Chapter 36
“Is everything okay?” I ask her. “You sound different.”
“Everything’s fine. I took a longer walk than usual this afternoon and I’m really tired. These old bones don’t like being pushed.”
“I worry about you, Gram. You do too much!”
“Don’t you worry about me, songbird! I’m just fine. Speaking of fine, how’s that handsome man of yours?”
“He’s good. He’s really good.”
“You deserve him, child. And more importantly, he deserves you! Don’t you ever forget just how special you are!”
I can’t help but smile. “I love him.”
“I know you do.” She laughs. “I could tell that the moment your eyes met.”
“I love you too, you know? Have I told you lately how grateful I am that I have you?”
“You don’t need to tell me. I already know.”
There’s something in her voice that worries me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! I’m fine. I’m going to heat up some leftover pot roast and plop my butt in front of the TV. There’s a Friends marathon tonight!”
I laugh. “Okay! Well, I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, Gram.”
“I love you too.”
The first few hours of work are extremely busy, but the idea of Nick in my house without me makes it hard to focus. I hear every department is busier than usual. It must be a full moon.
I’m glad to bump into Gwen in pediatrics when I deliver a preemie that will be staying in their neonatal unit for an extended time.
I’m able to take a quick break at the end of her shift at eleven as things are calming down a bit.
Just as we sit down to have a quick cup of coffee, one of the nurses pops her head in.
“Ev, Jalissa from the E.R. is on line two for you. She said it’s not your kids and I shouldn’t freak you out!”
I laugh appreciatively as Gwen sips her coffee and nods knowingly.
I press line two. “Hey, Jalissa, It’s Ev. What’s up?”
“I hope Mary told you it wasn’t your kids.”
“She did, thank you. What’s wrong?” I can sense the worry in her voice.
“That day when you were having dinner with your new man, there was a cop that you introduced me to in the cafeteria.”
“Yeah, his name’s Cooper Ford, why?” As soon as I say his name, Gwen stops mid-air with her cup and directs her attention to me.
“They just brought him, another cop, and some guy into the E.R. via ambulance. He was shot.”
I gasp, and Gwen leaps from her seat over to me.
“I thought you’d want to know.”
“Yes! Thank you. I’ll be right there.”
I hang up the phone and Gwen holds her breath. “What? What about Cooper?”
I reach for her arm. “He’s downstairs. He’s been shot.”
The entire ride down in the elevator, Gwen is as white as a ghost. I place my arm around her shoulder as I pray that Cooper’s okay.
We rush through the E.R. There are police everywhere and people are flying about. Alarms are beeping and no one’s at the desk. Gwen and I scramble from curtain to curtain, but we can’t find him. Gwen’s panicking, and I can see she’s about to fall apart.
“Look at me!” I demand. “Cooper’s strong. I’m sure he’s fine.”
She nods as her eyes search the E.R. and every face of every police officer who rushes past.
Gwen recognizes a nurse she did rounds with when she was covering. “Monroe!” she calls out to him and he races to her. “There was a cop brought in. He was shot. Where is he?” she begs.
“He’s in surgery. They took him right away. Shot to the chest. It’s pretty bad.” He pushes past her to the desk and I catch her before she falls to the ground.
I feel my heart constrict. Not Cooper. Not him.
I lead her off down a side hall and she collapses to the floor. I slide down with her and we both start to cry.
“How did this happen? He must have been working overtime. Oh God! I was so mean to him. I ignored him and even told him to leave me alone when he persisted. The things I said… I didn’t mean any of it.
I love him and I never told him. What if he dies?
What if I never get to tell him?” She sobs into my shoulder.
We hold hands and cry together. My heart breaks for her, and I pray Cooper somehow makes it through. “He’s strong, Gwen.” I pull her face to look at me. “He’s a fighter. He’s not going to give up. He’ll pull through this.”
“I swear to you, Ev. If he makes it through this, no matter what shape he’s in, I’m never going to let him go again.
How could I be so stupid? How could I not see how different and how special he is?
I fucked this up and now he may never know how I feel.
” Tears flow down her face and I glance up to see Jalissa coming down the hall.
“What? What happened?” she asks as she bends down to us.
“He’s in surgery. They said it’s really bad. She’s scared he might not make it,” I explain as I cradle an inconsolable Gwen.
“Huh?” she questions as she pulls back. “Surgery? Oh, for the love of God…” She takes off toward the main floor and we push off the ground to follow her.
We watch her peek her head into various curtains and then finally one in the very back along the farthest wall.
She purses her lips as we stand in front of her and quickly yanks back the curtain.
Sitting up on a bed with a bandage around his shoulder is Cooper.
A doctor is nearby, writing on his chart.
Gwen and I gasp.
He smiles. “Hey, ladies! Did you come to keep me company?” he asks with a wide sweep of his unbandaged arm.
Gwen flies past me and straight into him. He flinches but adjusts to wrap his free arm around her. She sobs into his chest and concern drips down his face.
“Hey…” he says as he pulls her back slightly. “Why are you crying? Are you all right?” He searches her face and she grips his bearded face in her hands.
“Are you? Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart. One grazed my shoulder, but I got four in the bad guy. I just wish I’d gotten him before he got one in my partner. I sure hope he’s okay.”
“I thought you were… They told me you were really hurt!” she shouts.
“I’m here and I’m fine. I’m tough. You don’t need to worry about me. Nobody takes me down.” He laughs as if the idea of him being weak is ridiculous.
She hits him on the leg, and he flinches and laughs his deep Cooper laugh. The sound is magical. “God dammit, Cooper! Do you know how scared I was? I thought you were going to die! I’ve been sitting in the hall crying for ten minutes.”
“You were crying over me?” he questions, his eyes darkening as his mood shifts.
“Yes!” she replies matter-of-factly.
“Why?” he asks, shaking his head, his eyes glazed in confusion.
She grabs his face in her hands once more. “Because I love you, you big knucklehead. I love you!”
I’ve never seen Cooper stunned before. He usually has a cocky response for everything. But this time he just stares blankly into her eyes for a moment and swallows hard. “What did you say?” he asks as if he didn’t hear her correctly.
“You heard me,” she whispers. “I never really wanted you to go away. I’m sorry. It’s just you gave me what I didn’t even know I wanted and it scared me.”
He swallows and I almost think I see a tremble in his lips. “Are you sure? Are you sure it’s not just the drama of the night? Because if you’re not one hundred thirty percent certain, then you need to say it right now,” he insists as he points to the ground.
Gwen smiles. “Who’s the one that’s scared now?” she asks with her arms folded.
“Answer the question,” he commands forcibly. “Are you sure you love me?”
Gwen’s posture shifts, and she touches the side of his cheek. He leans slightly into her touch but remains guarded. She whispers, “It’s true. I know it. Deep down, I’ve known it since our first date. And yes, it was a date.”
He smiles his big ole Cooper smile and swiftly pulls her into him, kissing her. I hear cheers and applause from behind me, and I turn to see a fairly large crowd of officers and nurses have gathered to listen. I laugh and wipe the tears from my eyes.
Cooper and Gwen turn to face the crowd and he announces loudly, “She loves me! The girl I love, loves me back. What do you say to that?”
The crowd erupts into cheers and I close the curtain to give Cooper and Gwen the privacy they deserve.