“I just left DeShawn and I’m happy to say that he’s responding well to the treatment. Even without the test results being back, I’m pretty sure that he has viral meningitis.”
“Can we see him?” Jason asked. “He has to be scared in that hospital bed alone.”
“He did ask for his mother. The two of you can go back, but keep it short because he’s going to need plenty of rest.”
Jason grabbed Ingrid’s hand and kissed it. “Let’s go.”
They followed the doctor to the pediatric intensive care unit. Ingrid inhaled deeply before heading to DeShawn’s bed. Even though the doctor said his condition was improving, he looked so small and fragile in the bed with an IV in his arm. “Mommy,” he said in a quiet voice. Ingrid took his hand in hers as Jason stood beside her. “Yes, baby,” she said. “I’m right here.”
“I’m hungry,” he said.
“You’ll get something to eat soon. Right now, you have to rest and get stronger, okay?”
He nodded then looked up at Jason. “Hi,” he said.
“What’s up, champ?” Jason asked as he held back tears of relief. “Are you feeling better?”
“I don’t have to throw up no more,” the little boy replied.
Ingrid kissed his hand, “I’m glad.”
“When can I get something to eat?” he asked.
Jason tapped Ingrid on the shoulder, “I’m going to go find a doctor or a nurse and see if we can get some food for DeShawn.”
As Jason headed out the door, Ingrid smiled for the first time since DeShawn was admitted in the hospital. Her son was going to be all right and his father had been by her side the entire time. Jason wasn’t Jay Slade, he wasn’t putting his career above his family. She had no reason to fear the future anymore. She kissed DeShawn again as he drifted off to sleep. A nurse entered the room with a tray of chicken broth and lemon gelatin.
“Your husband said our patient is hungry. He’s going to be on a liquid diet until he goes home,” she said.
“My husband?” Ingrid asked. “Jason’s . . .Yeah, he is hungry.”
She set the tray on the bedside table. “He looks a lot like that singer, Jay Slade,” she said then left the room. Moments later, Jason walked in.
“I see the food made it,” he said as he kissed Ingrid on the cheek.
“Thank you,” she said. “You’ve been wonderful.”
“We had to be here for our son,” he replied as DeShawn woke from his cat nap. “I got some soup and Jell-O for you.”
“Okay,” he replied, his voice thick with sleep.
Ingrid raised his bed slightly and began feeding him the soup. DeShawn made a twisted face as he tasted the soup.
“Yuck,” he said after two spoonfuls.
“Just a little more and you can have dessert,” Ingrid said, all the while thinking she couldn’t remember the last time she fed her little boy. He ate a little more soup and then devoured the gelatin. Once he was finished with his meal, the doctor entered and ushered Ingrid and Jason out.
“You can come back in about an hour,” the doctor said. “We have to run some more tests and check his vitals.”
“Thank you for letting us see him,” Jason said.
“Children seem to rebound a little quicker when they know Mom and Dad are waiting for them. I know he was happy to see you two.”
Ingrid hugged Jason tightly, “And we were glad to see him too.”
Though they saw DeShawn was doing better, Jason and Ingrid stayed in the waiting room of the hospital. When they returned there, he wasn’t too happy to see a scowling Lois sitting there.
“How is my grandson, since I can’t go see him?” Lois asked Ingrid.
“He’s doing much better and you can see him in an hour,” she said quietly. “Mom, this isn't the time for you and Jason to try and compete over DeShawn. He’s sick, could’ve died and I don’t want the two of you duking it out in this hospital.” Ingrid looked from Jason to her mother. “If the two of you can’t play nice until my son is released from the hospital, then both of you are going to have to stay away.”
“That’s right,” Christina mumbled from her corner.
“But. . .” Lois stammered.
“No buts, Mother,” Ingrid said forcefully. “Jason is DeShawn’s father and the reason he wasn’t here for him is because I hid my little boy from him. I didn’t trust that he would put our son first because I spent too much time listening to other people. I know you mean well, but I’m not going to listen to you either.”
