Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Parker stared into the mirror for a long time before he reached for a towel to wipe the last of the shaving cream off his face.
He ran a comb through his dark hair and brushed his teeth like this was any other day, and not, potentially, the most important day of his life.
Knowing he wouldn’t be able to focus on work, he had decided to stay home and had given his assistant strict instructions to forward any personal calls to his cell phone. All he could do now was wait. And hope.
He got dressed and went downstairs to brew a pot of coffee.
When Gina had been his client, she could never meet with him before nine thirty because she had to put her sons on the school bus.
With any other client, that detail wouldn’t have registered with Parker.
With her, though, every detail had registered.
A check of his watch told him it was eight thirty.
He pictured her walking two boys with backpacks to the corner—yes, he had driven by her house, but only once and just so he would know where she lived and be able to picture that much of her life.
Then he remembered it was the middle of the summer, and he panicked.
What if they were somewhere on vacation?
Forcing that unpleasant—and unimaginable—thought from his mind, he pictured her having a solitary cup of coffee in a bright, sunny kitchen.
Or maybe she had popped in an exercise video or was sleeping in.
One thing he was quite certain she didn’t do—thanks to the settlement he had brokered with her slimy ex-husband—was work.
Parker had seen to it that she didn’t have to.
Her ex was a successful sales rep for a pharmaceutical company and made plenty of money.
Parker smiled with satisfaction at how much of that money the bastard now had to fork over to her every month.
She had earned every dime of it, Parker thought, remembering her humiliation over her ex-husband’s many affairs.
Any man who would cheat on her was a fool, and Mark Mancini was definitely a fool.
Parker thanked God for that since Mark being a fool had led him to Gina.
When his cell phone rang Parker almost spilled his coffee in his haste to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, boy-o, what’s going on in Boston?” his father asked in his usual booming voice. “Too busy to call your old pop?”
“Hi, Dad. Can I give you a call later? I’m waiting for an important call.”
“Sure thing. I just wanted to check in before I leave for Rio tonight.”
“Going by yourself?”
“Of course not,” James King scoffed.
“I should’ve known,” Parker said. “Don’t marry this one, okay?”
“No chance of that. You’ll be glad to know I’ve finally learned my lesson on that front.”
“And none too soon,” Parker mumbled.
“I’ll let you go, but don’t be a stranger, huh?”
“Call me when you get back,” Parker said as another thought occurred to him. “Hey, Dad, do you have a number for Smitty in Australia?”
“I’ll have Janet e-mail it to you,” James said, referring to his assistant.
“Thanks. I’ll come down to see you when you get back from Rio.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“Bye, Dad.”
Parker had no sooner ended that call when his cell rang again. This time he checked the caller ID and saw it was Ted.
“Hi,” Parker said.
“Hey, isn’t today D Day?”
“Yep.”
“What time are the flowers being delivered?”
“Nine.”
“How are you holding up?”
“Great. Perfect, in fact.”
Ted laughed. “Whatever you say. If I wasn’t in clinic this morning I’d come hold your hand.”
“If you weren’t in clinic, I’d let you.”
“Hang in there, man. She’s going to call.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Hey, um, are you busy for lunch tomorrow?”
“No, I cleared the afternoon to go to Newport. I take it this means you aren’t going?”
“No coverage.”
“That sucks. So why are we having lunch? What’s up?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Call me in the morning?”
“All right.”
“Good luck with everything today, Parker. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”
“Thanks.”
Caroline sat on the countertop in the bathroom and watched Ted shave.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “You’re making me nervous.”
“You’re so rough with that razor. I can’t believe you haven’t cut yourself.”
“Why aren’t you sleeping in? If I didn’t have to go to work, I know where I’d be right now.”
“I’d rather watch you shave,” she said, reaching for her birth control pills.
He dabbed some shaving cream on the end of her nose. “Why don’t you quit taking those?”
“Now?”
“Why not? We’re getting married soon, and let’s face it, I’m not getting any younger.”
“But,” she sputtered. “Shouldn’t we at least talk about it?”
“We are talking about it.”
“You can’t throw this at me before coffee.”
“Okay, then I won’t throw it at you.” He cajoled the pill pack out of her hand and tossed it into the trash. “Two points.”
“Ted . . .”
