by Amy Vastine
Gianna patted his knee. “You’re a good guy, Charlie. Thank you.”
It was the least he could do. He still had this lingering guilt, even though Emma had told him a million times the accident wasn’t his fault. He felt responsible. Moreover, he felt useless. He hadn’t been able to do much more than be present—at the scene of the accident and at the hospital. No wonder Emma was stuck on marrying a doctor. A doctor could at least do something.
Eva’s doctor dropped in and explained his plans for the day. He wanted to wean Eva off the medicine that was keeping her unconscious. Once she woke up, they would be better able to assess her condition. So far, her vitals were good and the doctor was feeling confident about how things would go.
It was the tiniest bit of hope, and it brought on the first signs of relief from Gianna. Her shoulders were relaxed and there was a hint of a smile when she thanked the doctor. Charlie prayed they would get similar news about Pete.
So, the waiting game began. They both sat and stared at Eva as if she might just pop up at any moment and ask Charlie to play a game.
“Thank you for getting her here alive. I don’t think I thanked you for that yet.”
Charlie didn’t feel as if he deserved her gratitude. “If it wasn’t for me asking you to change your vacation plans, none of this would have happened.”
“Don’t say that,” Gianna said, smacking his arm with the back of her hand. “If I hadn’t forgotten to set the thermostat to vacation mode, we would have left the house five minutes earlier. If Eva hadn’t announced she needed to go to the bathroom before we even left the neighborhood and made us turn back, we would have gotten to the station earlier. If Pete hadn’t been driving as fast or if we had stayed and chatted with you longer. If, if, if. There are a thousand little things that could have gone differently that would have put us somewhere other than in that intersection at that moment. If it’s your fault, then it’s my fault and Eva’s fault and Pete’s fault, too.”
He took what she said to heart. “It was a tragic accident. Nobody’s fault.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that. I blame the guy driving the other car. Putting my baby and my husband in here was definitely that guy’s fault. He’s lucky my father isn’t alive. He had connections, you know. Tony Accardo was a guest at my wedding.”
“The mobster?”
“The mobster. That man was the boss. The. Boss.”
Pete had never mentioned his wife had connections to the Chicago mob. Maybe it was something he was sworn to never speak about...or else. Charlie was suddenly very glad Gianna didn’t hold him responsible for any of this.
“I’m sure the other driver will be answering to a judge. Not to mention that he has to live with what he’s done.”
“I don’t think I would want to be him any more than I want to be me right now.” Gianna stood up and fixed the sheet that was covering her daughter. She lifted her hand to touch Eva’s head but clearly thought better of it. It appeared there didn’t seem to be a safe place to make contact.
“They’re both going to make it,” Charlie said, willing it to be true. If ever he needed his optimism, it was now.
Gianna sucked in a deep breath and let it out, slow and steady. She sat back down next to him and grabbed his hand. “So, tell me all about Emma. Pete says you’re kind of sweet on her, but she’s got herself a boyfriend. I don’t know, Charlie. I’m not sure you’re seeing what I’m seeing. I appreciated her being there yesterday, but I know she wasn’t there for me.”
Charlie took his own cleansing breath. “It’s complicated.”
“It always is.”
He really didn’t want to talk about it but figured that if telling Gianna all about his romantic woes would help her get through this excruciating wait, he’d talk her ear off.
Charlie started from the very beginning, the first time he met his Nightingale. She was heading up to see Max with her nephew and sisters. There was something about her smile that caught his attention. As if he had seen it before or maybe just wanted to see it again. When he realized she was a nurse at Saint Joseph’s, he felt an immediate connection. They were certain to cross paths again, and that made every call at work that much more exciting.
He told Gianna about offering to plan the wedding to spend time with her, only to find out she had a thing for doctors. He didn’t stop there, though. He told her about Emma’s desire to fall in love and her feelings for Dr. Perfect. He admitted to wedding crashing and asking for a kiss.
“And did she give you one?”
Charlie nodded, feeling his cheeks heat. “We kissed and kept kissing even after the music stopped.”
“No!” Gianna was obviously enthralled by their story. She clapped her hands as if she was applauding. “She likes you, Charlie. You have to believe that girl likes you.”
“But will she choose me? I’m not so sure.”
Gianna’s head moved up and down like a bobblehead doll. “She will. She has to.”
Moaning and groaning came from the bed and Gianna sprung to Eva’s bedside. “Eva, baby. Mommy’s here. I’m right here, baby.”
Charlie called for the nurse and decided that was his cue to check on Pete. He wasn’t expecting to see Emma coming out of Pete’s room when he got there.
“There you are,” she said as if she had been looking for him. “I was about to call you. Something I probably should have done first, but I thought if you were anywhere, you were with Pete. But you weren’t, you were somewhere else. Where were you?”
Her rambling had never sounded so cute. “I was with Gianna in Eva’s room.”
“Ah,” she said, the mystery solved. “Why didn’t I think of that? How is Tinker Bell?”
