Trevor (Strong Manor #6)

Chapter 5

He could tell that Henrie didn’t want to be sitting on the couch while the rest of them brought things into the house. He’d had the furniture people put the couch on last so it would come off first so that she could have something to sit on while they were unpacking. It worked out well for her. Jade wouldn’t even allow her to walk around because she said she’d pick something up to help.

Looking down at the boxes he had in his hands, Trevor thought perhaps he’d gone a little overboard on the essentials he’d gotten, like toilet paper, paper towels, and such. His mom was still laughing when she put them in the pantry. There were so many of them.

“Hello?” He went to the living room to see what Henrie needed, and she asked him for a glass of water. “It’s kind of dry in here. Didn’t they tell you that you had a whole house humidifier?”

“I turned the downstairs furnace off because of the doors being open all the time. I think that was a mistake. The upper floors have their own furnace, and I left it alone. But it’s cold down here, don’t you think?” She pointed out that she had the fireplace going, so it wasn’t too cold. “I’ll have to turn it back on to see if that humidifies the house more. I’m glad you mentioned that. I might have forgotten.”

Giving her a glass of water and several bottles so she could have them as well, he was excited about how well the house was coming along. The dining room looked complete because he’d been able to unearth his grannie’s dinnerware set to put in the room. His mom and Jade had put that all away for him after they’d run things through the dishwasher. The table that he’d gotten gleamed in the dining room, and he loved that he’d been able to get it.

Jade told him that Henrie could get up and walk around now that the boxes were in the house but said that she couldn’t lift even a loaf of bread. It would hurt her in ways that she’d wish she was still in the hospital. So while his kitchen appliances, he’d forgotten how many he’d purchased were being put away, he walked around the main floor with her to keep her out of trouble. He should have figured that she’d be all right with not lifting. She said she was still sore from the surgery.

“I can’t believe how much it looks different. I thought it looked really good when the previous owners were still here but you’ve really changed it up. I love the butcher block you have instead of an island.” He told her that it had been his grandmother’s when she was alive. “It’s perfect.” She stopped moving when they were in the pantry, looking around. “You’re sure you don’t mind me staying here? I don’t want to put you out or anything. And I’m in no shape to fend you off, so please don’t get frisky with me. I’m a wounded person.” He laughed.

“No, I’ll not get frisky with you until you say it’s all right. I want to, don’t get me wrong on that, but I don’t want you injured any more than you are now. You need to get better. How will you eat more than your weight in food next week if you’re hurting.” She looked confused. “It’s Thanksgiving. Did you forget?”

“I did, actually. I wonder what my grandparents are going to be doing. I usually eat with them.” He told her how his mom had invited them to their home for dinner and football. “Grandda loves football and food. Grandma watches it and pretends to not know anything about the game, but if there is a bad call, she gets all worked up.”

Trevor wanted to kiss her but knew that there wasn’t a worse time for him to try. While walking around with her, he pointed out some of the things that he’d had done to the pantry and showed her the oversized freezer that his brother Jenson had suggested that they have put in.

“It’ll come in handy during the summer months. The cook—I’ve forgotten her name, said that she would use the gardens in the back for fresh things. She also unearthed a herb garden that she plans on utilizing. I can’t wait.” He guided her to the back yard where his pups—Pebbles and Bam-bam, were playing after she told him that the cook’s name was May. She asked him about his dogs’ names. “Oh, that was Gracie. She named them after the cartoon The Flintstones. She said she didn’t watch it as a child; it was before her time, but Sherm, her son, was enjoying them. Jenson has Barney and Betty. Clay took a pair that were called Fred and Wilma. The others are named after the cartoon as well, but for Blackie. She had named her first when she saw them and couldn’t change her name. She’s the bossy one of the group.”

“How adorable.” The dogs were all over Henrie when she sat down on one of the chairs that he’d purchased. They weren’t careful, but she didn’t seem to mind. They were having a good time and she was laughing harder than he’d thought he’d ever heard before.

Getting her back inside, she sat down on the couch and nearly fell asleep in mid-sentence when she was talking to him about the dogs. They were getting bigger daily, and now that they were a few weeks older, he could leave them in the house in their crate for longer periods of time.

