by Marie Force
“I can hear the ambulance,” someone said. “Hang in there, Mac. Just another minute or two.”
“Oh my God!” Stephanie cried from the pier above them. “What happened?”
Mac cradled his father’s head against his chest. “Don’t you dare even think about leaving us, do you hear?” he whispered between breaths. “Don’t you dare.”
“I didn’t know he was in the water,” the captain said, his words slurred.
“Shut up,” Luke said. “Just shut the fuck up.”
Mac continued to breathe for his father and went weak with relief when Big Mac finally coughed up a huge load of water and began to breathe again on his own. But he still didn’t come to.
“That’s it,” Mac said, tears streaming down his face. “Nice and easy.” He pressed his lips to his father’s forehead. “You’re going to be just fine.” Finally, he could hear the sirens getting closer. “Rescue’s almost here.”
The next half hour was a blur. Paramedics entered the water, loaded Big Mac on a gurney and lifted him out while a second crew tended to Luke. Chief of Police Blaine Taylor, a high school classmate of Mac’s and Luke’s, carted the boat owner away in handcuffs. While running after the paramedics hauling his father, Mac asked Stephanie to call his mother.
“I’ll find her and get her to the clinic myself.”
“Thank you.” Even though the morning sun was hot, Mac shivered uncontrollably after spending thirty minutes in the water. He handed Stephanie his ring of keys. “Will you lock up?” As she took the keys from him, he noticed her hands were shaking. “Where’s Luke?”
“Cops took him to the clinic. I heard one of them say his ankle is badly sprained, if not broken.”
“Shit,” Mac muttered. What a clusterfuck, he thought as he got into the ambulance to accompany his father to the island’s small community clinic. He sure hoped it was equipped for whatever his father needed.
Mac took the blanket the paramedics offered and tried not to focus too intently on his father’s gray face as they worked to stem the bleeding on the back of his head. He wanted to call Maddie, but right now all his focus was on his father. “Can you tell if he’s hurt anywhere else?” Mac asked.
“His arm is clearly fractured, and his blood pressure is really low, so there could be internal injuries.” Mac watched them pull a warming blanket over his father, trying to raise his body temperature.
He squeezed his eyes shut and burrowed into his own blanket, hoping to stop the violent trembling. Please, God. I’ll do anything. Just don’t take him from us yet. Not yet.
Much to Mac’s dismay, the clinic’s emergency personnel treated him like he was the patient. He struggled against their efforts to remove his wet clothes and get him into scrubs. “I’m fine! I don’t need to be seen. I have to know what’s going on with my father!”
“Mr. McCarthy, you’re hypothermic, and your pulse is weak,” the nurse said. She examined Mac’s eyes with a flashlight. “You might be a bit shocky, too.”
Mac’s chest began to ache the way it had during an anxiety attack a year or so ago, but he didn’t dare tell them that. “I’m not the patient!”
“You are now,” the formidable nurse declared after poking a thermometer in his ear. “Your temp is ninety-four.” She tugged a heated blanket up over him. “We’ve got to get you warmed up.”
Mac didn’t want to admit that the heat felt really good. “Can you find out what’s going on with my dad? Please? And Luke Harris? He was brought in, too.”
The nurse patted his arm. “I’ll go check. Try to settle down.”
“I need to call my wife. Can you get me a phone? Mine got ruined in the water.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Continuing to tremble under the blanket, Mac waited a long time for the nurse to return. He had plenty of time to ponder life without his father and for the ache in his chest to intensify. The whole thing had happened so damned fast! One minute his dad was standing on the dock, the next minute he was seriously injured and fighting for his life.
Mac shuddered as the images ran through his mind like a horror movie he couldn’t escape: his father disappearing from the pier, floating facedown in the water, the pool of blood surrounding him.
The nurse returned. “Since I don’t own a cell phone, one of the other nurses is getting hers for you. They’re taking your dad for some tests. He’s hypothermic as well, so we’re warming him up. His arm is definitely broken. That’s all I know at the moment.”
“Is he awake?”
“Not yet.”
“Is that normal?”
“Head injuries run the gamut. We’ll know more after we see the scan.”
“What if he needs a neurologist?”
She glanced up from his chart. “If necessary, they’ll fly one in.”
“Can’t we fly him to a trauma center?”
“He can’t fly if he has a brain injury, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We need to wait and see what the tests show, okay?”
No, it was not okay. None of this was okay, but what choice did he have but to wait for more information? “How about Luke?”
“Is he a relative?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“My, um, brother?”
She gave him a skeptical smile. “I can see the resemblance,” she said dryly. “Since he’s your ‘brother,’ I can tell you he has a badly sprained left ankle. But you did not hear that from me.”
“He probably saved my dad’s life—and mine, too.”
“Then I guess we’d better take extra special good care of him.”
“Please do.”
“So,” Maddie said as she and Sydney pored over baby furniture catalogs at Maddie’s house. They were sitting on the floor while Thomas played with trucks next to them. “Are you going to spill the beans on why you’re positively glowing this morning?”
Images from her amazing night with Luke flashed through her mind, heating her face.
