14. Lennox
lennox
. . .
“Psst… Lennox.”
I tightened my hold on my pillow. “Go away,” I groaned, nuzzling into the warm cushion. It smelled nice. Masculine. It reminded me of home, which is where I wanted to be. I didn’t even remember falling asleep, but I knew I was beyond exhausted. The last thing I remembered was…
Oh, God. Bishop.
I’d fallen asleep on Bishop.
I jerked up, pushing off his chest. He groaned as my weight left his body. I tried not to think of how cold I felt suddenly, trying instead to open my eyes. The harsh fluorescent lighting above was blinding, and I blinked to adjust to the brightness.
“What’s happening?” Bishop asked, looking around the room. He stopped as his gaze landed on me. His voice was gruff and full of sleep. It reminded me of how it’d been last night, how he’d opened his arms to me without question.
When I’d wandered in here, I hadn’t been looking for comfort but an escape.
I just needed a few minutes to gather my thoughts after spending hours going in and out of Dad’s room.
There was only so much more I could take of listening to the doctors talk about his condition.
It was all so clinical, as if this was just another day.
I guess it was, for them, but it sure as hell wasn’t for us.
Seeing them come and go like our world hadn’t just been upended made me wildly uncomfortable.
The waiting room had been quiet. Only a few other people were strewn out around us, huddled together and waiting for news like we were. I noticed that some of those faces were still here. Though, there were many more than there had been last night.
Josie stood above me, holding a tray full of coffee. I greedily took one, closing my eyes to savor the liquid gold on my tongue. She handed one to Bishop next and then Lincoln, who sat up and greeted her with a kiss.
“Thought you guys might want some caffeine,” she said softly, looking every bit as tired as I felt.
“Did you sleep at all last night?” I asked, patting the seat next to me.
Her shoulders slumped as she sat down. “An hour or two. More than Cleo and Mom, though.”
Guilt gnawed at my conscience. I shouldn’t have left them. I shouldn’t have walked away to find some peace when my mom and sisters didn’t. “How long was I out?”
“Just a few hours,” she said. “It’s only seven.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, in a rush. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Josie put her hand on mine. “I’m glad you did,” she said.
There was no hint of annoyance, only complete understanding.
That was one of the things I loved most about Josie.
“Cleo is booking a hotel room nearby. Not that Mom will sleep there, of course. She’s been pretty vocal about not leaving his side. ”
“Not surprised,” I said, taking a sip.
“Nope,” she said. “But at least she’ll have a place to shower if she wants to.”
“Makes sense,” I mumbled. “Have the doctors been in this morning? Do we know how long he’ll have to stay? ”
“They’re about to do rounds, I think. I wanted to come get you so that you could see him.”
Did I want to see him again? Could I handle it? I wasn’t so sure. It was a shitty and selfish thought, but I was scared.
As if reading my thoughts, Josie put her hand on my knee. “It’s okay, Lenny. You don’t have to?—”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I wanna see him.”
She smiled. “The nurse will make an exception to let us all back there. I told her we’re all family, and not having everyone together has been hard. I don’t know if she’s convinced, but it worked anyway. Let’s go.”
Josie took my hand and led me through the grim hallway. Lincoln and Bishop fell into step behind us, nearly barrelling into me as we abruptly stopped outside Dad’s door.
“—goddamn wires. Why’re there so many?”
“He’s awake?” I asked, staring up at my sister. “Why the hell didn’t you lead with that?”
“He wasn’t when I left,” she said, quickly pushing open the door.
Everyone looked up as we entered, but my eyes went straight to Dad. He was sitting up in his bed, hair sticking up a hundred different ways. His skin was still pale, especially under this shitty hospital lighting, but there was a definite flush to his face that hadn’t been there hours ago.
“There they are,” he croaked, offering a watery smile. “Bishop, why’re you lingering outside? Get your ass in here.”
I turned over my shoulder, noticing Bishop was still standing outside the room. I narrowed my eyes at him and he stepped in awkwardly, the door snicking shut behind him.
Looking back toward the bed, my chest tightened. “Dad,” I whispered, shoulders slumping as I stepped forward. Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks, but I tried to hold them at bay.
Oh god, he was awake. He was okay .
He took my hand, running his thumb over my skin. The callouses there were a comfort, a reminder that he was still here, that we had more time.
“Hey, Lenny Bug,” he said, smiling.
