by Lund, S. E.
"Alpha males. Old Silverbacks," he said, his voice filled with humor. "Drake's technically too young to qualify but still. We like to be in control, in charge." He took in a few deep breaths as if speaking even at a whisper was an effort. "Domineering sonsabitches. I'm surprised he let you stay."
"What was he going to do, kidnap me? Force me onto the plane?" I tucked the blanket in around him, smiling to myself. Was my father admitting that he was a Dom like Drake? Or a dominant man? "I have my own mind you know."
"Don’t I know it," he said. "Willful child. Could never control you so I gave up when you demanded that you ride Heath's bike instead of the small one we bought you with training wheels."
I laughed out loud at that. "I'm hardly willful."
He smiled, his eyes closed. "Whatever you say. I think Drake would have something to say about that assertion."
"I'm sure he would. But still, no matter what you or Drake say, I couldn't leave you. Not when you're like this."
He took my hand. "Let's you and me make a deal," he whispered and I had to lean down to hear him. "Let's have a really nice talk, reminisce about our lives, talk about your future and then, I want you to book the first flight to Nairobi."
When I started to protest, he squeezed my hand.
"Listen to me," he said. "I hate you two being apart because of me. Life's too short to be separated from the ones you love for even one night."
"You're someone I love."
"Drake's your life now, not me. Go to him." He pulled on my hand so I had to lean closer. "Promise me."
I sighed, exasperated. "You're still not well enough…"
"Promise me."
I exhaled heavily. "I'm not making any promise."
"Listen, I don't plan on dying anytime soon," he said, a gleam in his eye. "But if I do, I want to know you're with Drake when you get the news and not moping around hospital hallways alone. I saw you alone for too many years."
"That's why you didn't want Heath to come back immediately?"
My father nodded. "He's in Haiti working with the homeless. He's due back soon enough. But I'm glad you were here. Thanks for helping Elaine while I was out of commission. And it was good to talk to Drake."
"What did you two speak about?"
"Not telling. You can ask him when you go back."
I leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I can see that you two will gang up on me when we come back to Manhattan."
"Count on it." He smiled at that and then sighed. "I need to rest my eye a bit, sweetheart."
I squeezed his hand once more. "OK. I'll come back later for that talk."
"I'm not going anywhere."
I left him, glancing back when I reached the door. He looked frail, pale against the white sheets of the bed.
I was sitting in the waiting room reading a magazine while my father slept, and heard the click of a pair of boots on the floor. I glanced up to see Dawn walking down the hallway from the elevator. A surge of adrenaline went through me. How should I handle her after what happened between us?
A strange expression crossed her face when she saw me but then it was replaced by one of grief.
"Oh, Katie," she said and came to me when I stood up, her arms open. "I'm so sorry to hear about your dad." She hugged me tightly and I let her, willing to hold my anger towards her at bay when my father was so ill. She sounded genuinely sad and I knew she was truly upset. My father had been like a parent to her for years, when her own family was living far away. "It came as such a shock," she said and pulled away, wiping her eyes. "I heard it on the news that he had to pull out of the race."
I couldn’t speak, covering my mouth with a hand. We sat on the couch and I cried quietly, the events of the past few days overcoming me once again. She put her arm around my shoulder while I told her what had happened during the past week, the stroke and the seizures. She listened and nodded, because she understood much of what I said due to nursing school. She was almost ready to graduate and had finished a surgical rotation.
"You went to Africa with Drake," she said. "I spoke with Elaine, but I swore her to secrecy," Dawn said, looking around the floor. "Where is he?"
"In Nairobi," I said.
"He went back already?"
"He had to go back," I said, feeling a bit defensive. "He had classes and a surgical slate…"
"Of course," she said and smiled, but I could see sympathy for me in her eyes. "Elaine said you were engaged and that you two were really happy. She also said that Drake was really in love with you and you were in love with him."
"We are," I said, smiling despite everything – all my anxiety, fear and my sadness about Drake fading. I held out my hand to show her my ring. She took my hand and examined it, a tight-lipped smile on her face.
"When are you getting married?"
I shook my head. "We don't have a date yet, but probably within the year."
She smiled and continued to hold my hand. "I missed you."
I smiled back, tears filling my eyes. "Me too." It was all I could say without bursting into tears. I had missed Dawn. We'd been like twins since grade school, going through everything together. Not having her to talk to and help me through all this was a hole in my life that Drake alone couldn't fill.
"When are you going back to Nairobi?" she asked.
"When my father's back at the apartment."
She made a face. "That might be a while if he needs rehab. They'll keep him on a ward while he's recovering until they feel he's well enough to go home. It could be a few weeks."
I nodded. "I know, but I can't leave him here. I wouldn't be able to sleep or be productive or enjoy anything at all if I was in Nairobi and he was here, still at risk."
We talked about my father's case, and the care he'd require. She promised to check in on him once he was back at home.
Finally, she stood up. "I have to run," she said. "My shift starts soon and I need to go home and change."
