“Nick, why the hell do you care? I mean, it’s been—what—ten years, maybe twelve since you had anything going on with T, two visits within one week since then, and what? She’s got your mind all twisted? Normally, I would say fuck it and go after what you want, but she is not yours to fight for.”
“You don’t think I know that? I feel like such a dick for leading Karen on yesterday and making all these promises to never hurt her, and last night, I was practically tripping over myself to get Thea to see me, talk to me, and—fucking hell—just choose me for once.”
“Nick, that ship sailed a long time ago. Even with the few visits she paid here over the years, she never once came looking for you, just the opposite. Doesn’t that tell you anything?”
“Yeah, it does. It shows me that I am a complete fucking idiot, and it also tells me that I am not over Thea, at least not in the way I need to be.”
“Do yourself a favor, and get over it.”
“Yeah, thanks for that, asshole.”
Tony said, “Listen, I am not the expert in the romance department, but I do recognize a good thing when it’s staring me in the face. You have a good thing with Karen, and if you play your cards right, she can be your everything if you give her a chance to show you.”
“Listen to you, cupid. Are you telling me this because you still believe you may have a shot, or do you genuinely want me to take mine?”
“Fuck you. I told you already, women like Karen are unreachable for me, but yes, Nick, you have a shot and I want you to take it and not fuck it up. You, of all people, know the hell she has been put through, and yet she has still managed to rise from the ashes and be stronger than ever. You helped her pull herself up. You were the one she accepted help from, but we all knew it was so much more for her. Every time you walk in a room, I swear she looks as if she catches her breath. You two could be really great together, but you need to close the door on your past with Thea.”
“Yeah, don’t I know that!” I exhorted.
“No, you didn’t know until I just told you. I mean it, Nick. You better make up your mind before you lose Karen too. She won’t wait too much longer for you to get your shit together. I think the statute of limitations is about to be up.”
“Thank you, Tony. I really needed to hear that.”
“Any time, Chief, and now look at the time. My shift is up, and you need to do roll call.”
“Go home before I make you work a double. Thanks, man, I mean it.”
“I know. Hey, before I take off, you never said why Thea is back in the first place.”
“Keep it on the down low until I hear more. Frannie suffered a stroke, and when Thea came home to surprise her with the fiancé, they found her unconscious.”
“Holy shit, not Frannie. Do we know anything yet?”
“No, not since last night. As soon as I know, I will let you know too.”
Roll call went well without a hitch. I had a full day on my schedule with meetings downtown and one with the commissioner. Leslie called out sick today, so I was on my own to navigate through the crazy day and try my best not to think about Thea and what could be happening at the hospital.
With the late day traffic, I barely made it to my meeting on time with the commissioner, who would have had my ass if I was late. I grabbed a coffee and sat to look over the notes for my meeting when his assistant came out to talk with me.
“Chief Bartelli, the commissioner had to take an unexpected conference call. He should be with you soon.”
“No problem, Lauren. I’ll be fine here,” I responded.
While I waited for him, I texted Karen:
ME: Hi, hope you are having a great day. How are the girls? Just thinking about you while I wait on my meeting with my boss. No need to text back. Hopefully I will see you at the bar. Are you working tonight? Man, I suck at this, don’t I?
A few minutes later my phoned chimed with her reply:
KAREN: You don’t suck, you just have an amazing bar manager that takes care of so much that you don’t need to worry about things like schedules, paychecks, etc. Btw, I gave myself a raise. My day is going well. I had my last loan meeting at the bank, and everything has been approved. I can officially begin scouting for a place which will become my new salon. The girls are great. Trinity loves you, and Gigi? Well, she’s thawing after our very long talk yesterday. Hopefully, I will see you tonight, because I really want to kiss you.
“Well, if that is not a smile, I don’t know what is,” I heard as my eyes looked up from my phone.
“Commissioner Ciano, I’m sorry that I didn’t see you standing there.”
“It’s fine, son. I was the one that made you wait. Join me in my office for a chat.”
After I was settled in, he started, “Okay, let’s get down to it. Your proposal for new equipment has been accepted and approved. Your house proved to be the most needed, so with the new candidates coming on board, new equipment, and I take it your new assistant is working out well, your house will be in tip-top shape.”
“With all due respect, my house is already in top form, and as much as we appreciate the new equipment, it is the dedication of my men who make the house what it is.”
“Bartelli, you took what I said all wrong. Of course I know that, but you should also know how much red tape is involved when requests such as yours are accepted.”
“I do know, Commissioner. I am grateful for it, so thank you.”
“My pleasure. Now, that wraps up what I needed to say to you. Do you have anything you wish to say?”
“Not that I am aware of, sir.”
“How’s your mother these days?”
“She’s doing well.”
“Wonderful. I was sorry I missed her at the luncheon last week. I was hoping to catch up with her, but I was busy with various functions. If only I could have been in two places at once.”
“Yes, I’m sure it was disappointing for you. She’s traveling right now with a friend, but I will be sure to give her your regards.”
