by Tina Martin
Andre nodded.
“Now I’ll be back in about thirty minutes to check on her, and you for that matter.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chapter 18
. ~ .
“AVA, CAN YOU hear me?” Andre asked her. Ava had been sleeping for hours and he wanted to see her open those beautiful eyes again.
She opened them, looking at him, batting her lids.
“How do you feel?” he asked. “And don’t say tired.”
“Sleepy,” she responded with a lazy, unenthusiastic smile.
Andre smiled too. He held her hand between his strong hands and kissed it, inhaling the scent of her skin, closing his eyes like he’d gotten a high from her smell – the smell he missed so much.
“Sweetheart, you’re going to have surgery as soon as they find you a new heart.”
“Okay,” she responded.
It wasn’t the response Andre had expected, but then again, she probably wasn’t fully aware of anything that had transpired within the last few days.
“Whatever happens, just...promise me that you’ll take care of Drew.”
“You know I will, baby, but I don’t want you talking like this. We’ll get through this.”
“Okay,” she said. “We’ll...get...through...” She yawned and fell asleep again.
Andre kissed her forehead, then lips, leaving her room to give Maria a chance to sit with her for a while.
“WOULD YOU DIE for Mom,” Andre asked his father as they sat in the waiting room. Elena had taken baby Andrew for a walk, allowing him to expend some energy so he would fall asleep soon. “You know what...don’t even answer that because I know you would.”
“In a heartbeat,” William said.
“People say they’d die for the people they love, but when it comes down to it, that’s when you really know if you would or not. My wife needs a heart, and I would die this very instant for her...to give her mine...but so many factors go into these critical decisions that the doctors have to weigh...I’m probably not even a match for her, but if I were a match...”
“Son...”
“I need her to live, Father. I need her. I love her.”
“I know you do, son.”
Andre’s lips quivered when he saw Dr. Burke quickly approaching. He stood up, preparing himself for whatever it was the doctor had to say.
“Mr. Rockwell, we need to have the surgery right away. I’m going to need you to sign some consent forms for me.”
Andre frowned, confused. “Does this mean a heart has become available for her?”
“Yes, Mr. Rockwell,” Dr. Burke said, smiling. “We found a heart, and she’s the perfect candidate for it.”
Andre covered his eyes, overcome with emotion. There was hope for his wife yet.
William hugged his son, then ran off to find Elena, wanting to share the good news with her.
Andre went with the doctor to sign the appropriate forms.
At Ava’s room now, Andre threw his arms around Maria, celebrating the good news from Dr. Burke. Then he walked over to Ava, kissed her lips and said, “Baby, Dr. Burke is going to make you well.”
With her eyes still closed, Ava simply smiled.
“Mr. Rockwell, we have to get her prepped for surgery now,” Dr. Burke informed him.
Andre blew a breath of relief and worry. Ava was finally getting the transplant she needed and it was both exciting and nerve-racking. He hugged Ava as tightly as he could without disturbing her medical equipment, then took a long kiss from her lips. “I love you, Ava.”
Maria hugged her daughter next, kissed her warmly on the cheek, telling her how much she loved her and that she was strong – that she could pull through this.
The nurses then, as they did a couple of days prior, wheeled her bed away, to the operating room.
Chapter 19
. ~ .
ANDRE PACED THE halls, rubbing his hands together. He felt the same sourness in the pit of his stomach, anxiousness and nervousness rolled into one gigantic knot that almost cut off his circulation. It was hard for him to breathe and the length of Ava’s surgery would do nothing to ease that feeling.
Dr. Burke had mentioned that the transplant procedure would be longer than the failed heart valve surgery she’d had prior. He also warned the family that she would be in pain afterwards which would be controlled by medication. During the surgery, she’d be connected to a ventilator to help her breathe while tubes were placed in her chest to drain fluids from around her lungs and heart. She would be hospitalized for two weeks, being carefully monitored with tests, blood work and echocardiograms.
But first, she had to make it through the surgery...
FIVE HOURS LATER, she was still in the operating room. The nurse had given Andre and the family regular updates at the top of every hour. Ava was doing well. She was stable.
Andre felt relieved with each update. Ava had come too far to fail now. He was certain she’d make it. She had to. For him, and for their son.
A few hours later, Dr. Burke came strolling down the hallway again with a nurse beside him. Without calling Andre into the hallway separately from the rest of the family to give him an update, Dr. Burke stood in front of the family, while looking at Andre, and said, “Just wanted you all to know that the surgery went well and she’s being moved to recovery as we speak.”
Tears of joy sprang from Maria’s eyes.
Andre stood, shook Dr. Burke’s hand, thanking him. The rest of the family followed suit.
And then they all hugged each other, relieved that Ava was finally going to be okay.