"Thank you for coming by," I said and stood up as well, honestly pleased that she had stopped by, even if only for a few moments.
"How could I not come and see how your father is? He was like my own dad for years." She stared at me, her eyes searching mine as if for forgiveness. "You were like a sister to me. Closer than my own sister."
"Sisters," I said, taking her hand, remembering how we'd pretended to be sisters when we were both geeky pre-teens in public school.
She didn't apologize for what happened between us, or for what she tried to do to Drake's career. I didn't invite her back to the hospital. Instead, she left with a smile on her face, but in her eyes, I saw regret. It was almost enough for me to forgive her, but not quite. She'd have to do a lot more to right the wrong she'd done to Drake and me, but I was glad she stopped in.
It felt like she'd chipped away a little of the wall between us.
My father and I had our talk later that night. Since he was doing so well, they moved him down to the surgical ward. I was able to sit in his room and reminisce about old times, talking about anything and everything that came to mind.
He seemed to want to talk about Drake and me, and told me once again how he'd been recruited by Liam to watch over Drake during his college days, when Drake was in medical school. How he'd lost track of Drake for a while until Liam died, and how he'd met up with him again at the funeral and decided to adopt him as a kind of foster son. How he planned on living long enough to see me married and having Drake's babies.
"But first you have to get back to Nairobi," he said, a mock-stern expression on his face. "Your mother and I spent quite a lot of time apart, doing this event and that event, going on separate vacations when our interests diverged, and when she got sick, and then when she died," he said and closed his eyes as if it still hurt. "I regretted every moment away from her. Don't make the same mistake I made. When I met Elaine, I vowed to never spend a night apart from her if I could help it."
I never knew he felt guilt and remorse for all the times he'd spent away out of c
hoice rather than out of necessity. It gave me a new perspective on his relationship with my mother and with Elaine.
"I want no regrets when I die," he said, holding my hand, his expression serious. "That's why you should go back. Book a flight tonight for tomorrow. Get there as soon as you can. You never know when life can take people away from you. Don't spend any more time away from Drake than you have to."
I squeezed his hand. His words and his tone filled me with emotion and I had to wipe tears away.
"It's too soon," I said, fear for him filling me.
"Do it," he said, his voice emphatic. "Now."
That night, I sat in the small waiting room and fought with myself, torn between waiting until my father was better and going straight back to Drake. He'd texted me briefly to let me know he'd arrived safely and I'd responded, but now, I felt an ache deep in my chest at the thought of us being apart.
When Dr. Clark came down the hallway that night, I stopped him and asked him how my father was doing.
"Much better," he said. "No one can be one-hundred percent certain in these cases, but we've got his seizures under control and the swelling is down considerably."
I thanked him and returned to the waiting room where I sat alone, and allowed the internal battle to continue. I checked my cell and there was a text from Drake.
I miss you.
I broke down at that and cried, all alone in the small waiting room, glad that no other family members were around.
When I'd regained control over my emotions, I picked up my cell again and responded.
I miss you.
Then, I booked a flight to Nairobi.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The flight was scheduled to leave the next night a few minutes before ten. As I went to sleep in the tiny on-call room, remembering how Drake and I had slept together that last night, I missed him so much I ached. I didn't call him or text him about my decision to return, wanting to surprise him. My texts merely talked about how my father was recovering nicely and how we'd been able to spend some really quality time together.
The next day, I spent with my father and Elaine, talking about my art, about my plans when Drake and I returned.
"When are you two tying the knot?" he said, his one good eyebrow raised expectantly. "I don't want to wait too long."
"We haven't set a date," I said. "Sometime within the year."
My father nodded. "Do I get to hold a huge society wedding, with five hundred people and a huge venue or are you going to insist on one of those justice of the peace weddings?"
"You want me to have a big wedding?"
"You're my only daughter. I expect to have a huge reception at the club with a band and free booze and dancing until the wee hours of the morning."
"Yes," Elaine said, smiling, her face bright. "We have to have a wedding at the club. Your father was so excited that you two got engaged. I swear he was more excited about planning it than I was."
I laughed and squeezed her hand. "OK," I said. "But no church for me. I want a quiet ceremony in the apartment."
"But—" my father started.
I held up a hand and interrupted his protest. "If you want a huge reception, I get the quiet wedding at your apartment."
"Oh, all right." He smiled at me. "But no scrimping on the reception. I insist."
When the time came for me to take a taxi to the airport, my father insisted I take the limo service. I agreed and said goodbye to Elaine, who had tears in her eyes, before bending down to kiss my father's forehead. I felt so close to tears, I had to bite my lip to stop from sobbing out loud. Now that it was time to leave, I regretted agreeing to go so soon for he still looked so frail. But his words about relationships made sense to me. Drake was my future. My father would be there, too, but in the background. I had to put Drake first and make a life with him.
Drake had to be my priority now.
