No More Lies

by Sandy Appleyard

  Mary gives me a warm smile. “Why she broke up with you is beyond me, son. You seem to be real sweet on her.”

  Laura rubs my back.

  I purse my lips into a smile. “That’s because I love her.”

  ***

  I’m awakened by Grayson patting me on the shoulder. “Get up, little brother.”

  Lifting my head off Lisa’s bed, next to her thigh, I look up. My voice is gravelly from sleep. “What time is it?”

  “It’s after midnight.” He states, checking her vitals. “I’ve already pulled a bunch of strings so you could stay this long.”

  “I’m sure you can pull more, man. Don’t give me that.”

  “You can’t set up camp here, man. Laura says you haven’t eaten anything or gone to the washroom since we brought her in. Dang, your clothes are still covered in her blood.”

  “Well, I’m not leaving until she wakes up. You can drag me out of here if you have to. But you’ll have to bring Clint, too, because you can’t carry me alone.”

  “You trying to be in the next bed over?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Are you? What are you going to do when she does wake up, man? You think she’s going to forget that you’re not together anymore.”

  I look at her face. Brush a piece of hair away. “I don’t care. I just…I want to be the first face she sees when her eyes open.”

  “If her eyes open.” Grayson says evenly.

  “You talk like that again and I’ll kill you.”

  Grayson raises his hands in the air. “Easy there, killer. It’s not like I haven’t been praying for her just like you. But I’ve seen this many times, and it’s no good to be unrealistic. She lost so much blood she barely made it through surgery. Her blood pressure dropped so low she almost flatlined, man. I kept that part out. Didn’t want her daddy to have a stroke right on the emergency room floor.”

  “She’ll make it, Grayson.” I say, looking at her. “I’ve never met a more determined woman. This girl has made a life for herself, and she’s done it all alone. This Harlan prick beat her down until she was nothing, and she came back. She can survive that, then she can survive this.”

  “Her body’s awful tired, Kurt. There’s only so much a woman’s body can handle.”

  I look him up and down, flabbergasted. “You wait another four months and we’ll have the same conversation, after your wife’s pushed out your fat-headed kid. Then you tell me that again.”

  “Alright.” Grayson lifts his hands in the air again. I hear a soft chuckle as he checks the gauges on her monitors.

  “Anything change yet?” I ask, lowering my voice back down to a normal level.

  “Not yet. But she’s breathing on her own, and everything else. Just an IV and oxygen is helping her out. The gauges are just for monitoring.”

  “She still having blood pumped into her?”

  “Yeah, not for long, though. Another pint or so and that’s it. We’ll check her cell counts in a couple of hours. They were almost normal last check.”

  “So that’s it. After that there’s nothing more.” I say as a statement, not as a question.

  “Just some precautionary antibiotics. And the doctor will do a scan again to make sure that her uterus is healing well.”

  “Is she actually as barren as she thinks she is?”

  “From the look of that fibroid, she had it a long time. They do cause infertility, especially one that size. But there’s no way of telling how long it took to get that massive.”

  “And now? Now that it’s gone, can she have children?”

  “Her uterus may never heal properly from such a mass. And there will likely be lots of scar tissue. I’m no expert on this, but I’d say that no, she won’t be able to. Her uterus was able to be saved, but it will be too far gone to conceive.”

  “But she can get a second opinion…if she wants.”

  “Sure. But I wouldn’t place too much importance on it.”

  I nod.

  “Listen. Seriously, Kurt. You need to go home and at least get a decent meal, shower and change. Come on. You look like hell.” He urges. “I tell you what, you go on home for a couple of hours, and I’ll arrange for a cot to be brought up. Sound fair?”

  “Fine.” I rise, give Lisa a kiss on the cheek.

  “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

  Once I’m back at the ranch, I shower, change, and grab something quick from the fridge to eat on the way there.

  Taking two steps at a time, I stride up the stairs to the floor where Lisa’s at, and I walk in the room. She’s alone and my heart sinks. My girl should never be alone. Pulling the chair back up to the bed, I lay my chin on her thigh, grab her hand and don’t let it go for what seems like hours. I’m awakened by her parents coming in the door. I have no idea what time it is, so I check my watch.

  “Good morning.” I say in greeting.

  “Good morning.” Earl says. “Have you been here all night?”

  “Just about. I went home for an hour or so just to get showered and changed.”

