14. Problem Solving Feels Good
WESLEY
The glass doorto The Comfy Cushion all but swung off its hinges with the force of my entry. Blinds rattled against the metal frame, but I didn’t bother to shut it behind me. I hadn’t heard from Celeste in over 24 hours and I was prepared to wait in the restaurant all day in order to speak to her. Today might be the first day of school, but I wasn’t going without her at my side.
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Desiree was the one keeping us apart. She was just like every other slimy woman who saw dollar signs whenever she looked at my father. The only difference was that Desiree had her claws hooked into Mr. Hendricks, which made no sense to me. Although The Comfy Cushion was always swarming with people, the Hendricks family certainly didn’t live the high life like my father did. It was unlikely they had the kind of money a woman like that coveted.
Still, Desiree’s act didn’t fool me. She was cashing in on poor Mr. Hendricks somehow, it was just a matter of discovering it. Regardless of her interactions with Celeste’s dad, I’d be damned if Desiree kept me from Celeste. We had been apart all summer; there was nothing that was gonna come between us now. I had done my fair share of the respectful schtick that Celeste insisted upon, but everyone in this town was in for a rude awakening if that spiteful bitch tried to keep her from me. River’s Run wouldn’t just get a scene, they’d get the whole Broadway musical.
Feeling particularly feisty from my built up anxiety, I slammed my hand down on the little counter bell to alert everyone in the back of my presence. Marla’s head poked out from the kitchen, shooting daggers at me before she stomped out.
“Did you forget your manners while you were out globetrotting, Wesley Madden?” she hissed through her teeth. “Don’t you dare come barging in here and causin’ a ruckus like that!”
Marla was actually pretty great, one of those rare adults where her sass meant she well and truly cared about you. She had given me more than a handful of verbal lashings since I first landed in town, and I had come to value her opinion nearly as much as Nana’s and Mr. Hendricks’. My conscience—which I had come to picture as a Jiminy Cricket version of Celeste—was screaming at me for talking to Marla like this, but my rage was drowning it out.
“Where. Is. She?” The glare I served was intended for someone else, but Marla was the only one available.
Her jaw popped open as her eyebrows receded under her bangs. Yeah, my audacity was surprising me, too, Marla. She came out from behind the counter and yanked on my elbow so that I was forced to follow her over to the corner of the restaurant, away from the other patrons who were looking on with unabashed interest.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here, Wes, but it ain’t gonna get you what you want!” Marla whisper-shouted at me.
I rolled my eyes and looked away from her. At that moment, I’d look at just about anything if it meant I didn’t have to see her disappointment at my behavior. Jutting out a hip, I folded my arms across my chest and huffed out a long breath. The lie I was about to deliver already tasted sour in my mouth. “I don’t really care what you think, Ms. Marla,” I ground out. “Where is Celeste? That bitch is keeping her from me!”
Marla’s body visibly softened, enough so that I dared to look her in the eye. Her look of pity was so reminiscent of all my old shrinks back in Atlanta that I turned and slammed a fist on the counter just to let out a fraction of the wrath overtaking my common sense. From the corner of my eye, Marla startled at my outburst, one hand clutching her chest.
Pacing like a caged bull, I didn’t offer her an apology, only an explanation. It was hard enough to admit the thoughts out loud that my voice broke at the end. “Desiree found me in bed with Celeste. I swear on my life that nothing happened! We just fell asleep! But Desiree flipped her lid and swore she was gonna keep us apart, and now I haven’t been able to get ahold of Celeste all day. Something’s wrong, Marla, I can feel it.”
She frowned at me. “It’s never okay to speak about an adult like this, Wesley. Doug would be downright insulted to hear you talk about his future wife that way! Just because you got in trouble doesn’t give you permission to carry on like you’re a king! However…given the circumstances…” Marla trailed off and noisily cleared her throat. It was then I noticed her eyes were welling with tears and I felt like the world’s biggest douchebag. I never wanted to make Marla cry.
It brought me up short. “I’m sorry, Marla!” I said in a panic. “Please don’t cry!”
She shook her head as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “It’s not you,” she replied tearfully. “Doug has been in the hospital since yesterday morning. Celeste is still there right now.”
The rest of the world faded to black in that moment. It was sad that Mr. Hendricks was sick, I admit, but it didn’t hold a candle in comparison to what I knew Celeste had to be feeling. She needed me, and that was the only thing I could focus on right now.
