by Merri Hiatt
“What room?”
“Third floor, room 318. You can go up using the regular elevators. We need to go a different route.”
Rich leaned over Maya to whisper for her to wake up.
“Oh, it’s okay, she can sleep right through the transfer. No need to wake her up.”
Rich kissed Maya on the cheek lightly. “Okay. We’ll see you up there.”
Rich took Jenny’s hand in his and they walked back into the hallway toward the elevators. They passed the man with the knife sticking out of his belly. He was lying on a gurney singing “Mr. Bojangles.”
Jenny felt Rich’s hand tighten protectively around hers.
“Strange night.”
“It’s ending well,” Rich said.
Jenny looked up into his eyes. “Yes, it definitely is.”
They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached Maya’s room it was empty.
“It always takes them longer to get here.”
Rich pulled the blankets on the bed down and fluffed up the pillows. Jenny turned the t.v. on and set it the Disney channel.
“Does this hospital charge a lot?” Jenny asked.
“All hospitals charge a lot.”
“I mean, this is a single room, too. I thought they made more money by packing as many people into a room as possible.”
“All I know is that when I’m in the hospital, I always get stuck with a roommate with some wicked cough that keeps me up all night and someone who’s hard of hearing and has to have the t.v. up so loud you can hear it in Alaska.”
“Alaska?”
“Okay, slight exaggeration.”
Gale and Maya arrived followed by a nurse. “We don’t have to wake her. Most of the information I need is from you.”
The next fifteen minutes were spent with Rich relaying exactly what happened during Maya’s asthma attack, confirming her list of medications and allergies and signing paperwork. “I’ll bring in a roll-a-way.”
“Don’t bother. The recliner will do fine.”
“Are you sure? It’s no trouble.”
“Thanks, but no.”
“Okay.” The nurse left.
“You are tired, Mr. Novatney,” Jenny said as she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. When he leaned into her embrace, it felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Home.
She could feel him taking deep breaths of air into his lungs. For all his bravado about doing this all the time, he had been scared. Frightened this might be the time his daughter couldn’t get her breathing under control.
“It’s okay. She’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
Rich nodded. “Am I holding you too tight?”
“No such thing.”
Rich laughed into the hair on her neck. He leaned back and took her face in his hands. “Thank you.”
“Maybe I’ll just stay until you fall asleep. I’d feel better knowing you weren’t alone.”
“This is the part where I’m supposed to say no, right?”
“It’s the place where you’re supposed to realize I don’t want to leave, but I’m too chicken to just say that.”
Rich leaned his forehead against Jenny’s and closed his eyes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to rely totally on someone else. I’m usually the one people rely on.”
“I know. You’re very good at it. Let’s see if you can be just as good at letting someone else care for you for a while.” Jenny took his hand and led him to the recliner. She positioned her body to the far right and pulled him gently into her arms until they were spooning. With the foot portion of the recliner up and the back laying almost flat, they fit together quite nicely.
Jenny reached for the extra blanket the nurse had left at the foot of Maya’s bed. “I can’t reach it.”
“I’ll get it.”
“No, I don’t want you to move. We’re in here perfectly. I think I can get it with my toe if I kick off my shoes.”
“I can just get up and get it.”
“Stay put. Just give me a second.” Jenny slid her body down further as she stretched her left foot toward Maya’s bed.”
“Great effort, but I hate to tell you, you’re not even close. And, now you’re halfway off the end of the recliner.”
Jenny giggled. “I had such a great plan. It was romantic and sweet and sensitive. Now it’s all shot to hell.”
“I appreciate the effort. Can I get the blanket now?”
“Get the damn blanket.”
Rich was grinning as Jenny tried to reposition herself in the chair after he got up.
“Oh for Pete’s sake.” Jenny half slid out of the chair until she was standing. “I want a rewind.”
“Okay.”
“You stand by the end of the bed. Put the blankie down. I’ll pick it up when I get in the chair.”
“Pick up a couple pillows, too.”
“Good idea. Okay… now what did I say? Oh, yes. Let’s see if you can be as good at letting someone take care of you.” Jenny took his hand and led him to the chair, this time snagging the blanket and several pillows.
Rich suppressed a smile.
When they had snuggled in and adjusted the chair, pillows and blanket, Rich said. “Thank you.”
“You are more than welcome. Good night.”
“Good night.”
They closed their eyes. The gentle sound of Rich’s deep, rhythmic breathing could be heard within a few minutes.
Jenny liked the feel of his entire body touching hers. She wanted to wrap him in her arms and legs, surrounding him in a cocoon of loving care.
She fell asleep with Rich’s hand in hers and the scent of his masculine after shave filling her dreams.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jenny woke to the sound of a much-too-cheerful nurse opening the blinds. “Better let some sun in here or you’ll sleep all day.”
Maya put her hand over her eyes. “Even Mom counts to three before she turns the lights on.”
