by J. H. Croix
“Cam, I’m sorry to call like this, but I’m at the hospital with your father.”
“What?! What happened?”
“Your father collapsed at work. They called me right after they called the ambulance. I met the ambulance here, but I still haven’t heard back from the doctors. The paramedics said he had a heart attack.”
Cam’s heart stuttered and his stomach felt queasy. He was caught between the tides of worry for his father and worry for how his mother was handling it. He batted his thoughts away and stayed focused. “Okay, okay. Have they given you any information on whether he’s stable or not?”
“He’s in the operating room. The paramedics told me they were able to stabilize him on the way to the hospital, but that’s it.”
“How’re you doing, Mom?”
He could hear her take a shaky breath. “I’m okay. I’m scared, and I wish I knew what happened, but I’m okay.”
“I should be able to be there soon. I’ll book a flight as soon as I get off the phone. Have you called Ivy yet?”
“Honey, you don’t need…”
“Mom, there’s no way I’m not coming down there, so don’t try to talk me out of it.”
He could hear her sigh. “Okay. I’m glad you’re coming. I called Ivy right before I called you, but I only got her voice mail. I asked her to call back, but I didn’t want to leave a message about this.”
“I’ll try to call her on the way to the airport. If you’re okay, I’m gonna hang up and get going. Once I know my flight schedule, I’ll call again. Okay?”
“Okay. I’ll let Ivy know you’re on the way if I talk to her before she talks to you.”
He started to say goodbye when his mother interjected. “Cam?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for coming down here.”
“Of course, Mom. I’ll see you as soon as I can get there.”
Once he got off the phone, he went into action. He got out of his truck and jogged back up to his room in the lodge, his probably ill advised drive to Ginger’s house abandoned. With his mind bouncing between worry about his father and feeling torn up over Ginger’s text, he snagged his laptop and made the earliest flight reservation he could, which gave him almost no time to spare. He threw some clothes in a backpack and ran down the back stairs to find Gage. He raced through the kitchen and into Gage’s office. Gage was sitting at his desk, his eyes glued to his computer screen. He looked up when Cam came through the door.
“You okay?” Gage asked immediately.
Cam ignored the question. “I need to fly out to Utah. My mom called. Sounds like my dad might’ve had a heart attack, but she’s not exactly sure. He’s in surgery right now. Is it gonna be okay if I take off on short notice like this?”
Gage stood quickly. “Of course! You don’t even need to ask. Need a ride to the airport?”
Cam glanced at the clock on the wall above the door. “Actually, that would be great. I booked a flight leaving in forty-five minutes.”
Gage grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. “Let’s go.”
Roughly two hours later, Cam walked off the plane onto the tarmac in Anchorage. He walked through the falling darkness, following the line of passengers into the main airport. The small regional flights from Diamond Creek landed at the gates as far away as possible from where he needed to be to catch his flight to Seattle and onward to Utah. Once he was inside the airport, he started jogging. He made it to his gate with a few minutes to spare. He tugged his phone out and checked his messages. Ivy had called to report she was also flying in and would wait for him at the airport. His mother had left a message that his father was still in surgery.
He held his phone in his hand for a long moment before he quickly called Ginger. Even though she’d asked him to stop calling, he had to at least let her know what was going on. He needed her to know he’d be back once he knew his father was okay. Yet again, his call went to voice mail. With his heart beating like a drum in his ears, he left her a message.
Hey Ginger. I was hoping I’d have a chance to talk to you, but since I haven’t, you’re getting this in a message. My dad’s in the hospital, so I’m flying down to Utah tonight. I’ll be back as soon as I know he’s okay. He paused to gulp in air. Look, I didn’t get a chance to tell you this the right way, but here goes. I know you asked me not to call, but I want to make sure you know how I feel. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve already talked to Gage about staying on at the lodge. I hope…I hope you’ll give us a chance. I’m about to get on another plane and won’t be able to talk until about two in the morning tomorrow. If you want me to call, leave a message and I’ll call as soon as I can. I, uh, I love you.
