“Yes, Sir,” she sighed, leaning her head back against the pillows and watching the TV.
It seemed like forever before the doctor returned. “Let's see how your contractions are doing now.” He lifted the paper and smiled. “Good! They are easing off, getting further apart. We're going to give you another bag of this and see if we can completely stop them. Of course, stitching up your cervix, we may have a few kick up, but we're doing pretty good right now. We have a room ready; I think we're going to put you under instead of doing a spinal tap to do the surgery. It causes much less discomfort and stress, in my opinion. Is this okay for you?”
Zoe nodded. “Anything that involves the words tapping and spinal, I'm not too sure about.”
“It's safe, but it's uncomfortable for some people, and it would cause more stress that we just don't need right now. If you're ready, I am going to get you wheeled back there and meet you in a few minutes, okay?”
“I'll be right here...”
The doctor chuckled as he walked out of the room.
“It's going to be okay, baby,” Calvin touched her face and kissed her gently. “Promise.”
“I know. Will you come see me as soon as you can?”
“Of course! I wouldn't be anywhere else, Zoe.”
“I love you, Calvin.” She reached up and snagged his shoulder. “I want another kiss.”
“You've got it, babe. And all of me.” His mouth touched hers and she savored the feather-soft touch.
The nurse walked in at that moment. “Are we ready to go?”
Zoe nodded. “As ready as I'm going to get.”
“Okay, why don't we head into the OR and get ready?” She unlocked the wheels of the bed. “Mr. Hall, you are welcome to wait in here or in the waiting room, whichever you'd prefer. Me personally? I'd pick in here. At least you can choose what you want to watch on TV. We'll let you know when the surgery is over and she is in recovery.” She smiled warmly and Calvin nodded.
“Okay, thank you. Bye, beautiful.”
Zoe turned her head to watch him for as long as she could as they rolled down the hall. Bye, baby...
Once she was in the OR, they helped her onto a table and a man came into the room. “Hi there, I'm Luke, I'm going to be your anesthesiologist. We're going to just lightly sedate you. I'm going to get a tube for your throat just in case we need it, and you won't be under too long, maybe thirty minutes or so. I won't put you deep, just enough for you to relax. Do you have any questions for me?”
“I will wake up, won't I?” Tears filled her dark eyes.
“Of course you will, Zoe. And you'll see my handsome face as soon as you do.” he grinned and patted her shoulder. “I promise we'll bring you back.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. “I have no choice but to trust you, huh?”
“Well, unless you want that spinal tap?”
Her eyes flew wide. “No, no thanks.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I'm going to put this mask on your face, and I want you to breathe slowly and deeply. Count backwards from ten, all right?”
She nodded as he placed the mask on her face and she breathed slowly the cool oxygen. “Ten...Nine...Eight...”
Chapter Fourteen
Zoe knew instinctively she was asleep, but she'd never felt more awake. She glanced around the shadowy room and sat down on a bench that lined the wall. I have to be dreaming...
She closed her eyes and counted backward to ten before opening her eyes. The room was still there, and it felt concrete and real. The rough concrete of the bench scraped her hands as she touched it and she recoiled, glancing down at her hands, only to see no blemishes.
“Where am I?” she whispered.
“You're here, with me.”
She glanced up and her breath caught as she stared at her father, who stood jauntily in a doorway, looking more alive than ever. “Dad?”
“Hi, Zoe.”
“You're – you're dead!” Her breath came fast and she gripped her chest.
He moved closer, his hand outstretched. “Calm down, I'm dead, all right. I'm kind of hanging out in the in between before I head on. There's something I have to do.”
“Something you have to do?” Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. “I don't understand, Dad.”
“I left you a letter,” he smiled. “I knew I didn't have much time and I wanted to get everything down that I ever wanted to say to you before... before I had to go.” He pointed at the bench. “May I sit down?”
Zoe nodded, shifting over on the bench to give him room. “The papers!” she squeaked, the realization hitting her. “You left me a letter?”
“Not a bad one, I promise...but you need to read it. There are things you need to know, Zoe. And I can't tell you now.”
