by Eileen Green
“You need to remain calm and follow all instructions given to you by me and any of the doctors that will examine you. You will be seeing a cardiologist so he can make sure your heart isn’t giving you any problems. Now, what are you feeling in your chest? Pain?”
While the doctor spoke, Gwen kept stealing glances over to the two men over in the corner watching her. Their masculine stature drew her attention as it had in the two months since she had met them. Worry was etched on both faces as they watched her, while it seemed they were listening intently to Doc Anderson. She hated that they were taking time for her instead of tending to their jobs. She was a big girl and didn’t need to be watched over like she was an invalid.
Remembering that the kind older man had asked her a question, she had to think for a moment. “It’s an odd pain. Not quite like a squeezing. More like a quick pain and it feels like my heart does a somersault.”
“Okay. Now that you are awake, we are going to do an echocardiogram first and see what’s going on with your heart and then we’ll go from there. I’ll give you a few minutes with your guys and then have you taken down for the procedure. Just stay relaxed.” Doctor Anderson smiled as he stood. Leaning over, he whispered, “And, don’t let them get you all worked up.”
His eyes twinkled as he stood back up and then winked at her before turning to Patti. Taking the nurse’s elbow, he escorted her out of the room and the two other nurses followed them.
Jake and Andrew rushed to the bedside, Jake on her left and Andrew on her right. Both gathered her hands in theirs. It felt nice to have her hands enveloped in theirs, though she knew she shouldn’t get too involved with them.
“I’m so glad you are awake,” Jake said as he sat on the stool Doctor Anderson had occupied just a few moments before. “Are you in very much discomfort?”
Shaking her head negatively, she looked between the two men. Andrew looked more distraught than Jake did and it broke her heart. She had been trying to fight the attraction that had been going on between the three of them since her last episode. Trust was difficult for Gwen when it came to men and she didn’t want to make another mistake. Even though she still wasn’t fully trusting of them, she did like them. It was just at the moment, she wasn’t certain about getting involved with them because she didn’t want to hurt them when she left.
“I’m okay. It’s just something I notice.”
“You’ll tell us the truth if you were in a lot of pain, wouldn’t you, baby?” Andrew’s fear-laced voice asked. “You’d be honest with us, right?”
Nodding, she wasn’t sure why he was so anxious about this. “Of course. Why would you think I wouldn’t?”
“Because Doc told us that he didn’t want you to go to work so soon after the last time you were in here. You went against what was best for you and perhaps you wouldn’t be in the predicament you are in now.” Jake’s facial expression spoke volumes as he explained why they would think she would lie to them. “If you hadn’t gone back to work so soon…”
His words trailed off and Gwen knew he was going to say if she hadn’t gone back to work so soon, if she had listened to the kind doctor, that she wouldn’t have been in that parking lot in the freezing cold. Tears stung her eyes as she understood the concept of his thought pattern, but he also needed to understand that she was a single woman who had bills to pay.
“I have to work, Jake. I have a life to lead. I have bills to pay and Heather to help put through school. I can’t afford not to work. I don’t have anyone to help me.” She hated that her voice cracked with her last sentence. She didn’t want to sound weak.
Andrew’s hand moved out and caught her on her cheek, moving her face over to face him. “Yes, angel. You do have someone to help you. You have two someones to help you.”
“We are both here for you, Gwen,” Jake added. “You have us to help you.”
“I can’t ask you to help with Heather. She’s not your responsibility.”
“Heather is a part of you. Whatever is a part of you, we’re interested in. We hate that we have to see you struggle through life. We want you to relax and enjoy your life, not work so hard that you don’t get to have any fun.” Of course Jake was going to be the voice of reason, but she was surprised that this came from Andrew. He had always been the one that seemed a bit immature, but she noticed that he had changed.
“I will relax and have fun once Heather is out of school.”
“Honey, you can’t think like that. You have to live in the now. Sometimes you aren’t always guaranteed a future. Enjoy the now. Work to live, not live to work,” Jake said as he drew her hand up to his lips. Placing a kiss on her palm, he looked at her, his eyes smoldering.
Gwen felt heat rise in her face and other places beyond the warmth she already felt. Jake and Andrew were looking at her as if she was the last woman left on the earth and it thrilled her that they wanted her.
“You will be relaxing when you leave here, baby girl,” Andrew said. “You will be coming home with us so we can keep an eye on you during your recuperation.”
Stunned, Gwen was silent for a moment before protesting. “I can’t do that. You can’t miss work because of me. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“No!” Jake’s voice was harsh, causing her to jump, which in turn caused a pain to stab slightly within her chest. “Doc Anderson will not release you from the hospital unless you have someone to take care of you, and we will be the ones to do it.”
“Angel, we want to take care of you. We want you to get better and have the best life ever, which means not working yourself ragged. We both make a good living and my house is paid for. You’ll be comfortable there. Please agree to come home with us,” Andrew reasoned.
“If you don’t agree to come live with us”—Jake’s smile was sardonic as he tried to reason with her—”then we’ll just have to come live with you. I’m sure Heather will agree with us. She’s been very concerned about you.”