“I’ll be back in an hour,” Lois said as she rose to her feet and dashed out of the waiting room.
Jason turned to Ingrid, “I’m sorry if we were stressing you out.”
“I don’t want to talk about this right now, I’m too happy that my son is recovering and my mother will have to get over herself.”
“You know we will probably never be friends.”
Ingrid shrugged. “You have to pick your battles with her. And though I know there is going to be a battle between the two of you, leave my son out of it.”
Jason kissed her on the forehead. “I will.”
Christina walked over to the couple and placed her arms around both of them. “This is beautiful. The only thing that would make it better would be having my godson out of the hospital and all of us having a picnic in the park.”
“All of us?” Ingrid questioned with her eyebrow raised. “Why is it that whenever there is food involved, you want to be there?”
“Because I can’t cook and my best friend is the best cook in the world,” she said. “I’d better call Clarence and make sure they put a rush on cleaning your house. Then I’m going home. Terry’s waiting for me.”
Jason shook his head. “Don’t make him want to stay down here, okay.”
“And don’t you dash off to New York with him, either!” Ingrid called after her friend as she headed for the exit.
Ingrid turned to Jason and shook her head, “I hope Terry doesn’t hurt her. Christina tries to pretend that she’s tough, but she isn’t.”
“Terry’s a good guy, but I’m not sure that he’s trying to settle down. Still, that’s their little red wagon to pull until the wheels fall off.”
“You’re right, but that is my best friend and I want her to have the same happiness that I’m feeling with you.”
He stroked her cheek tenderly. “This is what I missed when I was out on the road. I knew I was going to have you in my arms again if it was the last thing that I ever did.”
“You really missed me?”
“More than you can ever know. You’re the only woman who I’ve ever loved, Ingrid.”
“And all of the women that you were photographed with on the red carpet and at all of those events?” she asked.
“It was all PR. Besides, they wanted Jay Slade and I know you have always loved Jason.”
“So we’ve both been fools for the last three years, huh?”
“Yes. Nothing will ever come between us again. I love you and our little boy too much to miss another moment in his life or yours,” he said.
Ingrid closed her eyes and told herself that she wasn’t dreaming and this was real. Her life was going to include Jason, the one thing that she’d wished for since DeShawn was born.
“After we’re married, there’s one thing that I want us to do,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“Take a huge family portrait,” he said, “and hang it up in the living room above the fireplace.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said.
An hour later, Lois returned to the hospital and did everything she could not to look at Jason. “Is it all right if I go see my grandson now?” she asked.
“Come on, Mom, let’s go,” Ingrid said as she rose to her feet.
When the two women headed back to see DeShawn, Jason pulled out his BlackBerry and called Terry. Even though he’d told Ingrid they should stay out of Terry and Chrissy’s affair, he had to make sure his friend
knew better than to hurt her.
“This is Terry,” he said when he answered the phone.
“What’s up, man?”
“Jay, how’s your son? Christina has been worried.”
“He’s doing a lot better, thank God. He should be going home in a few days,” Jason said. “So, you and Christina are getting pretty close, huh?”
“Yes. She’s a beautiful girl, inside and out,” Terry said with a wistful tone in his voice.
“Oh hell, you’re falling for her pretty hard. How is this going to work with you in New York and she’s going to be in South Carolina?”
“We’ll find a way. It’s still early. But, don’t worry, whatever decision we come up with it will be a mutual one. They don’t make them like women in Elmore, man. And since I knew you were taking care of family business, I finished up the leg work on the contest and you won’t believe who has agreed to do the album cover for the winner.”
“Celina Hart?”
“How did you know?”
“There aren’t many artists in town and she’s a great woman to boot.”
“I have three of her paintings in my loft in New York,” Terry said. “Elmore is full of talent. Maybe we ought to put an office here. Christina took me to church last Sunday and the entire choir could get a record deal.”