Dinner was a lot of all kinds of things. They would order that way so as not to overwhelm one restaurant. There was pizza, of course, as well as Chinese and Mexican food. He had downed three soft tacos before he remembered to go and wake up Henrie. She was still resting and he debated about waking her when she suddenly opened her eyes to look at him.

“Something is wrong.” He told her no, he’d just come to get her for dinner. “I’m sorry I keep falling asleep. Jade said that I’m still working through the drugs I got in the hospital. I don’t know what it is, but I’d like to be awake for more than ten minutes at a time.”

“You were awake for a whole three hours this time. Good for you.” She glared at him, and he had to laugh. He was going to point out that his mom was better at that than she was, but she was too close to him, and his mom was as well. Barton got up when she came into the dining area when it was obvious that he was going to need to get some extra chairs if everyone was going to be eating with them.

There were the helpers that he’d gotten by advertising at the local school that he was going to need help. He was glad that Barkley had suggested that he hired a few high school kids to help out bringing things in and breaking down boxes. They were saving for a car, he’d been told.

He was putting the linens away when his dad found him. After getting one of his famous hugs, he asked him what he thought about the house. Dad said that he was proud of him for finally getting out of the condo. It was no place to raise a family if you didn’t have to.

“Do you think she’ll want a family?” He asked his dad, who, knowing full well who he was talking about. “Henrie, you goof. Have you even told her that you love her yet?”

“No. Mostly because we’re getting used to one another. To be honest, Dad, I’m not sure why my brothers haven’t been teasing me. Especially Jenson. Just last week, I told them that I was never going to find someone to love, and the next afternoon, there she was.” He laughed a little. “She’s great, don’t you think? I mean, even if you don’t consider that she saved my life, she is wonderful to be around.”

“Your mother was just saying the other day that she likes that she fits in so well with the other women. I think she was saying that she’s just as sarcastic as the others. But I’d not ask her about that.” Trevor told his dad that he didn’t have a death wish. “No, you’re a good deal smarter than that. What are you going to do about her being wealthy? I mean, from what Jade was able—”

“Don’t tell me.” He nodded and said he was sorry. “Don’t be sorry. I just want to learn about her the old fashion way. Through the two of us getting to know one another. And I do want to get to know her before we get too far along in what I feel for her.”

“You love her.” Even though it wasn’t a question he told his dad that he did love her. Very much. “But she doesn’t know if she loves you. That’s something else I heard.”

“Henrie told me about the conversation that she had with Jade. I might have been offended if not for how hard she was laughing about it. Jade said it caught her off-guard. It was her that was usually the one that was grilling someone about feelings.” Dad laughed again with him. “I think that Jade was a little pissy that she’d been able to do that to her. I love it for no other reason than it’s to see that Jade can be had. I believe that they’ll be the best of friends now.”

“I think they all want to welcome her into the family but are waiting on a signal from you.” He said he could see that. “Good. The sooner you get your ducks in a row or whatever it is you’re working with, we can have another wedding and have a good time. I bet she’d have her grandda walking her down the aisle and crying the entire way. He’s an emotional man and I have respect for him for allowing others to know that about him.”

“I really like the two of them as well. Henry told me that he’s been emotional since the day she was set in his arms. I can see that, too. The two of them would have been in their fifties, I think, and would have welcomed her with open arms. They’re good people, I think.” Dad said he enjoyed being around them as well. “Good. One less thing that has to be worried about. Everyone is happy.”

It didn’t take long for the house to be set to rights. They were short three lamps for the living room, and he forgot to order a grill for them to eat out on the patio this summer. But he did have towels to bathe with, as well as dishwasher detergent, which he thought was a good thing. And he’d also remembered to get a vacuum as well as a dust mop so that he could take care of the hardwood floors in most of the house. Mom asked him about the apartment that is over the garage.

“I was going to ask the Banisters if they wanted to live there. I can have an elevator put in with no problem because it’s so open in the back end. It’ll be just for them, and I think they’ll enjoy being close to us.” Mom told him that was a brilliant idea. “Yeah? I have them on occasion.”