“What hospital are they at?” I demanded, my voice thin and tight like even that was stretched to my breaking point. So much rage swirled beneath the surface that I might detonate like a bomb.
“Smithson County General,” Marla said. “You should know, it’s…it’s where Rachel died.”
I let out a bellow of frustration as I turned on my heel to storm out of the restaurant. Someone should have told me the minute Celeste had to step foot back in that building. Nothing good could ever come from her reliving that trauma. Everyone around us might be adult in age, but they were infants in maturity and understanding when it came to that girl.
Aunt Shirley might not be willing to take me since it was the first day of school, but I would charge whatever an Uber driver requested on my dad’s credit card if it meant they got me to the hospital.
It took me less than half the time it normally did for me to storm inside Shirley’s house. She popped up from her recliner in alarm. I must have been terrifying because she drew back from me with a gasp.
“Wesley! What’s happened?”
“I need a ride to the hospital. Now,” I added pointedly. “If you don’t take me, I’ll find another way to get there.”
“But why? Are you hurt?” She squinted as she checked my body for open wounds or visible bones.
I shook my head. “Celeste is, so I need to go. Right now!”
Aunt Shirley jumped again at how loudly I cried out the last part, but she immediately grabbed her old purse and car keys from their table by the front door. I followed her outside and dove into the passenger seat behind her. The downside to her transportation was that Aunt Shirley could barely handle driving the speed limit and frequently had cars go around her because she was so slow, but I needed that extra couple minutes to get a grip on my feelings. While Celeste would be glad to see me, she wouldn’t take too kindly to a rage-induced outburst.
That didn’t stop my head from sending me horrible ideas at lightning speed the entire drive there. Images of Celeste huddled and scared in the corner of a hospital room. Montages of her crying next to her dad’s bed. I was sure Desiree was there, too, meaning Celeste probably had to deal with her nastiness in addition to worrying over her dad. However, I made her dad a promise yesterday, and I intended to keep it.
When Aunt Shirley pulled up in front of the hospital, I didn’t even wait for her to stop before I was barreling out and through the glass doors. A receptionist at the desk raised her eyebrows at me when I yelled, “Doug Hendricks’ room, now!”
The smiling ducks on her shirt mocked me, their cartoon eyes bright and cheerful. Who wore ducks as a grown woman anyway? Her name badge was partially covered by a lumpy sweater that looked to be two sizes too big.
“Sir, that’s not how we do things at this hospital,” she said firmly. “You don’t get to yell at any of our staff.”
I rolled my eyes and plastered on a fake smile that was probably equal parts smile and sneer. “I need to know which room Doug Hendricks is in.”
“Are you family?”
I blinked at her like she was an idiot. Which she was. “I’m his daughter’s boyfriend. She needs me.”
The woman’s entire disposition changed and she gripped her hands to her chest while making gooey eyes at me. I drew back in disgust as she cooed, “Aww! That’s absolutely adorable!”
“Yeah, call it whatever you want, lady, I just need to know where she is.” My irritation was spiraling.
She gave me a saccharine smile that she must have stolen straight from the HR training video on difficult patients. “I’m sorry, I can’t give you that information. Family only.”
Both of my hands smacked the counter at the same time, startling her and wiping the sadistic smile off her face. “Did you not hear me? I am dating his daughter! I am family! Where is the room?!” My voice echoed off the walls, making more than one person stop and stare.
The lady’s eyes were about to pop out of her head if they got any wider. “Sir, I need you to keep your voice down or security will have to be called.”
“So call ‘em! Hell, call the damn hospital director and let them know that the Madden Enterprises will be making a generous donation as long as you tell me where my fucking girlfriend is!”
The woman opened her mouth to give me another de-escalation tactic before a tiny, fragile voice cut through them all.
“Wes?” Celeste’s eyes were rimmed with red and entirely gaunt in her face. She was holding a paper coffee cup and looking at me in a way that said she wasn’t sure if I was corporeal or a hallucination. There were several feet between us as she stood off to my left in a lobby area of sorts, but I crossed the distance in two strides to scoop her up into my arms. Only once I could feel her arms wrap around my neck did the vice grip of rage loosen on my heart. Now everything was right with the world again. And if I needed to call the damn Georgia Surgeon General myself to oversee Mr. Hendricks’ care and ease a bit of the tension I could feel in Celeste’s tiny frame right now, I would do so happily.
Drawing back, I gently kissed her forehead and took the hand not holding coffee in my own. “What’s going on, Celeste? I’ve been calling you all night, scared out of my mind. Marla told me y’all were here.”
