by Ann, Natalie
Alec had been astonished by how much the two of them looked alike, and the sorrow he felt when he realized he’d never meet the woman who mothered Brynn flooded him. He couldn’t imagine his mother not being in his life right now. “You can talk to me about your mom any time you want, honey. I’m always here.”
“Thanks, Alec. It’s nothing, really. My father always seems to say the right thing. Or I should say, the wrong thing that gets me upset. It’s not a bad thing though.”
“What did you say?” he asked Andy.
“I asked her if she was happy.”
Startled, Alec turned his eyes back to Brynn and held his breath. “And that made you cry?” What had he missed? Did he do something wrong? Say something stupid? Was she sick of picking up after him? He couldn’t remember.
“No,” she said, choking back a laugh. “That isn’t what made me cry and my father knows that. He said I was so much like my mother.”
“How is that?” he asked. He wished he knew more about Colleen at times. She always talked about her mother so fondly, and he assumed Brynn was like her but was never positive.
She reached up and kissed him. “I told him it took me much longer to say I loved you than it did to realize it.”
Shocked, he looked over at Andy who was silently laughing at him. “Colleen was the same way. It was like pulling teeth to get what was going on in her head out. She always knew what she wanted, but never told me. She made me work for it.”
Alec looked at Brynn for confirmation. She grinned, then said, “I wasn’t making you work for it…I really wasn’t.”
He believed her. He knew she loved him. He was positive he was in love with her before she was with him, and yet he never said it either. He couldn’t judge her on this.
“I would say we were both to blame on the length of time it took to say it,” Alec told Andy.
“Just like her mother.” Andy slapped Alec on the back. “That is exactly something I would have said too. I would have taken the blame for it without even knowing why. Love does that to you, doesn’t it?”
“Exactly.” He looked at Brynn. Love did a lot to him, and every bit of it was good.
Lost Cause
“Is Alec going to be on time this morning?” Sean asked, standing in the doorway to Brynn’s office.
She looked up from her computer. “He said he was.”
Sean snorted. “We’ll see. I was hoping some of your organizational skills and tidiness would have rubbed off on him by now, but no such luck.”
Brynn laughed and eyed Alec’s desk. It was back to being a mess, and as much as she wanted to straighten it up whenever she walked by it, she refused to. If he liked it that way, fine. She would just fight the urge. She refused to pick up after him.
At least at home, he was neat enough. She wasn’t sure if it was because he knew she was or if he actually was trying to be neat. Either way, she appreciated not cleaning up his messes. His closet still was disorganized and clothes were half on hangers and lying in piles on the floor, but she just closed his door so she wouldn’t have to see it. Or get itchy fingers wanting to go in and organize it all.
“She will never convert him completely,” Phil shouted from his office, where he obviously heard the conversation.
“I’m trying,” Brynn replied, laughing back.
“Good luck. My mother tried for years. He’ll clean up some things, but others are a lost cause.”
“Are you guys done busting my ass about picking up?” Alec said from the hallway.
Brynn laughed. It seemed everyone picked on him about being a slob. In all honesty, he wasn’t that bad. It was just that she was so organized and neat. He wasn’t nearly as bad as some people she had dated over the years, or people she and Carly had roomed with in college either.
“You brought lunch too.” She looked at the bucket of chicken in his hand and the bag of sides to go with it. He was such a junk food eater. She thought she was doing a good job of cooking for him and leaving leftovers, but he still bought fast food all the time. Guess Phil was right: some things were a lost cause.
“Let’s eat, then,” Phil said, grabbing the tray of drinks Alec was balancing.
Five minutes later they were all seated at the table, eating and gathering their thoughts. Sean started, as he always did. Like her, he always wanted to meet and get on the same page with everyone. “Where do we stand on timelines for the last five houses in the development?”
Twenty minutes later, Alec had given an update on everything in the development. Phil caught everyone up on the plans for the new homes that Brynn managed to secure deposits on that would start in the spring, and the plans on the remodels he was finishing up.
Brynn was getting ready to give an update when her phone vibrated on the table. She picked it up and noticed Drew’s name but silenced the text and started to speak. “I’ve got two families lined up already for the Victorian rental we are working on. I told them we were moving fast, but it would still be another few weeks before it was ready.”
“Two weeks tops,” Alec said. “It’s just paint and finishing work once we refinish the floors. I thought maybe we could tackle that this weekend if you were up to it. I can’t believe the time you and I have made just working nights and weekends.”
“Hello,” Phil interrupted. “I helped put those kitchens and baths in. Not to mention all the work Andy and Drew did when they were here three weeks ago.”
“Excuse me,” Alec corrected. “Brynn, I can’t believe how much work you and I have done since everyone dropped off the face of the earth on us.”
Brynn laughed at the bickering the brothers always did. She smiled fondly at Alec. “Sounds good to me,” she said. He went right back to eating once he was done talking.
Mary popped her head into the conference room. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Brynn, your brother is on line one. He said it’s an emergency.”
Reaching over quickly, she lifted the receiver of the phone on the conference room table. “Hi, Drew. What’s going on?”