“You called her?” Gwen asked quietly, swallowing hard when she realized they had been taking care of her since she got here.
Jake kissed her palm again. “Of course we called her, honey. We knew she would be worried about you. We know you call her every evening and if she didn’t hear from you, she’d be concerned.”
“She’s not coming here, is she?” Gwen became concerned that Heather would miss class because of her.
“No, angel. She’s going to stay at school. We told her we’d keep her informed. She sends her love.” Andrew smiled down at her. “We didn’t want her to miss class waiting around here so we insisted she stay at school.”
Relief flooded through Gwen. She didn’t want to have to have her daughter miss more school because of her. The last time she was in the hospital Heather had come to visit and missed two weeks of classes. “Thank goodness.”
“We knew you’d want her to stay there. Now, you will be coming home with us. No arguments.” Jake was looking at her with both lust and authority.
Gwen let out a little chuckle. “We’ll see.”
“It’s either us, baby girl, or a nursing home.” Andrew caressed her cheek as he waggled his eyebrows. “And I think you would prefer our method of convalescing.”
“Pfft! I don’t think I’d get a lot of rest at your house.” Gwen blushed. “We’ll have to come up with some ground rules if I do.”
Both men glanced at each other as if they had won the battle. Disappointment struck both of them when the door opened and two orderlies entered. Figuring this was the best time to put her foot down, she smiled weakly at the men. “Why don’t you guys go home and get some sleep? I’m sure I’ll be a while and then I’ll probably sleep.”
“No, baby. We aren’t leaving,” Andrew said as he smiled down on her. “We’ll be here when you get back.”
“That’s right, honey. We may go down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Do you want us to bring you anything?” Jake’s smile was just as soothing, his eyes twinkling.
Something sweet, l
ike your lips. “No,” she said, licking her suddenly dry lips. “I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry, miss, but we need to take you for your test. Can I get your name and birthdate, please?” the taller of the two orderlies asked her as he held a paper in his hand.
Gwen’s eyes darted between the two men that were still holding her hands. She always hated this question. “Gwendolyn Abigail Bower. May 1st, 1979.”
“Thank you, Miss Bower. We’ll try to get you back here as quickly as possible,” the same man said as he released the brake on the bed.
* * * *
Andrew and Jake each kissed her hands before releasing them and watched as Gwen began her testing journey. As the door closed behind the group, Andrew looked at his best friend, a smile on his face. “Her initials spell GAB. I wonder if she got teased in school.”
“If there were jerks like you in school with her, I’m sure they did,” Jake responded as he slapped Andrew on his shoulder. “Be nice or I’ll take her home to my house and never let you see her again.”
The two men chuckled. “I wouldn’t do anything to purposely hurt her. I don’t ever want to see her hurt again.”
“Me neither,” Jake said as he headed for the door. “We do need to find a way to keep her with us when she is fully recuperated. She has talked in the past about moving away once Heather was out of school. I’m afraid she’ll want to leave earlier after what has happened.”
“I’m sure you’re right. She certainly doesn’t trust us or believe us when we tell her we want a relationship,” Andrew said, holding the door open for Jake.
“We have a couple of months to convince her,” Jake said, stepping into the corridor. “In the morning I’ll pay a couple month’s rent on her apartment so it’s secured. We’ll take her by there when she is sprung from here so she can tell us what she wants to bring to the house. We’ll need to make her as comfortable as possible.”
“All right. I can go put in for some time off while you do that.” Andrew followed Jake who was now on his way to the elevator.
Jake stopped. “No. I don’t think we should leave her alone at any time. Especially now. She needs someone to be strong for her and it’s up to you and me to do that. I’ll take care of the errands tomorrow. You can take care of any that need to be run the day after that. As long as we show her we are interested and not going to desert her like that asshole did so long ago, we’ll eventually get her to come around to our way of thinking.”
“She’s going to lead us on a wild chase, isn’t she?” Andrew asked, punching the button on the wall to call up the elevator.
“Yup.” The two entered the elevator when the doors slid open. “She will at that.”
* * * *
Happy that she was being returned to her room, Gwen was actually looking forward to see if the men were truly waiting for her. No matter how much she had tried to push them away since they starting coming around, she did have to admit she enjoyed their company.
Since the beginning, she refused to take much of a hand out when it came to raising Heather. She worked as much as she could besides spending quality time with her daughter. Most of the time while she was small, Gwen worked two jobs. One in the morning, usually a fast food joint, and then slinging hash at a diner during the graveyard shifts. That way she was able to spend the afternoon and evenings at home. Once Heather was in school all day, Gwen was able to procure office jobs as a temp until she was hired by Mr. Cantrell.
There was never much time for friends because of her work schedule and of course, the avoidance of ridicule from being a single mother at such a young age. Gwen figured she didn’t need friends either but once Jake and Andrew began to pay attention to her, she found she missed companionship.
Also, she had to admit, there was a fire in her belly that kindled every time she was near them. There was something that grew within her, causing her to want to be around them. That wanted them to touch her, kiss her, and make love to her. Something she had never felt before.