  “Have you eaten anything?”

  A true mama. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “How is she doing?”

  “Grayson…err…Doctor Thomas says that there’s no change, but it’s still early.”

  “She’s got a little more color.” Mary comments.

  “Yeah, a little more.” Earl agrees. They both take a seat, and then Laura walks in a minute later.

  “Hi, sweetie.” Mary says, giving her a warm smile.

  “Hi, Mary.” Laura is wearing the cutest little shirt, with an empire waist, which accentuates her girth. She suits pregnancy.

  “Hi, Kurt.” She comes over and kisses my cheek. “How are you doing, doll?” she asks me with a sigh, tracking her hand through my hair as if I’m a little boy. Her maternal instinct must really be kicking in.

  “I’m doing okay.”

  “You liar.” She says, good-naturedly, with a smirk.

  I have the grace to chuckle.

  “This young man’s a loyal soul.” Earl says, as if I’m not here.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Mary changes the subject. “Laura, when’s the baby due?”

  Laura tells her, and they go into a lengthy conversation about labor and delivery, something I think all women do, trading stories, only soon Laura will have one of her own. My head rests on Lisa’s thigh, and my hand is holding hers. I don’t hear anyone for a while, so I either drifted off, or they’re all being real silent. I discover it’s both. They were quiet enough that I fell asleep, and then they left.

  As I awake, I lift my head. Lisa’s hand has slipped out of mine. I pick it up and kiss it, when I see her eyelids flutter. My heart starts to pound as I see the first signs of life. “Kurt?” she whispers. And my heart swells. If I die right now, it would be worth it, just to hear the first thought, the first name, the first person she thought of after coming back practically from the dead, is mine.

  “Hi, baby.” I say, lifting so she can see me without moving her head. Reaching, I press the call button on the bed, without her noticing, without taking my eyes off her.

  “What…happened? Where am I?” her voice is so soft I can barely hear her.

  “You collapsed, darlin’. You’re in the hospital. But you’re going to be fine.” I comb a hand through her hair.

  A nurse walks in. “Hi there. How are y’all doin’?” she asks Lisa.

  “I’m…fine…I think.”

  “I’ll go call Doctor Kelsey.” She says, and leaves.

  I lean in, searching her eyes. Her hand rises to touch my face. Her voice is still a whisper. “Kurt?”

  “M…hm.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice cracks. A tear falls down her cheek. I catch it with my thumb.

  “Shhhh…baby.” I kiss her forehead, feeling a lump in my throat. I try to swallow it down before I speak to her. “You don’t...ever nee
d to apologize, darlin’.”

  Clint appears in the doorway. “Hey!” he says, sounding very happy to see that Lisa is awake.

  I break away from her so that he can have a look at her. “How do you feel?” he asks, checking the gauges.

  “Hungry.” She says.

  He chuckles. “Well, that’s a good sign. You in any pain?”

  “I feel some throbbing, but that’s all.”

  “Well, you should.” Clint is matter-of-fact. “We removed a fibroid from your uterus…just about the size of your head.” He exaggerates.

  “Did you take my uterus while you were at it?” her tone is facetious, like she regards it as being as important as a piece of garbage.

  “Naw, that’s still in there, honey. We saved that. Gave you a load of blood, too. Laura’s got to redo her bathroom floor now, thanks to you. It’s a good thing that you’re an interior decorator.” He’s teasing her, and she knows it, based on the look that she’s giving him.

  “When can I go home…not that I don’t enjoy your bedside manner.”

  “Probably tomorrow. We have to run some tests, make sure you’re not going to bleed to death on us again.”

  “You’re all charm.” She says, smacking him in the arm.

  He leans in and kisses her on the forehead. “Glad you’re awake, kid. You had us all worried.”

  We’re interrupted by Lisa’s parents, who seem to run in, being given the news. “Is she awake?” Mary’s face is alight with hope. “Oh, gosh, honey!” she gushes, seeing Lisa’s eyes open. She leans in and hugs Lisa tight. “Oh, baby, your daddy and I were so worried about you.”

  Earl gets in there, and I move off to the side, so they can greet their daughter properly.

  Laura is in a moment later. She must have been in the washroom or something. She gets in there, too, and it’s a veritable room full of love. I meet Grayson in the hall, as I take a step outside to give them space. “Hey, she awake?”

  “Yeah,” I nod. “Just about ten minutes ago.”

