Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It was astounding the difference one choice in a woman’s life could make. Erika felt as if she’d been peering at her world through a monochromatic mask or something prior to now, and somehow agreeing to go out with Cody had lifted it. The colors around her were brighter and more brilliant. The harsh edges of her existence softened.
Cody had been taking her out for various activities every weekend for the past four months. The two of them had adopted this routine with one another, yet it was anything but commonplace. They’d done everything from the traditional dinner and movie date to her introducing him to every restaurant in town. He’d called it his tour of Rocky Ridge.
“Gotta say,” he said. “Never expected this tiny town to have such an abundance of good eats.”
She didn’t know why, but it’d made Erika feel so pleased to hear this. As if Cody Stiers, new guy to the area, had given the place his stamp of approval precisely because she’d shown him some of the best parts of it.
So far, they’d been keeping to their own small slice of the universe, and she suspected it might have something to do with the last time they’d strayed from her hometown. She felt bad about their date to Billings, about how it’d ended. Maybe Cody hadn’t asked her to go anywhere else specifically because that memory had been tainted by how she’d treated him.
Maybe that was why when he informed her that his brother Boone had sent him three tickets to one of his NHL games happening during his son’s upcoming spring break, she felt surprised when Cody invited her.
“It’ll be a blast, trust me. And I need for you to meet Gabriel. He’s been asking about you.”
“He has?” Had Cody been talking about her to his son?
“All the time,” he chuckled. “The kid is basically dying to meet you.”
“Why?”
Now Cody shrugged. “Curiosity? See the poor woman desperate enough to date his old man, maybe?” She gaped at him, and he laughed out loud. “That was a joke, Erika. I’ve mentioned that you’re important to me. And since I haven’t dated someone since his mom who turned out to be important, I thought it was time you two meet.”
She’d smacked his arm at this, only to embrace him so she could conceal her secret smile at him confiding his feelings to her. Despite being far from a young schoolgirl anymore, Cody had this ability to make her feel as giddy as one.
Even better was the fact that being promoted at the pediatric office had gone more smoothly than she ever could’ve hoped. It shamed her to think this, but she’d anticipated a rough transition. Sure, Tim had claimed that he wanted to step back and share the responsibilities. He’d even sat down with her and an attorney and come up with a contract promising her forty percent of the ownership of the establishment.
But maybe due to his controlling ways when she’d first been a nurse there, deep down, she’d doubted that Tim had meant what he said. She kept thinking he’d renege on the deal or show up on the days he’d sworn to take off out of habit and a need to rule his domain.
Nothing had been further from the truth, though.
Not only had the physician kept to his word by only working four days a week after showing her the ropes of managing a business, he’d recently gone to only three days. His wife Amanda was now nearing the end of her third trimester, so soon, Erika would be taking over entirely for a few weeks as he took a long vacation.
She actually looked forward to it.
Over these months Tim had referred every single diabetic case to her. And since she’d made it known in medical circles throughout the region that type one diabetic care was her focus, she’d been receiving more and more referrals overall.
In a way, seeing to the needs of children with the condition was difficult. She couldn’t help but find echoes of Blake’s face in each of theirs. Kids who had to learn to prick their own fingers to monitor their blood sugars. Kids who had to constantly be aware of what they ate so that it didn’t throw their glucose levels either too high or too low. It made them have to grow up so much sooner than they should’ve had to.
Just like Blake had once had to.
But even those glimmers were overshadowed by the fact that she was doing everything in her power to treat the symptoms more effectively. And she was considering participating in a research fellowship later this year. It would be conducted by medical professionals along every inch of the food chain working to eliminate the disease. She wanted to be a part of that, to be on the cutting edge of whatever breakthroughs the field might be making.
She’d agreed to go with Cody to his brother’s hockey game despite still having a few reservations. They weren’t about Cody but herself. She enjoyed being with him and had begun to trust him. But she didn’t quite trust herself. She’d hurt him more than once, and she couldn’t stand to do it again.
That was part of the reason she’d said yes to traveling—flying—all the way to Denver, Colorado. She wanted to assure Cody that she was giving this relationship a fair shake. Part of it was also because while they’d been dating every weekend, she’d kept it limited to only those Saturdays and Sundays. Sure, her job kept her busy, but it was more than that. She’d been taking things slow with him, slower than she suspected Cody yearned for.
They’d share a kiss on occasion, but she always made certain they were in a relatively public place to avoid things becoming too intense. He had invited her over to his place more than once, and each time Erika declined.
But the time for that had ceased. It felt appropriate to give in to him a little more now. To loosen the reins.
And although Cody never mentioned the trip as being anything other than a good time, she knew it was more than that. That it was a test to see if they could stretch the boundaries of their fledgling relationship and still have it maintain its shape. Cody had been so patient with her, had asked for more but hadn’t pushed for it. Now, she’d demonstrate to him—and herself—that they could truly be a viable long-term couple.
Rarely had Erika flown, and that was why she felt so thankful that their flight out of Billings to Denver took over without incident. There wasn’t even any turbulence along the way, and Cody not only delighted in her having the window seat, he regaled her with stories of flying with a toddler when Gabe had been little.