OMG! As if my plate is not running over as it is, now my boss is asking about my mother? What the fuck? I thought I was okay with my mom dating, but there’s no way she would go out with him, now would she? It was time to terminate this conversation.
“Well, if that’s everything, I’ll be on my way,” he said.
“Thanks for stopping by, and make sure you tell your mother I said hello.”
“Of course, sir.”
I think I may have been having an out-of-body experience during my meeting with my boss, and I was thankful it was over. I returned to the house to drop off my papers and leave a note for Tony and Spinelli about the new equipment that would be arriving next week. I checked in with my guys, and then I was done for the day. I headed home to grab something to eat and shower before making my way over to the bar.
I avoided calling the hospital about Frannie. I trusted that Thea would call me with an update. I had to imagine that if things would have gone the other way, then I would have heard something by now. Still, my natural instinct to help was kicked into overdrive.
I knew I shouldn’t have, but I found myself exactly where I shouldn’t have been, and that was back at New York-Presbyterian. I already knew what room Frannie was in, so instead of going to the third floor and facing Thea again, I simply checked with the receptionist. I flashed my badge and told a few white lies to get the information I needed. Frannie was in stable condition, and for now, that was the best news I could receive.
From there, I went to my bar where I planned to spend some quality time with Karen. I owed her a talk and wanted to be honest just in case she heard about Frannie or about Thea being back in town.
“Hey, boss!” and several hellos were called out as I entered my place. I hadn’t seen Karen behind the bar, so I went straight on back to my office.
Fifteen minutes later, there she was, knocking on my door with two beers in hand.
“Hey, mind if I join you?” she asked.
I
responded, “Absolutely not! Get back to work!”
“Okay, but I am taking the beers with me,” she said coyly.
I rushed from behind my desk and scooped her up in my arms. Karen squealed and smiled back at me.
“You are in a good mood. What gives?” she asked.
“Actually, I’m not, but you are already setting things right.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I do, but can I kiss you first?” I asked.
“Please do.”
I set the beers down to my desk and held Karen’s face in my hands. I slowly went in for a kiss and then made my way over to her neck. She pushed her hair away and gave me better access.
She said, “Talk to me, Nick. What’s going on?”
“If I tell you, then do you promise to listen and not react until I fully explain?”
“Yes, recently I have seen the error of my ways, and if I want Gigi to accept you, then I definitely have to lead by example.”
“Thank you for that, by the way.”
“She will come around. I know my daughter. She’s just very protective and doesn’t want to see me get hurt.”
“I already told you that I am not going to hurt you, and I will beat down anyone that tries.”
She smiled and then asked with hesitation, “Is that what’s been bothering you? Talk to me.”
I took a deep breath and told her, “Thea is back as of two nights ago.”
“Two nights ago? As in the night of our date?”
“Yes, the very same. I was on my way home, and I passed Frannie’s house to get to mine. I saw the ambulance and police cruisers, and I couldn’t keep going. She had a stroke, but currently she is in stable condition. Thea was with her fiancé and came home to surprise her mother with news of her engagement, but they found Frannie unresponsive.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of information from one question. What a difference a week makes. Last week, Thea appeared to possibly want you back, and now she’s engaged. Who’s the lucky guy who finally won the heart of the ice princess?”
“Carter Newbanks. And before you ask, yes, the very same who anchors the primetime news.”
“Did you talk with Thea?”
“I did, very briefly though. I don’t think her fiancé appreciated me being there.”
She left my embrace and walked around the office with her hands behind her neck.
“You know what…I’m right there along with him. I don’t appreciate you being there either. I know you care about Frannie—we all do—but you have history with Thea. How do you expect me to feel about this? You spent the evening with me, and then you closed it with her. Nick, I’m trying to be an adult here and let go of the bullshit that always pissed me off about Thea, but you are not making it easy.”
“I know, and I am sorry for that. I really am! I have a past, and a big part of it includes Thea and half the neighborhood that you can’t stand or used to dislike. Seeing her last week sent me into a downward spiral, and it wasn’t good. I behaved recklessly with her, and then I had this heart-to-heart with my mom, which made me more confused about things I closed the door to.”
“And then you kissed me? Answer me this, Nick, was I one of those things you closed the door to? Or was I a new door you were walking through?”
“New door, I swear it on the memory of my father. Karen, we have something between us, and I feel it’s worth exploring and seeing where it goes. As for Thea, it’s really not love feelings but more like unresolved feelings that I need to ask her about.”
“I want to believe you, Nick. I really do, but I am still working on my own stuff, and adding you into the mix is a risk for me.”
“I know, but I am asking you to take a chance with us and trust me to know that I will not hurt you, at least not on purpose. I’m a guy, after all, and we tend to fuck up a few times before we get it right.”
“Okay, Nick, you are saying all the right things, so I will trust you and hand over my heart to you.”
“I swear that it is safe with me.”
“I hope so, babe, because if you stomp all over my heart, I swear I will not hesitate to crush your balls until you are coughing up blood.”
