Intimate Strangers (The Lisa Millar Series Book 1)

by Lasairiona McMaster

  “He knows I’m here though. Plus, it’s early days, not even twenty-four hours. I think his body is probably protecting itself. He’ll wake up in a day or two – or when he’s heard enough of my babbling, he’ll wake up just to tell me to shut up!” she smiled.

  “Do you really think that?” his father asked. Eyes red and puffy, he looked as though he’d been crying.

  I’m sure they’ve both had their moments since I called, she thought, remembering the hysteria in Cindy’s voice when she thought the phone had disconnected after Lisa had first told her about the accident.

  She felt like she was being tested. His mother, being a lawyer, was probably able to tell the difference between believing what she was saying and unsubstantiated hope from a mile off, so she stopped, thought about it for a few seconds as she watched AJ sleeping, and nodded slowly.

  “I really do. He has too much he wants to accomplish. So much he hasn’t done yet. He’s not one to give up and walk away leaving doors half-open. He’ll wake up.” Her eyes stayed resting upon him, avoiding their questioning gaze. She felt a lump rise in her throat and her eyes began to glisten.

  “Plus, he has you to wake up for,” his father continued.

  “Well, yeah. But even if he woke up never again knowing who I was, or never wanting to see me again – I’d just be happy to know he’s awake, and that he’s ok.” Her voice was low, barely above a whisper and she felt a stray tear slip down her nose. “Even if he could never walk again, or skate, or even sing. I just want him awake. Anything else after that, and we’ll face it as it comes. Right now, I really just want him to open his eyes.”

  Silence fell on the trio. Lisa stood up and kissed AJ’s forehead gently. Tears were falling more freely. “I’m going to go outside for some air and leave you guys alone for a while,” she told them, lifting her handbag and writing pad and heading towards the door.

  “You don’t have to go you know,” his mother’s face was filled with compassion.

  “I do,” she replied.

  “We don’t mind you being here,” his father added.

  “I know,” she answered, smiling through her tears, “but, you two need your time with him and I need to go outside. He’s been encouraging me to increase my vitamin D intake and add some color to my ‘SPF-Irish’ skin. Will you call me if he wakes up?” she added, letting the door close behind her.

  Chapter 28

  Time seemed to fly past as Lisa sat on the bench outside. She’d finished her letter to Aoife, written to another friend, Sarah, and had even written one to her family. Despite it being much more efficient to just pick up the phone and drop someone an email, she always enjoyed the more intimate nature of writing a letter. It was tactile. She enjoyed how the pen felt between her fingers and how the pages absorbed the words. Her cheeks were still wet from crying, and there was a deep ache in her chest. Now that she was alone for a while, she could allow the emotion of the previous twenty-four hours to wash over her. Although she truly believed AJ would wake up, she was struck by the sudden fear that she could be wrong.

  Questions burned her tormented mind as she sat struggling to control her fear.

  I’ll cross that bridge if it’s ever built, she thought, looking at her watch. She had been gone for just over two hours. Her head felt dizzy and her tummy grumbled. Just as she started to pack up, she saw someone appear next to her and turned to face Ana.

  “Hey,” her voice was rough.

  “Hi,” Ana looked at her with raised eyebrows, “you ok?”

  Lisa nodded.

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t realize you were here yet.”

  “Sorry, yeah. Everyone’s here. Mom said you needed some alone time and only just let me come to check on you. You look like shit,” she added, not unkindly.

  “Thanks Ana!” Lisa giggled wiping her eyes. “I just had a bit of an emotional dump.”

  “Tell me about it,” she replied, taking a seat on the bench next to her.

  “I – uh-”

  “I uh nothing, Lis, come on. Out with it!”

  “It’s ok. I cried, I panicked, I wrote, I vented, I cried some more, and now I’m ok. I’m back with the being all peppy and positive crap.” She smiled.

  “Lis…you can talk to me, you know?”

  “I know.”