“Waking up. They took her off the sedative and want to see how she’s doing.”
“She’s going to make it,” Emma said with confidence.
“They both will. How did he seem?”
Emma grimaced. “Not great. From what the nurses up here say, they won’t be waking him up anytime soon. His brain needs more time to heal.”
That was what the doctor had explained, as well. Charlie hated the thought of Pete being trapped in a hospital bed, letting the machines do all the work to keep him breathing and alive. He was the kind of guy who was always on the go. He was not going to be happy when he came out of this and was told to rest.
“So, why are you looking for me on your day off?” he asked her when he realized she wasn’t in her usual hospital attire. She had on jeans and a T-shirt, appearing casual and comfortable.
“I came to take you out to lunch. I figured you’ve probably been here all morning, have maybe had a few cups of coffee but no real sustenance.”
“You were worried about me, Nightingale?” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. He really hoped she was.
Before she could answer, there was a page for a Code Blue in Pete’s room. They both quickly stepped out of the way as the staff descended upon them. The machines were doing the heavy lifting for the lungs, but Pete’s heart wasn’t getting any help.
The blood drained from Emma’s face as the medical team went to work on Pete. Charlie reached for her hand, selfishly needing the comfort of her touch. He could not handle breaking bad news to Gianna. Pete had to fight harder.
They anxiously watched as the team shocked Pete’s heart back into action. Every second his heart didn’t pump on its own was a second too long. It seemed to take an eternity for one of the doctors to call out normal sinus rhythms and give the all clear.
Charlie’s whole body turned to mush when it was over. He wanted nothing more than to sink to the floor. Emma wasn’t doing much better. She had her eyes closed and mumbled something that sounded like, “This is not a sign” over and over.
As quickly as everyone had arrived to help, they all cleared out but one. The nurse o
n duty came out to tell them Pete was stable but there would be no visitors except for immediate family. Emma’s hospital badge didn’t earn them any special favors, either.
Lunch was their only viable option other than going back to Eva’s room. Charlie decided he could handle being away for a couple hours if it meant he didn’t have to be the one who told Gianna what had just happened. The woman didn’t need any more bad news.
* * *
THERE WAS FOOD and there was what the hospital tried to pass off as food. They were in two completely different categories. Emma would not take him to eat inside the hospital. Charlie had his choice of Hannah’s Café or the Haven Bar and Grill. He opted for the latter.
The Haven was a bit of a hole in the wall, but it was obvious workers from the hospital frequented the establishment quite regularly. The waitress recognized Emma right away.
They got seated and Charlie perused the menu. Emma didn’t even pick hers up.
“You already know what you want, don’t you?” At least that much about her was predictable.
She fidgeted with one of her earrings. “I eat here a lot. I know what’s good.”
“Tell me what’s good, Nightingale.” He set the menu down and rested his elbows on the table.
“You are,” she said, folding her hands together to keep them still. “You are a really good person, and I have been giving you a lot of mixed signals.”
Charlie’s eyebrows shot up. That really wasn’t what he expected from her. “This is true.”
“You’ve already figured out I’m the girl who knows what she wants. I usually get it, too. But you make me question if I want what I thought I wanted.” She cast those hazel eyes down on the table. “And that scares me.”
“What did you want?”
She glanced back up at him and he could tell she was choosing her words carefully. “I told you that I want to fall in love.”
“And I make you not want to?”
She shook her head. “You make me question who I want to fall in love with.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Not really,” she said with an apologetic grin. “I just want you to know that I’m going to be straightforward from now on. I promise.”
“Straightforward in a vague I’m-only-going-to-elaborate-when-I-want-to kind of way?”
Emma accepted his teasing with good humor. “I like you, Charlie. I value your friendship. What it means is, from now on, my words and actions should match up. I won’t be telling you one thing and doing another.”
She liked him and she’d thrown out the word any man in love with a woman hated to hear—friendship. Knowing she planned to be honest from now on made it a little more palatable. More important, she was here to be with him and not with Dr. Perfect.
“Sounds good to me. Now, let me be straightforward. Tell me what’s good to eat at this place.”
After laughing at both him and herself, Emma made some suggestions for lunch. There was no more discussion about what was going on between them; they simply enjoyed their time together. They talked a little about the accident. Emma listened when he spoke about the things he appreciated most about Pete. She offered encouraging words when he discussed what the doctors and nurses had told Gianna so far, but after that, Charlie didn’t want to think about it. Emma stepped up and did a fabulous job of taking his mind off what was happening at the hospital.
Lunch was greasy and delicious. The Haven had some of the best French fries in town. Charlie left with a full stomach and heart. Emma walked him back to Saint Joe’s.
“Text me with updates.”
“I will,” he promised as they stood outside the main entrance.
“And don’t stay too late. Get home and get some good sleep. You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself.”
“I will.” He smiled at her concern. Her words were clearly telling him his well-being mattered to her.
Charlie stepped through the doors. There was no kiss, but that lunch felt as if it might have been their first official date.
