by Judy Duarte
“Well, I’d better go,” Jeremy said. “I wanted to check on the progress of one of my other patients, but I need to head back to the office. I have a full afternoon scheduled.”
After the men shook hands once again, Javier told his friend and doctor goodbye. Then he began his workout.
He started out slowly, with some stretches and easy exercises. Then he took it a step further, pushing harder, willing his muscles and tendons to strengthen, willing himself to heal.
Working out helped, he decided. It also proved to be a good outlet for his anger and frustration.
As he pushed through the pain, as he fought to become whole once again, his breath came out in ragged huffs. Perspiration beaded upon his brow.
His head grew light.
Still, he didn’t let up.
He didn’t quit.
As he moved from one of the chair exercises to another, his knees shook, wobbled. His vision blurred, and without warning he found himself falling.
His ears were ringing, but he heard someone yell, “Call for Dr. Fortune. Stat!”
As Javier collapsed, his head struck something hard, and everything went black.
Chapter Twelve
After Leah returned home from running her errands, she parked her car in the garage. Then she entered the house through the laundry room.
She might have had the last word with Javier this morning and taken the power position, but she’d never once felt like the winner. Not when she’d lost what few hopes and dreams she’d dared to harbor.
From the time she’d holed up in the bathroom this morning, with the water running to hide her cries, she’d tried to make sense of it all.
How could he make love to her like that—with a slow hand that seemed to know all the right places to touch, to stroke, to caress? It had seemed as though her needs and desires had been more important to him that night than his own. Yet he’d given her every reason to believe that she’d been an amazing lover, too.
She supposed he’d had a lot of practice with that sort of thing. But that didn’t make losing him any easier.
Even when she’d dressed and returned to the kitchen, she’d held the briefest of hopes that he would be waiting for her, that he’d be eager to explain, to tell her the words she’d wanted to hear.
But she’d found him gone, the dishes washed and put away as if he’d never been there at all.
Yet he’d been there all right. She had an ache in her heart and a fist-size knot in her stomach to prove it.
It was nearing lunchtime now, but she still wasn’t any hungrier than she’d been this morning when she’d told him to leave.
After making two trips to the car to bring in all of the shopping bags, she began to put everything where it belonged—frozen food in the freezer, perishables in the fridge and canned goods in the pantry.
She’d just folded the recyclable shopping bags and put them away when the telephone rang.
She closed the cupboard door, then answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Leah? I hope I’m not bothering you, but this is Pete Hopkins from the rehab unit.”
She stiffened. Why would Javier’s PT call her at home?
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“I’m afraid there’s been a little accident.”
Her heart, which she’d thought had already been broken beyond measure, dropped to the floor. “What are you talking about? What happened?”
“Javier Mendoza collapsed while working out today. We rushed him to the E.R., and they’ve admitted him for observation.”
“Oh, my God. How did that happen?”
“I wish I could tell you, but I wasn’t there at the time. From what I understand, he didn’t get much sleep last night. He also went without breakfast this morning, so his blood sugar was low. Then he pushed himself too hard in therapy. When he fell, he hit his head on the floor and blacked out.”
His head? Oh, no. She grabbed her purse and keys before hearing anything else.
“Is he going to be all right?” she asked.
“I hope so. You’ll have to talk to Dr. Fortune, who was the first to arrive in rehab. He called in the resident neurologist to make sure.”
“Thanks, Pete. I’ll be right there.”
“Dr. Fortune thought you’d say that.”
She didn’t give a whole lot of thought about what Dr. Fortune might have said or why. She just knew that she had to get to the hospital.
And she had to see Javier for herself.
Javier lay on a gurney in the E.R., awaiting word that he’d been admitted to San Antonio General.
He was lucky, he supposed. His collapse and fall hadn’t caused any permanent damage. But because of the head injury and the surgery he’d had in January, the neurologist ordered a CT scan and made the decision to keep him overnight for observation.
After Javier had passed out on the rehab floor, Jeremy had rushed to his aid, then had him placed on a gurney and taken to the E.R. And while he had a good-size knot on his head, Javier had come to fairly quickly, although things had been abuzz for a while. But he’d been assured that he hadn’t suffered anything more than a mild concussion.
“You shouldn’t be pushing yourself so hard,” Jeremy had told him once the crisis was over.
“I’m sick and tired of being laid up. I want to get better.”
“You are better, Javier. And each day you make a little more progress toward a full recovery. But you can’t expect any more miracles than the one you’ve already had.”
Javier figured that Jeremy was talking about the fact that he’d nearly died those first days after the tornado. Yet he’d still lived to tell about it. And he was probably right. The doctors and specialists who’d met with his family had all given them the same advice: hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.