The rectangular lights flashed by above her as her bed was moved toward her room. The EKG went smoothly, although the results wouldn’t be available for a while. She tried to remain calm as instructed, but occasionally her mind would wander and her heart rate would speed up as she thought of what Jake and Andrew could do for her. How was she going to explain that to the doctor when he asked about those areas?
When the bed was pushed into the room, Gwen welcomed the ambiance. She knew it was just the lights hadn’t been turned all the way up, but the dimness was nice after the bright lights in the hallway. Also, the room was cooler than the other rooms she had been in. Wondering if it was just because she was anxious to get back, she couldn’t say, but when she saw both men sitting in chairs near the windows, she was relieved and warmth spread through her.
The orderlies positioned the bed, plugged it back in, set the brake, and then were gone. Unfortunately, the quiet moment was short lived when Amanda came in. “How was our little journey, Miss Bower?”
“Please, call me Gwen. I guess it went well.” She hoped she didn’t sound too short with the woman, but she was beginning to hate being treated like a child.
The woman with the long golden-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail moved over to stand at the I.V. stand. Checking the plastic bag that hung from the arm, she shook her head. Gwen watched her move over to a small microwave-looking item on the counter, open it, take out another I.V. bag, and then open a drawer to remove some blankets.
Amanda came back to stand near Gwen’s head and changed out the bag and then made an adjustment on the computerized display. Now Gwen understood why she had felt so warm inside when she woke. The solution in the I.V. was warmed. Amanda proceeded to remove the blankets that were already covering Gwen and then covered her with the new blankets, which had also been warmed.
“Now, that should keep you nice and toasty until morning. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ring.”
“Thank you, nurse?” Gwen realized she didn’t know the woman’s name.
“Amanda. My name is Amanda. Good night.” The woman smiled at Gwen, glanced at the two handsome men and then back to Gwen. Winking at her, Amanda turned and left the room.
Within seconds of the door closing, the two men were on their feet and at Gwen’s side. Jake was near her legs and his hand began to rub her thigh while Andrew was close to her head. Bending down, he captured her lips with his and let the two sets rub together sensually.
After what felt like an eternity, he pulled away and she saw the tint on his cheeks, though he didn’t try to hide it. Licking his lips as if he was trying to keep the kiss on them, Gwen was the one who had to blush.
“You taste good, babe.” Andrew could be crude at times, but that was one thing she liked about him.
Jake on the other hand was the romantic one. He had brought her flowers the last time, claiming they were from both of them but she knew he had been the one to get them without Andrew’s knowledge. Now, she wasn’t sure what had happened, but Andrew was acting more mature.
“Did you miss me?” Gwen asked saucily.
“Naw. We didn’t miss you at all,” Jake said as his lips twitched slightly. “We were just wondering if you missed us.”
Shaking her head, trying to remain serious. “Nope. I told the orderlies I would go out with them when I got out of here. They said they’d be waiting for me.”
Surprise struck her when both men growled their disapproval. Andrew grasped her chin gently gazing down at her. “There will be no way in hell we would let that happen, baby girl. You belong to us.”
Cocking her eyebrow with his words, she liked that he was protective of her, but did he know she was just kidding? “Oh, really?”
“Yes, love. We saw you first. You have to give us a chance,” Andrew said, his voice quivering. “Please don’t tease us like that. I don’t think I could handle seeing you with someone else.”
Letting a giggle escape her, Gwen looked coyishly at him. “Beli
eve me, I think you two are going to be a handful as it is. I’m not sure if I can do this, but I will try.”
“Good.” He leaned down again and kissed her before pulling away.
Jake stepped in and kissed her also. When he finished, he let his lips slide down her cheek and nuzzle her jaw. Her body shuddered at the action. “Please promise to be patient with both of us,” he whispered.
Hearing his plea for both of them nearly broke her heart. Kissing the top of his head, she whispered, “I will. I will.”
Looking over his head, she saw the vulnerable look in Andrew’s eyes. It was then she thought perhaps he joked around because he was unsure of himself. She didn’t know much about his upbringing but she figured he must have some issues that haunted him.
“Um,” she said as she tried to pull slightly away from Jake, “whatever is in this I.V. is making me sleepy. Sit with me until I go to sleep, please.”
Andrew turned away from the bed and at first she thought he misunderstood her, but then he grabbed one of the chairs and carried it over to the other side of the bed. “We won’t leave your side and we’ll be here when you wake up.”
He slid his hand under the blanket and took hers in his. Jake had grabbed the other chair and copied Andrew. Both men were holding her hand as the medication affected her eyesight. It began to waver as her eyes fluttered to stay open. The last thing she remembered was the two men who held her hands beginning to whittle their way into her heart.
Chapter Three
Three days later, Andrew entered Gwen’s hospital room to find the room empty and the bed made. Looking around to find any sign of his lady love, he didn’t find anything and he began to panic. Everything had been fine when he had left earlier in the morning. Where the hell was she and Jake?
“Andrew?” he heard a feminine voice sound behind him.
