“Amy,” he whispered. “It’s me.”
Her eyes fluttered open, caught his gaze, then closed again. “What happened?” Her voice sounded ragged and weak.
“You tell me,” he said gently. “All I know is that you collapsed.”
“Didn’t feel good.”
“What did the doctor say?”
Amy shook her head, and a shudder passed through her frail body. “So . . . tired.”
“It’s okay,” Brett soothed, brushing her long blonde hair from her pale face. Beneath the off-white blanket, she resembled a porcelain doll, though without the rosy cheeks. Darkness encircled her eyes, and mascara caked her lashes.
The IV needle taped to her hand seeped fluid into her vein. He carefully lifted her sleeve and noted the pinpricks where someone had tried to put the needle in her arm. If he’d only been there when she was brought in, he could have told them not to bother.
“Sleep, Amy. I’m watching over you.”
She didn’t respond.
Brett took a deep breath. A metal chair was wedged near the bed, but he didn’t sit down. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, he closed his eyes.
His own life was a mess. He knew that.
But except for an infrequent hangover, he’d never done much to threaten his health. What was Amy up to?
Hating himself for doing so, he took a closer look at her arms and breathed a sigh of relief. No needle tracks.
Though that didn’t mean she wasn’t abusing drugs.
He scrutinized her shape beneath the blanket. Amy had always been slender. Above average height. Nice legs.
But now he realized she wasn’t just slender but almost emaciated. Why hadn’t he noticed how thin she’d become?
True, they hadn’t seen much of each other lately. She always had an excuse for skipping out on anything he planned with AJ. He’d chalked it up to either embarrassment or pouting because of the futile lawsuit she’d filed against AJ and Shelby. Nothing like suing your family to ruin a relationship. But neither AJ nor Shelby held a grudge.
Perhaps Amy had another reason for avoiding them.
The curtain parted, and a portly man wearing a white coat entered. “I’m Dr. Asher. And you’re . . . ?”
“Brett Somers. Amy’s brother. What happened to her?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“The intern who called me said she collapsed.”
“That’s our understanding. I take it you weren’t with her.”
“I was in Columbus. That’s where we live.” He massaged his neck. “I don’t even know what she was doing here.”
“Drinking, for one thing.” The doctor studied the screen of his tablet. “The EMTs were called to a nightclub not far from here. Apparently she was alone.”
“That seems unlikely.”
“No one came forward at the scene, but I don’t know any other details.”
“They’re not important.” At least not now. “Is she going to be all right?”
“Eventually. But I’d like to admit her for observation. I assume you can help with the paperwork.”
“Of course.”
“We appreciate that, Mr. Somers. Someone from admittance will be here shortly.”
After Dr. Asher left, Brett cradled Amy’s thin hand in his own. He stroked the slender fingers, wrapping them around his palm.
“What were you doing, Amy?” he said softly. “You should have been with me at the banquet. Then this wouldn’t have happened.”
Anger simmered in his gut. She’d probably been with the mysterious state senator who dreamed of being a congressman. He couldn’t risk being seen with his mistress—not even when she most needed him.
Brett sighed heavily.
Amy wasn’t the only one with a messy love life.
No wonder, with the examples they’d had.
But even that excuse wasn’t good enough. Things had turned out differently for AJ, and his parents hadn’t been much better than Brett’s.
Somehow AJ had taken a different path, and he wanted Brett to walk it with him. A path that included trusting in God instead of himself.
For the second time in as many days, Brett struggled to pray. To find the words that would persuade God to watch over Amy. To heal her.
“Brett.”
His name on her dry lips sounded weak and raspy. He gently squeezed her hand.
“I’m here.”
“Always.” She coughed, the effort wracking her body. “Always.”
“You know it.” He touched her cheek. “You and me.”
Her eyes flickered, and she tried to smile. “I don’t like hospitals.”
“I know.”
“Take me home.” A tear welled up in the corner of one eye. “Please.”
“Not yet, Amy. We need to see what the doctor has to say.”
“I’m fine.”
“But you’re not.”
She shook her head, eyes tightly closed.
“What is it, Amy?”
She drifted away from him, back into her private dark world.
– 19 –
An hour or so later, a rap sounded against the doorframe, and AJ came through the curtain. He’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt, the inevitable OSU ball cap in one hand and a bag in the other. He nodded a greeting, then focused on Amy.
“What happened?”
Brett told him about the conversation with Dr. Asher. “No one was with her when the EMT guys showed up.”
“Do you know who she’s been seeing?”
“Someone she shouldn’t have been.”
“So he left her alone?”
“Looks that way.”
Anger blazed in AJ’s eyes, and his mouth tightened into a thin line. Brett had seen that look several months ago, only seconds before AJ decked him. He subconsciously rubbed his jaw. “Dibs,” Brett said.
“What?”
Brett pounded his fist into his palm.
“As long as I can watch.”
“A ringside seat.” Brett snorted. “I’m counting on you to be sure he doesn’t hit me back.”
“Afraid he’ll mess up your good looks?”
