Chapter Thirty-One
“Losing someone you love can cause you to take a hard look at yourself and your choices. Hopefully, you like what you see.” - Miss Know-It-All’s Gossip Column.
Gracie stepped off the plane first, and Eric watched the way she quickly marched away from him once they hit the pavement. Eric almost reminded her that they had ridden together, but decided it was better just to keep his mouth shut.
She’d slept somewhere else last night, and he’d actually been surprised to see her for the flight home this morning. When he mentioned this, she’d just put in here earbuds and said, “I couldn’t get a flight home last night.”
He turned on his cell phone as they waited for their luggage. Her sparkly pink case came out first, and she was out the door before him.
He clenched his jaw, wishing she could see that although there was some truth to his book, it was fiction. It was a fun way to vent his frustrations at the world around him and entertain people. What the hell was wrong with that?
Eric walked outside to find Gracie waiting on the curb. His phone went off with a thousand notifications, and he pulled it out of his pocket as he stopped next to her.
“The car is that way,” he said, pointing.
“I’m waiting for Mike to pick me up.”
Of course she had called her knight in shining armor. He tapped on his voice mail, and the first message made him stumble as he stepped off the curb.
“Gee, you walk much?”
He ignored the jibe and turned around with his phone still in hand.
“Mike’s not coming, Gracie.”
She gave him a hostile look. “What are you talking about? He told me last night—”
“Mike’s not coming because he was in a car wreck last night.”
Gracie paled. “Is he—”
“He’s alive, but pretty banged up with a broken arm.”
“Thank God for that.”
“There’s more,” Eric said. He watched her brace herself and wished he had the right to hold her right now. “They took Gemma in for an emergency C-section last night. It’s why Mike was on the slippery roads.”
Her voice was so soft he almost didn’t hear her. “How is she?”
“She had a seizure, and they kicked Travis out of the room. That’s all he said—”
Gracie stepped off the curb and ran, dragging her case behind her. Eric jogged after her, knowing she was freaking out and nothing he could say would make it better.
They drove to the hospital in silence, and when they finally got to the maternity wing, they were racing through the hallways until they came to a halt at the reception desk.
“Excuse me, but can you tell me if Gemma Bowers is all right?” Gracie asked.
The blonde nurse with the sunny smile asked sweetly, “Are you family?”
“She’s my best friend. We just got off the plane and had a message that she’d had a seizure, and I just want to know—
The nurse cut her off with a sympathetic smile and a shake of her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give out patient information. Let me see if I can get ahold of a family member, and they can come out and update you.”
Eric could sense Gracie was about to explode and stepped forward. “We appreciate it.”
“Go ahead and have a seat.”
Several moments ticked by, and Eric leaned over to whisper, “I know you’re pissed at me right now, but if you need me to hold your hand—”
“I don’t.”
“Fair enough.”
Travis came around the corner, and Gracie leapt to her feet. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine now. The doctors have her on a magnesium drip. She had eclampsia, but they said she’d be better now that the babies are out and she— ow ! Why did you hit me?”
Eric covered a smile with his hand, and Gracie wound up and smacked Travis on his arm again with a loud whack . “You do not leave a message that she had a seizure and then not give us an update! Do you have any idea how scared I was?”
“I left a second message on your phone, but I’ve been a little busy,” Travis said.
Gracie threw herself against Travis and broke into sobs. “I’m so glad she’s okay. Are the babies healthy?”
Travis looked up at Eric, who shrugged, conveying without words that he didn’t get the roller coaster of emotions either.
“Yeah, the girls are fine. They are in the NICU for observation.”
Eric watched Gracie pull away, wiping at her eyes. “Can I see Gemma first?”
“Sure, I’ll take you back. Eric—”
He stood up, and held his hand out to Travis. “It’s okay. I’m glad she’s all right, but I’ve got to get home. My parents have been watching my dog, and I don’t want to know how bad Grant screwed up while I was gone.”
Travis gave him a one armed hug. “Thanks for bringing her.”
“Yeah, sure. See you later, Gracie,” Eric said pointedly.
She nodded and turned on her heel, disappearing down the hall.
Travis raised one eyebrow. “Fun trip?”
“Oh yeah. Time of my life,” Eric said.
“Travis!” Gracie called from out of sight.
“I’ll text you later.”
Eric walked toward the elevator, and as the doors shut, he realized he’d never felt so alone.
* * *
Gracie sat beside Gemma’s hospital bed, a death grip on her hand and tears rolling down her cheeks.
“You scared me to death, damn you.”
Gemma’s face was completely leeched of color, but her smile was bright at least. “I’m sorry. To be fair, Travis scared you. You would have never known if he hadn’t panicked.”
“You don’t understand, I need you. I can’t imagine my future without you. I want us to be eighty-year-old bitches sitting on the front porch in rockers, yelling at the kids that run by. I want us to prank the other geezers in the nursing home.”
Gemma laughed weakly. “Charming.”
“So, no more freaking me out, because you just took twenty years off my life. Seriously, I think you turned my hair gray.”
Gemma pretended to search her hair. “I’m not seeing it. Have you been down to the NICU yet?”
“No, I wanted to check on you first.”
“I haven’t seen them yet. The nurse is supposed to come bytomorrowand take out this drip.” Gemma’s hazel eyes flooded, and she sniffled. “I haven’t even held or seen my babies yet.”
Gracie got up and hugged her, her heart breaking as her best friend fell apart in her arms.
“You’ll see them soon, and then you’re going to have them all to yourself. You just do what the doctors tell you.”
Gemma pulled away, wiping at her cheeks. “God, you’re so bossy.” Once she was dry, she added, “How are things with you? I want to hear all about your trip.”
“No, you don’t,” Gracie said.
Gemma frowned. “Why not?”
“’Cause it was pretty…catastrophic.”
Gemma’s gaze narrowed. “What did you do?”
“Why do you always blame me?” Gracie asked, avoiding her eyes.
“Because I know you!”
“Now, that’s insulting. I am a damn delight.”
“Tell me. Now.”
Gracie didn’t know how to explain what had happened without telling Gemma about the book, and for some reason, despite how pissed she was, she didn’t want to betray Eric. So, she fibbed a bit.
“He just said some pretty hurtful things about me…and although some of them might have been partially accurate, it still wasn’t right or fair.”
“If he was a jackass to you, then forget about him. You deserve someone who thinks you’re amazing.”
Gracie loved Gemma, and it was exactly the kind of thing she would have said to her if their roles were reversed. And yet…
“Actually, I think I deserve someone who sees me for who I am, warts and all, and loves me anyway.”
Gemma scrunched up her forehead, obviously confused. “Yes, but isn’t that what I basically said? You deserve someone who thinks the world of you.”
“Yes, but I’m not perfect, and I don’t want someone who thinks I am. That’s probably why I dump so many of my boyfriends, because they don’t see the real me.”
“Okay, I’m with you so far,” Gemma said.
“I just need to start being completely honest about who I am, and eventually, I’ll meet the right guy.”
“So things are definitely over with Eric?”
Even as her heart shattered in protest, Gracie gave a jerky nod. “Most definitely.”