“Why not?”
“It's not the right time. It wasn't last night either. I just wanted to say so many things, but you weren't ready, and neither was I. I thought I had more time, but I didn't.” He smiled sadly and touched her hand.
“Did it hurt to die?” Zoe wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed gently.
“It felt like being in the ocean and just laying back in the water. The waves just took me and I let them. It was warm and soft. I wasn't scared a bit as I went under. I saw your momma and I knew it was where I was supposed to be.” He ran his thumb over the top of her hand. “It's a lot scarier thinking about it than it actually happening.”
“Am I dead now?” Her breath hitched and she shivered.
“Nope. Just me. You're fine.”
“Can I see Momma?”
“No, I wish you could. She can see you though. It's kind of like that mirror they use in the cop shows. We can't see out, but they can see in,” he shrugged.
“They who?”
“The angels, baby. Spirits, whatever you wanna call them.”
“I can't believe you're gone, Dad. I thought we'd have more time. If I had known...”
“No, no, don't go blaming yourself. I thought we had a little more time, too, but we didn't. It was enough knowing that you forgave me,” he smiled sadly.
“I did, Dad.” She threw her arms around his neck. “You feel so real.”
“I'm as real as you are. Just...different.”
“Calvin said he'd bury you by momma,” she whispered into his neck.
“He's a good man. I like him. You sure look good in love, Zoe. It makes me glad that I got to see that.” He pulled back and looked out at the duskiness. “Look.”
One of the grey walls was shimmering with a pale light. “What is it?” she whispered.
“I don't know. Let's watch.”
The wall flickered and shimmered again, slowly brightening the whole room with a warm sunshiny light. A picture came into focus of a grassy back yard with a tree to the right of the picture with autumn leaves slowly falling off the branches.
Zoe tipped her head to the side. “Dad? That's our old back yard.”
“You're right, it is.” He stared at the picture. “What's going on?”
A little girl came running into the picture, her dark hair flying behind her in the wind. Zoe's breath caught in her throat. “Dad...”
“She looks like you... I have to go, Zoe. I don't have any more time.” He stood and held his arms open. “Give your old man one last hug.”
Zoe hugged him tight. “Is that...?” Her voice trailed off.
“Yes. I have to go. It's time for you to wake up. Good bye, baby.”
Zoe sucked in a breath of air and her eyes flicked open to see the white ceiling tiles of the recovery room. Her breath came hard and fast and the nurse touched her shoulder. “Hey there! Take a few slow breaths in for me of this oxygen and try to relax. Your surgery went great.”
Zoe nodded as her heavy lids swept downward. “Is my daughter okay?”
“She's great.”
Her hand trailed to her stomach and she slept, a soft smile on her lips.
Everything's gonna be just fine...
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scarlett Jade is just a small town Southern girl who is now a Northern transplant. She was always found from a young age with her brow furrowed, scribbling words on paper. Now that she is grown, life isn't much different, she still scribbles words, but mostly on the computer! She is married to the man of her dreams, her real life knight in shining armor and Prince Charming. She has one son who is the apple of her eye and she homeschools year round. You can typically find her playing in the dirt with her son or snuggled on the couch with her dog Peanut, reading a good book. She loves chocolate, thinks coffee should be a religion, and loves to make people laugh with her quirky sense of humor. She is bold, brazen, and even been told she's ballsy, but she doesn't mind, she takes it in stride. She has a huge passion for all things paranormal and has a penchant for spicy love stories that leave you turning the pages and dying to slide between the sheets of her next book! She loves to talk to her fans and hear what they thought of her work.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jrtKw6
Twitter: http://bit.ly/TREUp6
Google+: http://bit.ly/1tLUlvp
Blog: http://bit.ly/1jZ8nXo
Email: [email protected]
Other works by Scarlett:
Just a Little Taste – Paranormal Romance
Love at First Bite:
http://amzn.com/B00LZFHIDQ
Once Bitten, Twice Shy:
http://amzn.com/B00MEHNB08
November Foxtrot (Rhythm of the Heart Book 2) Page 14