“Don’t be jealous.”
“Not when I got the girl,” AJ said, a lighthearted “so there” in his voice. He flexed his muscles in mock bravado.
“I let you have her.”
“Sure you did.”
The teasing banter somehow released the tension that had been strangling Brett since he’d received the intern’s phone call. Having AJ as a friend instead of a rival had its benefits.
“Speaking of girls, how’s Dani?”
“Okay, I guess. Shelby invited her back to the farm.”
“She wouldn’t go?”
“I think she’s used to being on her own.”
“Doesn’t mean she should be.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know.” Brett shook his head, clearing his thoughts of Dani, then glanced at Amy.
So pale and thin. So determined to have her way no matter the consequences. And this is where she’d ended up. His thoughts shifted to Jonah, fighting his own silent battle because his dad hadn’t been around to protect him.
He’d failed them. Failed them both.
Because he was just like Amy—caring only about himself, with little concern for anyone who stood in his way.
Until he learned about Jonah. Now his life was like looking in a skewed mirror. Everything he thought was clear and true had blurred into a distorted reflection since his eyes had been wrenched open by a little boy who didn’t even know of his existence.
He leaned forward, hands locked behind his head.
“You okay?” AJ asked.
After taking a deep breath, Brett stood and stretched the kinks from his back. “Just tired.”
AJ gestured at the bag he’d carried in. “I brought you clothes if you want to change.”
“Thanks, I think I will.” He laid a hand on Amy’s arm.
“You won’t leave her?”
“You know I won’t.”
Brett nodded, still focused on the sister who had become a stranger.
In his heart, the mirror skewed again, revealing a dark abyss. He stood on the edge, his arms wrapped around Amy, who struggled against him. They were lost, about to fall. But he wouldn’t yell for help.
What was the use when there was no one to hear?
The next afternoon, Brett bought a cup of coffee from the barista in the hospital lobby, then stopped by the gift shop. He purchased a bouquet of pink roses and baby’s breath before returning to Amy’s private room. It’d been a long night, and Amy had slept fitfully between the routine checks of her vital signs.
Brett had been annoyed this morning when Amy made him and AJ leave while she talked with the physician doing rounds. And his temper almost got the better of him when she refused to tell them what the doctor had said.
At least she was being discharged. For now, that’s all that mattered.
AJ had left after lunch, and soon Brett and Amy would be going home too.
When he reached the room, he rapped on the doorframe, then entered. Dressed in cotton capris and a T-shirt, Amy lounged on the bed and stared at the hanging TV.
He placed the vase on the side table. “I brought you a present.”
“Lovely.”
“Pink still your favorite?”
“When can we get out of here?”
“When are you going to tell me what the doctor said?”
“Nothing of any interest.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Believe what you want.”
“Are you pregnant?”
“Of course not.”
One thing to be thankful for.
He drew the padded chair closer to the bed. “Amy, you’ve got to talk to me. Tell me what happened last night.”
“Nothing to tell.” Her flat gaze dared him to contradict her. Without any makeup, her features appeared bloodless and drawn.
“You can’t blame me for being worried about you.”
“No one’s asking you to worry.”
“Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what it was like to get that phone call? We were still at the banquet—”
“So that’s it. You’re upset because I didn’t join the ‘let’s-all-be-family’ praise-fest.”
“Of course not. Though if you’d been there, you wouldn’t be here now.” He swept his arm around the room.
“Don’t you get it, Brett? Now that you and AJ are all buddy-buddy, I’m the family black sheep.”
“What are you talking about?”
“AJ’s perfect fiancée and I are ‘friends’ on social media. I see all the precious photos of her and AJ and the adorable antics of her adorable daughters. You’re in the photos too.” She glared at him. “How do you stand all that cuteness?”
“They aren’t like that, Amy, and you know it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. The muscles were tight from sleeping in a chair most of the night. “You just need to give them a chance. Allow them to give you a chance.”
Her long blonde hair fell forward as she lowered her gaze and picked at the deep purple polish on her fingernails. The Amy he knew couldn’t abide chipped polish. She certainly didn’t chip it herself.
“You shouldn’t have betrayed me.” Her voice was almost too low to hear.
“I didn’t—”
“You gave up on the lawsuit.” She looked at him, her expression filled with disdain.
“That lawsuit never had a chance, and you know it. You shouldn’t have filed it in the first place.”
“When AJ sold that land, he went against the explicit wishes of Sully’s will.”
“What difference does that make now? Shelby wanted the farm, and he didn’t. Besides, it doesn’t matter anymore. The house and most of the land have been donated to the foundation.”
She ignored him, too insistent on making her point to listen to reason.
“We could have won. If you hadn’t insisted on trying out your own little plan first.”
Brett flushed with the memory of his ill-conceived plot to charm Shelby into giving up her farm.
“What were you really trying to do? Claim another conquest from under AJ’s nose? I still can’t believe how you cater to that woman.” She pulled at her T-shirt. “This is hers. These pants are hers. AJ brought them.”
