Chapter 3 #2
She went to his bedside and took his hand, noticing the bruises on his face had begun to go yellow, which one of the nurses had told her was a sign of healing.
“Here I am. You look so much better today.” That wasn’t true, but she’d never tell him otherwise.
He’d been lightly sedated for much of the past week, so she hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to him.
His cracked lips curved into a small smile. “Is that the kind of wife you’re going to be? The kind that lies?”
“I’m not lying! You do look better, and you’re awake, which is a huge improvement.”
“I asked for a mirror earlier. I look like shit.”
“No, you don’t.”
“It’s okay. I had a barn cave in on me and lived to tell. That’s what matters, right?”
“Yes, definitely.” Kelsey’s emotions were like a kettle set to boil. “I can’t stop thinking about what you did, Jeff… You got hurt so badly saving me.”
“It’s worth every ache and pain to know you’re okay.”
She shook her head. “I can’t bear to see you hurt like this.”
“I’ll be okay. Eventually.”
“I’ll be right here for all of it.”
“I want to send you home because a hospital isn’t a fun place to hang out when you’re recovering from your own injuries, but I’d miss you too much.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“How’s your arm feeling?”
“A little better. The meds are helping.”
“I hate that you got hurt, too.”
“It’s nothing compared to what happened to you.”
He gazed at her with love and affection. “I can’t stop thinking about what went on before the roof fell in.”
At times like this, Kelsey wished she didn’t blush so easily.
“Do your rosy cheeks mean you’ve been thinking about it, too?”
“I’ve given it a little thought.”
“Only a little?”
“I was too busy worrying I might lose you.”
“Well, you didn’t, so don’t go thinking I’ve forgotten that you agreed to marry me.”
“Did that really happen?”
“You bet it did, and as soon as I’m standing on two feet again, we’re going for it.”
“I’ll look forward to that.”
“So will I. It’ll give me a goal to work toward in rehab.”
For a few minutes, they gazed at each other like the fools in love they were.
“You were okay after the other thing, right?”
“I was okay.”
“Sore?”
“A little, but it passed.” That’d been the least of her concerns after the roof fell on them.
“I’m glad.”
“Is it okay if I let your family in? Your mom needs to dote on you.”
“Sure but give me a kiss first.”
Kelsey leaned over the bed rail to kiss his rough lips. She needed to get him some more lip balm from the hospital store.
“One more and make it a good one.”
She smiled as she complied with his directive. Then she went to let in his eager family members.
Sarah went right to Jeff’s bedside to hover over him the way she had from the minute she’d arrived in Providence.
Of course, Kelsey was focused on Jeff and what he needed, but lurking in the back of her mind was panic over being out of work for an extended period.
Thankfully, they both had health insurance through Mac’s construction company, but with a broken arm, she wouldn’t be able to care for Mac and Maddie’s children—including twin infants—for six to eight weeks.
She had a car payment, car insurance, cell phone bill and other regular expenses she wouldn’t be able to cover.
Not to mention most of her clothing and personal belongings were under a mountain of rubble back on Gansett. Sarah and Charlie had gone to the store to buy her some basics, and she’d need to reimburse them.
Eventually.
Worries about finances had kept her awake last night, long after the pain pills had finally kicked in and taken the edge off the sharp ache in her broken arm.
She could borrow money from her parents, but that was a last resort. They’d helped her and her siblings through college and were now excited to travel. She’d hate to do anything to hamper their plans.
Kelsey wished she could calm down and not worry so much. They were both alive. That was the only thing that mattered, but as someone who’d been born practical, according to her mother, she couldn’t help but fret about the details.
Mac stood before the wreckage of the barn he’d managed to avoid for most of a week, staring at it while trying to get his head around what’d happened there during the storm.
Kelsey and Jeff had come close to being killed.
He’d never forget the frantic race to get them out from under the rubble before it was too late.
He shuddered as the horror resurfaced in vivid, graphic images that would haunt him forever. He’d refused to go near the site until now because he’d been too raw over what’d happened there and how lucky they were that Kelsey and Jeff had survived.
The former barn-shaped structure had been reduced to rubble by Hurricane Ethel. Mangled boards had formed a pile ten feet high in places, relieved only by the area where they’d worked in the wind and rain to free Kelsey and Jeff.