And then the tears fell. I couldn’t hold them back anymore. It didn’t matter what the doctors had said. I’d spent hours trying to rid myself of the anxiety plaguing my body, but now he was awake and it was the first ounce of relief I’d felt.
I dropped into the chair beside his bed, resting my forehead against his hand. “I know this fuss isn’t all about me.”
Lifting my head, I glared at him. “You know damn well it is, old man. You scared us.”
“I’m not going anywhere for a long time,” he said. “Don’t go countin’ me out now.”
I pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
The door opened, and a tall man in a white jacket walked in. “Whoa, full room,” he said, eyes widening as he looked at each of us. “I’m Doctor Rhodes,” he said, offering a smile. “Looks like I’ll be your cardiologist for the time being.”
Dr. Rhodes stepped forward, shaking each of our hands. He was definitely more likable than the doctors we’d seen last night, not to mention much better looking. He had short, dark brown hair and hazel eyes that leaned brown over green.
Not like Bishop’s.
“How’s everyone doing this morning?” he asked, reaching for Dad’s chart at the end of the bed. His eyes scanned it quickly before looking over to me. “Do you mind if we switch places for a minute? Promise it won’t take long. Just need to check his vitals.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course,” I said, quickly pushing out of my chair. I tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear, knowing I probably looked like a mess.
I stepped beside Josie, who obnoxiously wiggled her eyebrows as Dr. Rhodes listened to Dad’s chest. “He’s cuuuute,” she said, dragging out the word.
“Shut up,” I muttered, nudging her side. “You’re worse than your boyfriend.”
I mean, he was cute—handsome, even. He was the kind of guy you expected to see on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
Maybe if the circumstances were different and we’d met anywhere else, I’d have flirted a bit.
I’d never dated a doctor before; there were plenty of fun roleplaying scenarios I could think of.
But I wasn’t thinking about a man in a lab coat, not really.
I was still craving the warmth of Bishop’s body on my skin.
As the doctor finished, he stepped back and placed his stethoscope around his neck. “What’s the verdict, doc?” Dad asked. “When can I get outta here?”
“Well, Mr. Hayes, do you want good or bad news first?”
My stomach dropped as Mom reached over and took Dad’s hand, the two of them bracing each other for the worst. “Give it to me straight,” my dad said. “Bad news first.”
Dr. Rhodes nodded once. “Alright then. We’ll need to run a few more tests to check on the status of your heart and get a better idea of what’s going on there.
And I’ll have to ask these lovely ladies,” he said, gesturing toward us, “to ensure you stick to your diet. I have a hunch you haven’t been as strict as you should be.
This is your health, Mr. Hayes. No more red meat. No more bacon.”
Dad huffed. “Might as well take me out to pasture now,” he mumbled.
The doctor smiled. “I know that isn’t what you wanted to hear, but the good news is that we can get you out of here within a few days, depending on the test results.”
“Really?” Mom asked.
“Really,” Dr. Rhodes said. “I won’t lie, it won’t be all rainbows and sunshine. There’ll be restrictions, and you’ll need to take it easy for a while. Unfortunately, that’ll be non-negotiable.”
“I’m a rancher,” Dad said proudly. “I can’t just take days off. This little vacation alone is gonna put us behind.”
“I understand that. I respect it, even. I grew up on a ranch not far from here, so I’m not a stranger to the hard work and dedication it takes to do what you do, but can I be frank?
” Dad nodded, and Dr. Rhodes quickly looked around the room before answering.
“You’re going to have to make a decision, Mr. Hayes.
You can take my advice and live out the rest of your days with your beautiful family here, or you can tell me to go to hell and get back to work, in which case I’d wager you’d only have six months. ”
I squeezed Josie’s hand as though that could change his words.
“Six months?” Dad asked. There was a tremble in his voice that hadn’t been there moments ago.
Dr. Rhodes pursed his lips. “It doesn’t have to be that way, but like I said, I have first-hand experience with how difficult the life of a rancher is.
You’re up before the sun, working hard to provide for your family and taking care of animals that are helpless without you, and then you don’t walk through the door until night falls.
The job is stressful and isn’t for the faint of heart—which, unfortunately, you now are. ”
My parents looked at one another, a lifetime’s worth of hard work and memories between them. They were locked in a silent conversation as the gravity of the situation came into focus.