Chapter 18 #2
“I was cranky with him earlier,” Ned said, swiping at his face. “He was bustin’ my balls like he does. Wish I hadn’t sniped at him.”
“You two have been sniping at each other for forty years. He wouldn’t want it any other way, and you know that.”
“Suppose yer right.”
They arrived at the clinic, where the family gathered in a waiting room. His mother was sitting with Mac on one side and Janey on the other. Maddie, her mother, Joe and the new woman from the marina restaurant were with them.
“Oh, Grant, there you are,” Linda said. “I was worried when I couldn’t reach you.”
“Sorry.” Grant went to his mother and hugged her. “What’re they saying?”
“Cal is in with him now. We’re waiting to hear.”
Grant went rigid at the news that Abby’s so-called fiancé was treating his father. Didn’t that beat all?
As if this situation didn’t already suck badly enough, Abby came rushing into the ER a few minutes later. Without so much as a glance at him, she made a beeline for his mother. “I came as soon as I heard. How is he?”
His mother hugged Abby and updated her.
Grant couldn’t bear to be so close to Abby and not be able to touch her or hold her. When he needed her more than he ever had before, she was unavailable to him.
He turned his back on the group and looked out a window so he wouldn’t be tempted to stare at Abby. It seemed like they waited forever before Cal came through the double doors.
Turning in time to notice Cal’s pleasure at seeing Abby there, Grant wanted to kill the guy. It was all he could do not to stake his claim on her right then and there. But this wasn’t the time or place.
Wearing a white coat over jeans and a button-down shirt, Cal zeroed in on Grant’s mother. “Mrs. McCarthy, I have good news,” he drawled. Since when was Abby attracted to men who drawled? “There’s no sign of a brain bleed or anything life-threatening.”
An audible sigh of relief went through the room.
“We’ve stitched up the cut on his head and set his broken arm.
He suffered a rather significant concussion, so when he comes to, you can expect him to be confused and in some pain.
We’ll do what we can to keep him comfortable, but I don’t see any need at this time to transport him to the mainland or to bring a neuro over to consult. ”
“What if we want a second opinion?” Grant asked.
The bastard never even blinked when he said, “I’m afraid I’m all you’ve got at the moment.”
Grant’s mother tossed him a dirty look and then returned her attention to Cal. “Thank you so much, Dr. Maitland. May I see him?”
“Of course, right this way.” He gestured to the door. “Abby, may I speak to you for a moment?”
His mother, Janey, Mac and Abby followed the doctor into the ward. As much as Grant wanted to see his father, he’d wait until the doctor moved on to other patients.
Joe stood and came over to Grant. “You might want to tone down the violent stares. He’s the only doctor around, and your dad is still in a world of hurt.”
“I don’t know who he thinks he is, stealing my girl right out from underneath me.”
Joe raised an eyebrow. “Is that how it happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Grant was light-headed and queasy and not in the slightest bit interested in rehashing how he’d landed in this boat. “I need some air.” He went outside and leaned against the brick building, tilting his face into the sun and breathing in the fresh sea air.
Just when he’d been convinced things couldn’t get any more screwed up, here he was relying on his rival to keep his father alive. Even with his vivid imagination, he doubted he could’ve written such a messed-up scenario.
“He’s going to be all right,” a small voice beside him said.
Grant opened his eyes and looked down at the woman from the marina restaurant. Her eyes were rimmed with red and puffy from crying.
“He has to be all right.”
Grant wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince—him or herself. They’d call her a waif in Hollywood, with her tiny frame and big blue-green eyes. She had multicolored spiked hair that made her look even younger.
“We haven’t officially met,” she said. “I’m Stephanie. Your dad hired me to run the restaurant this summer.”
He shook her outstretched hand. “Grant McCarthy.”
“I know who you are,” she said, her face flushing. “I mean, I’m familiar with your work.”
“Is that so?”
She nodded. “Song of Solomon was amazing. It changed my life.”
Hearing that never got old. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“I was thrilled that you won the Oscar. You totally deserved it.”
“Thanks. That’s nice of you to say.”
“I had no idea you were related to Mr. McCarthy until I heard him telling someone about his son, the famous screenwriter.”
Grant winced. “He can be a bit effusive at times.”
“He’s so incredibly proud of you.”
Did she have any idea how badly he needed to hear that just then?
“Are you all right?” she asked. “You look kinda green.”
“Few too many last night.”
“I have the perfect cure for that.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ll go get it and come back.”
“Oh, no. That’s not necessary.”
She smiled up at him. “It’d give me something to do. I’m madly in love with your dad, and this has been one of the worst days of my life. What happened at the marina...” She shuddered, and her face went pale.
Grant reached out to her. His hand landed on her shoulder, but when she flinched, he removed it. What was that all about? “It must’ve been awful.”
“I was so afraid he’d been killed. When they brought him out of the water, he looked bad. Really bad.”
Grant swallowed hard. “Sounds like he’s going to be okay.”
“Thank God.”
“Yes.”
“You should be in there with him.”
Surprised, he stared at her.
“I don’t mean to tell you what to do, but why are you out here when your family is with your dad?”
“Because my ex-girlfriend is apparently engaged to the island’s only doctor, and I’m better off out here than in there plotting ways to kill the guy who’s keeping my dad alive.”
“You should act like you don’t care that they’re engaged.”
“Is that so?”
She flushed again. “It’s certainly none of my business.”
“No, please. Tell me why you think that’ll work.”
“Because your indifference will bother her more than your anger does.”
“Huh,” Grant said, pondering what she’d said.
“I’ll go get you something to fix up that hangover.
” Intrigued, he watched her head for the parking lot.
She was nothing like his usual type. In other words, she was nothing like Abby, who was curvy and filled a bra to overflowing.
Stephanie, by contrast, was almost boyish with her spiked hair and lack of curves.
Deciding to take her advice, Grant went back inside to find everyone gone from the waiting room except for Ned, who was sitting next to Maddie’s mother.
Francine was holding Ned’s hand and talking softly to him.
They never even noticed Grant as he went to the reception desk to ask for directions to his father’s room.
In the hallway outside the room, a crowd had formed.
Luke, propped on crutches, was standing with Sydney, Maddie and Mac, who leaned against the wall, visibly exhausted.
“How is he?” Grant asked his brother.
“Still out cold,” Mac said. “But his color seems a little better than it was earlier.”
“That’s good,” Grant said, relieved. The group went quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. When the quiet began to grate on his nerves, Grant said, “So what’s going on with Ned and Maddie’s mom?”