupting two chatting nurses. “How can I help you?” asked the seated nurse. “I’m here to see Davis Archer in room six. I wanted to confirm when he was going to be taken into surgery and that I’d be able to see him before he goes.” “Let me check.” The nurse turned her attention to the computer. In the meantime, Kathryn and the other nurse exchanged polite smiles while waiting. “He is set to leave his room at about 8:15. Unfortunately, according to this, he has asked to bar any visitors before the surgery.” “That can’t be right,” Kathryn blurted out incredulously. “I’m sure he asked for that, but there should be an exception somewhere on there.” She was crestfallen when the nurse looked back at the computer. “And you are?” “A friend,” she responded, leaning deeper into the counter. “I mean your name,” the nurse said curtly. She caught herself and adopted a friendlier demeanor. She followed up, “You’re right, there is an exception.” Kathryn gave out a sigh of relief and responded, “Kathryn Gallardo. K-A-T-H-R-Y-N, just in case.” “Very good. You should be able to see him shortly,” she offered. “Molly was about to head back there to check on him. When she’s finished, he should be ready for a visitor.” Kathryn followed the other nurse back to the room quietly. When they returned, the nurse entered and Kathryn stayed outside pacing. While waiting, Kathryn fidgeted and stared out a nearby window. She dug her hands into her back pockets and rocked on her heels. She was transfixed by an uninspired view of other areas in the hospital complex. It got the job done, she thought. She was able to continue avoiding any eye contact with people down the hall. It appeared, she did notice, that a few firefighters had now joined the group. Members had also started leaving the waiting area one at a time. The nurse emerged from the room and gave Kathryn the all-clear. “He’s a little tired as he just woke up. But he’s eager to see you,” she said, finishing with a supportive smile. “Thanks so much,” she responded gratefully. As Kathryn started entering the room, the gravity of the situation started to hit her. This was a relatively safe procedure, but there were risks. And, while she had been aware of these facts, it was only now hitting her as “real.” At this moment, she was all he had, and he was all that she cared about. She approached the side of his bed and sat on the edge of the seat. “Morning,” she offered brightly. “Hi,” Davis said with a half-turn and smile. “How was the reception?” “Fun,” she responded. “It was nice catching up with some old friends.” “I was a little worried I wouldn’t see you beforehand,” he said. “Not that you wouldn’t want to come, but it is pretty early.” “Yeah, I planned to leave the reception early,” she said. “That didn’t work, but I didn’t drink, so that helped.” Davis smiled and they sat there in silence for a few moments when a nurse stuck her head in the room. “Davis, we’re going to be back in a few to get you prepared for surgery.” He nodded in the affirmative and she left. Kathryn turned back to Davis, who was trying to give her a full-eyed look. She took his right hand in hers and leaned close. The two remained silent, eschewing any banal small talk. “Just in case you need someone to tell you,” she started, looking around nervously. “I’m sorry all you have here is me, but you need someone to tell you.:" She braced herself and continued. "You don’t have to do this.” She gazed sympathetically into his eyes, which were meeting her look. He gave her a genuine smile, but with a hint of whimsy from some drugs that were kicking in. It would be hard for most people to remain serious with this look, but she was on a mission to say what needed to be said. She leaned in and continued. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, and you don’t owe anything to anyone. It’s not too late.” She knew it was, in fact, too late. But, she had spent some of her time waiting coming up with excuses and plans to get him out of there. If he needed it, she was ready. A hint of sadness intruded on his face as he wiped away tears from her right eye with his thumb. “Yes, I do,” he started as he began to tear up. He was at a loss for words and leaned forward as best he could to touch her lowered head with his own. She knew he was right. Knowing the time was limited, Kathryn found the resolve to say one last thing. “Before you go, I just want to tell you that you are loved. I love you and I’ll be here for you. You’ve become my best friend and I can’t lose you.” Tears were now streaming down her cheek, and she grabbed his hand tightly. “The person you are is the person that makes me happy and makes everything better. There is nothing you could’ve done, or anything anyone else could say, that would change that.” She smiled through the tears and added, “I need you to do your part to make it through this. I need you back in Portland.” Davis smiled. He was overcome with emotion. “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me. I love you, too.” They shared a long smile when a pair of nurses entered the room. Kathryn stood to leave, wiping her eyes and retreating to the door. At the threshold, she turned back. “If you need anything else to look forward to, when I get you back to Portland, I’m teaching you how to drive.” Davis chuckled and found his full-bodied voice for the first time to respond, “You’re going to regret that.” Kathryn laughed and left the room, taking her seat in the hallway. She lowered her head in her hands and sobbed. When she was done, She fished around her backpack for a tissue and wiped her eyes. Moments later, Davis was wheeled from the room. She stood and swiped for one more touch of his hand before he rolled down the hall and out of sight. Kathryn got comfortable and settled in for the wait. She pulled out one of Davis’ books and started reading “Dr. Kane and the Tunisian Treasures.” “Is that book any good?” came a gentle, timid voice sometime later. She looked up to see Jenna standing nearby nervously. “The first page is amazing. I’ve read it, like, four times in a row,” Kathryn responded with a crack in her voice and a smile through some fresh tears. “Can I sit down?” Jenna asked. “Sure,” Kathryn replied, sliding to make some space to allow her to sit. Jenna settled in next to her friend. She still held some of the cosmetic glow from her wedding the day before. She had deftly shifted to “early morning” casual with a light red and blue flannel shirt and a pair of ripped jeans. Part out of laziness and part out of its complexity, her hair held most of its style from the previous day. She made minimal adjustments before leaving the house. She put her right arm around Kathryn and reached her left hand to clasp her friend’s free hand. They sat there quietly comforting each other without saying a word. After a while, the two childhood friends began discussing the wedding. They caught up on life since they last spent much time together. The topic never veered to the reasons that brought them to the hospital or Davis. The conversation was light, their body language was more congruent with the situation. Jenna leaned in close to her friend and held her hand solidly within Kathryn’s. Jenna's family had not been there for Davis for a long time. She knew she was hardly to blame. That said, it seemed inappropriate for her to be down there to "be there for Davis." She knew she could be there for Kathryn, who was worried and had to shoulder the concern on her own. That was real and that was what she owed to Davis. She was looking after the person that he cared for most when she needed it.