She listened for a minute and felt her stomach drop to the floor and the room spin in front of her. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths, then replied, “I’m leaving right now. Call me if you hear anything new.” She hung up quickly, stood up, and started to walk out the door.
“Whoa,” Alec said, grabbing her arm. “What’s going on?”
She was so lost in the phone call she’d completely forgotten she was in a meeting with Phil, Sean and Alec. Her eyes filled immediately. “My father has had an accident. I need to leave now.”
“I’m coming with you. I’ll drive. You’re in no shape to drive that far right now, Brynn.”
She nodded. He was right, she wasn’t. She didn’t even think she could form a clear thought right now.
He followed her into their office and took her keys out of her hand, grabbed his jacket and they walked out the door. Ten minutes later she asked, “Where are you going? The Northway is the other direction. We need to get on the Thruway.”
“I know which direction Rochester is in, but we need to go home and pack first. Brynn, ten minutes for clothes won’t make a difference.”
“You’re right. You are.”
“Can you tell me what happened? You haven’t said a word. You’re starting to scare me, but I understand you might need to gather your thoughts too.”
“All Drew knew was that my father’s neighbor came home for lunch about thirty minutes ago and saw my father lying in the snow, unconscious. His ladder was lying next to him, so we can only assume he fell. Drew doesn’t know anything else. The ambulance beat him there, so he met them at the hospital. No one is telling him anything.”
“Think positive. I’m sure he will find out something soon. Let’s get some clothes and get on the road. Keep checking in with Drew.”
***
An hour later, Alec looked over at Brynn in the front of her SUV. She hadn’t said much. She was white as a ghost and struggling to keep the tears at bay. She wasn�
��t doing a very good job of it, either. Every few minutes a stray tear would slip down her cheek and she would wipe it away.
He wanted to talk to her, but she seemed to not want to be bothered. He wasn’t sure if he should let her get lost in her thoughts or not, so he tested the waters. “Do you want to talk about something to take your mind off of it?”
She sniffled a little and looked over at him, then shook her head.
He reached his hand over and clasped hers. “Okay. If you want to talk, I’m a good listener. Keep your chin up. I’m sure you will hear something soon.”
Soon turned out to be an hour later. “Tell me what is going on, Drew,” Brynn said anxiously when she answered the phone.
Alec heard her saying “yes” several times. A few more “okays” and she told Drew they were a little over an hour away. He figured less with the accelerated rate he was driving.
“What did he say?” All he could hear was Drew’s muffled voice over the phone, but he hadn’t missed the distress in it.
“My father is in surgery. Drew managed to grab a nurse and get a few details, but not much. Only that they ran a CAT scan and an MRI and they wanted Drew’s signature as next-of-kin for surgery.” She started to cry. “They wanted to know if he had a Do Not Resuscitate Order.”
He didn’t know what to say. There was nothing he could say. He reached over and grabbed her hand and held it, waiting her out while she cried. “I guess he has a head injury and possible internal bleeding or broken bones. Drew can’t get any straight answers.”
“Your father is strong, Brynn. He’s a fighter and he will be just fine. You know that.” And he hoped it was true.
In record time they were rushing into the ER and found Drew sitting in the waiting room. He jumped up and ran to her, hugging her tight. Drew didn’t look much better than Brynn did, and he wished there was something he could for them.
“Have you heard anything else?” Brynn asked Drew.
“No. Nothing. No one will talk to me. I’m afraid the one nurse at the desk will call security if I go ask her again. She got pretty snippy with me.”
“Okay. Okay, let’s go sit. We’ll wait. Let’s give it another thirty minutes and then I’ll see if I can find out anything.”
Alec walked over to the corner with them and sat down, then stood back up. “I’m going to get some coffee for us. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Brynn nodded and went right back to talking to Drew. They were still talking when he returned with a tray of coffee ten minutes later.
Not long after, a man in a suit walked into the waiting room. “Brynn and Drew Palmer?” he asked. Both of them jumped up fast and hurried forward. “I’m Justin Baker, an attorney here at the hospital. Can you come with me so we can talk privately?”
“What is going on?” Brynn asked, confused.
Alec followed along with them, and when they were behind closed doors, Justin turned and addressed Brynn. “I’m sorry I couldn’t answer you out there. Please, it’s nothing to worry about legally. The Director of our Legal Department received a phone call from Lucas Mathews and asked that someone please come down and fill you in on what is going on with your father.”
“Who’s Lucas Mathews?” Drew asked.
“Kaitlin’s brother-in-law,” Brynn said quickly, looking at Alec and turning back to Justin.
“My boss and Lucas go way back. Lucas called as a courtesy. I apologize that you haven’t received much information on the condition of your father. I don’t have anything to report myself, but I wanted you to know that someone will be here shortly with some details, or at least a status update for you.”
“Thank you,” Brynn said. “I appreciate it, I really do. We just want to know what is going on.”
“I understand. Things can get crazy in the ER and the doctors don’t normally stop to think about the families waiting. They are more focused on the patient. It’s hard being on the other side, too.”