“You keep mentioning Christina. Is it getting pretty serious with you two?”
“Maybe, it’s going that way, look man, I don’t know. We’re taking our time, like I said.”
“Don’t hurt her and don’t let too much time pass. When you meet a good woman, you need to hold on to her because you’re not going to find that kind of woman twice.”
“I hear you,” he said.
“Terry, I know I don’t need to tell you this, but if you’re not serious about her, don’t lead her on.”
“Come on, man, I would never do anything to hurt Christina.”
“Make sure that you don’t because she’s a part of the family. She’s my son’s godmother. She’s going to be around.”
“And so will I. The contest is set for next weekend. We have fifteen contestants and they all have dynamic voices.”
“Great, let me know where I need to be and I’m there. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be more helpful.”
“Dude, you’re the artist, no one expected you to be much help anyway,” Terry joked. “You worry about getting your son well.”
“Will do,” he said then hung up. Jason was surprised to see that Ingrid was standing in front of him.
“I thought you were going to stay out of their business?” she teased. “And don’t give me that it was a business call either.”
Jason threw his hands in the air. “So, you caught me,” he said. “I think those two are going to be all right.”
Ingrid wrapped her arms around Jason. “Your son wants to see you and just be forewarned that my mother is still in there with him.”
“Oh great. Maybe I’ll wait until she’s done.”
“No. You need to go now and be an adult,” Ingrid said. “It’s not as if you two aren’t going to see each other. She is his grandmother.”
Jason kissed Ingrid’s forehead. “All right, but keep in mind that we are in a hospital and . . .”
“Just go,” she said as she pointed down the hall and laughed.
As Jason headed for his son’s room, he decided that he wasn’t going to start an argument with Lois, they didn’t need to expose DeShawn to the anger and the fighting when his focus should’ve been on getting well. “Knock, knock,” he said before entering the room.
Jason smiled brightly at his son and barely acknowledged Lois, who sat with her back to the door. “Hey, Jason, you came back.” Jason crossed over to DeShawn’s bedside. “Of course, I came back, champ. I never make a promise that I can’t keep.”
Lois released a loud, unlady-like snort. “I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell too,” she mumbled.
Jason rolled his eyes at Lois and kissed his son on the cheek. “Seems like you’re getting much better. Do you mind if I borrow your grandma for a moment?”
“OK,” DeShawn said as a nurse walked in the room carrying a popsicle. Jason motioned for Lois to meet him outside. With slow steps, Lois followed Jason into the hall way.
“What?” Lois growled at him.
“You don’t like me, I get that. There’s probably not a thing in the world that I can do about it, but there are two things that tie us together. Your daughter and my son.”
“You’re right, I don’t like you and I always knew you would do this. You broke Ingrid’s heart and now you come back into town as if you’re some white knight here to save the day. Where were you when she was crying her eyes out because she loved you so much? How could you do that to her when all Ingrid ever wanted to do was love you? Then here comes this beautiful baby boy and you pretended that he didn’t even exist. I knew all along that DeShawn was your son. Even when Ingrid tried to pass him off as that gay man’s son. There you were dancing around on T.V. as if you didn’t have a care in the world.” Lois pointed her finger in Jason’s face and shook her head from side to side.
“I would’ve been here. I’ve always loved Ingrid, that has never changed,” Jason said. “Why do have such a hard time believing that I love your daughter?”
“Because I know the kind of man you are and the kind of people you come from. Your father killed your mother, do you think I want to see you do that to my daughter?” Lois struggled to keep her voice below a shriek.
“And because of that, you have a low opinion of me? Because of what my drunk father did? I spent my entire life doing everything in my power not to be like that man. I’m no more my father than Ingrid is a bitter woman like you,” Jason jabbed.
Lois blanched and held on to the wall. “How dare you?”