“Be thankful she had the foresight to send them with him. Otherwise you’d be wearing my dress shirt and suit pants.” The skimpy dress Amy was wearing when she was brought to the ER had reeked of alcohol, stale smoke, and other odors he didn’t want to think about. Someone had shoved it into a plastic bag along with her shoes. They might as well have tossed it in the trash.
“All I know,” Amy went on, again as if he hadn’t spoken, “is if we’d pulled it off, my investment portfolio would be substantially larger. And my clients weren’t at all pleased.”
“As I recall, you said you didn’t care what your clients thought.” Brett stared at the whiteboard on the wall but barely registered the info written on it. “Look, if you need another piece of property, I’ll find you one.”
“So now you want to help me.”
“I’m always here for you. You know that.”
“You used to be. But things have changed. You’ve changed.”
“I’ve just gotten tired of . . . tired of the games. Of being alone even when I’m with someone.” He raked his fingers through his hair, pressing his nails against his scalp. “We’re shallow, Amy. Both of us. I don’t want to be shallow anymore.”
Tears welled in Amy’s light blue eyes, then slid silently along her cheeks. “You’re going to leave me, aren’t you? AJ’s going to have a new family, and you want to be part of them.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“You were always jealous of him.”
“It’s not jealousy to want what he’s getting. A beautiful woman who’s crazy in love with him. Children who adore him.”
“So now you’re on the hunt for a widowed mom?”
“I just want to meet someone who cares more about me than the size of my bank account. Someone I can love with all my heart.”
“Good luck finding that.”
“It’s what you want too, isn’t it?”
She stared toward the window, her facial muscles tense and drawn. “We don’t live in a fairy tale. That kind of dream doesn’t come true for people like you and me.”
“Why can’t it?”
She faced him, her expression exquisitely sad. “We’ve been hurt too much already. We can’t let anyone hurt us again.” Her voice cracked, and the tears streamed.
“What is it, Amy? Tell me.”
“He left me.” The words were broken with grief and heartache. “I collapsed, and he left me.”
“Tell me his name.”
She shook her head.
“He’s married, isn’t he?”
She stiffened, giving him the answer.
“Amy, why . . .”
He moved to the bed and gathered her in his arms, comforting her as he had when they were children. Soothing away her demons and monsters. But this time was different. This time he silently prayed for her.
A prayer without words because he didn’t know what to say. He only knew that Amy needed divine assistance.
And so did he.
– 20 –
Dread weighed Brett’s shoes the closer he got to the entrance of Gallagher’s. He’d considered using Amy’s weekend hospitalization as an excuse to skip the regular Monday night beer-and-brag. But with Zach eager to stick his verbal knives into Brett’s chest, the only thing worse than showing up was not showing up.
He entered the wings place, flashed his dimples at the teenaged hostess, and headed for the back corner. About seven or eight men, good-looking and with money to burn, gathered around circular tables laden with trays of assorted wings and other appetizers.
One of the men, a former OSU quart
erback, raised his glass as Brett joined them. “Here he is. Internet sensation and supposedly Ohio’s most eligible bachelor. You scored a touchdown with that one, Somers.”
“What did all that publicity cost you?” teased another.
“Just an hour of my time.” Brett signaled for a soda, then selected a golden-brown mozzarella stick. Every time he thought his fifteen minutes of fame had ended, someone brought up that video again. Like most people, these guys had probably seen the shortened version being passed around social media—a couple of minutes at most. Thankfully, the simpering probe into his deepest wound wasn’t part of the clip, though it was also online for anyone who took the trouble to ferret it out. Remembering the interviewer’s insincere sympathy reignited the pain in his gut.
“Don’t hate him, men.” Zach Shrouder slapped Brett on the back. “Our buddy won’t hold that title long. Not when he’s dating Little Miss Stars in Her Eyes.”
Brett forced a jovial smile. “You got it all wrong, Zach. I’m not dating anybody.”
“Does she know that?” Zach smirked, then eyed the group. “I saw her at that Up-and-Comers Banquet Saturday night. All dolled up like Cinderella but uncomfortable in the fancy dress.” He faced Brett. “What was with the dangling lace?”
“She caught her bracelet on the hem. No big deal.”
“Did you get her home before midnight?” Zach laughed, then swigged his beer. “Cute as she is, your brunette sweetie isn’t in the same league as my red-hot Minerva.”
You got that right.
Spence Elliott, a rising executive with a local investment firm, about choked. “You’re still dating Minerva? Did you decide to keep her?”
“Not a chance. But I’ll give her another month or so before changing the locks.” Zach pulled a golden token out of his pocket and handed it to Brett. “You owe me a beer.”
“That’s why I’m here.” All part of the game they played. Brett didn’t think much of Minerva—she reminded him too much of Tracie—but he hadn’t argued with Zach about the merits of their respective dates.
Dragging Dani through the mud of comparison seemed dishonorable. Funny, he’d never felt that way about a woman before.
Zach ordered his beer and gestured toward Brett. “Put it on his tab.”
When Love Arrives Page 13