Moments later, a nurse walked in, taking a mask off her face. “I don’t have a lot of time, but I was asked to come down and give an update. I’m assuming you are Mr. Palmer’s children?”
Both nodded their heads and she continued. “Your father has a lot of swelling on his brain and we are monitoring it right now. Don’t be alarmed, but there is a good chance we might need to drill into his skull to relieve the pressure, but right now he is holding steady. He has a few broken ribs, multiple breaks in his leg, which he was just wheeled into surgery for now. We had to hold off until all his scans came back and he was stable. He does have some internal bleeding, but it’s under control. There is a general surgeon in with the orthopedist right now should they need to worry about anything else.”
Alec reached over and grabbed Brynn’s hand and held it tight. She was holding it together and he wasn’t sure how. The nurse shook her head and added a small grin. “Your father is luckier than you realize. He suffered from hypothermia. We aren’t sure how long he was out in the snow, but that actually worked to his benefit. It slowed his blood flow, and slowed his internal bleeding, but they’ve got everything under control. It might be several hours before you hear anything else,” the nurse added, almost chastising them.
“I understand. Thanks so much for letting us know what you could,” Brynn said again.
The nurse nodded and walked back out.
“And thank you,” Brynn said to Justin. “I know it was probably an unprofessional way for us to get information, but I can’t be sorry about it either.”
“I understand,” Justin said to Brynn, then shook Drew’s hand. “I hope everything turns out okay. I’m sure you will be kept updated going forward at this point.”
Alec was positive that would be the case. They obviously knew about the call from the Legal Department. He took a chance calling Lucas. He didn’t want Brynn to get mad at him for interfering, but it was the only thing he could think of doing to help them.
“I’ll walk out with you,” Alec said to Justin.
“You two can stay in here for a few more minutes if you want to gather your thoughts.” Justin walked out and turned to Alec once the door was closed behind them. “So you would be Ryan’s brother-in-law?”
“I would be.”
Justin smirked slightly. “I met Ryan a few years ago. A couple of us went to Albany for a conference and went to dinner with Lucas and his team. Ryan met up with us later on for a few drinks. I have to say, I’m surprised to see he’s married.”
Alec laughed. “I think he surprised a lot of people, including himself.”
Justin shook Alec’s hand. “He seemed like a good guy. My boss thinks very highly of Lucas, so please assure your girlfriend that it was no inconvenience. Obviously though, we didn’t want others in the waiting room to know you were able to get around the staff to get information.”
“They won’t say anything, but I’d like to say thank you again. I appreciate it as much as Brynn and Drew.”
Alec walked back into the room and Brynn walked over and into his arms. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
He didn’t know what his life would be like without her in it either, and he didn’t even want to consider it.
Same Idea
Brynn opened her eyes and looked across the room at Alec, still sleeping in the chair. Drew was in another chair passed out too.
They’d finally been allowed into her father’s room around one in the morning, once he was in stable condition.
Technically they shouldn’t have even been in the room right now, or have even been able to spend the night, but she knew the call from Lucas put them on everyone’s radar and they were given a free pass.
She didn’t want to take advantage of it, but there was no way she was leaving her father’s side. Not until he woke up, because she knew he would, she refused to believe otherwise.
Alec stirred for a moment but didn’t wake. She looked at the beard growing on his face. It looked good on him. He often went a day or so without shaving. Runn
ing late, he always said. She didn’t mind though, it added to the rough side of him that she actually found charming, even if it didn’t make sense. Then again, so much of Alec didn’t.
What he did yesterday—calling Lucas—wasn’t a rough side. No, that was considerate and caring. Thoughtful. And though he’d always been a thoughtful person and always put others first, she really was surprised in this case.
She hadn’t even had a chance to really talk to him about it. Other than a few words here and there, no one really talked much yesterday.
She appreciated that he hadn’t pushed her to talk. She knew he was worried about her. She wasn’t worried though, not about herself or about Drew—who looked worse than she did. All she cared about was her father. And as much as Alec was concerned, he kept those thoughts to himself. For her sake.
Her father couldn’t leave her too. No way. She couldn’t be left without either of her parents. Her dad had to walk her down the aisle one day. He had to toss her kids in the air. He had to be there and do all those things that her mother would never be able to do.
And he needed to be there for her to remind her of her mom. Oftentimes Brynn had to fight the bitterness over what had happened. It was a job for her to constantly remind herself of the good times. She did because her father had set such a wonderful example.
She knew her father was hurting too, maybe worse than she and Drew at times—a different kind of hurt, yet he never let on. Or rather, when he did, he talked about the good times again. The good memories.
Alec. Just the thought of him not being in her life was causing a pang of grief that made her nauseous, and they hadn’t been together long. Nothing like her parents. Again, making her wonder how her father managed it now. She should ask him some day, and she would when he woke up.
Slowly standing, she arched her back and tried to work the kinks out as best as she could. She imagined Drew and Alec were in worse shape, being much bigger than her and sleeping in the same-sized chairs.
Quietly she walked out of the room and made her way to the cafeteria.