His flight was announced for boarding the second he hung up.
***
“Dammit!”
Ginger threw her phone across the room where it fortunately landed on the couch with a thump. Cam had left her a message. She’d been desperate to talk to him for days and nearly at war with herself over what to do. Weary of feeling so vulnerable and partly angry with him for mattering so much to her, she’d sent that damn text telling him not to call. For a brief time, she’d felt relieved. She’d felt like she was taking control of her life again. Then last night, she’d almost lost it. She felt like a coward and was terrified she was pushing too hard. Her pride had kept her from calling him because she didn’t know how to move past her own stubbornness.
Now, he’d gone and called her anyway. Wherever he’d called from, the reception was crap. She’d only gotten bits and pieces. He was on his way to Utah because of something to do with his dad. He’d be back and he loved her. She had more questions than answers. She grabbed her phone and tried to call him back, but it went straight to voice mail. Her throat was tight and hot tears pressed against the back of her eyes. She swung from desperately wanting to talk to Cam to pushing back against the feeling again. She hated how out of control she felt. While she paced back and forth in front of the woodstove, George watched her calmly from his perch on the windowsill. Impatient, she called Marley. As soon as Marley answered, Ginger started talking. “Do you know what’s going on with Cam? He left me a message, but I can’t hear half of it. Why is he going to Utah and…”
“Slow down! I can barely keep up,” Marley interjected. “I’ll answer what I can. Cam’s dad is in the hospital, so he flew down there last night. Gage dropped him off at the airport. His flights through Seattle and onto Utah were during the night, so we haven’t had an update yet. My guess is he went straight to the hospital. Gage said Ivy was meeting him there. That’s all I know.”
Ginger stopped pacing and flung herself on the couch with a heavy sigh. “Do you know if his dad’s okay?” Her heart ached with worry for Cam and for his father. He’d already had too much loss to absorb with his brother’s death.
“When Gage dropped him off last night, the latest update was Cam’s dad was in surgery. We haven’t heard anything this morning, but like I said he flew through the night and probably went straight to the hospital. Have you tried calling him?”
Ginger sighed impatiently. “Yes! That’s why I’m calling you. His phone went straight to voice mail.”
“Okay. Why don’t you come up here for breakfast?” Marley asked, her voice soft.
“I have to go to work.” Ginger twisted her hair around her finger and chewed on her lip.
“You don’t have to go to work. It’s completely okay for you to call out. Your boyfriend’s father is in the hospital. You’re not going to be much use at work anyway. I’ll come pick you up,” Marley said, her tone firm.
Ginger’s brain got hung up on the word ‘boyfriend.’ Cam, her boyfriend? Oddly enough, the word seemed too important and too insignificant at the same time. She knew Marley was right. She was different now—emotionally alive. Her feelings for Cam were raw, charged and overwhelming—and impossible to ignore.
“Okay. I’ll come up in a bit. You don’t need to come get m
e though.”
After she hung up, she tried to call Cam again only to get his voice mail again. This time, she left a message.
Hey. It’s me. I got your message. I didn’t catch everything because the connection was spotty, but Marley filled in some of the blanks. I hope your dad’s okay. I’m, uh, I’m thinking about you.
She hung up abruptly. She wanted to tell him she loved him, but she couldn’t seem to form the words. Why did she have to go and fall in love with a man who made her stumble over her words? As soon as that thought crossed her brain, the tears welled up inside again. This, all of this, was why she’d thought it was best never to let anyone matter too much again. All she was trying to do was get some perspective on how she felt about Cam and she was nearly falling apart because of it. Throw in what was happening with his father, and her heart ached with worry.
