Chapter 23 #2
After the nurses came, things started to move quickly. Before I knew it, Kai was being rolled back to the operating room, and I was a nervous wreck.
I breathed in deeply. I am strong. I exhaled slowly. It will be okay. Then I repeated it again.
“Okay, sweetie.” I kissed Kai’s cheek, trying to remain upbeat even as the bridge of my nose stung. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, Mum.” He was already half asleep as the nurse assured me they’d take good care of him.
I returned to his room, swiping away a tear. Before I could even send a quick update to Craig and Zara, I saw a message from Alexis.
Alexis: I’m showing some houses near the hospital. Let me know if you want company.
Another tear slid down my cheek. Alexis and I hadn’t known each other long, but she’d become a good friend in a short amount of time.
Me: Thanks. You’re the best.
I sent an update to Craig and Zara before opening my messages with Jasper.
Me: They just took Kai back to the OR.
Jasper: I’m thinking about him. Call me if you need to talk. I love you.
Me: Thanks. I love you too.
I opened my laptop and logged on, but then I just stared at the screen. As much as I wanted answers, I was scared of what the doctors would find. And I hoped that Kai would do well with the anesthesia.
My phone buzzed. Mom. She was asking to video chat.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, answering the call. “They took Kai back a little while ago. How are you?”
“Dad and I just wanted to call and let you know that we’re thinking about you. Both of you.”
She panned the camera so Dad came into view. I smiled, but his brows furrowed in confusion.
“Hi, Dad.” I forced myself to continue smiling even as he maintained his bewildered stare.
Dad turned to Mom. “Who is that?”
My heart fractured into a million tiny pieces, and selfishly, I wished I hadn’t answered the phone. I was already feeling emotional, thanks to Kai’s procedure, and the fact that my dad didn’t recognize me was absolutely heartbreaking.
When Mom tried to explain who I was, Dad started to get agitated.
To the point that she had to call one of the nurses.
I watched all of it with increasing horror—for him, for them, at the reality of the situation.
I hadn’t realized how much his disease had progressed.
Or maybe I’d just been in denial. Ultimately, Mom left the room and went out to the hallway while the staff tried to help Dad calm down.
“Sorry.” Mom frowned, glancing over her shoulder. “I thought it was a good day.”
I was scared to ask, but I needed to know. “Has this been happening more lately?”
“We can talk about it later.” She smiled brightly, and I knew she—like me—was trying to hold it together. “Right now, your focus needs to be on Kai.”
“Mom. Tell me, please.” If she didn’t, my mind would keep spinning out with countless terrible scenarios.
She sighed. “The facility wants to bump Dad up to the next level of care.”
Jesus. The next level? We’d visited my parents when we’d first moved to the States, and I was concerned by how quickly Dad’s disease seemed to be progressing.
“What do you think?” I asked Mom. “Does he need it? Is he getting worse?”
“Honestly?” she sighed. “Yes. I just wish it weren’t so expensive.”
“Don’t worry about the money,” I said, unwilling to contemplate the cost. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Honey, I can’t ask you to do that.” Her eyes met mine, full of gratitude and sadness and love. “Especially not when you’re already doing so much. Your father and I would never—”
“I wouldn’t offer if I couldn’t do it. ’Kay?”
“Okay. It’s just…” She twisted her wedding ring on her finger. “There are options. We could move him somewhere else. Somewhere less expensive.”
I’d researched other places online before we’d decided to move him into his current facility.
The reviews on some of the others were terrifying, especially considering my dad’s potential inability to advocate for himself.
I didn’t want to worry her, not when she was already dealing with so much.
Plus, we both knew that another move in such a short amount of time would only add to my dad’s confusion and agitation.
My dad’s care, and my mom’s and my peace of mind, was worth more than anything.
I would figure out how to pay for it even after my temporary promotion ended. Maybe I’d rent an apartment instead of buying a house or not put as much into my 401(k). The point was, I would figure it out.
“I want the best care for Dad,” I said. “And Green Acres is the best fit.” The doctor entered Kai’s hospital room. “Mom. I gotta go.”
“Okay. Of course. Let me know what the doctor says. And I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
I nodded. “Looking forward to it. Love you.”
“Love you too, honey.”
I ended the call and stood, smoothing my hands down my thighs.
“Kai is in recovery now. He’s doing great. We’re going to let him wake up some more, and then we’ll bring him back here.”
“Thank you,” I said, relief coursing through me. That had been the longest twenty minutes of my life. But Kai was a champ. He’d made it through the procedure. And I could only hope the test would help.
“We won’t have the results of the biopsy for a few days,” the doctor continued. “So I’ll call when I have a more definitive answer. For now, Kai needs rest. And continue to avoid gluten as a precaution.”
“Will do,” I said.
She gave me some more information on his care at home following the procedure.
It was a lot to take in. As soon as the doctor left, I dropped into a nearby chair.
I was emotionally wrung out from the events of the morning.
Worrying about Kai. The call with my parents.
Trying to figure out how I was going to pay for my dad’s care as it continued to get even more expensive.
