Chapter 22
Collin waited the next two excruciating hours in the pre-op room with Martha. At first, he was angry with her for keeping Olivia’s secret, but she convinced him she was bound by her promise.
“If it weren’t for me, you still wouldn’t know,” she argued. “I couldn’t tell you directly, but I thought to tell Steven.”
His irritation faded, turning inward once again. If he’d treated her right, she wouldn’t have felt the need to keep secrets from him.
The nurse entered the room. “Okay, Ms. Avalon. It’s time to get you ready.”
“Does that mean Olivia’s surgery is finished?” asked Collin, aching to know she was safe.
“I only know I was told to start Ms. Avalon’s IV. I’m sorry. I can’t give you any more information.”
“Collin, will you fetch my purse for me?” She pointed to her customary leather bag, which was sitting on the bench in the corner, along with several grocery sacks he assumed were serving in place of a suitcase.
“We’ll take care of your things, Ms. Avalon,” the nurse assured her. “Your purse will be safe in here, and we’ll transfer it to your room after surgery.”
“I want something out of it,” she explained, gesturing with her wiggling fingers until Collin handed it to her. While the nurse prepared the IV, Martha dug inside the bag, her hand emerging with a small velvet pouch. She held it out to Collin in her flattened palm. “I want you to have this, Collin.”
He slipped his fingers into the pouch and gasped with surprise as he extracted a gold ring, adorned with a sparkling round diamond, surrounded by a circle of tiny chip diamonds.
“Martha, I can’t take this.” His hand shook as he realized the significance of her offering. It was the only thing of value she owned. The gesture warmed him inside, somehow restoring something he hadn’t realized was missing. An invisible cord tightened around his throat, and he swallowed with difficulty. “It’s too much.”
He held it toward her, but she pushed his hand back. “I want you to have it. In case I don’t wake up, you have to take it now.”
“Don’t say that! You’ll be fine.” He spoke to convince himself as well as her.
“Still, there’s no guarantee. I want you to take it now. I hope, someday, you’ll use the diamond to make a beautiful ring for your bride.”
“Okay, Martha, I’ll take it.” He bent down to place a kiss on her cheek, still struggling to control his emotions. “But no more arguing when I want to do something nice for you, like buying you some new clothes.”
“We’ll see. Jack always said I was the most stubborn woman in the world, and I like to live up to my reputation.”
As the nurse injected some medicine into her IV line, Collin pushed the ring back into its cloth pouch and tucked it in the front pocket of his jeans.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and Olivia’s mother, Connie, appeared. “Oh. Hi, Collin.” She dropped her eyes, looking embarrassed, and Collin wondered what Olivia had told her mother. “I came by to let both of you know they’re taking Olivia to recovery. The surgeon said everything went well.”
“You got here just in time,” the nurse commented. “Ms. Avalon will be falling asleep soon.”
Martha nodded, her eyelids already drooping. “Thank you, Connie. Thank you so—”
“Don’t even mention it again,” said Connie. “You’ve already thanked me enough. And Olivia, too.”
Martha’s blinking slowed, until her lids remained closed.
“They’ll be coming for her any minute.” The nurse exited the room, leaving Connie standing in an awkward silence, shuffling her feet and looking everywhere but at Collin.
She cleared her throat. “I’m guessing you found out that Olivia is the one donating her kidney.”
“Yes, ma’am. I discovered the truth last night. I wish she’d told me before.”
“I know you may not understand, but she had her reasons.”
“Ms. Marshall, can I see her when she wakes up?” He held his breath, hardly daring to hope. If he could get Olivia’s mother on his side, he might stand a chance.
Her fingers fidgeted on the handle of her purse. “I don’t know, Collin...”
“I care about Olivia.” His entire face felt like it was on fire. “I care a lot.”
She was quiet for a long time, her eyes trained on Martha’s sleeping form. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll ask her. And Collin...” Her eyes crinkled in the corners as she bestowed a conspiratorial grin. “I’m rooting for you.”
At long last, the universe smiled upon him. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I’m not the parent you need to convince, though.” She grimaced. “It’s your lucky day. Her father is down the hall in the second surgical waiting room.”
Two-faced universe!
* * *
Olivia squeezedher eyes shut against the bright lights, hissing at the ache in her stomach. Someone spoke incessantly in her ear, disturbing the peace of her sleep.
“Olivia. You need to wake up. Come on, open your eyes.”
Her mom’s voice. Was she late to school?
“Wake up, Olivia. You’ve been asleep too long.”
She mumbled a response, attempting to turn away from her mom’s intrusive voice, but her movement elicited a sharp pain.
“Ohh,” she groaned, her hand sliding down to her abdomen.
“Are you hurting?”
Surgery. I had surgery. Kidney.
She kept her eyes almost closed, peeking through tiny slits. “Martha?”
“Martha’s still in surgery. You should be in your room by now, but you refused to wake up. The docs were getting worried about you.”
“It hurts bad…really bad.”
“The docs couldn’t give you a sedative until you woke up from your general anesthesia. As soon as we get you to your room, we can give you some morphine.”
Her room. What if Fitz found her? What if he hurt her family?
“Fitz. Is Fitz here?” She squinted at her mom, who made a strange face.
“No. I’m sorry. He didn’t come, at least not yet.” She bent closer and lowered her voice, though no one was listening. “But Collin is here. He wants to talk to you.”
What would happen if Fitz came and caught her with Collin? Would he become violent? Could he really use that to get Collin kicked out of law school? She couldn’t take any chances until she knew what she was dealing with.