  “Jeremy said you almost started to talk to him, but then you clammed up. He said he heard you talking to Pim, but wouldn’t say what he heard. Mom said you were starting to talk to her and dad and then you ran off. You’ve been avoiding Chelsea like the plague ‘cause you know she’ll make you talk to her, and now you’re alone with me!”

  Lisa looked simultaneously amused and confused.

  “Am I that transparent? I’m ok, really. It’s just hard. I’m in a foreign country. I’m out of my comfort zone and on someone else’s turf. I don’t know many people. All that’s familiar is six hours ahead of me back home. I fly over to meet my internet non-boyfriend, meet his friends, and his sister. Turns out, he’s every bit as wonderful as I thought he would be, and so much more. So, I let my defenses come down and think hey, it’s totally ok to love this guy and imagine little musical, hockey-playing babies with him. Then BAM! I find out he’s married. I fly home on the verge of a mental breakdown, with pieces of my heart on my lap and a really annoying yet simultaneously super-sweet air hostess. He flies after me, calms me down, explains some bizarre green-card marriage scenario. I believe him. We fly back. I go to a ball like Cinder-fricken-ella and had the most amazing time ever. I go to watch him do one of the things he loves most and now…” she took a breath, “now he’s asleep and won’t wake up. He may never wake up. I made an arse of myself in front of the nurses, the doctors, his friends, his sister and, worst of all, his parents – who, might I add, I was not supposed to meet without him being there to help me out and certainly not under these circumstances! What if he doesn’t wake up, Ana? What if he wakes up and doesn’t remember me? What if he can’t ever skate again, or walk again, or talk again?”

  She stopped, feeling exhausted and hoarse.

  “Oh. Ok then. So, nothing much going on with you at all then? To be honest I’m glad to hear you’re human after all. I was starting to wonder if you were Wonder Woman or something,” Ana said quietly.

  “I-”

  “Found them!” Chelsea’s voice rang out from a short distance away. Glancing around, Lisa spotted Britt, Brad and Jeremy headed towards them.

  “You guys get lost?” asked Brad.

  “Do we look lost?” Lisa snapped.

  “No, but you look like crap,” he fired back. She knew he was half-joking and half-concerned but she wasn’t in the mood for funnies.

  “Cause my married boyfriend is in a coma and I’ve been out here crying for two hours,” she retorted.

  Silence.

  She was getting used to this silence thing. Her eyes met his, but she looked away quickly as she felt her jaw begin to quiver.

  Damnit girl, get it together, she told herself sternly, as she fought the tears streaming down her face.

  Brad walked up to where Lisa sat and held his arms out towards her. Getting to her feet, she let him hold her while she cried. She didn’t hear the others leave, nor did she know how much time had passed, but when she finished crying, his shirt was pretty wet.

  “Well, now I’ve made an arse out of myself to everyone that matters to him. He’s gonna laugh his butt off when he wakes up and hears what a neurotic, crazy girlfriend he has gotten himself.” She began to laugh off her embarrassment.

  “You haven’t made an arse of yourself, nor an ass of yourself. This is bound to be harder on you than on the rest of us. Though, really, you’ve only just met the guy, he’s been bugging the rest of us for most of his life!” he joked.

  She thumped him playfully. “Leave him alone, you. He’s sleeping and can’t defend himself.”

  “He doesn’t need to,” he replied. “You do a pretty good job on his behalf.”

&n
bsp; She stared at him blankly. “This is a weird experience for me,” she told him. “I’m having a conversation with you that doesn’t revolve solely around taking the piss out of each other. A similar thing happened with Jeremy, and it’s incredibly strange. I’m not sure I’m prepared to cross over into serious conversation with both of you, let alone on the same day!”

  He laughed. “I can be serious sometimes you know,” he told her “when I have to be.” He paused before adding, “Don’t think I don’t see how much you love him.”

  “But-” She was going to rush him with some bullshit, but he stopped her dead.

  “Lis, I know you keep trying to brush it off. I know you don’t want everyone to know just how head-over-heels you are for a boy you met on the internet. A boy who is married, even if it isn’t for love, for an unknown period of time. But it really is as clear as day to everyone who simply looks at you both.”