She nodded, but the halfway vacant expression didn’t leave. “Yes, Daddy’s sick.” She began walking slowly towards the elevators, pulling her hand from mine to grip the coffee cup tighter.
Okay, what the fuck was going on? Celeste never dropped my hand. The situation must be a lot worse than I thought.
“Sir, you need a visitor badge—” Happy Duck Lady called out from behind the receptionist desk.
“Yeah, thanks for the offer. Catch you next time!” I snapped back, rushing to catch up with Celeste.
She moved as if in a daze, waiting for the full elevator to evacuate passengers before getting on and pressing for the sixth floor. Her eyes were staring off into space and it was then that I noticed her wrinkly clothes and messy hair, indicating she had, in fact, been here all night. I wondered if I could give Marla enough of an apology over the phone that she’d run fresh clothes and toiletries out here.
“Celeste, please tell me what’s going on.” I hated the pleading tone in my voice, but this was beyond my range of comprehension. Celeste was always smiling and full of life. I didn’t know how to interpret this shell of herself.
“Um…it might be easier for Nana to explain,” she offered. “I’m not sure I totally understand yet myself.”
Shit. That couldn’t be a good sign.
On the sixth floor, we found Nana in a small lobby area near the elevators. Celeste handed her the cup of coffee, which she accepted with a wane smile. She didn’t say a word against my presence, only nodded to me in greeting.
Celeste sat down in a hard chair on her left, but I kneeled down in front of Nana and tried my best to keep my face kind. “Can you tell me what happened? Celeste didn’t know how to explain.”
Nana sniffled. “They think Doug may have a brain tumor. Their imaging isn’t too great here, so they’re seeing about sending him to the bigger hospital in Savannah, I think. It all sounds expensive and scary.” She absentmindedly rubbed Celeste’s knee and offered her a small smile of reassurance, as if any could be found.
Expensive and scary, huh? I could fix that. Without a word, I stood up to kiss Celeste on the forehead and went out into the hall towards the bathrooms I spotted in an alcove opposite the elevators. The men’s room was empty, not that I gave a shit, but then again, Mr. Hendricks wouldn’t want anyone to know what I was about to do.
“Phillip,” I barked out as soon as I heard the line click. “I need you to make arrangements for a patient named Doug Hendricks to be moved to Emory University Hospital. I want the best doctors they have. Pay them to give all their other patients to someone else. Mr. Hendricks is the only one they care about until he’s better, understand?”
He sighed on the other end of the line. “Your father isn’t going to like this, Wesley.”
I snorted. “My father isn’t even going to notice, but nice try on the guilt trip. Just make it happen. I want transportation arrangements from Smithson County General to Emory within the hour. Oh, and we’ll need the jet to get his family up there, too.”
“Gee, anything else?” The sarcasm in his voice made me want to throttle him.
“Yes, they’ll need a VIP suite at the closest hotel to the hospital. Anything they want or need. This is important to me, Phillip.” The gravity of the situation finally hit me and I choked up a bit on his name, trying to hold back what felt like tears. I hadn’t cried since the Fourth of July when I shared my first kiss with Celeste.
His sigh this time was a bit softer, as if he actually cared about my feelings. “I’ll make it happen, but Wes, I can only keep your dad out of the loop for so long. I can’t throw his name around without it getting back to him.”
“Yeah, well, when have I ever asked for anything?” I argued. “I’ll be coming with the Hendricks family, so he can tell me off in person. That oughta make it worth his while.”
Phillip snorted and tried to cover it up as a cough. “The jet is on its way to the Savannah airport now to pick everyone up. I’ll text you info on Emory within the next 30 minutes.”
“Good.” I didn’t bother thanking him as I hung up.
Out in the waiting room, Celeste was still sitting next to Nana, her eyes glossy and vacant. I squatted down in front of her, gently cupping her cheek to force her to look at me.
“Hey, Lovebug,” I whispered with a soft smile. “I’m gonna take care of this, okay? Your dad is gonna get through this, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
This was enough to finally get through to her and she returned my smile with a watery one of her own. She looped her arms around my neck, taking a deep inhale against my shaggy hair, and whispered, “I love you.”
My sap of a heart melted at those three little words. It meant something when they came from Celeste’s lips. She said them with conviction, like every fiber of her being believed in their absolute truth. I would drain every penny from my dad’s bank account if it meant I could show her just how much I loved her in return.