Epilogue
Two Months Later
AVA SAT OUT on the patio near the pool this morning, wearing a silk robe, sipping on a cup of green tea. She inhaled the freshness of the air and it satisfied her. The little things in life always satisfied her. She counted herself fortunate to have found such a loving, supportive husband, and she often asked herself how she’d ended up with the best husband on the planet.
Andre Rockwell was her happiness. Like the wildflowers dancing in the breeze, the palm trees swaying and the birds singing sweet songs to her this morning, Andre was another one of God’s beautiful creations that he made for her. He had a body of steel but a heart of gold. He loved her more than life itself.
She took a sip of tea, watching Andre emerge from the double French doors and step out onto the deck, staring off into the backyard, looking for her no doubt. When he spotted her near the pool, he jogged down the stairs, barefoot, walking over to her, wearing an opened black robe and boxers.
“Good morning, my love,” he said, sitting adjacent to her, cradling her hand into his grasp and kissing it. “How do you feel?”
“I’m okay.”
“You’re not just saying that because you know that’s what I want to hear, are you?”
A smile touched her lips. His worried eyes had since faded and he had those bright ones she remembered from Nassau. “I’m saying it because I’m fine,” she told him. “I know I’ll always be okay as long as I have you.”
She watched him smile and felt him squeeze her hand. She never told him this, but she heard his conversation with the nurse – about giving her his heart. At the time, she could discern the fear and sadness in his voice. The thought of losing her was too much for him to bear, and that’s what she wanted to avoid by leaving him for the week that she did. She wanted to put space between them just in case the worst happened and she hadn’t made it through. However, she did make it through because her prince was there to make sure of it.
“What are you thinking about, Ava?”
Ava smiled, took a sip of tea and stared deep into his eyes – the opening to his soul. Andre had done so much for her, put his life on hold – took a year off from his company and made Scott the temporary operating officer of Rockwell Computer Components. He moved their master bedroom to one of the guest bedrooms downstairs so Ava didn’t have to climb the st
airs to go to bed. He moved Andrew’s room downstairs as well, making it convenient for her.
Last night, he ran a red rose petal bath, bathed her with a sponge, and even shampooed her curly hair.
Now, he sat in front of her, on a most beautiful morning, staring at her lips and trying to read her. He was good at that.
“Do you want some tea?” she asked him.
“Sure.”
She took another cup, then from a porcelain tea pot, she poured him a cup.
“Thank you,” he said, then took a sip.
“You’re welcome.”
“So are you going to tell me what’s on your mind, or do you want me to guess.”
She smiled. “Guess.”
He laid back in his chair, thought about it for a moment, then said, “Ah...I bet you’re thinking about what we’re going to do on this beautiful day.”
“Dre, almost every day in Coral Gables is a beautiful day.”
“True.” He smiled, showing his handsomeness. “But it certainly wouldn’t be if I didn’t have you.”
She took a sip of tea. The smile had since faded from her face as she set the empty cup back on the table.
When he saw how serious she’d become, he asked, “What’s on your mind, Ava?”
“You.”
“What about me?”
A breeze tackled her hair, and fluttered Andre’s robe.
Ava nervously twirled her wedding ring because her husband still gave her butterflies. She said, “You’ve suffered greatly for me.”
“I like to think of it as endurance.”
“Endurance?”
“Yes, we’ve endured a lot together. That’s what makes us strong. And you, Ava Rockwell, know that there is nothing I won’t do for you.” He scooted his chair closer to her, took her hands into his hands and said, “Don’t you?”
“Yes,” she replied smiling.
He leaned forward to press his lips against hers. Ava placed her hands on the sides of his face, touching his low-cut beard, pulling his mouth to hers in one satisfying kiss.
* * * * *
Dying To Love Her 3
(The Finale)
By Tina Martin
Copyright 2014 @ Tina Martin
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, photocopying and recording, without prior written consent of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses and products are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events is entirely coincidental.
Dying To Love Her 3
Chapter 1
Andre
. ~ . ~ .
ANDRE SAT AT a rickety wooden table at a diner where he’d go to unwind a few nights per month. It was one of those ol’ school, hole-in-the-wall joints with old, squeaky wooden floors, outmoded décor and an antique juke box that played rock music from the early 2000s. Blaring through the dusty speakers was, It’s Been Awhile by Staind. The place looked like the type of establishment where the owner wanted to preserve the original furnishings and appeal from when it opened decades ago. That was cool with Andre, though, because even though it didn’t look so hot, the food was out of this world.
He tapped his black Forzieri, Italian leather shoes to the rhythm of the music, staring up a bulky, box television hanging from a ceiling mount, watching a baseball game while waiting for his best friend, Todd, to show up. The two hadn’t connected in some time and, as they normally did, the liked to talk about the state of their businesses, especially since they both relied on each other during the beginning phases of starting their companies.