“Smart ass.” She smacked him on the arm and hugged him. His parents had always been huggers, and he knew why. Mom’s mother had been standoffish and cold and would only allow them to hug her if she had on a large towel so as not to mess up her outfits. After much more of that, they stopped hugging her altogether. It was just too much work to get a hug that seemed to not mean all that much to her. “I’m going to have some company over in a few days. We’re working on the baskets for the holidays. Do you think that Henrie will be well enough to help us out?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to clear it with Jade. She’s been keeping a close eye on her and her moving around. I don’t think I’ve ever broken a rib, but I can’t imagine that it’s all that easy to get over.” Mom told him that she’d had a broken rib before, and it took her months to get to where she wasn’t hurting every time she had to move. “Then I think you have your answer. But I’d invite her over. If you don’t mind. That way, she can be a part of the family without having to injure herself by hanging out.”

“Good idea.” Mom kissed him again before leaving him to sort out the things in the pantry, and that was when Henrie joined him.

Once she closed the door, he felt his heart race a bit. It was the first time that they’d been alone anywhere in the house, and he was slightly nervous. He asked her if she was all right. Shaking her head and then nodding, he smiled at her.

“If you were to ask me that question right now, I’d have the same answer. Really. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?” She said that she was, but it was tolerable. “Good. Don’t overdo it too much. You’re on the mend now and—”

“Will you kiss me? I know that people are saying that you’re in love with me, and I’m coming to the conclusion that I don’t mind that so much.” He cocked a brow at her. “Give me a minute. This is all just coming to me. I’ve been kissed before. I mean, plenty of times if you count my parents and grandparents. But I have a feeling that it’s going to be really different with you. Like…I don’t know, just different.”

“I would love to kiss you.” He took a step toward her, putting the boxes of cereal he had in his hands on the shelf. “Are you talking about a kiss like your parents give you?” He kissed her on the forehead, then her cheek. “Or your grandparents might give you?” He kissed her firmly on her cheek and then looked at her. They were only a few inches apart by then. “I don’t want you to be disappointed in me if I give you the wrong kiss.”

“I doubt that anyone has been disappointed in your kisses.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “Remember to be careful of my ribs and kiss me like you mean it.”

He kept telling himself as he was lowering his head toward hers that he couldn’t take advantage of her right now. He knew that he could hurt her, and he didn’t want their first of what he hoped were many kisses ruined because he had pulled her too close to him.

As soon as his lips touched hers, he felt her tongue slide across his lips. Gentling his movements to match hers, he was glad now that she had shut the door. Christ, he was in love with this woman.

He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t press her to him either. Careful of his every move, Trevor decided that if he didn’t end this soon, he’d have her pressed against the nearest wall and have her naked before too much longer. Instead of taking the chance, he held her while she laid her head on his chest. Even that seemed to be pushing him into wanting more from her.

“I was wrong about your kisses.” He started to ask her what he’d done wrong, but she spoke before he could. “You’re much better than I’ve ever known, and I’m reasonably sure that you’ve been devastating women all your life with your mouth.”

It caught him so off guard that he threw back his head and laughed. Kissing her again, quickly on her mouth, he held onto her while he put the cereal onto the proper shelf and opened the door to leave. His mom and grandma were in the kitchen and he kissed them both on the cheek as well. It was cause for celebration.

He was the best kisser known to men and women. Laughing again, he was happier than he’d ever been. Finding his future wife was like having his cake and all the icing in the store, too. Yes, he thought to himself. He was deliriously happy.

~*~

Sitting in the office, Henry was as nervous as he’d ever been. Today, they’d started on the elevator that would get him and his lovely wife up to their apartment, and he was excited about that, too. His emotions were all over the place today, and he didn’t know how to calm himself down. Sitting on his hands usually worked but today nothing was. The doctor had called him in, especially today and he didn’t care for that.

Once a month, Henry had to go and get bloodwork done. He’d been a diabetic for the last ten years, and because of Anna, his A1C, glycated hemoglobin, or the measurement of his blood sugar levels. His numbers had been right on the dot for it not getting worse since they’d begun testing him. But today, just this morning, he’d been called and asked to come in. The call had taken him from work, too, something that he never did before.

“Dr. Weston will see you now.” Nodding at the pretty little receptionist, he made his way into the office. He wished now that he’d asked Anna to come with him, but he’d not told anyone where he was going, just in case. In case, what? He hadn’t any idea but he knew now that was the dumbest thing— “Mr. Banister?”