Big Mac joined him, striking a similar pose as he, too, stared at the ruins, probably reliving some of the same memories that’d tormented Mac for days now. “Thank God they’re on the mend,” Big Mac finally said after a long moment of silence.
“Indeed.”
“Have you heard how they’re doing today?”
“Kelsey texted earlier to say that they’re arranging for Jeff to be discharged to a rehab facility. Probably in the next week to ten days.”
“That’s good news.” He glanced at Mac. “Did you hear Sturgil’s missing?”
“What? No. Does Tiffany know?”
“Ned told me her ex-mother-in-law called to ask if Tiff had heard from him. That’s how she found out.”
Shocked to hear the news about his former brother-in-law, Mac pulled out his phone to see he’d missed two calls from Maddie. Turning the phone on its side, he saw that the ringer was off and turned it back on.
Son of a bitch.
He called her back.
“Hey, have you heard about Jim?” she asked.
“Just now. Sorry I missed your calls. The freaking ringer was off, probably thanks to Thomas playing games on my phone last night.”
“I figured something like that, or you were busy.”
He was never too busy to take a call from her, which she certainly knew by now. “How’s Tiffany?”
“She’s not sure how she’s supposed to feel. I think she’s far more upset than she would’ve expected to be.”
“I get it. He put her through hell, but she doesn’t want him dead.”
“Yes, that exactly.”
“And poor Ashleigh.”
“I know. She and Addie are with Mom and Ned for now. I offered to go to Tiff’s, but she said Blaine’s with her, and she’s doing okay.”
“That’s good.”
“Where are you?”
“Dad and I are at the barn to figure out what to do about it. I was also going to see if I can salvage some of Kelsey’s stuff.”
“Don’t endanger yourself by going in there. Do you hear me?”
“I won’t. My mom is still there with you, right?”
“She is, and she said she’ll stay until you get home.”
“Tell her thanks, and I’ll be home by three.
Four at the latest.” He’d been working nonstop since the storm hit, damaging thirty homes on the island at last count.
As one of four local construction firms, two of them one-person operations, Mac and his team would be straight out for months, which was not how he’d planned to spend the off-season. They’d get it all done. Somehow.
“We’re fine. Do what you need to.”
“Love you.”
“You, too. Be careful.”
“I will.”
“How’s she doing?” Big Mac asked.
“Shocked about Jim but hanging in there thanks to Mom.”
“She’s happy to help for as long as Kelsey is laid up. We all are.”
“Thank you. It’s very comforting to be surrounded by family at a time like this.”
“I want to get some money to Kelsey and Jeff,” Big Mac said. “I’m sure there’ll be expenses and other needs with both of them out of work for the time being. Can you help me make that happen?”
“Sure, Dad. That’s very nice of you.”
“It’s the least I can do after my building collapsed on those poor kids.”
“They don’t blame you for that.”
“Maybe they should. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they sued me for damages.”
“They won’t do that.”
“But they could, and they’d have a case, so let’s give them enough that they don’t want for anything while they’re getting back on their feet.”
“I have their bank info for payroll and could get it to them. How much do you want it to be?”
“Maybe a hundred each?”
Mac turned to his father, eyes gone wide. “Grand?”
“Yes. I talked to your mom, and she agrees we need to do everything we can to make this right.”
“That’s incredibly generous of you both, but surely you had an act of God clause in the lease.”
Big Mac’s gaze shifted ever so slightly toward Mac. “What lease?”
“You gotta be kidding me.”
His father shrugged. “That’s not how I do business. Those kids got hurt in my building, and I want to do something for them. If I write you a check, will you take care of getting it to them?”
Mac wasn’t as surprised as he should be that there was no lease with Kelsey. His dad operated on faith and gut checks that’d served him well over forty years in business. He was as old-school as it got, and generous as hell.
Mac wouldn’t change a thing about him. “Yeah, Dad. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re a kind and generous man.”
“Least I can do for those kids.”
Mac patted his dad on the back. “It’ll mean so much to them.”
“Tell them there’s more where that came from if they need it.”
“I will not do that. That’s more than enough, and I’m sure they’ll tell you it’s far too much.”
“I’m just so damned thankful they weren’t killed.”
“We all are.” Mac handed his dad one of the two pairs of work gloves he’d brought. “How about we see what we can do about finding some of Kelsey’s things?”
“Let’s do it.”