“I’m not your mother.”
“That’s for sure.”
“How are you feeling?” Jenny asked.
“Good. Can I go home today?” They both looked at the nurse expectantly.
“Should be able to. Dr. Levine will be in a few minutes. If he gives approval, you’ll be on your way home shortly.”
“Mind if I use your bathroom?”
“No, go ahead. I think you’re the first person to ever ask.”
Jenny disentangled herself gently from Rich’s arms and legs. Every part of her body ached, but she wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything.
Once in the bathroom, she grimaced at her reflection. “He’s liable to run away screaming if he sees me like this.” The eye liner and mascara that enhanced her features last night now looked as if a baby had drawn on her face with a marker. “Better for him to see me with no make-up than looking like this.”
She scrubbed her face and did the best she could to make herself presentable. “It’ll have to do.”
When she opened the door, the doctor was entering Maya’s room. “You’re looking good, young lady.”
“Do I get to go home?”
“Yes. I’ve already started the paperwork. You should be out of here in a couple of hours.”
“Woot! Woot!” Maya put her hands in the air and wiggled her body around, doing the best bed dance Jenny had ever seen.
“I hate to wake Mr. Novatney.”
“Oh, I’ll give him the news. He’ll be thrilled,” Jenny said.
“He’ll have to sign the dismissal paperwork.”
“He’ll be awake by then, I’m sure.”
“As for you, Miss Maya, keep breathing.”
“Like I have a choice.”
Jenny smiled.
“You have a point there. Here’s hoping you never have to come back to the hospital again, but if you do, we’re always here to help.”
“Thanks, doc.”
“So, it looks like your dad can’t
bring you McDonald’s right now, but I can. What’s your favorite?”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to get it for me. Dad’ll pick something up on the way home.”
“I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“You didn’t. I just don’t want anything to get in the way of my going home.”
“I could probably find a vending machine. Anything in there that sounds good?”
Maya rubbed her hands together. “Anything?”
“Sure.”
“I want a Dr. Pepper, Nutter Butters and Doritos.”
“I shall return with your contraband.”
As Jenny headed out the door, Maya said, “Thanks for staying with Dad last night. He worries a lot. It was nice that he had someone to look out for him.”
“It was my pleasure.”
“Are you two a thing now, like Mom and Roger?”
“We may be heading in that direction. Would it bother you?”
“No. You seem cool. I just see how happy Mom is and I’d like Dad to be that happy, too.”
“Rich is lucky to have a daughter like you.”
“We’re lucky to have each other.”
Jenny nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
“That was a nice thing to say,” Rich said as he stretched and sat up.
“Hey, you’re up. Doc said I get to go home this morning. Jenny went to get me breakfast at the vending machine.”
“How’re you feeling?”
“Good. You know how this goes. I feel like I’m gonna die and then presto, I’m all better.”
“I like the presto, all better part.”
“Me, too.”
“What do you think of Jenny?”
“She seems nice. You really like her, huh?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Your eyes get all glowy and you smile a lot and hold her hand. That’s how Mom is with Roger.”
“Roger’s a good man.”
“So are you. Sometimes I wonder why you and Mom don’t love each other like that.”
“You can’t choose who you fall in love with.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier if you could? Like Jimmy Waters. He’s such a creep. He copies my answers off tests, even though I practically turn into a contortionist to keep him from seeing what I’m writing, and he calls me maggot instead of Maya.”
“But?”
“But I like him. I have no idea why.” She threw her hands up in the air. “There’s just something about the way he looks at me that makes me want to hang out with him. Is that what love is like?”
“Pretty much. It’s hard to define.”
“What did you like about Jenny when you first saw her?”
“She was hopping mad when we first met. I loved her spirit and energy. I wasn’t sure what she was going to say or do.”
“And you liked that?”
“Yeah. It was exciting. Most people are so predictable. Not Jenny.”
“Maybe I should use that unpredictable thing with Jimmy. Shake things up a bit, ya know?”
“How?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I should kiss him when he’s not expecting it.”
“Maya…”
“Oh, Dad, don’t get your boxers in a bunch. I’m not talking about serious kissing, just a quick ‘hey, I like you’ kiss.”
“You’re a bit young for kissing don’t you think?”
“I knew I should have had this conversation with Mom instead of you.”
“She’ll say the same thing I will.”
“I know, but she’ll say it in a way that doesn’t make me feel like I’m two years old.”
“I didn’t mean to do that.”
“I know. You’re a guy, it’s just different.”
“Well, I don’t plan on having a sex change any time soon so you’re going to have to get used to dealing with me being a guy.”
“Men are the worst,” Jenny said, handing Maya the items she’d requested. “They say all the wrong things at the wrong time, never let you complete a sentence without interrupting and then they say they don’t understand women. If they’d listen once in a while, they’d learn exactly what we want.”