“Come on, let’s go see your dad and let him know he’s gonna be moved.” I laced my fingers through hers and pulled her up beside me. From the corner of my eye, I swore I saw Nana grin at the sight of our hands, but she dropped it too quickly for me to be sure.
“Am I invited, too?” Nana quipped.
I held out my other arm for her. “You get my best side,” I offered.
The three of us went down the hall towards what must have been Mr. Hendricks’ room. Desiree and her two kids were inside, Hillary perking up and fluffing her hair as soon as she saw me. Mr. Hendricks was sitting up in bed, with a wire looped into his nose to help him breathe, and an IV plugged into his right elbow. A doctor stood on the other side of his bed, who glanced at us briefly before turning back to Desiree. She looked flustered and angry.
“I don’t understand!” she whined. Actually whined, like a damn toddler. Jesus take the wheel because my patience left the car. “What do you mean ‘there’s been a change in plans’? Why isn’t he being sent to Savannah?”
“Because I want the best care possible for Mr. Hendricks and that ain’t gonna happen in Savannah,” I interrupted snidely. Unlooping my arm from Nana, I held out my hand to the doctor instead. “I’m Wesley Madden, Benedict Madden’s son.”
The doctor’s eyes widened in surprise and he vigorously shook my hand. “Please thank your father for his generosity to our hospital. All of Mr. Hendricks’ files have already been sent to Emory. The helicopter should be here shortly for transport.”
I smirked at the gaping hole Desiree’s mouth made as her jaw dropped. Her shock quickly morphed into something else, a mix of jealousy, anger, and resentment. She regained her composure enough to smooth back Mr. Hendricks hair.
“Wesley, you did this?” Mr. Hendricks asked.
Leveling him with a look, I replied, “I keep my promises, sir.”
Realization dawned and Mr. Hendricks nodded slowly. “Thank you, Wes. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to thank your dad, too. I don’t mean to be so much trouble.”
“Of course you’re not any trouble, darling!” Desiree cooed, mussing the pillows behind him. “Everyone wants to take care of you!”
The doctor looked uncomfortable as he shuffled on his feet. “Well, I’ll send the nurse in with the paperwork to sign off on the transfer. The paramedical flight staff should be here shortly to prep you. I assume other transportation arrangements have been made for family?” A glance to Desiree and then to me left the room in an awkward silence.
If there was a perfect moment to exemplify just how much Celeste Renee Hendricks changed me as a person, this was it. Every bone in my body wanted to drop Desiree like a bad habit and let her fend for herself. She didn’t deserve to fly on my father’s private jet, nor receive any of the accommodations Phillip made at what was sure to be a five star hotel suite. I wanted nothing more than to throw in her face the fact that I had the money and means to take care of Mr. Hendricks while pampering Celeste in the process. The idea of Desiree cursing my name as Celeste, her nana, and I drove off in a sleek car that left her in the dust sent physical jolts of joy to my chest.
But as I looked down at Celeste’s sweet face, her eyes brimming with hope and tears, I knew I couldn’t do that to her. As much as I wanted to drop Desiree and her annoying daughter into a twelve foot pit filled with venomous spiders, Mr. Hendricks chose to make her part of his family. And that meant Celeste considered them family, too.
My jaw clenched together as the two sides of my brain warred with each other, all while keeping my eyes on Celeste. She must have read the change in my expression when one side finally gave in to the other because she offered me a grateful smile as she assured the doctor, “Yes, travel arrangements are made.”
Was it my fault if I gave Desiree a smug smirk afterwards? Yeah, probably.
The doctor nodded as though everything was settled and swept from the room, clipboard in hand. Tension wove through the space for a moment. Hillary’s eyes were growing wider by the second, darting back and forth between her mother and me in abject horror. It was sickening how she didn’t even try to hide her crush. Why were teenage girls always so desperate?
Now, though, all of my attention needed to be on my girlfriend. She looked nearly dead on her feet and even though she would always remind me of an angel, the heavy bags under Celeste’s eyes and messy hair couldn’t be a good sign. I would make her take a nap on the plane, but for now we could at least run out to her house so she could grab a quick shower and some clothes. Nana, too.
“Mr. Hendricks,” I said, letting go of Celeste’s hand to step closer to his bedside, “I’m going to take Nana and Celeste home to get ready for the trip to Atlanta. We’ll meet you at Emory after you arrive. Have a safe flight, okay? I’ve got our girl.”
