Chapter Seventeen
Catherine
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O NCE AGAIN, MY KNEES buckled as the doctor spoke. I barely heard the words. I tuned out after he said my father was in recovery. Recovery. That was the word I hung on to. Recovery meant he was getting better. He was going to be okay.
“Catherine?” Timothy’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“Yes? What?”
“Do you have any questions?”
I felt a little silly because I had a million questions. Questions the doctor had probably already answered while I was spacing out. “Can I see him?” I asked.
“It’ll be about twenty minutes. We’ll be moving him into his room. He’s likely to be asleep for a while, but that’s a good thing. We want him to rest.”
“But he’ll be okay?” I asked.
“The surgery went well,” the doctor assured us. “It wasn’t anything major, but he will need to remain in recovery for a while. He’s going to need to make some changes.”
“His diet?” I asked.
The doctor chuckled. “Among other things. He’ll need to follow up with his regular doctor more often. We need to keep an eye on things, but I don’t foresee any issues with his recovery.”
“Thank you,” I said with fresh tears streaming down my cheeks.
“You’re welcome. Sit tight. Someone will page you when you can see him.”
He turned and walked away, off to save another life. My shoulders dropped with the huge weight removed. Timothy hugged me once again. “He’s going to be okay. While we’re waiting, let’s get you something to drink. You should probably splash some water on your face. You don’t want your dad waking up and stressing out when he sees how stressed out you are.”
“Oh gosh,” I gasped. “You’re right. I wish I had brought my purse. I don’t have any makeup.”
“I’ll call Paisley,” he said. “They can stop at the store and pick up whatever you need.”
I quickly gave him a list of just some basic things. I was not going to contribute to my dad’s stress level. I had to look calm and chill. Fortunately, Paisley and Luke arrived a short time later. I put on a little makeup, doing my best to hide my puffy eyes and red nose.
Finally, after nearly an hour, I was finally given the all-clear to visit him. “Do you want me to come with you?” Timothy asked.
“I’ll be okay,” I said.
“We’ll be here,” he assured me. “Just text if you need anything.”
“Once he’s awake, I’ll see if he’s ready for visitors.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Luke said. “We just want to be here.”
I gave him a hug and then Paisley. Timothy walked me down the hall and then left me to see my father on my own. When I walked into the room, a nurse was moving around without making a sound. She smiled at me.
“Are you his daughter?”
“Yes. Catherine.”
“I’ll be checking on him frequently, but don’t worry. I’m just keeping an eye on things.”
“How is he?” I asked.
“He’s resting.” She smiled.
I sat at my dad’s bedside, watching over him as he lay unconscious. The doctor assured me he was going to be okay, but until he opened his eyes and talked to me, I was going to have a hard time believing it. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him, of facing a future without his guidance and support. I had so much more to learn from him. I kicked myself for not spending more time with him. I’d never really thought this was something that could happen. Obviously, it was inevitable eventually, but I’d believed I had so much more time.
I wasn’t sure how long I had sat beside him, thinking about all the things I still wanted to say to him and do with him. My dad began to stir, his eyelids fluttering open as he slowly regained consciousness. A surge of relief washed over me. I reached out to grasp his hand, squeezing it tightly in mine.
“Dad,” I whispered, my voice trembling with emotion. “You’re awake. I’m here, just take it easy.”
He smiled weakly up at me, his eyes filled with love and affection. “Hey, kiddo,” he murmured, his voice hoarse from the anesthesia. “How’s my little troublemaker?”
I chuckled through tears at his words, the sound a mixture of relief and joy. “I’m okay, Dad,” I replied, my voice choked with emotion. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
He squeezed my hand gently, his gaze filled with gratitude. “Maybe you were right about those burgers and fries and soda,” he said with a wry smile. “Guess I’ll have to start eating healthier from now on.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his comment, the tension of the past few hours finally starting to ease. “Yeah, maybe you should,” I teased, my voice laced with affection. “I guarantee you will be eating differently.”
“No more takeout and junk food.”
I smiled at him, my heart swelling with love and relief. “Deal,” I whispered, bending down to plant a soft kiss on his forehead. He closed his eyes at that, a content smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Before long, the doctor came back to check on him. He looked me over before turning to Dad. “Well, Mr. Jacobsen, you gave your daughter quite a scare.”
Dad chuckled weakly, wincing before smiling. “Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson. I have no plans to do that again.”
He fell back to sleep a short time later. I checked in with Timothy, Luke, and Paisley and let them know I was going to be staying the night. I encouraged them to go home. “I’ll be back in the morning,” Timothy promised. “Tell John we’re all thinking about him.”
“I will. Thank you guys for being here. Tomorrow he’ll be up for visitors.”
I went back to his room to keep up my vigil. I trusted the doctors, but I had to be there. I had to keep an eye on him. The nurses were probably sick of me and my questions. I wanted to know what every medicine and machine was doing. I had become a hawk watching the numbers on the monitors. I felt like I was ready to take whatever test needed to be a doctor. At some point, I dozed off. The steady beeping and the constant pages over the intercom actually became soothing.