“This ought to be good. What do women want?” Rich asked.
“To be able to share love, fear, doubts, dreams… everything, with the man they love.”
“Sounds simple.”
“Men want to fix everything. They can’t let us work it out in our own way in our own time.”
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“I never said it was. It’s just that we don’t need a knight in shining armor making some grand gesture.”
“What do you need?”
“A guy who’ll leave a note on my car that says he’s thinking of me and wishing me luck with the job interview I’m about to go to. Or a guy who’ll bring me chocolate and a heating pad when I’m having cramps and not mention anything about how I need to be careful about getting fat from eating too much chocolate.”
“I see. It’s the little things. The moments where he shows you that he loves you, not because he has to, but because he really is thinking of you and not himself.”
“Exactly.”
“Men aren’t really wired that way. If I knew you had a job interview, I’d be more apt to ask you if you’d tuned up your car recently so you’d have reliable transportation than leave a note on your car. I probably would bring you chocolate if you had cramps, but I wouldn’t even know that a heating pad would help something like that.
You have to give us a few hints along the way or we’ll never figure out what the right thing to do is. The rules seem to always be changing.”
“Mostly, we just want you to make the effort, whether it falls to pieces or goes smoothly doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you cared enough to do something.”
“Should I be writing all this down?”
“If I were you, I would,” Maya said. “She’s telling you how to show her you love her. I am so glad I’m not a man.”
“I have your paperwork. It’ll still be an hour or so before you can leave, but we can take care of most of it now,” the nurse said as Maya hopped out of bed and began gathering her belongings. Turning her attention to Richard, she said, “I’ll need your signatures.”
“You got out of that one,” Jenny said.
“Don’t I know it. I wasn’t going to touch that comment with a ten-foot pole.”
“I think it’s good for you to have a daughter. Just imagine all the insight you’re getting about women.”
“It hasn’t seemed to help me so far.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Thank you for coming, Jenny. And, for staying with me.”
“I didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
“Want to have dinner together tonight?”
“Sure. Not Korean food.”
“You didn’t like it?”
“I don’t like the memory of that day.”
Rich nodded. “Italian?”
“Now you’re talking my language. How about Cristiano’s on Downey Street?”
“I love their food. They don’t give you rinky-dink portion sizes, either. Seven?”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you there.” Jenny kissed Rich on the cheek. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Can I come, Dad?” Maya asked.
“Not this time, sweetie. You and I can go on Friday night. It’s our date night, remember?”
“I love date night. Dad always takes me to these great places and I get to dress up.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It is.”
“I’ll see you tonight,” Rich said, squeezing her hand gently and then letting go.
“Glad you’re feeling better, Maya.”
“Thanks, Jenny. You and Dad go good together. I approve.”
Rich laughed. “I didn’t know we needed your approval.”
“Well, now you know.”
Jenny suppressed a grin as she exited the hos
pital room. Rich was a good father. She could easily see him with kids draped in his arms and hanging on his legs as he read them stories in an overstuffed recliner.
She yawned as she headed back to her car. “Glad I’m not working today.”
On the drive home, she thought about how fast things had happened between the two of them. It had all seemed so easy. Usually a relationship took work… lots of work. Jenny wasn’t sure if that meant Rich was The One or if she was heading toward heartbreak.
“How do you know if you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with someone?” The question rang in her ears, echoing in her heart.
When she reached the house, Kate and Patricia were sitting on the porch with afghans wrapped around their shoulders.
“She doesn’t call.” Patricia looked at her watch.
“She doesn’t text.” Kate picked up her phone.
“I know, I know.” Jenny sat next to Kate and pulled half of her afghan around herself.
“How’d it go?”
“Not the way I planned, that’s for sure.”
“Sorry.”
“No, it was better.”
“Spill,” Kate said.
Jenny shared the events of the night and early morning.
“Wow. Never saw that coming,” Kate said.
“Me, either. We’re going to Cristiano’s tonight for dinner. I need to get some real sleep, though or I’ll be dead on my feet by seven o’clock. I am dragging this morning.
Maya is a little spitfire. It’s so unfair that she has this breathing issue.”
“Jenny Novatney has a nice ring to it.”
“I doubt very much that Rich will want to end one marriage and then propose. I’m thinking he’s got a few wild oats left to sow.”
“He can sow them with you. And then he can propose.”
“Why are you so interested in marriage all of a sudden?”
“Not for me,” Kate said. “For you. You are totally the marrying kind.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You have that nurturing, nesting thing going on. You’d be happy to sit on the porch and watch the sunset every night with a man you loved.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“Maybe a couple of nights, but then I’d want to go out dancing or to a movie or something. I am not a homebody.”
“I like doing both,” Patricia said. “I love snuggling with a guy, but there are times when I want to be on the back of a motorcycle with the wind blowing through my hair.”