She ran upstairs and showered and dressed in record time. While she was making coffee and getting fresh food out for George, she called her work. The school secretary sounded completely startled to learn Ginger was calling out for the day. After Ginger hung up, she couldn’t help but laugh. In three years, this was the first time she’d called out from work. She’d gone to work rain or shine and even when she was sick. It took her losing her mind over a man to make her feel like she couldn’t handle work.
Her stomach flipped in a slow circle. A rush of vulnerability washed through her. She couldn’t allow herself to dwell and grabbed her jacket and purse before dashing out the door. She zoomed up to the lodge. She checked her phone to see if she’d missed a call from Cam when she got to the lodge, but her screen was blank.
Hours later, she was pacing back and forth in Marley and Gage’s living room. “Why hasn’t he called me back? Do you think his dad’s okay?”
Marley had just returned to the living room from putting Holly down for a nap. She brushed her auburn hair back with her hands and quickly tied it in a knot before sitting down on the couch.
“Well?” Ginger asked impatiently, throwing her hands up before stopping a few feet in front of where Marley was seated.
“How in the world am I supposed to be able to answer those questions?”
“I don’t know. I just…I just want to know what’s going on.”
“I know,” Marley said softly. “I hate to tell you, but I think you might have to accept that you need to wait. You’ve called him and left him a few messages. He could be tied up at the hospital, or maybe he doesn’t have good reception there. You know how those giant buildings are. Sit down.” She patted the couch.
Ginger sighed heavily and threw herself on the couch. At that moment, there was a quick knock on the door. Marley called out for whomever it was to come in. Delia stepped through the door. She glanced between Marley and Ginger and immediately walked to the couch, sitting down at an angle across from Ginger. Her eyes were warm as she looked over.
“Any news?” she asked without preamble. Marley had briefed her earlier when Ginger arrived at the lodge.
Ginger shook her head and tried to quell the anxiety coursing through her in waves. She’d been battling her internal unease all morning. It was now late morning, and she hadn’t heard a word from Cam. She considered that she’d demanded he give her space and now she felt horrible about it. She hadn’t thought about what it would feel like to want to talk to someone and not be able to. She’d done it without even considering how he might feel. She had needed the space, but maybe she could have tried to talk with him more instead of ignoring the phone every time he called for four days straight.
She rolled her head to the side and looked from Marley to Delia. “I suck at waiting,” she said with a sigh.
Marley laughed softly. “Yeah, you do. Well, only for some things. You’re super patient with kids and…”
“And nothing and nobody else,” Ginger interjected. She realized her impatience with herself and Cam was what led her to shut him out. She didn’t even have patience to wait and see how things unfolded.
Marley shrugged. “So what? We can’t all be patient. Anyway, my point was you can spend all day pacing and freaking out, or you can accept there’s not much you can do.”
Delia chimed in. “Or you could do something about it,” she said firmly.
“Like what?”
Delia pursed her lips and angled her head to the side. “You might need to start by actually admitting how much Cam means to you.”
Ginger’s stomach flipped and her throat tightened with emotion again. She swallowed and gulped in air. “What do you mean?”
Delia arched a brow, but remained silent. When Ginger glanced to Marley, she merely shrugged.
Feeling obstinate, Ginger rolled her eyes. “Fine. I love him. You know as well as I do that love doesn’t mean everything works out.”
Marley’s brows hitched up and her eyes widened before she shook her head. Delia threw her hands up. “Oh my God! Now you’re just being stubborn. If you’re referring to your first marriage, that doesn’t even count. You didn’t love Tony. Maybe you thought you did, but you didn’t. Tony sure as hell didn’t love you. You love Cam and that’s different.” Delia’s voice softened. “And Cam loves you.”
Delia’s words hit Ginger right in her heart. Her heart gave a hard kick and that anxious feeling rose up again.
Delia kept talking. “Don’t let a good thing go just because you’re scared.”