  I should just paint my cheeks red twenty-four-seven, she thought as she flushed.

  “I just hope he knows how much I love him,” she replied.

  “He does,” he assured her. “You’ll perhaps need to remind him when he wakes up, though.”

  She smiled. “I will, and I’ll tell him just how mortifying this whole trip has been for me.”

  “You’ve no need to be mortified. We’re all glad he’s finally found someone who loves him as much as he deserves to be loved. He’s number one on your list, even before yourself. You’re perfect for him. Before you, he was with Angela, and that was a bad, bad experience for him. She treated him like crap, but he was blinded by love and stuck with her for all the wrong reasons. You and him? You work. And I really want an invitation to the wedding – seriously, what the hell am I saying? I hear what’s coming out of my mouth and just can’t stop myself. I’m making myself sick with this soppy crap.”

  She was giggling again.

  “Dude, my point was, I think it’s safe to say you’ve been accepted by everyone here. You just have to realize that, and let yourself find your place. If you keep thinking they all don’t like you, or you have something to prove to them, or you’re not his proper girlfriend because of his marriage to Britt, you’ll drive yourself mad. You have nothing to prove. We all like you. I know you don’t need our approval or whatever, but you have it. And, above all, he loves you. You’re his number one, and that’s all you need. That’s all any of us need, and not just ‘cause he can kick our asses.”

  “Wow, your head must hurt. You stayed serious there for a good few minutes and actually made sense!” she said getting to her feet. “I better get back to him. He’ll be wondering where I’ve gone,” she winked at him.

  “One question?”

  “Shoot. But I can’t guarantee an answer,” she warned.

  “If he asked, would you marry him?”

  Without thinking, she replied, “He’s already married, Brad. He’ll be that way for a few years at least.” She turned to leave.

  “If he wasn’t?” he prodded.

  “Why are you suddenly so concerned? You want an excuse for a piss-up and a new hat?” she joked.

  “Well, no. Firstly, I have no idea what a piss-up is, and I doubt I’ll wear a hat – unless it’s a ball cap. Can I wear a ball cap to your wedding? Anyway. I figure if you’re willing to forgive him lying to you, and stick by him through something like being married to another woman, you must love him a lot. Maybe even enough to marry the man.”

  “I do love him, though that really doesn’t explain why you asked,” she replied, chewing on her lip.

  “Curiosity not enough of a reason?” he asked.

  “Not really.”

  “’Cause I think he’d marry you in a heartbeat.”

  She smiled at him, “If you say so. I’m going back to sit beside him until he wakes up. I’ve been gone for too long as it is!”

  Chapter 29

  When she entered AJ’s room with Brad, Lisa blushed almost instantly. She drew looks from everyone sitting around the bed. Jeremy stood to let her have “her” seat, but she shook her head.

  “It’s ok,” she said as she walked behind him and sat on the edge of AJ’s bed. She swung her legs up and sat stroking the side of his face as the conversation started up again. She was very careful not to move around too much and not to cause too much of a fuss. No one challenged her sitting there, so there she stayed.

  “Brad?” she asked over the staggered conversation around the room.

  “Irish?” he replied.

  I guess that name is sticking around.

  “I don’t suppose you brought your guitar with you?” she asked. “Or AJ’s?”

  “As a matter of fact-” he got up and pulled the case out from under the bed. “Why? Are you gonna sing for everyone?”

  “You gonna sing with me?”

  “I will, if you will.”

  “I will, if you will,” she mimicked.

  “You’re on!” He grinned as he slid the guitar out of its case.

  I feel like I’ve been tricked, she smiled. This must be how AJ ends up in strange situations with Brad. Definitely makes for great photos though. AJ’s never going to live down just how poorly Drag-Queen AJ’s make-up was at the Pride festival last year.

  They sang a variety of songs. Sometimes Brad, sometimes Lisa, sometimes both of them. Sometimes even some of the others joined in, too.

  “I have one for you,” he said abruptly, “Pim was learning this song. He said it was on a list you gave him ages ago. It seemed like a good tune, so I learned it too.”