“Don’t forget that there were some serious concerns about brain damage after the head injury you suffered. And at that point, your internal injuries and fractures had only been minor inconveniences in the scheme of things.” Jeremy crossed his arms. “Who’s been pushing you so hard?”
“No one. Just me.”
Jeremy clucked his tongue and shook his head. “Then I’ll give you the same advice I’d give anyone else who’d encouraged you to work out that hard. And on an empty stomach at that. Knock it off. You’ve got several more months of therapy ahead of you, and as long as you give it your all—letting Pete be the one to push you—you’ll be fine. But if you refuse to listen to medical advice and continue with that macho attitude of yours, you might end up suffering a major setback. And then where will that leave you?”
In a place much worse than the one he was in right now, he supposed.
“Before you know it, probably by the end of summer, you’ll be back on the golf course and flying across the country, wheeling and dealing again.”
“You think so?” Javier asked, wishing it was sooner but glad to have some kind of date to set his sights on.
“Unless you try to rush the natural course of things. And if that happens, then it’s anyone’s guess.”
“I’ll take it easy,” Javier said. “But tell me, Doc. What are the odds of me making a complete and full recovery by…say, September?”
“I’d say a hundred to one.”
“Six months, huh?”
“Can you deal with that?”
When Javier nodded his agreement, Jeremy patted him on the shoulder, then glanced out the door. “I’m going to call for an orderly.”
Jeremy had no more than stepped away from the gurney when someone else approached. But not just any someone.
It was Leah.
And she looked like hell. Her hair was windblown, her
face was pale.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“You’re asking me?” Her pretty hazel eyes grew wide. “What in the world happened to you?”
“I told you I didn’t like being laid up, so I was trying to hurry things along.”
“That was a crazy thing to do.”
“Yeah, that’s what my orthopedic surgeon just told me—at least in so many words.” Javier gave a little shrug, then studied the nurse who wasn’t on duty today, yet obviously came running to the E.R. on a moment’s notice. And the fact that she had almost made his collapse from exhaustion worthwhile.
“How did you know where I was?” he asked.
“Pete called me. Apparently, Jeremy thought I should know.”
“Thanks for coming. I’m glad you did.”
“You are? Why is that?”
Javier wasn’t sure what he should say at this point. I’m sorry came to mind. And so did We need to talk.
Instead, he said, “Because you’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had. And the fact that you’ve been so annoyed with me, yet you still cared enough to come see about me proves that I’m your friend, too.”
She paused for a beat, then crossed her arms. “Pete said you missed breakfast. And then you overdid it during your therapy workout. What in the world were you trying to do? Kill yourself?”
He liked that spark of life that lit her eyes—even when it had been fueled by anger, like it had been this morning.
“I wasn’t lying when I told you that I didn’t want to make a commitment to you until I was completely healed.”
“And that’s why you pushed yourself so hard?” She appeared skeptical.
“I was also trying to get well enough to tell you something I probably should have admitted this morning.”
“What’s that?”
Damn. It had come to mind so easily before. Why was he having such a difficult time confessing it now?
He took in a deep, fortifying breath, then said, “When I told you that I wanted to take things slowly, it wasn’t because I was questioning what I felt for you or because I wanted to see other women. You’re the only one I want to be with—now or in the future.”
Her lips parted and her head cocked slightly to the side.
He supposed she didn’t understand what he was getting at. Did he have to spell it out and tell her he loved her when he hadn’t quite gotten used to the idea himself?
“I’ll make a commitment to you just as soon as I can carry you to bed. I don’t want to have to rely on you to get me there.”
“You didn’t need any help once you were lying down,” she said. “And I hope you’re not saying that you don’t want to make love again until you can run a footrace.”
“No, I’m not saying that. I want to see you, to be with you, to sleep with you. It’s just that…” Hell, right this minute, it didn’t seem to matter anymore.
“Why would your physical condition even come into play?” she asked. “I consider you whole—with or without that cane.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that. But before we start talking about rings and that sort of thing, I not only want to be walking on my own, I want to be back at work, buying and selling property, turning a profit, investing. And I’m just not there yet.”
“So why didn’t you just come out and say that this morning?”
“I couldn’t admit it, I guess. Maybe because you deserve so much more than the man I am right now. But I swear to you, honey. I’ll be that man again before you know it. Jeremy said it would take another six months. Can you wait for me?”
“Are you kidding?” She crossed her arms and scrunched her brow.
Why would he kid about something like that? His feelings for her and the fear of losing her for good were all he’d been thinking about since leaving her house this morning.
“You mean to tell me that you don’t want to have anything to do with me for six months?” she asked, her eyes sparking again, the furrow in her brow deepening.