“I’d like to call someone in to be with me. It might be nothing at all, but I want to call someone. Do you think you could be put off for a few minutes while I call someone?” She smiled and told him that would be fine. “Thank you. I’ll let you know if it doesn’t work out.”

“You go ahead and call who you wish, Mr. Banister. I’ll just take a patient back early. Mr. Todd is always early, hoping to get out earlier. I think he does this to win something from his wife. You go ahead and make your call, and I’ll bring you in as soon as he or she gets here.” He went to sit down and make his call while she called in Mr. Todd.

“Hello? Henry? Is something wrong?” He nearly wept when he heard Trevor on the other end. After telling him what was going on, he laughed a little. “I’m in town now, as a matter of fact. I can be there in just a couple of minutes, ten at the most.”

“Thank you, son. Thank you so much. Don’t tell the women. I just want to get the news and deal with it on my own for a few minutes before I have to talk to them. They’ll pester me to death with questions, and I know that I won’t have the answers. Maybe you can listen, and you’ll be able to help me out.”

“You’re thinking that this isn’t going to be him telling you that your diabetes is gone, am I right?” He said that he’d been feeling off for a bit and thought that he was going to tell him something more. “I’ll be there for you. And I can understand wanting someone there to remember for you. My dad does that and sometimes goes with people to the doctor to hear the news. I’ll be there soon.”

The relief that he felt had him feeling a little guilty. Asking him to what he thought of was a lie to his wife and granddaughter. However, this was important. He didn’t know why, but he was worried that he had cancer. It had been something that had taken his older and younger brothers when they’d been young men and his mother. He didn’t want to know, but he knew that it was important too. As soon as Trevor opened the office door, he held onto him like he was a lifeline. And he was for him in that moment. A lifeline to a better life, he hoped.

True to her word, the receptionist took him back as soon as Trevor arrived. They were sitting in the little room when one of the nurses came in and took his vitals. His blood pressure was a little high, and he told her that he was nervous. She never gave him a reason not to be. Just telling him to relax, and she’d take it again.

“I don’t know that you’ll find the numbers to be all that different. I’m still nervous.” She said that it was the same, and he was going to have to keep from getting himself worked up. Like that was going to happen when your doctor clears a time for you to come in the same day. Usually, it was weeks before a person could get in to see him. Bidding his time, he was glad that there wasn’t a clock in the room, or he might have been—

“Henry.” He looked at Trevor when he stood up. “Henry, you don’t know what he’s going to say to you and you’re worked up enough to give yourself a heart attack. Breathe in and out and try to think of something else. Like what you’re going to be doing when the great-grandchildren come along.”

“You two having a baby right away?” He asked him if he knew what Henrie wanted to do. “I don’t know, really. I know that she wanted kids at one time, but I don’t know—you have no idea how much I’d love to see one of my great-grandchildren being born. Oh my the fun I’ll have with them. I’ll get to tell them all about their mommy. And about you too. I’d love another little girl like Henrie was but a little boy that looks like you? Well, that would make me prouder than a speckled pup under a little red wagon, it would.”

“Right now, we’re just waiting on her ribs to get better. I’d marry her today if I thought that she’d say yes.” He said that he could tell that she was falling in love with him. “Really? Oh, I can’t wait to tell her that I love her. I’m giving her time, you see. I don’t want to rush her into anything just yet.”

They talked for another twenty minutes, and he felt better. His head was beginning to pound, and his chest was hurting a little bit. Glad now more than ever that he’d brought Trevor into his circle, Henry decided that whenever he had to get bad news, if this was bad news or had to make a decision, he was going to have him at his side. Trevor was calming and smart. The man would treat his baby girl the best when they got married and into love.

The nurse came in and took his blood pressure again, and it was within margin. It made him feel so much better that before she left the room, she took it again for him. It was what it usually was, a nice low pressure, and even that took some of the edge off his fear. He looked at Trevor when she left the two of them alone again.

“Hello, Henry. How are you feeling?” And just like that, the doctor coming in, he felt like he was going to have a heart attack again. Doctor Weston tsked at him and told him that this wasn’t the end of the world. “You’ll see we’ve come so far in medical procedures since your family was diagnosed.”