“So, after spending the whole flight keeping him engaged in every quiet activity I can think of while being relegated to our seats, just as the plane is making its descent, he falls asleep.”
“Of course, he does,” she said, humor rolling through her. She might not be a mother herself but seeing to the health and welfare of kids had been the defining factor of her career.
“I can’t wait for you to meet him. Especially since his terrible twos are long behind him.”
“Me, too. And you’re not the only one who’s been through that. I’ve heard similar stories from my patient’s parents.”
“I bet.” His features became contemplative. “Ever think of having kids of your own?”
The pain that stabbed through her gut didn’t make her double over like it once had, but it was still there.
“Blake and I planned to have kids after having a couple of years to ourselves first.”
She spoke the words quietly, solemnly, but she managed to get them out. Erika felt immensely grateful when Cody dropped the subject.
“Ever been to a hockey game?” he asked.
She relaxed by a few degrees. “Never.”
“It’s quite the spectacle. Fast and wild. And occasionally violent. There’s been blood on the ice on more than one occasion when I’ve gone to a live game. Good that that sort of thing doesn’t bug you.”
Doctors and nurses—and nurse practitioners—didn’t work in the field if they couldn’t handle the sight of blood. But she wasn’t a fan of violence. Erika sincerely hoped this wouldn’t be like the time Blake had taken her to her first and only slasher flick at the theater.
It’d been a horror fest with jump scares and gratuitous gore. She’d hated it and made him swear he’d never ask her to go to such schlock again. He hooted with laughter at what he’d called her “oversensitive reaction,” and while this hadn’t led to a fight, she’d been annoyed at him.
Erika went still at the memory. She hadn’t thought about that for years and years. They’d both been so young back then, mere kids. The woman she’d become now would’ve made her displeasure known far more stridently given the same situation.
It shook her to think of her late husband like that. Usually, she didn’t allow anything negative about him to surface in her thoughts. It’d felt… disrespectful somehow. But Blake Cantrell had been flawed and human like everybody else. It was odd that she’d so thoroughly forgotten that. She continued to reflect on it as they deplaned and headed to the stadium where the game would be starting in less than an hour.
“Cutting it a little close, sorry,” Cody told her, but Erika was too dazzled by the size of the arena.
From the outside, it’d appeared as little more than this flattened dome with a white top, but once inside, it was a massive structure. She was glad the seating was dark navy blue. At least that broke up the glare from the ice and overhead lighting. Music reverberated through the place, and there was a chill in the air that she assumed must be coming from the rink itself.
Despite the game not having begun yet, the dull roar of having so many people in one space ricocheted through her brain. It was almost like experiencing sensory overload.
“This way.” He reached behind him for her hand, which she all too willingly let him have. She didn’t want to wind up lost. “Our seats are the best, right down by the plexiglass.”
Erika didn’t know exactly what that meant until Cody guided her to a spot with a close-up view of the action. No nosebleed seats for them. If it hadn’t been for the barrier, they could almost reach out and touch the players.
It was as they approached the already full row that a young man in his late teens twisted around, a huge smile extending from ear to ear. His hair was dark, but as Erika took in his features, she would’ve known who it was even if she hadn’t seen him in pictures. He was the spitting image of his dad and even his movements as he strode toward them were just like Cody’s.
“There you are,” Gabe hollered out, waving at them impatiently.
“My boy,” Cody shouted back at him, good-naturedly. She didn’t know if she’d ever witnessed this much glee on his face. “Gabe, Erika. Erika, Gabe,” he introduced them, but rather than being able to shake his hand, Cody collected them all up into a group hug. “I’m so glad you two are meeting at last.”
Gabriel cast her a long-suffering eyeroll, but it was just as good-natured as his father’s shout had been. She liked him instantly.
Although Cody kept trying to include her in their conversation, she felt absolutely content to sit back and watch the interaction between father and son. They had such a laidback banter with one another, a simple flow and shorthand to their language, that when the announcer’s voice came over the PA system, she actually wished she could’ve had a few more minutes just to listen to Cody and Gabriel catching up.
As the two teams—the Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche—had their roster of players announced, Cody and Gabe both whooped and cheered, especially when Cody’s brother Boone’s name boomed out over the speakers.
Erika joined them. She hadn’t attended a game in forever and had never been to a professional league game. It was fun to have someone in particular to root for.
Cody had mentioned the rules of hockey on the trip south, but it took observing it all happen in lightning-fast action for her to really understand the gist. Even then, she felt as if she had to scramble to keep up with the puck drop, all the speeding across the ice, and at the referee’s whistle, a penalty call. As one of the Avalanche players skated grumpily off the field of play, many people in the stadium booed.
Erika watched as the first and second periods zoomed by like a jet. Once Cody pointed out Boone and his number fifty-five jersey, she attempted to keep up with him. Boone was large, larger than most of the already beefy guys out there, and looked intimidating to go up against. Yet in between periods when he’d glanced in their direction, he’d thrown them a thumbs up with the same grin on his face as Cody often wore.
There seemed to be plenty of handsomeness and testosterone among the Stiers men.