“No, Mom. Whatever you do, don’t let Collin come in my room.”
“But Olivia, he seems very desperate.”
Tears welled in her eyes as the ache in her abdomen intensified. It was too much at once. “Ohhhh, my stomach. I didn’t think it would hurt this much.”
“Hang in there. We’ll get you to your room in a jiffy and take care of that pain.”
The bed vibrated as it rolled down the winding hallway and into the elevator, each jolt sending a stab to her stomach. With an increase in her level of alertness came a corresponding increase in her pain, along with a stark fear that a raging Fitz might intercept them in the hallway.
The trip ended without incident as the nurse wheeled her into the room full of anxious family members, and another nurse helped transfer her to the bed.
“I hate to be a stickler for rules,” said a hulking nurse, who’d identified himself as Paul. “But there are a few too many people in the room. Can you pare it down to three at a time?”
“I’m not staying,” Grace announced. “Wanted to see for myself she’s alive. Can’t stay in this place.” She shuddered like she’d seen a ghost. “Bye, Sis. Call me if you need me. Brad will be close by.” Grace placed a kiss on Olivia’s cheek, whispering in her ear, “I left you a ton of chocolate. I stuck it inside your purse, so everyone wouldn’t eat it while you were sleeping.”
Spencer and Emily gave hugs and encouraging words and went on their way. Claire and Hannah followed suit, leaving as Brad breezed in, still in his scrubs.
“Hey, Squirt!” He ruffled her hair. “How’re you feeling?”
“Not too good,” she replied, attempting to smile.
“I’ve got orders to give you this morphine.” Paul injected into her IV, and seconds later her pain began to ease. For the first time since waking, she could take a breath without gasping at the pain.
“What happened to Mom and Pop?” she asked.
Brad’s gaze scanned the room as if he hadn’t noticed the missing couple. “Your mom’s probably arranging the schedule with your sisters. They’re taking turns sitting with you until you get released. Maybe as early as Monday?”
“That’s what they told me,” Olivia confirmed, her eyelids feeling heavy. “I’m supposed to be up walking within twenty-four hours. Right now, I can’t imagine it.”
Brad brushed a kiss on her cheek. “You’d better rest while you can.”
* * *
Collin’s stomachfelt like he’d drunk a tub full of dirty dishwater. “She won’t let me see her?”
He jumped when Joe’s hand clasped his shoulder. “It doesn’t mean anything. She might just be self-conscious about her looks. You know how women can be.”
It was the first kind word from Joe’s mouth since Collin had shuffled into the waiting room and invited him to go for a cup of coffee.
“But I don’t care how she looks. She’s always beautiful to me,” he declared, too late, remembering to whom he was speaking, and wishing he could hide his face.
Connie must’ve taken pity on him, because she acted as if he hadn’t just exposed his feelings. “Don’t take it too hard, Collin. I might be able to change her mind tomorrow.”
He slumped onto a stiff bench. “If I could talk to her, just for a second...”
“Look at it this way,” Connie said, with a kind smile, “You’ve got time to plan exactly what you want to say.”
She was right. If the opportunity came, he had to make it count. He had to throw himself at her feet and tell her the truth—that he loved her more than life. If only he got the opportunity. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he rested his chin in his hands, staring at the tiled floor. A pair of man’s shoes appeared in his field of vision. When a throat cleared above him, Collin looked up, following from the shoes, up the legs, to a pair of arms crossed over a thick chest, topped by a dissecting stare.
“Collin, I want to tell you something.”
Sweat trickled down Collin’s back, despite the chill in the air. “Yes, Mr. Marshall.”
“I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and accept your apology for what I consider outrageous and inappropriate behavior.”
“Thank you, sir.” Collin’s attempt to swallow failed. Not surprising, since he felt like he had a mouthful of baby powder.
“I’m willing to give you a second chance.”
“Thank—”
“But…” he interjected, holding up a finger. “That chance is conditional. It’s only good as long as you treat her with love and respect.”
Collin rose to face him eye to eye. “That’s all I can ask, Mr. Marshall. I won’t disappoint you.”
He stuck out his hand and Mr. Marshall shook it. “You can call me Joe.”
Connie smiled, nodding encouragement.
Two down. If only I can convince Olivia.
“Will you be here until Martha gets out of surgery?” Connie asked.
“I’ll probably stay until she’s in her room and asleep. Then go home, get my stuff, and come back to spend the night. I didn’t come prepared.”
“Or buy a toothbrush downstairs in the shop,” she suggested.
“I forgot about the gift shop. I could order some flowers for Olivia and for Martha, too.” He stood up. “I think I’ll do that now—it’ll keep me occupied.”
“I don’t know if flowers will help, but they couldn’t hurt.” Connie’s forced smile was probably meant to encourage, but it looked like she thought he was nursing a lost cause. “I’ll let you know if she changes her mind about talking to you.”
As he rode the elevator to the ground floor, hoping the flowers would soften Olivia’s heart enough to listen to him, he rehearsed his apology. When the doors slid open, he spotted a man in a red velvet suit, pulling a wagon full of stuffed animals. At first glance, he appeared to be a Real Santa, but then Collin noticed the hair and the beard didn’t look real. Assumedly, Santa Claus was delivering toys to the sick children. Collin might not mind the Santa Claus gig if he could work for such a meaningful cause. He wondered if Santa ever delivered gifts in the adult wings of the hospital.
And that’s when the idea struck.