  As soon as he started the intro, she felt a lump in her throat. It was one of her favorite songs, Only Hope from one of her favorite movies, A Walk to Remember. She thought he’d forgotten about the list as soon as she’d given it to him. It was a stupidly long list. One she’d really never expected him to look at, let alone learn songs from. It touched her that he’d remembered it and that Brad had learned it, too. She smiled, took a deep breath and started to sing.

  When she’d finished, the room was quiet. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw a few wet eyes as she scanned the room waiting for someone to heckle her.

  “You guys sound great!” The doctor and a nurse were standing in the doorway. “How’s the patient today?” the doctor enquired, addressing the squad in the room.

  “I think he twitched, or flinched or something earlier. But then I figured I was feeling what I wanted to and now I’m not so sure,” Lisa said as she played with AJ’s hair, avoiding the “don’t listen to the crazy girlfriend, she’s sleep-deprived” looks she could feel she was getting from around the room.

  “It’s possible,” the doctor replied as he gave AJ a quick once over, “but probably just a reflex.”

  “Sure, I guess,” she replied disheartened. “I still think he’ll be awake in a couple days though, up and about a couple days after that, and be home within a week,” she predicted.

  “Well, staying positive is certainly the way to go,” he told her smiling sadly, “but-”

  “Please Doctor, no ‘buts’ in this room. At least not where he can hear. This, Doctor, is a but-free zone. The power of positive thinking and all that. So, if you’re going to ‘but’, be a negative Nelly, or pessimistic Polly, you should go do it in a but-permitting zone.”

  They all giggled at her telling the doctor off like a school kid.

  “You certainly have a way with words,” Mrs. Williams said to her when the doctor finished his checks and quickly excused himself.

  “Well, you know what they say about the Irish, right Mrs. Williams?” she grinned.

  “Trust me, I do. But I still think you’re a bit of a strange one. And I’ve told you already, it’s Cindy,” she replied with a laugh.

  Ok. So, not quite the I-would-love-her-as-a-daughter-in-law-path I was aiming for. But we can work with strange if strange is what we got. I could be worse than strange, right? I mean, I could be, uh… realizing she should probably come out of her own thoughts and back to the room.
r />   Married. I could be married.

  Not the time, Lis.

  Despite the sterility of the hospital room and the potential severity of the situation they all faced, the atmosphere was warm and the conversation flowed. Lisa realized that sharing a hardship brought a closeness and comfort to everyone. They sat talking until the nurse came in to kick the group out for the evening – except Lisa. They had an understanding, the nurses and her. She got to stay. Shuffling down the bed, she tried not to move AJ too much as she rested her head lightly on his chest. She was intending to stay there for just a few minutes, listening to the sound of his heart beating and hold him a little.

  When she woke, it was morning, and Jeremy was sitting on a chair next to the bed, reading one of the magazines she’d brought across the Atlantic. She noticed she had a blanket over her.

  “G’mornin’, sunshine,” he grinned as she sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning widely.

  “Morning. What time is it?” she asked.

  “It’s after ten.”

  “How long have you been sitting there?”

  “About an hour.”

  “And you didn’t wake me because…”

  “Because you’re nearly as chatty while you’re sleeping, as you are when you’re awake. I wasn’t sure if you were asleep or not!” He stuck his tongue out, and he saw the look of horror on her face.

  “I’m joking, Lisa. I just figured you haven’t been getting much sleep and you looked pretty peaceful, so I let you rest.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, still embarrassed. “You’re right. I slept better than I have in a while. I just meant to give him a cuddle goodnight, and I guess the rhythm of his heartbeat put me to sleep. I miss him, Jer.”

  “I know, sweet cheeks. I miss him too.”

  Chapter 30

  Lisa spent the day by AJ’s side. Visitors came and went, bringing get well soon cards and gifts. His team mates, kids from college, it felt as if everyone came at some point, and so many of them brought balloons. She was surrounded by helium balloons. She hated balloons. What did a guy in a coma want with so many balloons?