Everything was all scraping skates and uniformed men racing back and forth toward each other’s goals. The game remained scoreless until halfway through the third period when one of Boone’s Edmonton teammates shot past the goalie and earned the first and only point. Boone had helped—he’d gained what Cody told her was an assist—but as the teams were going their separate ways by the net, something happened.
Boone and two other guys became tangled up, one of the Avalanche players losing his footing. It all occurred in the blink of an eye, but before Erika could even tell what was going on, blood splattered on the ice. And the player who’d been injured was Cody’s brother.
“ Boone ,” he yelled at the top of his lungs, complexion pale and eyes wide, and her training made Erika stand as if to go help. But there were people in regular shoes and not in jerseys who’d already crossed the ice to where Cody’s brother had fallen.
“Players get hurt all the time, but they’re tough. Uncle Boone is super tough,” Gabe assured her even as his eyes never strayed from his uncle. But Erika wasn’t so sure. Especially when Boone sat up from his prone position on the ice, holding a hand to the side of his neck.
He’d been cut… and with the injury being so close to his jugular, this could be severe.
Chaos ensued with Boone being whisked off the ice by a couple of personnel on either side of him, and the whole time Boone himself held his palm to the gash, applying pressure. Erika, Cody, and Gabe all left the seating area, hoping to find out what the medical team’s plans were. It took some cajoling, but Cody apparently discovered the name of the hospital they were taking his brother to. Flagging down a taxi, they followed in hot pursuit.
While Erika had never worked as an ER nurse, she knew enough of the terminology that when one of the emergency staff gave them a rundown of how things were going, she could decipher everything.
“It nicked his artery, but they’ve halted the bleeding,” she explained. “That should regulate all his pressures, so once they have him sutured up, they should send him to recovery.”
“He’s been injured before lots,” Cody murmured, his stare unfocused on any one thing. “But even when he’s broken bones, I’ve never been afraid that I might lose him.”
He’d been standing looking out the window into the Denver skyline lighting up the darkness. Adrenaline and concern had them all remaining on their feet. Since she couldn’t unequivocally promise him that Boone would be fine, she simply rubbed oblong patterns into his back. Up and down. Up and down.
Gabriel reacted by pacing the length of the nearby hallway. He was on his phone, but whether he’d been looking up medical scenarios or texting someone she couldn’t determine. Either way, he seemed flustered.
An hour passed, then after another fifteen minutes elapsed, a surgeon appeared. “Stiers family?”
“That’s us,” Cody said, hurrying over and tugging Erika with him. She allowed this. If he needed moral support, she’d do all she could to give it to him. Gabe, too, since he’d rushed from the corridor, as well.
“He’s stable, and we’ve sealed the injury. He’ll have to take it easy for a couple of weeks minimum and be dutiful about his wound care, but his prognosis is good.”
“When can we see him?” Gabe asked.
“He’s resting now. Probably in a couple of hours. I’ll have someone come get you.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Cody thanked the man, but then turned to Erika.
“That means he’s going to be okay, right?”
“Yes,” she reassured him. Barring any postoperative complications. Not that she would mention those. It would just upset them both again.
“Oh, thank heavens,” Gabe uttered from beside her, and it seemed so natural to embrace him that she did. He accepted it without question. It’d been a harrowing few hours.
When an orderly came to escort Cody and his son to visit Boone, Erika stayed put. She knew there would likely be limited space inside his room, and that the patient didn’t need some stranger in there staring at him.
She didn’t know if it was because this had been the first moment she’d had to herself or basically because she was now sitting here in the quiet, but it struck her how dangerous this incident had been. If the skate had gashed him any deeper or across his throat or eye, the outcome he could be facing might be very different. In fact, he might not have had an outcome that left him alive at all.
It was a sobering thought.
Erika knew from experience that a life—even that of a seemingly healthy young person—could be snuffed out in an instant. She knew as a nurse and as a widow. Yet something about all this supercharged her realization that waiting around because of fear wasn’t wise. No one knew how long they had on this Earth. And to not reach out and live life to its fullest was foolish.
Wasteful.
At thirty-seven, she felt this more than ever. And Cody, he was nearly fifty. She’d spent so much of her existence looking backwards instead of forward. So, if she wanted to be with Cody, she should just do it. Waiting would provide her with nothing.
That was why by the time that Boone was out of the woods and the three of them had checked in to a nearby hotel to get some shuteye, she’d made her decision. She delayed only until their week’s visit to Colorado was finished and Boone on the mend enough to be grumpy about having to stay bedridden.
Her moment with Cody came once Gabe had left on his own plane to return to California. They were there on the tarmac waiting to take off on their flight to Montana when she turned to him.
“We’ll land at 3pm, correct?”
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “Something like that.”
“I know we need to rest up and recuperate a little, but tomorrow, will you come over?”
“Come over to pick you up, you mean? You want to go on a date tomorrow?”
“Date, yes. Go out, no. I’d like to have you over for dinner tomorrow. At my place.”
“Seriously?” he blurted, as if unsure if he’d heard her. His eyes were a bit bloodshot. Sleep had been difficult to come by for all of them while in Denver.
She took his hands in hers. “Seriously.”