I sagged, covering my face with my hands. I wish Jasper were here.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I picked up the phone and hit the button to connect the call to him. I knew he’d be waiting for an update, and I needed to hear his voice.
“Just a sec,” he said, answering the call after the second ring. I could imagine him excusing himself from his current meeting, holding the phone to his ear as he went somewhere more private. “Okay.”
All the emotions of the morning poured out of me, and I started crying.
“Halle?” he asked. “What’s wrong? Is it Kai? Is he okay?”
“He’s—” I sniffled. “I’m sorry. Yeah. He’s in recovery. They said it went well, and we should have the results in a few days.”
“Oh good. That’s good.” Relief threaded through his words. “What about you? Are you okay?”
“I—” I hiccupped around a sob. “I wish you were here.”
Jasper had insisted on hiring a driver to transport us to and from the hospital. I hadn’t even fought him on it. I’d appreciated the help, and I knew he needed to do it for himself.
“I can be there in thirty minutes,” Jasper said. “Ten, if I can get the hospital to clear me to land on the helipad.”
I laughed at the idea, but I knew he’d do it. Even if he had to donate enough to fund a new wing of the hospital, Jasper would gladly do it to be here for Kai, for me.
“I’m serious, Halle.”
“I know,” I said, feeling lighter from his support. “Will you come over when we get home?”
“Of course,” he said. “And you’re right. It’s probably best if I stay here. Pierce was already pissed about my leaving Colorado early for a family emergency.”
I frowned. When it came to Jasper and his family, Pierce was always very supportive. He was practically one of them, and I knew he’d do anything for Graham, Jasper, Knox, Nate, or Sloan.
“That doesn’t sound like Pierce.”
Jasper seemed to hesitate, and before he could answer, the door to Kai’s room opened. I stood, watching as the staff rolled his bed back in. I scanned Kai’s form—sleepy but breathing normally. Such a relief.
“I have to go. They just came back with Kai.”
“Okay. Tell him hi, and I’ll see you both later. I love you.”
“Love you too,” I said before disconnecting the call. I went over to the bed. “Hey, buddy.”
“Mummy?” he whispered, while the nurses monitored his vital signs.
I placed my hand over Kai’s. “Yep, baby.” I swiped away a tear. “It’s me. You feel okay?”
“I’m sleepy.” He spoke softly, the words drawn out.
“I know,” I said. “You might be for a while. Just rest, okay?”
“Okay.”
“You did so well,” I said, making sure he had his favorite stuffed dog from Jasper. “So proud of you, baby.”
“I wish Dad and Jasper and Rosie were here.”
“Me too.” I smoothed his hair away from his face. “But Jasper promised to come over as soon as we get home. Sound good?”
“Mm-hmm.” His eyes closed once more. “I really like him. I’m glad he’s our friend.”
“Me too,” I said, smiling. Jasper was a lot more than just my friend, but now wasn’t the time to tell Kai that. Even so, I had a feeling that when we did finally break the news to Kai, he’d be happy about it.
Kai was quiet for a while, waking up slowly. Finally, he said, “Mummy?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you and Jasper going to get married?”
My eyes darted to Kai’s face, my heart stopping at the unexpected question. It had come out of the blue.
“I, uh—” I cleared my throat. “Why would you ask that?”
I braced myself for his response. I expected something like, because he’s always over. Or, I saw the two of you kissing. Who knew?
“Because he’s nice,” Kai said. “And I love Rosie. And I want to keep her.”
I laughed. “Ah, okay. So this is really about wanting a dog.”
He frowned. “Not just any dog. Rosie.”
“She’s pretty great, isn’t she?” He smiled, so I continued. “And I know how much you love her.”
“But what’s going to happen when we move out of the hotel?” he asked.
Kai had come into my room the other morning when I’d been looking at house listings from Alexis. He’d joined me on the bed, giving his opinions about the various homes. We’d talked about moving, but I hadn’t realized how much he’d been thinking about it.
He sniffled. “I love seeing Rosie every day. I’m going to miss her so much. If you and Jasper got married, she’d be part of our family too.”
“She is part of our family, baby. And I’m sure Jasper will still be happy to let you visit.”
Tears poured down his face. “But it won’t be the same.”
“Maybe not,” I said, thinking of how the move might impact my ability to see Jasper. Our rare moments together would likely become even more limited. “But that doesn’t mean it won’t still be good.”
“I don’t want to move,” he cried.
He seemed more emotional, and I chalked it up to adrenaline and anesthesia. Even so, I knew this transition would be difficult for him. Not because he’d grown accustomed to living in a luxury hotel, but because he’d gotten used to seeing Jasper and Rosie every day.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about it, but I knew one thing.
We couldn’t keep living at the Huxley Grand LA.
Yes, it was convenient—for many reasons.
But it wasn’t a home. And while Sloan had convinced the board to extend our accommodations for the maximum period allowed, I was running out of time to find something more permanent or risk paying an exorbitant amount to continue staying in our suite.
It was time to get serious about finding a place to call home.