He kissed her. “Relax, honey. It’s not going to happen overnight.” He rinsed the last of the shaving cream off his face, acting as if they hadn’t just had a life-altering conversation. “What are you going to do today? I feel bad you’re trapped here while I’m at work.”
She shrugged and tried to move on from what had just transpired. “I don’t mind being trapped here. It’s good for Cameron to have my undivided attention.”
He scowled at her and combed his hair. “As long as he keeps his hands off you, he and I’ll get along just fine.”
“I want you to read what I’ve done so far.”
“Really?”
She nodded.
“I’d love to. I’m dying to read it, but I didn’t want to ask.”
“You could’ve asked.” She reached up to caress his smooth cheek. “Mmm, bring that over here.”
He complied by rubbing his cheek against hers before he kissed her. “I’ve never enjoyed shaving quite this much before.”
She followed him into the bedroom to keep him company while he got dressed. “So what have you got going today?”
“I have to check on a couple of patients on the in-patient floor first thing. Then I’m in the clinic all morning followed by rounds in the afternoon.”
“I’m trying to picture you in your doctor mode,” she said, buttoning his shirt.
“Why don’t you come with me and see for yourself?”
She looked up at him. “I could do that?”
“Why not?”
“I’d love to!” She clapped her hands with delight. “I can be ready in ten minutes with a shower.”
“That I’ll need to see to believe.”
Sure enough, as he downed a cup of coffee in the kitchen, she hobbled down the stairs ten minutes later wearing a pink top and matching skirt. He poured coffee into a to-go mug for her. “Why don’t you bring your laptop so you can work in my office while I’m in the clinic.”
“That’s a good idea.”
She retrieved her laptop and followed him out the door a minute later. “This is so exciting,” she said when they were in the car. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“I just hope . . .” He bit his lip and glanced over at her.
“What?”
“It can be upsetting the first time you see it.”
She sobered and reached for his hand. “I know, but maybe if I see it I’ll be able to understand it better and be more supportive.”
“As long as you know it’s okay if it upsets you. That’s only natural.”
She nodded. “So what did Parker say? How’s he doing?”
“He’s a total mess.”
“I can’t say I blame him. I hope she calls. Are you really going to tell him about us tomorrow?”
Ted nodded.
“What are you going to say?”
“I’m going to tell him the truth—exactly the way it happened and hope for the best.”
She chewed on her thumbnail and stared out the window.
“What’s going on over there?”
“I know we said we’d get through it together if it happens, but I don’t know what I’m going to do if they desert you because of me.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about that, too, and I’ve decided it’s not going to happen.
We’ve been through so much together I can’t imagine them turning their backs on me.
I’ve tried to be the best possible friend to each of them.
For instance, when Parker’s mother was sick and dying, I got him in with specialists and found the answers to all his questions.
I even went with him to the funeral home to pick out her casket.
I could give you dozens of other examples like that with all three of them.
There’s been a lot more between us than fun and games.
That’s got to count for something, don’t you think? ”
“I hope so. I really do.”
When they got to the hospital, they went first to Ted’s office to drop off her computer and the bag he had carried to work.
“Glamorous, huh?” he asked, referring to the hole in the wall that served as his office. He donned a white coat with the name “Dr. Duff” embroidered on the left side, checked his pager to make sure it was on, and clipped it to his belt.
“It a nice office,” she said. “Oh, look at this!” On the wall she had found the framed copy of a Boston Globe article from four years earlier with the headline “Childhood Cancer War Spans Three Generations for Boston Family.” In the photo that accompanied the article, Theo and Ed stood behind Ted with their hands on his shoulders. “What a great story this is.”
“We got a lot of attention when that came out.”
“They look so proud. I’ll read it while you’re in your clinic.”
He draped his stethoscope around his neck and ran his hands over her arms. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
“I’m sure.”
“If it gets to be too much just give me a sign, and I’ll get you out of there, okay?”
“Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”
He dropped a light kiss on her lips and reached for her hand. “Okay then. Let’s go.”
They took the elevator to the in-patient floor and stepped into a world that was all about kids. There were brightly colored murals on the wall, cartoon character decals on the floor, and doctors and nurses wearing festive scrubs. The first person they encountered was Kelly at the nurse’s station.