“How dare me? You’ve hated me for something I could never control and now you’re looking at me as if I’m the person who hurt you and turned you into who you are. What did I do to hurt you?”
“By hurting my child, you hurt me. And who are you to judge me?”
“The same person that you are to judge me. Look, we’re not going to be friends, but we are going to see each other. I’m marrying Ingrid and DeShawn is my son. You have been a part of his life and that doesn’t have to change. We have to learn how to coexist for DeShawn’s sake.”
“That’s about the only thing we can agree on,” Lois said after taking a deep breath. “So, how do we do that?”
Jason shrugged his shoulder. “We’ll have to find a way because DeShawn deserves his family. That’s the one thing that I’ve never had, growing up I wished that I had a grandmother who loved me as much as you care for my son. Despite how we feel about each other, I can’t take that away from him.”
Lois sighed and nodded. “Then we will find a way to learn to like each other,” she said. “Do you want to spend some time alone with DeShawn while I go grab something to eat?”
Jason smiled, taking note of how hard it was for her to make that small concession to him. It’s a start, he thought as he headed inside DeShawn’s room.
Chapter Twenty-six
Two days later, DeShawn was well enough to go home and he was greeted by nearly half of the town. Felix brought over all of DeShawn’s favorite foods, Christina brought him a stack of Disney movies and action cartoons, Celina and Darius brought him art supplies and popcorn. Some of the regulars from Soul To The Bone stopped by just to say hello and tell DeShawn how happy they were that he was on the mend.
Ingrid allowed DeShawn to lounge on the sofa and sip his juice and watch TV and he was in heaven. She and Jason watched him from the doorway of the kitchen as he napped. “He’s tuckered out,” Ingrid said. “I guess the excitement of being home and seeing everybody got to him.”
“Yeah. I could watch him for hours,” Jason said as he encircled Ingrid’s hips. “The only thing I will ever regret is not being there for you and him when he was first born.”
“We
can’t relive the past. You’re here now and that is all that matters,” she said softly.
“Then let’s fly into the future. Who needs this big wedding when we can just get married with me, you and our son? I want this family now, more than I ever wanted a platinum record, a number one single or this career. Hell, even your mother has agreed to try and get along with me.”
“I thought I heard hell freeze over,” Ingrid joked.
“But if you want the wedding we’ve been planning, that’s fine too,” Jason said. “Because you’re never going to get the chance to do this again, you know.”
“You’re Mr. Hollywood, maybe I should be telling you that,” she said as she playfully poked him in the ribs.
“There could never be another woman for me,” he said. “Why try the rest when I’ve always had the best right here?”
“You always could pick out the obvious,” she said as she turned around and faced him. “Do you remember Reverend Easterling? He loves my greens and fried chicken, I could have him over here in twenty minutes and we could be husband and wife.”
“Are you serious?”
“All I have to do is promise him food for later,” she said.
“What’s the special today at the restaurant?” Jason asked. “As a matter of fact, what does the right reverend like again?”
Ingrid picked up the phone and called the reverend as Jason dashed out the front door.
Jason sped to Soul To The Bone, when he arrived, he rushed into the kitchen. “Felix,” he said breathlessly when he dashed though the door. “I need a favor.”
“What you need?” the cook asked as he looked up from the grill.
“I need Reverend Easterling’s favorite meal, dessert and everything.”
Felix stopped chopping the onions and peppers on the grill and focused on Jason. “What’s going on?”
“Can you keep a secret?” he asked.
“Depends on what it is.”
“Ingrid and I are getting married, tonight,” Jason said in a low voice.
“What? How am I supposed to keep that a secret? The whole town has been waiting for you two to finally get married.”
“We don’t need or want a big production. After what happened with DeShawn, we realize that life is too short and we’ve wasted too much time being apart,” Jason said. “I love her more than anything and I can’t wait to make her my wife, so if we have to bribe the preacher with food, then we will.”
If It Isn't Love Page 24