* * *
OVER THE NEXT several days, Eva improved immensely. Scared and confused when she first woke up, Eva had cried every time someone new came into her room. Now Charlie could get her giggling every time he stopped by for a visit. She had been released from the hospital two days ago, one week after the accident. There was a welcome-home party, complete with a variety of her favorite cookies and a Tinker Bell cake.
Gianna was braver than ever. Her daughter’s recovery gave her the shot of optimism she needed. She also had the support of all the guys from the firehouse, who took turns checking on her and the kids. Even Alvarez came by on his crutches. His broken leg couldn’t keep him away.
Pete’s progress wasn’t as dramatic. The swelling in his brain was going down, which was good, but whenever they tried to take him off the ventilator, he wouldn’t breathe on his own. The new plan was to bring him out of the coma and pray he could be extubated successfully once he was awake.
Today was the big day, and the doctors were hopeful Pete was going to wake up. He had shown some signs of life a few hours after being taken off the medication. His fingers wiggled and he made some noises. What they needed was for him to fully regain consciousness, though.
Charlie couldn’t sit at home and wait for Gianna to call him, so he took a train out to his sister Mandy’s and helped run last-minute errands for their dad’s party. His other sisters were due to arrive in a couple days.
Thankfully, all the sleeping arrangements were settled. Mandy had even called Kristin and apologized for the popcorn incident. They were best friends again and all was well. Until the next fight, of course. Charlie hoped it didn’t happen this weekend, although with all of them together in one place, the chances of there not being a few arguments were slim.
With so many people coming, a trip to a giant warehouse club was the only answer. Everything was supersized, even the carts you had to push around the store. The two youngest of Mandy’s kids came along and wanted everything they saw. From the barrel of cheese puffs to the box of fifty full-size candy bars, they had to have it. Mandy said no to everything, which Charlie thought would discourage them from asking, but it didn’t.
“Pleeeeeease can we get these?” Lyla, the baby of the crew at four years old, carried over a box of cookies that looked as if it could feed a small country.
“Is super strength your superpower, Munchkin? Because that looks really heavy.” Charlie was seriously impressed.
“No,” Mandy replied calmly, pushing the cart toward the meat department. They needed a lot of hamburgers for the party.
“But we love them! I need them! Please!” Lyla argued. She reminded Charlie of Eva. Two little spitfires.
“No, Lyla Olivia. Put it back.”
Mandy’s stepson, Wyatt, was up next. “Can we get these?” He held up a bag of approximately forty limes.
“No.”
Charlie was stumped. What in the world would someone do with forty limes? And what did a ten-year-old boy want with them? He was about to ask, when his phone rang. Gianna’s name popped up on the screen.
“Should we get premade patties or buy the meat in bulk and make our own?” Mandy asked at the same time.
“I have to take this,” Charlie said, his heart in his mouth. As much as he wanted to answer it, he feared what Gianna would say. His finger hovered over the accept button. He pressed it and had a chill run down his spine. “Hey, how’s Pete?”
“Charlie.” She sounded as if she’d been crying. There was a pause like she was trying to compose herself and then she asked, “Can you come to the hospital?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
EMMA WAS SITTING at the nurses’ station typing in some information on a patient when Tessa came by and held a variety of flavored lollipops
in her face.
“Want one?” she mumbled around the sucker in her mouth.
Emma pushed them aside so she could focus on the computer monitor. “No, thanks. What’s with you and all the candy?”
Tessa pulled a sucker out of her mouth with a pop. “It’s for the kids who come in. I’m going to be the cool doctor who gives out lollipops if you’re good.”
That stopped Emma cold. Her eyes lifted to make sure she was talking to Dr. Gavin. “You want to be nice...to children?”
“Well, what if I want to be a mother someday? I need to figure out how to like kids before I have to live with one, right?”
It used to be the men Tessa would date that Emma feared for, now it was the children she might someday birth. “Liking kids is a pretty important part of being a parent. Liking them helps a lot.”
“See?” she said with a nod. “I’m not as crazy as you thought I was.”
Oh, she was, but Emma wasn’t going to get into it with her. She had to put in another medication request before she checked on a patient.
“Did you get us the best table at this Sato’s place for Saturday or what?” Tessa asked.
Emma’s fingers stopped typing. She had forgotten all about the double date. After the O’Reillys’ accident, she’d been completely distracted. Lucy had talked her into following her heart instead of her plan, and she was in the process of testing it out. So far, she felt as if the universe was trying to tell her Lucy was the crazy one.
Her first attempt at spending time with Charlie had begun with Pete going into cardiac arrest. It took some work to remind herself she was not in control of what happened to other people. Good and bad things happen every day and they had nothing to do with who Emma might be falling in love with.
She and Charlie had worked together this past week to finalize plans for the wedding. Gianna, in the midst of her family crisis, offered up her sisters as replacement caterers. They knew how to make all of her grandmother’s recipes and were available to help. Max and Kendall were in good hands, she had promised.