“Dre, what’s good, man,” Todd said, walking towards Andre’s table, taking him out of his trance with a TV program he wasn’t the least bit interested in.
“What’s up, bro?” Andre responded. Best friends since their high school years, Todd was like a brother to him. He knew he could rely on him and confide in him whenever he had to get something off of his chest. And he had a lot on his mind that he needed to talk about tonight.
“Look at you looking all suave on a Friday night,” Todd told him.
Andre stood up, gave his friend a handshake, man-hug combo and said, “Good to see you too, man.”
“Dang. How long has it been?”
“Too long, man. Too long.”
The men sat down, getting comfortable at the wobbly table.
“Ay, what’s that you’re drinking?” Todd asked.
Andre took the glass from the table, swished its contents around and said, “Vodka.”
“Straight?”
Andre picked up the glass and tossed the rest of it back in one huge gulp, feeling it burn on the way down to his stomach. “Yeah, man. Straight.”
“Whoa...you’re going in for the kill, huh?”
He sighed deeply. “It’s been that kind of week.”
Todd took a moment to look around the place. Usually, when he was in town, he and Andre would go to some fancy, upscale restaurants and compared to where they would normally go, this placed looked like a dump. It definitely belonged to another era. “How the heck did you find this place, Dre?”
Andre chuckled. “An employee of mine suggested lunch here one day, and trust me, I gave him the same look you’re giving me right now. But wait ‘til you try the food.”
“It’s off the hook?”
“Phenomenal.”
When a waitress came by, Todd ordered a Corona and when she walked away, he looked at Andre again and asked, “So what are you still doing with the whole business suit getup on? Thought you would’ve been home by now, changed clothes and gotten comfortable.”
“Nah. I came straight here from the office.”
“Everything kosher with that big merger you were working on?”
“What merger? You’re not talking about the Able Gadgets merger, are you?”
“Yeah...that’s the one.”
“Oh, that’s a done deal. The former C.E.O. of Able, Benjamin Sparks, is doing well with RCC, and everything is running as smoothly as it can be. Of course there are a few hiccups here and there but overall, I’m very satisfied with the job performance of Benjamin and the other executives we brought on board from A.G.”
“That’s good, man. So what’s new? Are there more mergers in the works?”
“Not presently, but we are in the middle of an acquisition. I don’t expect that it will be as grueling as the Able Gadgets merger though. What about you? How’s the tax business?”
“It’s good. I’m here because I’m opening two locations in Miami.”
“Are you serious?” Andre asked with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah, man. I told you when I first started that I was going to take this thing all the way to the top.”
“Go hard or go home, right.”
“Amen, my brother.”
Just then, the waitress set Todd’s Corona on the table. He picked it up and said, “And I’ll drink to that,” and took a swig of beer. “It’s a lot of work, though.”
“I can only imagine. It does take time, hard work and commitment to have a successful business. I can attest to that.”
Todd nodded.
“Sometimes I find myself working twelve-hour days,” Andre added, but he refused to say that he worked those long hours to avoid being at home. Work was a getaway for him, a place where he could keep his mind occupied to forego the thought of being unhappy with the woman he was in love with. That in itself was an oxymoron. How could he be unhappy and in love at the same time? That’s the thing that bothered him the most. The confusion of it all – the knowing he couldn’t be without Ava but also realizing he had needs that weren’t being met.
“I know that all too well, my brother. I’m working so much, I think Sasha is ready to find herself another husband,” Todd said, then laughed.
“How is Sasha?”
“She’s c
ool...back at the hotel. She’s looking forward to hanging out with Ava tomorrow. How is Ava doing?”
“Uh...” Andre said, exhaling roughly, wishing he hadn’t finished his drink so quickly. He wanted to order another but since he had to drive home, he opted not to.
“She’s not sick again, is she?” Todd asked, concerned.
“No, well...uh...” Andre shook his head. “It’s just complicated.”
“Oh.” Todd took a long swig of beer, then chased it by biting into a lime wedge. “You care to talk about it?”
Andre shook his head again. “Nah.” He’d kept his complaints to himself for nearly ten months and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to divulge his woes in his best friend’s ear. It wasn’t an easy subject to broach. It pained him to discuss it, the reason why he kept it to himself for so long.
“Dang...it must be deep,” Todd observed. “I can tell when you’re really struggling with something.”
“It’s just been rough.”
“What has?” Todd asked, trying to get him to talk.
“Taking care of Ava. I have to make sure she takes her medicine constantly, and I worry all the time. Even when I’m working, I worry. What if she’s somewhere passed out on the floor? What if she needs me? What if her new heart just so happens to give out? And while I’m thinking along those lines, I also think about how normal my life would be if we weren’t together.” Andre shook his head. “And I can’t believe I just said that out loud.”
