Chapter 28 #2
He was so damned happy to see her.
“How’re you feeling?” his mom asked, her face pinched with concern.
“Fine. Just groggy from the drugs.” He returned his gaze to Emma, unable to look anywhere but at her when he’d been missing her so much since leaving her three long days ago. “I can’t believe you’re here. Where’s Simone?”
“In school at the moment, and then hanging out with my dad for the weekend.”
“We’ve got the whole weekend?” Grayson asked, feeling better by the minute to know she was there for a few days.
“We sure do.”
“My own private-duty nurse,” he said with a teasing smile, loving the way her face lit up with embarrassment.
“Not in front of your mother,” she said sternly.
“Yes, Grayson,” Hannah said with unusual amusement. “Not in front of your mother.”
Eager to be alone with her, he gave Emma’s hand a squeeze and said to the nurse, “When can I get out of here?”
They released him at five o’clock with orders to stay local until his follow-up appointment Tuesday morning, when he would hopefully be cleared to resume normal activities. Emma drove him to his aunt and uncle’s lakeside home, where they would spend the weekend taking it easy as directed.
Since he was in good hands with Emma, his mother had gone home to Butler with promises to check in later.
Emma was glad to have him all to herself for a few days.
She was due to fly home Sunday night, but that was forty-eight hours from now, and she planned to enjoy every second of the time they had together.
“Is it wishful thinking or have you and my mom had some sort of breakthrough?” he asked on the short ride to the house.
“We had a good talk in the waiting room. I think we’re on the same page now.”
“And what page is that?”
“The we-love-Grayson-and-want-the-best-for-him page.”
“You told her you love me?”
She glanced over at him. “I figured it couldn’t hurt my case for her to know that.”
A smile lit up his handsome face. “Well played, my love. You handled her just right.”
“I hoped so. I think it meant a lot to her that I came up to be with you.”
“It means a lot to both of us.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.
She tugged at her hand, but he didn’t let go. “Don’t do that while I’m driving. I hardly ever drive, and I don’t need any distractions.”
“I should’ve asked if you had a license before I let you drive my car.”
“I have one, but it rarely gets used in the city.”
He directed her to the Abbotts’ home, which was off a dirt road that led right to the shore of the vast lake.
“This is beautiful,” Emma said when she brought the car to a stop in the driveway.
“Isn’t it? I love it here. It was a foreclosure sale years ago, and my aunt and uncle jumped on it. Lots of good times at the lake since then. This is where Hannah and Nolan got married last summer.”
Emma got out of the car and went around to the passenger side to help him out. As the day had gone on, he’d had some pain in his lower back.
With her arm around him, he walked slowly toward the door and landed on the sofa in the living room, grimacing as his back made contact with the cushion.
“I’ll get you a pain pill,” she said, heading for the kitchen to get him some water.
He gratefully took the pill from her and washed it down, closing his eyes against the gnawing ache in his back. It was exactly what he’d been told to expect and wasn’t so bad that he couldn't handle it, but bad enough that he wasn’t about to say no to taking the edge off.
“What else can I do for you?” Emma asked.
He held out his arms to her. “Come lie with me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’ll hurt me more if you don’t.”
What could she say to that? She curled up to him on the sofa, putting her arm across his waist as he wrapped both of his around her.
“This day turned out way better than expected. I thought I’d have to spend a long boring weekend here by myself.”
“Good surprise?”
“The best. But I have to remember you’ve got this sneaky side to you. I talked to you this morning, and you never told me you were on your way.”
She laughed. “I was already at LaGuardia when I talked to you.”
“Very sneaky.”
“You’ll discover that’s about the extent of my sneakiness.”
“It means so much to me that you came, that you took time off work, that you had to arrange coverage for Simone, that—”
Emma kissed him. “I couldn’t stay away.”
He cupped her face and kissed her back. “Love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you, too. I’m so glad this is over and done with for you.”
“So am I.”
“Close your eyes and get some rest.”
“Only if you stay right here with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He released a deep breath and tightened his hold on her before dozing off.
Emma didn’t expect to sleep, but the late nights on the phone with him and the early morning trek to the airport had her closing her eyes.
His ringing cell phone interrupted their nap.
He woke with a groan and released Emma so she could retrieve the phone from his coat pocket.
She handed it to him.
“I don’t recognize the number. Probably the hospital checking on me.” He took the call and then went totally still. “Yes, it’s me.”
Emma sat next to him, wondering who was on the phone.
He took hold of her hand and mouthed the words my father to her. “It was no big deal,” he said. “I hope it helps.”
Emma could barely breathe as she held his hand.
He tipped the phone so she could hear both sides of the conversation.
She heard his father say “more than I deserve.” On that they agreed.
“I just wanted to say thank you, Grayson,” his father said. “Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome. I’m going to go. Take care.”
“You, too, son.”
Grayson put the phone on the coffee table. “That’s the first time I’ve talked to him in nearly twenty years.”
Emma leaned her head on his shoulder, wishing there was something she could say or do to provide comfort.
“He sounds exactly the same. The doctors told me he’s going through an intensive round of chemo ahead of the transplant next week.” He gazed down at her. “I’m really glad you’re here. If he’d called me when I was alone, that might’ve taken me back to a time and place I never want to visit again.”
“You did the right thing today, and now you should put it all behind you and look forward, not back.”
“I like the view in front of me,” he said, smiling at her. “I like it very much.”