I covered my dick and balls with my hand and said, “Ouch,” causing Karen to break out into laughter.
“Are we okay?” I asked as she let me hold her again.
“For now, we are.”
I wasn’t going to push my luck any more than I already did tonight, so I stopped talking and just held her.
Yesterday, when Carter and I were flying here, we were blissfully happy over our engagement and excited to share our news, and now we were sitting vigil for my mom. After falling asleep in the chapel and then waking to Nick touching me, I felt beyond overwhelmed. All I wanted was for my mom to open her eyes and be well. It seemed as if I was in the chapel for hours, but in fact it was only under two.
I grabbed another coffee before making my way to her room, and that’s when I heard voices coming from inside. She was awake and talking to Carter. My hands were shaking and I nearly dropped my coffee just listening to my mother’s voice.
“Thank you, God,” I whispered and leaned my head to the wall.
Tears were falling and I let them until I could gather the courage to walk through the door. “Curiosity always wins out,” daddy used to tell me whenever he caught me eavesdropping. He always laughed and said I was good to have around as a spy, or he would never know what my mom was thinking half the time.
I lingered outside the room for a few more stolen moments. Carter was holding her hand, and she was smiling back to him. Just listening to Carter speak to my mom calmed me, as he always had the power to do. I smiled as they continued with their conversation.
“Mrs. Falcone, you really should allow me to find Thea for you. She has been so worried about you.”
“Don’t you worry, dear. My Thea is close by and I’m sure will be here soon. So, for now, tell me about yourself?”
“Are you sure you are up to hearing all about me? You must be exhausted after what you have been through.”
“I was lucky, so let’s begin there. I haven’t been so stringent when it comes to taking my insulin properly. I know it was a huge mistake on my part, but these smarty doctors are telling me that I was so sedated from the extreme drop in my sugar, that the stroke was very mild. I mean, look at me, I’m talking clearly and I can move my arms and legs. So Carter, I was very lucky.”
“I would have to agree with you, Mrs. Falcone.”
“Call me Frannie.”
“Okay, Frannie, since we are getting along so well, how about I push my luck and formally ask for your blessing to marry your daughter? I love her, more than my own life, and I promise with all that I am that I will spend every single day making her happy.”
“You are smooth, Carter Newbanks. It’s no wonder you have the ladies falling at your feet.”
“Don’t believe everything you read in the magazines. There is only one woman I want falling for me, and that is your beautiful daughter.”
“You have my blessing. Treat her right. Make her smile every single day, and when you mess up, because I know you will, always bring home roses for my Thea, and never go to bed angry even during the harder times when that’s the only emotion you are feeling. Marriage is a wonderful blessing, but that doesn’t make it easy either, so just love each other and the rest will find its way and fit piece by piece into your lives.”
I whispered, “God, I promise you that I will never take that amazing woman in there for granted again. Thank you for saving her.”
I wiped my eyes and walked into mom’s room. Carter was still holding her hand, and mama extended her other hand for me to take.
“Oh mama, thank God you are okay,” I cried out as I took her hand in mine and kissed it.
“Oh my darling girl, I’m fine. I hear I have you to thank for finding me and getting me to the hospital in time.”
“Oh mama, all I did was dial
911. Carter here was the real hero. He was calm and collected while I was freaking out.”
She said, “You are always so hard on yourself, but you don’t need to be because I am going to be fine. I have a wedding to prepare for.”
Carter said, “And that is my cue. You two take some time, and I’ll be back soon with a change of clothes for us and breakfast.”
“Nonsense, Carter. Please take my Thea with you. You both look exhausted and need to get some rest. I have a lasagna and two casseroles in the freezer ready to go. If you don’t want that, the fridge is stocked with luncheon meat and salad. I even have some day-old pastries on the counter, but heat them up in the microwave first and they should be fine.”
“I am not leaving you, mama, not after I just got you back.”
“I am fine, Thea. I would not tell you so if I wasn’t.”
“But, mama…”
“Please go, Thea. I need some rest too, and the doctor should be in soon.”
“Okay, you win, but I will be back as soon as I can. I love you, mama.”
“I love you too.”
Carter said his goodbyes, and we walked to the nurses’ station where her doctor was about to begin rounds. I wanted to meet him.
“Hi, I’m Thea Falcone, and my mother is Frannie.”
“Pleasure to meet you Ms. Falcone. I’m Dr. McCormack. I was just about to check on your mom. She’s stable, and the insulin seems to be working in her favor. She’s on meds for the TI. But I’m happy to say she has no active bleeds, so this is very good news considering how low her sugar dropped. She was very lucky to come out of it. As doctors, we don’t promote the higher power; it’s our job to believe in the science of it all and do our best for our patients. By all accounts, though, whatever brought her back was not modern medicine.”
“Thank you, doctor. I believe that too.”
Carter interrupted, “Come on, hon, let’s get you home. Thank you, doctor. You have our numbers?”
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