Marley nodded firmly. Ginger looked between them and almost laughed. She had bossy friends, but she was the same kind of friend to them, so she got it. Their bossy support right now eased her anxiety. She took a breath and let it out slowly. “I guess I’m kind of freaking out. I feel so out of control, like I can’t get a handle on anything.”
“Yeah, well, this part of falling in love is kind of like that,” Marley offered with a rueful grin.
Delia leaned back against the couch. “I wouldn’t be saying any of this if it wasn’t so obvious how you two feel about each other. I get the whole trust thing. Remember, Nick’s father wasn’t exactly a great guy. But when you find the right man, it’s worth it.”
Ginger looked out the windows. The wind was blowing the snow off the spruce boughs. Her stomach fluttered and her heart raced. She didn’t know if she was crazy, but she just wanted to be with Cam. She wanted to make sure he was okay and knew she was there for him if he needed her. Um, if you’re going to go down there, you might want to get up the nerve to tell him how you feel. She started to swat the thought away and then realized it was pointless. She loved Cam and she had to make sure he knew.
She stood up swiftly. “I’m going down there. Will one of you take care of George?”
“Of course. I’ll bring him up here,” Marley said quickly. “That way he won’t be alone while you’re gone. Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“First, I have to make reservations.”
Marley leaned over and grabbed her laptop off the coffee table. “Let’s do it right now. If you fly out of Diamond Creek, it’s a puddle jumper flight. You don’t mind those, right?”
“Nah. Just book me on the quickest flight.”
Chapter 20
Cam returned to the waiting room with two cups of hospital coffee in hand. His mother was napping in a corner chair, while Ivy sat nearby typing away on her laptop as usual. He sat down beside Ivy and set a cup of coffee on the table beside her. “Here you go. It might not be the best, but it’s definitely caffeinated.”
Ivy looked up and closed her laptop, snatching the coffee and taking a big gulp. “It’s not too bad,” she said with a grin.
Cam shrugged. “So, so. You don’t have to stop working because I’m here.”
“I was just getting through some emails.” She reached over and squeezed his hand quickly. “I’m glad you came. Mom’s fine either way, but it means a lot to her to have you here.”
“I know. Just like it means a lot to her for you to be here.” He paused and took a swallow of coffee, savoring th
e bitter flavor. “You know, once we know a little more about dad, maybe we should talk with mom and dad about him backing off work some. They keep talking about retiring every so often, but maybe it’s time to push things along.”
Ivy’s eyes were somber. “Maybe so. Let’s get to the part where we know a little more about how he’s doing first, okay?”
He leaned back in his chair. “Sure. Just putting it out there.” When they’d arrived early this morning, their father had gotten out of surgery and they were told it would be another two to three hours before they could see him. He was reportedly in the recovery room and would then be transferred to ICU. Cam was tired and his emotions were unsteady. His mind swung between worrying about his father, how his mother was coping, and wondering if Ginger had gotten his message.
As if on cue, Ivy asked, “Have you heard from Ginger?”
His heart clenched as he shook his head. He hadn’t checked his phone since this morning after he and Ivy arrived at the hospital. He’d gotten weary of checking it and having his hopes dashed again and again. Though he knew it was probably pointless, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled his phone out. “Aw, fuck. My battery died. You happen to have a charger with you? I didn’t even think to bring mine. I was in such a rush when I left.”
Ivy grinned. “I’m a computer geek. Of course I have a charger!” She dug through her backpack and tossed a charger over to him. He quickly plugged his phone in. He and Ivy were quietly nursing their coffees when the doctor came into the waiting room. Cam stood quickly. “Any updates, Dr. Martin?”
Ivy scrambled out of her chair and went to gently nudge their mother’s shoulder. “Hey Mom, the doctor’s here with an update.”
The doctor walked across the waiting room and sat down in the chair beside their mother once she was awake. “Your husband’s going to be okay, April. Like I said earlier, he had a heart attack, but his vital signs are still stable. He’ll remain in ICU for another three or four days.”