“I have cancer.” Doctor Weston said that he didn’t know that yet, but his blood numbers were a concern. “What do you have to do to find out what is wrong? I’ll do it. You know I will. Henrie is going to be marrying soon and I’ve made plans to be around when the children come.”

“And you will be if you stop worrying over little things. I just said your blood numbers were concerning. That doesn’t mean you have cancer. It might just be you have an infection or something. Let’s not burn down bridges until we have all the tests back.” He told him that he didn’t know if he could do that. “Well, then, I think it’s a good thing that you have Trevor Strong with you here. He comes from a good family, and his father is a good man. The entire family are people that you can depend on. I just want you to go over to the hospital today and have some more extensive tests done. Also, an MRI as well as a CAT scan.”

Arrangements were made, and he was going to go straight over to the hospital and be admitted. Only because the stress test would need to be done first thing in the morning, and they wanted him rested—by medication so that he’d tolerate the test better. It was time to call his wife and Henrie and he didn’t even want to do that. Trevor said that he didn’t mind and that he could call them both at the same time and it would be better. They could ask him questions, and he’d be able to answer them both at the same time. Henry loved that idea and fell a little deeper in love with the young man more than he had before. He really was a good man.

They were both surprisingly calm when Trevor talked to them. He thought it was because he wasn’t emotional like he would have been. Telling them what the doctor said, even about medical treatments coming a long way, he had them calmly coming in with the family limo. That way, they didn’t have to worry about them driving and getting into an accident.

As soon as they all hung up, Trevor told him he was ready and that he’d be already in his room when they arrived. Good. He thought that would be easier on him, too. Not having to push anyone out of his room when he was getting his gown on. Then he remembered that his wife was bringing him some pajamas, and he’d feel better with his own pillow, too. Trevor had thought of everything.

He was in a gown, what they preferred him to be in when his wife and granddaughter arrived. Not only had she brought him his clothing, but he had his kit too, shaver, deodorant and other necessities. Since he didn’t need to be in the bed just yet, he pulled on his pants so that he’d not forget himself. They had more questions when Anna and Henrie arrived and Trevor got a nurse to come in and answer them for them all four. He was going to adopt Trevor, he told his wife. Of course that helped as well, breaking the tension that had been in the room.

Just when his wife was making up her bed in one of the chairs, he was taken down to get the scans done. While he’d never had an MRI before, he was glad that the nurse had warned him that it was going to be loud. After that test, he did feel a little nervous again, and the nurses’ station, as he passed by there, told him that they had a little bit of something to help him relax. As soon as they put it into his IV, he could feel it working. It was just the ticket. He was feeling much better about all the crap going on.

Since Anna was going to spend the night in the room with him, he did try to get her to go home, he was ready for a little television and then bed. Getting into the bed with him, she and he watched their favorite newscasters as well as a couple of game shows. After the news, however, Trevor and Henrie left, telling him that they’d be there in the morning first thing. His first test was scheduled for eight, and that was fine with him.

Twice in the middle of the night, they woke him up to take his blood pressure and other vitals. Anna didn’t wake either time, for which he was grateful, and was glad that one of them was getting a good night’s sleep. Whatever happened tomorrow, one of them had to be on their toes. As soon as he was going back to sleep, he came to a decision that he thought Anna could take care of for him. He was going to put Trevor in charge of the money that he was leaving to charities and that would give his heart a little better feeling. He trusted his attorney, but he wanted something that had a vested interest in his life to make sure that the charities got what he wanted them to. And he knew that Trevor would be that man.

By the time the sun came up the next morning, he was ready for his day of tests. Doctor Weston was coming in to see him at noon to go over things, and he was glad about that, too. So far, things hadn’t been too bad, but Henry was glad that his little family was right there with him. As soon as he got back from his stress test, feeling slightly run down, he was also glad to see that Trevor’s parents had come in and brought food for them.

Henry had really fallen into a good family with this one and he thought perhaps he was the luckiest man in the world right now. He also knew that whatever came of the tests, he was glad that he had all the support that he did with the Strong family and his wife and granddaughter. Yes, sir, he thought, he was a lucky man.