The next morning, I was awakened by a soft kiss on the forehead. It didn’t startle me because I recognized the touch and the smell of the man the lips belonged to. I opened my eyes and smiled. “Good morning.”
My dad was sitting up in bed smiling as well. I frowned. “How long have you been up?” I asked him. “You didn’t wake me?”
“You were sleeping so soundly,” Dad said. “I told the nurse to let you sleep.”
A nervous-looking Paisley was standing in the corner, her eyes wide with apprehension. “Hi, Paisley.”
“Hi. I can wait in the waiting room.”
“Stay,” Dad said. “I think it’s probably about time I got to know you a little better.”
I got up from my chair and stretched. “You can sit here,” I said. “I need to use the restroom.”
“I brought you a bag,” Timothy said.
I smiled gratefully at him, feeling a rush of warmth at his thoughtful gesture. “Thank you, Timothy,” I replied, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “That’s really sweet of you.”
“Go get some coffee and breakfast,” Dad said softly, his voice still weak. “Me and Paisley will chat.”
Timothy and I walked out of the room. “How are you doing?” Timothy asked.
“Good. He did great all night. He looks a lot better this morning, right?”
“He does,” he agreed. “But now we need to take care of you. I brought you a change of clothes, toothpaste and what not. I can rent a hotel room if you want to shower. My apartment is a little far, but we can go up there as well.”
“Did you and Paisley stay at your apartment last night?”
“We did.” He nodded.
Twenty minutes later, I felt almost human as I ate a bowl of fresh fruit and downed some strong coffee. We went back upstairs to my dad’s room and stopped outside the door. Paisley was telling my dad all about the boarding school and how excited she was to be back in the States.
“Should we give them a minute?” Timothy whispered.
I nodded. We quietly walked down to the waiting room. “You know, she doesn’t have any grandparents,” Timothy said. “She asked if you and I got married if John would be her grandfather since I’m not really her dad.”
I smiled, my heart warming. “He would love to be her grandfather, marriage or not.”
“I told her I had a feeling John would be happy to welcome her into the family.”
“Absolutely.” I nodded. “What happened yesterday anyway? Was the heart attack because you told him I was moving in?”
He shook his head. “No. I never got to it. When I got to the shop, I noticed he was a little gray. Luke pulled in a minute later and said John had been under the weather the last couple of days. We went outside to talk. When I walked back in, he just collapsed.”
My heart lurched at the thought of my dad collapsing. “I’m so glad you were there,” I said. “If he had been alone—”
I couldn’t finish the thought.
“Hey, it’s okay. The doctor said he’ll recover.” He took my hand and gently squeezed. “Your dad is a tough guy, Catherine. He’ll pull through this.”
I smiled gratefully at him, feeling a rush of warmth at his words. “I hope so,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“You’ve got time,” he said.
“The doctor said he’ll be able to go home in a few days,” I said. “Doesn’t that seem too soon?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure the doctor knows what he’s doing.”
“I’ve been thinking, once my dad is discharged from the hospital, I think it would be best if I move him into my house for a while. I need to take care of him. It’s going to be a while before he’s back on his feet. I’ll have to put off moving in with you for a bit. I’m sorry.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern. “I mean, are you going to be able to handle taking care of him on your own? I can hire a nurse for him.”
“No, no.” I shook my head. “He would never accept that. It’s going to be hard enough with me hovering over him.”
“Just let me know what I can do to help, okay?”
I felt a rush of gratitude wash over me at his words. “Thank you, Timothy,” I whispered, leaning into his touch. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
His smile widened at my words, his gaze filled with warmth. “You don’t have to thank me, Catherine,” he replied. “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”
“You’re not mad that I can’t move in right away?” I asked.
“Not at all,” Timothy assured me, his eyes filled with kindness. “Making sure your dad recovers is the most important thing right now.”
I knew in my heart that this was the right choice for my dad, but I had been so worried about disappointing Timothy. Things between us were so good, I didn’t want to risk it.
“Thank you for understanding,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.
He pulled me into a comforting embrace, saying nothing. After a few moments, we went back to my dad’s room. Paisley was still chatting away, her youthful energy filling the room with much-needed cheer, but I could see my dad was getting tired. Timothy picked up on it as well.
“Paisley, let’s go for a walk,” Timothy said.
“She’s a good kid,” Dad said. “You’ve done a good job with her. She reminds me of Catherine at that age.”
Paisley’s face lit up. “I’ll see you later, Grandpa.”
Both Timothy and I jerked back, eyes wide.
Paisley giggled. “He said it was inevitable and I may as well get used to calling him Grandpa.”
I looked at my dad, who offered a weak smile. “I’m old with half a heart, but I’m not blind.”