Ashley Elston - 10 Blind Dates

Dad pats me on the shoulder. “You okay with that?”

I nod. “I am.”

Mom’s about to ask me something else when we hear a loud noise coming from around the corner.

“I said take a left at that last turn.”

“We did take a left at that last turn.”

“So now we need to take a right!”

Seconds later, my extended family has taken over the waiting room. Nonna and my aunts and uncles take turns hugging Mom and Dad. Olivia, Charlie, Jake, and Graham are here, too.

Olivia almost knocks me over when she hugs me. Then Charlie is hugging us both. She pulls away just slightly but clutches both of my hands. Charlie has an arm slung around each of us.

“We talked about it the entire way down, and I never looked at it from your perspective. I didn’t realize how hard it was for you. We’ve missed you so much. I should have made sure you knew that,” she says.

“Yeah, it’s not the same without you,” Charlie says. “And no matter what, you’re not going to school in Massachusetts.”

“I should have told you I was feeling left out. I’ve missed y’all, too.” I look around the waiting room. “How did this happen?”

“Well,” Charlie says, “as soon as everyone heard where you were going and why, we started making plans to come down, too.”

“Not everyone could come. Some had to stay behind and watch the littles,” Olivia says.

Dad, who usually looks stunned when surrounded by the family, seems relieved that there’s someone else willing to sit and talk insurance with Brad’s dad. Mom and Aunt Lisa are sitting down, their heads are bent close together, and Mom seems to be catching her up.

The three of us move to the chairs across from them. Aunt Lisa gets up and gives me a hug.

“I can’t believe y’all came,” I say to her.

She gives me a confused look. “Why? As much as you want to be here with your sister, we all want to be here with our sister.” She sits back down next to Mom, their hands linking together.

I didn’t even think of it like that.

“Where’s Griff?” Charlie asks.

“On the way home.” I grimace. “Let’s just say this road trip wasn’t as fun as the last one.”

Charlie gives me his shocked face. “You mean, Griff isn’t as much fun as the three of us? Say it ain’t so!”

I push his arm. “Ha. Ha.”

A woman in blue scrubs stops in the middle of the room. “Oh my,” she says. “Lots of family.”

Mom and Dad get up, along with Brad’s parents, and they talk to the doctor for a few seconds. Then Mom motions for me to follow them down the hall toward Margot’s room.

I’m not sure what I expect her to look like when the door opens, but she looks…just like regular Margot.

“Hey!” she says when she sees me. I rush to her bed. The parents stay back, giving us some space.

“You scared the crap out of me,” I say. “Are you okay?” I can’t help the tears flooding my eyes, and I have to force myself not to jump in the bed with her. But no matter what, it was so worth the drive down to see a little color in her cheeks and hear the strength in her voice.

“I’m good. So much better now that there’s a little more blood pumping through me. They want me to take it easy for the next few hours, but if my blood pressure lowers, I’ll be able to get up and move around.”

We visit for a few minutes, then Mom starts rotating us in and out so all of the family has a chance to see her. As soon as I leave her room, I grab Olivia and Charlie and go look at Anna through the glass wall.

“I don’t like seeing all that stuff attached to her,” Charlie says.

“Yeah, but she’s gorgeous,” Olivia says with a sigh.

“I’m in love with her,” I say.

As the family trickles out of Margot’s room, they all end up with us at the glass wall looking at Anna. I take this chance to sneak away and get a little more time with Margot.

Mom is the only one in her room when I get back. She makes an excuse to go find some coffee, and then it’s just me and Margot.

I crawl into bed with her just like I did a few nights ago.

“Did you go see her?” she asks.

“Yes. She has the biggest fan club ever. All the other babies are jealous.”

Margot laughs. “I can’t believe all of you drove down here. It’s really so sweet.”

“Both of you are really loved.”

“And we love you. Mom told me about Griffin. Are you really okay?”

I nod. “I really am.”

“Well, good thing, since you have a few more dates to go. Have you figured out who Papa is setting you up with for their party?”

I give her a funny look. “I’m here. I’m not going back until Mom and Dad do.”