Doug’s face brightened with a wane smile. “Thank you so much, Wesley. This takes a real load off my shoulders.” He tried to shake my hand, but his grip felt weak in mine where the effort to do so taxed him.
“Be sure to thank your father for us, too,” Desiree cut in, her voice hard as nails. “After all, he is the one footing the bill for all this, right?” A heavily manicured eyebrow arched in challenge.
Bitch, I thought.
Celeste stepped up to take my place at her daddy’s bedside. “I love you, Daddy,” she croaked in a whisper. Tears were cascading down her cheeks again, though she tried to brush them away. “You’re gonna get better, okay? I just know it!”
He pulled her hand up and placed a soft kiss on top. “From your mouth to God’s ears, sugar bee!”
Nana stepped up to say her goodbyes, so I used that as a reason to grab Celeste’s hand again and steer her out into the hallway. Hillary’s voice echoed behind me in a panicked whimper, “Mother, I thought you said she had to stay away from him!”
Loud clacking heels sounded behind me as we whirled around to face an incensed Desiree. “You two won’t go anywhere without a chaperone and Hillary!” she snarled.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Celeste visibly wilt as Desiree’s words were enough to squeeze the air out of her. My rage boiled over. Rather than cracking her across her makeup-caked face, however, I rocked back on my heels and poked my tongue out through my cheek as I sized her up.
“So you’re willing to let your daughter—who is no blood relation of Mr. Hendricks’ at all,” I emphasized the last two words in case my point didn’t come across, “miss her first few days of school because of his illness? What makes you think the school board will allow that?”
Desiree’s nostrils flared as her skin grew blotchy. “You two?—”
“—Have both had to make up schoolwork for things like this before and have special arrangements in place with the superintendent,” I finished smoothly. “He won’t bat an eyelash to our request. But for Hillary to do that for a man her mother isn’t even married to yet…” I let my voice trail off, wincing for effect. “People are definitely gonna talk. And the rumors won’t be pretty. What if the rumors get to the judges of her next pageant?”
I was a dead man, that much was obvious on that hateful witch’s face. An angry flush coated her face and neck, and her glare made me think of Medusa. She pointed a long, manicured nail in my face and opened her mouth to deliver another weak threat when Nana came out of the room and joined us at Desiree’s side.
“Now, what’s all this?” Nana asked. Her gaze locked on me as if she already knew I was the culprit.
This was my saving grace, however. I gave Nana and Desiree both a cocky smile, drawing Celeste’s and my clasped hands up across my chest. “Nothing. Celeste and I were just making our way to the car. See you soon, Ms. Stanbrooke.”
Once again steering Celeste away, we both power walked to the elevators as fast as was socially acceptable. Nana stayed to talk to a screeching Desiree, so we were able to get in the elevator car without anyone else. Celeste let out a boom of raucous glee the moment the doors closed behind us, then slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Wesley Carter Madden, you are evil!” Her peals of laughter filled the space and I willed myself to commit the sound to memory. A grin spread across my face as I pulled her to my chest, wrapping my arms around her waist and burying my head in her hair. She sighed in contentment as her arms folded around my neck. It was probably the first time she had been able to let go of her fear in the past 24 hours. I wanted to always be the reason she could let go of her heavy feelings. To always be the one she could hold onto with a deep sigh because I was her anchor in the storm. That’s what loving her felt like for me.
“We’ll get through this,” I promised her, pulling back enough to kiss her forehead.
Instantly, her smile melted into a frown and I internally kicked my own ass for spoiling the moment. I pulled her closer to me, one hand gently rubbing her back. The tension in her body softened and by the time the elevator landed on the ground floor, Celeste appeared more relaxed. We walked hand in hand out to the parking lot, pausing only so I could wave at Happy Duck Lady scowling at me from reception.
All I wanted to do was make everything better for Celeste. The helpless feeling was foreign to me; for so long, all I had to do was smile and be present—Celeste was simple like that. A million times better and easier than someone as high maintenance as Hillary. But a serious illness wasn’t something I could solve for her by my presence alone. Hell, I didn’t even have the right words to say because this wasn’t something I had ever experienced before. It wasn’t right that the Universe would make someone like Celeste suffer twice with a deathly sick parent, but then again, you can’t always escape bad luck. If she was going to have to go through this again, the only thing I could do was make sure she didn’t have to go through it alone. And I would damn sure get her father the best medical care my family had access to because Celeste and I both needed Mr. Hendricks around for a good long while yet.