“And blushing,” Maddie said, hooting with laughter.
“It’s incredible. I can’t believe it’s possible, but it’s even more intense now than it was before. How can that be?”
Leaning on the coffee table, Maddie rested her chin on her upturned hand. “Wow. As I recall, it was quite something before.”
Sydney nodded. “We have this unbelievable connection. I can’t even describe it. When you think about it, though, it shouldn’t even work between us. We’re so different, you know?”
“How do you mean?”
“I’m loud and outspoken, and I need to talk everything to death. He’s Mr. One-Word Answer. Less is always more with him.” Sydney paused and then added, “Except in bed, of course.”
“He can’t help that,” Maddie said, laughing. “He’s a guy.”
“True.”
“Will less be enough for you over the long haul?”
“That’s something I worry about. He’s very content with a smallish life on this island. I’m used to much bigger—lots of people and friends and stuff going on.”
“You’d definitely be downsizing if you lived here year-round. No doubt about that, but it wouldn’t be all bad. There’s something very cozy about settling in for a long, cold winter with the one you love to keep you warm.”
“You should know.” Sydney smiled at the blissful expression on Maddie’s face. “I’m tempted to try it for a winter.”
“Oh, yay!” Maddie clapped her hands. “We’ll keep you entertained. Don’t worry.”
“What if I try it and it doesn’t work out? What if I start to go stir-crazy halfway through the winter?”
Maddie thought about that for a minute. “I suppose you’d have to deal with that if—and when—it happens.”
“I’m afraid I’ll turn his life upside down—again—if I move out here only to decide later it doesn’t work for me.”
“No one says the only place you and he can be together is here.”
“His whole life is here. He has an amaz
ing side business restoring boats. Did you know that?”
Maddie nodded. “I’ve been out on the Chris-Craft he did for Mr. McCarthy. It’s gorgeous. I’m always so afraid Mac is going to crash it or scratch it or something.”
“Luke does beautiful work, that’s for sure.”
“And there’s no reason he couldn’t do that same beautiful work on the mainland.”
“That’s true.”
Maddie reached over to squeeze her hand. “You’re getting ahead of yourself worrying about what might happen. All you can do is try it and see what it’s like. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. I’m sure he wants you to be happy, and if it ends up that he has to move, then I’m sure he would.”
“But that would make him unhappy.”
“If you ask me, you’re what makes him happy, and he couldn’t care less where he has to live to be with you. Remember what Joe did to be with Janey. He rearranged his entire life, and he’s blissfully happy. He loves her, so he did what had to be done so they could be together.”
“He hasn’t said it, but I know Luke loves me.”
“How do you feel?”
“Of course I love him, too. How could I not love him? He’s such a great guy.”
“Have you told him that?”
“Not yet.” Sydney fiddled with one of the catalogs. “I want to say it, but I get to the moment, and I just can’t get it out. I guess some part of me knows I’ll be making a commitment when I say those words, so I want to be sure, you know?”
“I can see that, but I think you should relax about the details and just go with it. See where it takes you. If anything good has come out of all you’ve been through, you have the freedom to do whatever you want. If being here with Luke for now feels good, then stay.”
“I need to talk to him about this at some point. It would help to know that he would understand if I can’t live here full time.” She blew out a deep breath. “I can’t decide anything until after the sentencing hearing. That’s hanging over me like a ton of bricks. Once that’s done, maybe I’ll feel more ready to make some plans.”
“You need closure before you can move forward. I totally get that.” Maddie squeezed Syd’s hand. “In the meantime, you have to help me decide on this nursery furniture. When I had Thomas, I had to make do with used stuff and hand-me-downs. Mac wants all new stuff for this little one.” She rested a hand on her round belly, and her eyes widened when the baby responded with a swift kick.
“Already talking back,” Sydney said, laughing. “Has to be a girl.”
Maddie chuckled. “Can you even begin to imagine Mac with a little girl? The poor thing won’t be allowed to date until she’s fifty.”
“He’ll be great with a girl.”
“He’s so excited about this baby. It’s all he talks about.”
“That’s so sweet.”
“It’s much different than when I was expecting Thomas and all anyone cared about was who the father was.”
“Enjoy every minute. You’ve got a wonderful son and husband, and now another on the way.”
“You know, as we were talking, I was thinking there’s no one here who has your decorating skills. You might find a very satisfying new career right here on the island.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. McCarthy.”
Maddie flashed a triumphant grin. “I’m totally biased because I’d so love to have you here year-round.”
The house phone rang, and Maddie made a comical attempt to get up from the floor.
“Stop,” Sydney said, laughing at the faces her friend was making. “I’ll get it.”
“It’s on the kitchen counter.”
Sydney ran for the kitchen and picked up the extension.
“Maddie?”
“No, it’s Sydney. Let me get her.”
“Syd, it’s Janey.”
Syd’s stomach plummeted at the grave tone of Janey’s voice. “Is everything okay? Is Buddy okay? I’ll be by shortly to pick him up.”
“Buddy’s fine, but there’s been an accident at the marina.”