“I didn’t say that.” In fact, after making love with her, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to wait more than a day or two for another repeat of their romantic evening.
“But you turned down my dinner invitation tonight,” she reminded him. “Why is that?”
“I don’t know. Mostly because I needed some time to sort through all that I’m feeling for you. So I didn’t want to rush into things. It seemed like the right idea at the time.”
“How does it sound now?”
“Not so good, Leah. I want to have dinner with you every night for the rest of my life. I think I’m falling in love with you.”
The furrow that had marred her brow disappeared, and she unfolded her arms. As her eyes sought his, she reached for his forehead, where he now sported a nasty bump thanks to the fall, and carefully probed around the tender spot with gentle fingers.
Did she think that having his brain jarred again had caused him to imagine feelings he didn’t have? If so, he needed to set her straight. “Leah, I’ve been falling for you for a long time—probably since the first day you walked into my room and introduced yourself. But I’ve never said those words to anyone other than my family members. So no, it didn’t just roll off my tongue without a whole lot of forethought and consideration.”
A smile stretched across her face, lighting her eyes.
Did that mean she was going to cut him some slack? He sure hoped so.
“I’ve never felt this way before,” he added, “so all of this is new to me. I’m bound to say the wrong thing on occasion. But I’ll get it right. I promise.”
“You’re not the only one who’s on uncharted ground. I’m afraid to lay my heart on the line and have it thrown back at me.”
“Is that what you thought I was doing this morning? Throwing your feelings right back at you?”
“Weren’t you?”
He really hadn’t meant to do that. “I’m sorry, Leah. When I get out of here, we can go back to your house and do things right.”
“I’d like that,” she said. “To be honest, I’ve probably been a little too sensitive. Ever since a couple of your old girlfriends came to visit you in the hospital, I realized that I could never compete with them. And I was afraid that when you fully recovered and regained your strength, you’d revert back to the man you were and the life you had before.”
“First of all, for the record, those women could never compete with you in any respect, honey. You’d blow them out of the water. And secondly, other than having stiff and aching legs, I’m still that same guy.”
Leah seemed to think on that for a moment, as though she needed to let his words and the reality sink in before she believed it.
But then again, Javier needed to let those words sink in, too.
Other than having stiff and aching legs, I’m still that same guy.
As the truth struck home, something clicked inside. Something he’d struggled with for far too long. He wasn’t perfect—and it didn’t matter that he wasn’t. He didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, especially not to Leah.
He might have suffered some physical setbacks, but deep down inside his heart, he was still the same man he’d always been.
“So what do you think?” he asked. “Can you give the old me with bum legs and a cane another chance?”
“I’d been afraid that you were the worst guy in the world for me to fall in love with.”
“And what do you think now?”
“That you’re probably the best.” Then she bent down and placed a loving kiss on his lips.
After she straightened, she added, “As much as I’d like to stay and talk to you more about this, I’m going to take off and let you get some rest. That’s why Dr. Fortune wanted you to
stay the night.”
“All right. But I need to clarify one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You didn’t actually say that you were falling for me, too.”
“I tried my best not to, but I’m afraid I fell head over heels in love with you the day they wheeled you into your room on the third floor.”
He slid a boyish grin her way. “Even before I could get out of bed on my own?”
“Even when you were snippy and moody with your family.” She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t want a perfect man, Javier. I just want you.”
He laughed. “Why do I get the feeling that you meant that as a compliment?”
“Because I did.”
Before he could respond, the orderly showed up to take Javier to his room.
“I’m getting out of here tomorrow,” Javier told Leah. “And since you’re not working, will you pick me up?”
“I’d be happy to.”
“Great. As soon as they get the paperwork in order, I’ll give you a call and let you know when to come.”
“All right. But why don’t I just come early? I can hang out with you until you’re released.”
“No, I’d rather you waited for me to call. But I wouldn’t mind having you fix that dinner you were going to make for me tonight.”
“All right. You’ve got it. Should I plan on having you stay over for breakfast, too?”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
When he finally reached his room, she kissed him again—this time as a goodbye. “I’d stay, but you need to get some rest.”
She was right about that. He also wanted to have a minute to himself. He had a couple of phone calls to make in preparation for what he planned to do when she came for him tomorrow.
When Leah arrived at San Antonio General to take Javier home, she spotted Luis Mendoza in the lobby and stopped to greet the man, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“How’s he doing?” she asked.
“He’s got a bump on his noggin, but other than that, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him better.” Then Luis reached out and took both of Leah’s hands in his, giving them a warm clasp before letting them go. “He said you’re going to take him home. And I think that’s really nice.”