My flights were a blur of sleep and brief bursts of activity as I changed planes. The connecting flight to Nairobi was thirty minutes late, meaning I'd get home in the late afternoon. I figured Drake would be working late and so I'd be able to surprise him, waiting for him when he returned late that night.
Once I disembarked and retrieved my luggage, I called Jomo and waited for him to pick me up and take me home. It meant I had to wait an extra ten minutes, but I didn’t care. I wanted to give Jomo the business and ensure he kept loyal to Drake and me for our stay in Nairobi. He had always been so nice and helpful, and I trusted him.
We drove up to the house at around four in the afternoon and I was surprised to see Drake's car in the driveway. There appeared to be more cars than normal on the street bordering our house, and I wondered what was going on that made the neighborhood so busy.
I walked up to the house, my plans to surprise Drake when he arrived home from work changing to surprising him when he was at home and not expecting me. When I walked up to the front door, I saw it was open. Through the opening, I was able to see Sam standing in the entry, a black suitcase in her hand. She was wearing casual clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, and her hair was up in a ponytail. She looked completely relaxed and at home – in my home. In Drake's and my home.
She saw me and a strange expression came over her face.
"What are you doing here?" she said, her voice surprised. "I mean, you're back," she added.
I stared at her, my eyes moving from her face to the suitcase she held in her hand. A wash of adrenaline flowed through me and my knees wobbled a bit. I felt like lunging at her, smacking her across the face.
“Yes, I’m back. What are you doing here?”
She frowned and glanced back inside before turning to me. “How could you do this to Drake? I knew you were wrong for him when I heard about you.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you loved him, you wouldn’t do this to him. You don’t understand what it means to be a surgeon.”
“I’m not wrong for Drake,” I said, my anger getting the better of me. “He loves me and asked me to marry him.” I shook my head, confused and angry that she was saying those things to me. I turned and went back down the walkway to the street but Jomo had already gone.
What the hell…
I sat on the low stone wall that surrounded the property and stared out at the quiet street. I felt sick to my stomach, but my mind fought with itself over how to interpret Sam's presence during the middle of the day at my house and what she had said. Why she had a suitcase in her hand.
Did she think I shouldn’t marry him because I wasn’t in medicine?
Then I noticed a truck parked at the side of the road in front of the house. The sign read "Mbecki's Cartage". Was Drake having something delivered?
I heard Drake before I saw him, heard his voice at the door calling my name, but the blood was pounding in my ears and I didn’t turn to look at him. I felt his presence before I saw it, and then he sat down on the wall beside me, leaning over, his elbows resting on his knees.
"Kate…" he said, his voice soft. "I didn’t want things to happen like this."
"Like what?" I glanced at him, but didn't linger on his face for fear I'd burst into tears.
"I didn't think you were coming back so soon," he said.
"Obviously."
Then he reached out to take my hand. I let him, waiting for him to explain what was going on. Trying not to come to any conclusions of my own.
"You should have called me."
"I guess I should have," I replied, not helping him out any and not responding to his touch.
"As soon as I got back, I gave Michael my notice and some of the residents are here to help me pack up the house."
A shock raced through me. I turned to him, searching his face. He was calm, his face placid.
"What?"
"I'm coming back to Manhattan."
A sense of relief so profound flowed through me, that I felt as if I could collapse. He pulled me onto his lap, so that I straddled his hips, my arms around his neck.
"I thought you wouldn’t come back for weeks because of your father."
I shook my head. "I realized that you're my life now. I couldn’t stand to be apart from you even one more night."
He closed his eyes and then pulled my hand up to his mouth, pressing his lips against my knuckles. When he looked back up at me, his eyes were wet.
"I gave Michael notice because I realized you’re my life and I couldn’t stand to be apart from you even one more night."
Then, I wrapped my arms around his neck more tightly and kissed him, our lips pressed together hungrily. We remained locked in each other's arms, Drake squeezing me so tightly, I felt as if I might break. Finally, he pulled back and looked at my face, brushing hair from my forehead. A smile started on his lips.
"Why did you leave just now? What were you thinking?" he said, his eyes on mine. "You had to know there was nothing going on between Sam and me."
“She blamed me for your decision. Said I couldn’t understand what it was like for you as a surgeon. That I was wrong for you.”
"Damn,” Drake said. “I’m sorry about that. Of course, you would have to see Sam first before me."
"I would," I replied. "You can imagine my surprise. When I saw her, I had this insane urge to run at her and claw out her eyes."
Drake laughed out loud at that. "Catfight?" he said, his voice sounding relieved. "I should be flattered, but really, Kate. I'm sorry you had to see her first. I didn’t ask for any help, but the residents volunteered to come and help pack up, and she invited herself along with them. I was going to return without telling you, surprise you."
I nodded, glad that I hadn't let my mind go where it could have.
"I hope you never ever worry about me," he said, his voice soft. "I'm yours, entirely, Ms. Bennet." He smiled at that, his eyes narrowing. "Every single inch."
I couldn't help but smile back.