All the air seemed to leave Sydney’s lungs in one big whoosh.
“My dad, Mac and Luke were all taken to the clinic.” Sydney could hear tears in Janey’s voice. “I only know one of them is hurt bad. Stephanie was so hysterical when she called my mother that we don’t know anything else. Can you bring Maddie and meet us there?”
“Yes,” Sydney said, her hands shaking and her heart beating hard. “We’ll be right there.” She put down the phone, took a deep breath to calm her rattled nerves and returned to the living room to find Thomas snuggled up to his mother, his eyes heavy.
“Syd? You’re totally pale. What is it?”
“There’s been an accident.”
“Oh God. No. Not Mac.” In a whisper she said, “Please tell me it’s not Mac.” Her caramel-colored eyes filled with tears. Somehow she managed to get up and settle Thomas on the sofa.
“Mac, his dad and Luke were all hurt. Janey didn’t have any of the details, except that one of them was hurt bad. She said we should meet them at the clinic.”
Maddie stood frozen in place, one hand resting on her pregnant belly.
Sydney went to her. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together, okay?” Sydney had no idea where this calm control was coming from. The idea that Luke could be injured—or worse—made her want to howl. He had promised her nothing bad would happen to her again. He’d promised.
Maddie clung to her for a long moment.
“Let’s call Tiffany so we can drop Thomas off with her on the way to the clinic,” Syd said. “I’ll drive.” She lifted the sleeping toddler from the sofa and closed her eyes tight against the rush of emotion as he molded himself to her without waking, the way Max used to at that age.
Maddie grabbed her purse and keys and led the way out of the house to the SUV.
Sydney fumbled her way through settling Thomas into his car seat. Her hands shook all the way into town, where they dropped the boy with his aunt.
Tiffany’s concern for Mac sent Maddie even further into herself.
As they headed for the clinic, Syd reached for her hand. “He’s okay. He has to be okay. They all are.” The alternative was simply unimaginable.
Maddie tightened her grip on Syd’s hand but didn’t say anything.
Chapter 18
As Sydney and Maddie rushed into the emergency entrance, the first thing they heard was Mac bellowing for someone to tell him something about his father. At the sound of his voice, Maddie staggered, and for a moment Sydney wondered if her friend was going to faint.
“Oh,” Maddie whispered, “thank God.” She rushed past the registration desk, following the sound of her husband’s voice.
Since Sydney didn’t know what else to do, she went with Maddie.
“I’m Mrs. McCarthy,” Maddie said to the nurse in the hallway. “I need to see my husband.”
“Right in here.” The nurse opened the curtain to Mac, who was red-faced and furious. “He’s all yours.”
Maddie burst into tears at the sight of him.
“Come here, baby,” he said, holding out his arms to her. “Sorry I couldn’t call you. My phone is toast.”
She crawled right onto the bed with him. “What happened?” she managed to ask through her tears.
Even though Sydney felt like she was intruding on an intensely private moment, she needed to hear what Mac had to say, so she waited.
He told them about the boat and the accident, adding in a much louder voice, “And no one will tell me how my father is!”
“We’re checking on him for you, Mr. McCarthy,” the nurse said in a long-suffering tone that indicated she’d already told him that a few times.
“Are you hurt?” Maddie asked, her hands traveling from his face to his chest.
“I’m fine, but apparently I have to stay here until Dr. Maitland says I can go.”
“Should just be a few more minutes,” the nurse said.
“He sprained his ankle, pretty badly, I guess.”
“And that’s it?”
“That’s all I heard.”
“He was waiting to have an X-ray, last I knew,” the nurse said. “I could take you to him, if you’d like.”
“Yes,” Sydney said, sick with relief. “Please.” To Maddie, she said, “Will you be okay?”
Snuggled into her husband’s embrace, Maddie closed her eyes. “I’ll be just fine.”
As Sydney followed the nurse, Mrs. McCarthy, Janey and Stephanie came into the ER, looking undone and teary-eyed. Sydney pointed the way to where they could find Mac.
Janey hugged her on the way by.
“I’m praying for your dad,” Sydney said.
“Thank you,” Janey said as new tears spilled down her cheeks.
“I’ll check on you after I’ve seen Luke.”
Janey nodded and followed her mother into Mac’s room.
The nurse led Sydney down a long hallway to the X-ray room. “Right in there,” she said, pointing.
Sydney’s heart raced as she walked into the darkened room to find Luke on a gurney, his foot propped up on pillows and an ice pack covering his ankle.
“Hey,” he said, extending a hand to her.
Sydney had promised herself she wouldn’t cry, but the instant she saw him alive and well and talking, she lost the battle.
“I’m okay, honey. Come see for yourself.”
Just like Maddie, she crawled onto the bed and into his arms.
His lips brushed her forehead. “I’m okay.”
“Scared me.”
“I’m sorry. I hated knowing how worried you’d be. My phone is in my truck so I couldn’t call you.”
“I heard you were quite the hero.”
He shook his head. “Mac was the hero. He jumped in after his father and got him breathing again while they were still in the water.”