She pulls away so she can look at me. “As glad as I am to see your face, you don’t want to stay here. I’m good. Going to be great by tomorrow. And the doctors are going to start weaning Anna off the vent.”

“I can’t leave you,” I whine. And I can’t go back and see Wes with Laurel.

“I’m hoping we’re out of here in a few days. Then you can come back and stay as long as you want. You’d be miserable in the hospital. And I am dying to see how these dates end. Go finish it for me.”

I rest my cheek against her shoulder. “Only because I don’t feel like I could tell you no right now,” I say.

I walk back out to the waiting room a few minutes later and stop in front of Nonna. “Margot thinks I should go back and finish the dates.”

Nonna claps her hands together. “Well, of course!”

Uncle Michael pulls out a fresh sheet of paper. “Anyone have a pen? We can start the bets for my date right now.”

Uncle Sal perks up from across the room. “But it’s my day tomorrow.”

“Nonna…” I say.

She holds up her hand. “We’ll figure this out when we get home.”

An hour later, we’re all saying our good-byes. Nonna, Olivia, Charlie, and I pile in Michael’s car. I just have three more dates to get through, I realize. Then Christmas break will be over and everything will be back to normal.

Just what I wanted when all this started.

So why am I dreading it all ending?

The first thing I do when I open my eyes is check my phone. I slept with it in my hand in case Mom called with news about Margot or Anna, but obviously I was out of it, because I didn’t hear the notification of the text she sent about an hour ago.

MOM: Margot is so much better this morning! She’s up walking around. Getting ready to go see Anna. Will call you a little later. Love you.

I sink back into the bed and let out a big sigh of relief. Margot is better. Now we just need Anna to get off that vent.

I pull up the conversation with Margot and send her a text.

ME: Mom said you’re feeling better!

Her response is instant.

MARGOT: I’m so much better today! I feel like I could run a marathon

ME: You’ve never even run to the end of the driveway

MARGOT: Ok so clearly I’m exaggerating but you get what I’m saying. I feel really good. Now I just need my baby girl to start breathing on her own and maybe we can get out of this hospital.

ME: I’m coming back to visit as soon as you’re home and I’m going to hold Anna for like ten hours straight

MARGOT: Haha can’t wait

Sometime later Olivia busts in the room and jumps on the bed.

“Why do you have so much energy in the mornings?” I ask her. “We just got home a couple of hours ago.”

She fluffs her pillow, then turns toward me. “It’s a gift, really.” She watches me a few seconds. “So what happened with Griffin?”

I fill her in on our road-trip breakup. She gives me that one-brow-raised look I envy.

“Are you sure you’re okay? I know how much you liked him.”

I let out a deep breath. “I did, but I’m really okay that we’re not together.”

She nods. “Well, today is a new day and Uncle Sal and Uncle Michael are both downstairs.”

I rub my hands across my face. “They’re going to make me pick, aren’t they?”

Olivia pulls me until I’m out of the bed. “No idea, but let’s go see!”

Not only are Uncle Michael and Uncle Sal here, but so is half of the family. Nonna has a full breakfast buffet set out on the counter, and every chair and place at the table is taken.

Uncle Sal and Uncle Michael are both sitting in chairs in front of the board where my dates are written, drinking cups of coffee.

“Ah! There she is,” Nonna says. “Well, this is what we’re going to do. Sal and Michael will each write down the date they have planned, and then we’ll take a vote. For those who aren’t here, Charlie is getting their vote by text.”

Charlie is at the counter, looking half asleep.

“We’re all voting?” I ask.

Nonna gives me a look. “Of course! We’re all invested at this point, so it’s only fair. Remember, you’re doing this for Margot!”

“Uh-huh. I knew you’d find a way to use that against me.” Then I give her a hug and say, “Bring it on.” There’s really no use fighting this anymore.

Olivia and I squeeze in between Aunt Camille and Charlie’s mom, Aunt Ayin.

Uncle Sal hops up from his chair and moves to the whiteboard. There’s a black line cutting the board in half, and he starts writing on the top part.

When Uncle Sal steps away, we all read the board.

“So I guess this is a cooking date?” I say. There’s a lot of whispering throughout the room.