  “That’s good. That’s good.” He looks at me, as though I have a big gob of something on my face. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah.” I nod. “She’s fine.”

  “And you?”

  “I’m okay,” I can’t hide the little smile. “First thing she said when she opened her eyes was my name.”

  “Sure she wasn’t saying ‘nurse’?” he teases. “They do sound similar.”

  I chuckle but also hit him in the shoulder. “Quit being a buzzkill or I’ll tell your kid that you took tap lessons at age three.”

  He tips his chin at me, as if I must be making it up, even though I’m not. “You weren’t even alive then, how do you know.”

  “Mama told me.” I lift a brow. “She was trying to cheer me up once when you beat me up.”

  “I’m sure it was for good reason.”

  “Because you were beating up on your five-year-old brother, dimwit, and you were eight.”

  “I was a small eight-year-old.”

  “Yeah, parts of you were. Probably the same parts that are small now.”

  Grayson barks out a laugh and then looks at me with a smile. “You move back to El Paso and I’ll kill you, you little son of a gun.”

  “Yeah, well, looks like I’m getting more and more reason to stay now.”

  Grayson looks at the door, listening to the din of noise going on in the room. “I’m going to give you the same advice you gave me not long ago, man.” He tilts his head and closes one eye for emphasis. “Women like that…don’t wait around forever.” He pauses. “You ought to scoop her up while you have the chance.”

  I look at him. “You think I haven’t thought of that.” I lift my hand, pointing towards the room. “I’m not losing that girl ever again if I can help it.”

  “And it doesn’t make a difference to you that she can’t give you kids?”

  “Not a lick of it.” I nod. “We can adopt, or borrow a couple of your kids.”

  “I’m only having one…at the moment.”

  I scoff, looking at the ceiling. “I see it, man. Laura won’t even have this one weaned and you’ll be on to number two, or three, with how our family is. I bet that’s one of the first things you checked on that sonogram.”

  He smiles, snorting a laugh. “God, this is scary.”

  “What…how well I know you?”

  He looks at me and nods. “Yeah.”

  Chapter 19

  Lisa

  My parents wasted no time. The minute I was discharged from the hospital, their plane trip was booked. To me, it’s a sign, that they’re happy and settled, and satisfied that I’m okay. And I guess I am. I’ve been sleeping a lot since the coma, but Grayson and Clint both agree that that’s because of the blood loss. Kurt and I haven’t spoken much. I think he’s trying to help me save my energy, by not forcing me to speak. But his hand hasn’t left mine hardly in the last twenty-four hours.

  On the advice of everyone who shared in my experience over the last two days, I have switched doctors. Grayson is now my doctor. Clint would have loved the challenge, but…well…he’s seen me naked. So, Grayson won that contest. Although, he probably will see me naked at some point in his medical career. In a different capacity than Clint, though, granted.

  Laura told Kurt to take the week off to look after me. Laura, bless her, stole my phone, unlocked it, and called all my upcoming clients, letting them know the scoop. On Grayson’s orders, I have to take at least a week off work. No heavy lifting, no exertion, and he was specific on what that said exertion was, and after an evaluation in a week’s time, we can determine if it’s rendered safe for me to go back to work.

  Kurt gets me in the house and makes me sit on the couch. “Now, don’t you move a muscle, little lady. I’m going to go grab you a blanket, and you’re going to plant your hind end on that couch.”

  “Okay.” I say, not arguing. I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open anyway.

  When he returns from upstairs, he lays the blanket down the length of my body. “Now, there’s no guarantees that I won’t land you back in the hospital with food poisoning if I cook. So Laura has offered to bring us over some grub later.”

  “I can cook, Kurt. I just need a nap.”

  “Doctors orders.” He winks.

  Two hours later, I awaken to the front door opening, and Laura’s head peeking inside. Kurt must have been sitting next to me, because he bolts up off the couch, in a vain attempt to grab the door before it wakes me. “Oh, shoot, sorry, honey.” Laura says as she enters with two full bags of food in her hands.

  “What are you doing carrying all this stuff, Laura?” Kurt chides. “You should have called me when you were leaving, I would have helped you in. You’re pregnant. Don’t be doing stupid stuff like that.”

  She’s irritated. “Well, that’s a fine thanks I get.”

  “Sorry.” He takes the bags from her and brings them to the kitchen.

  “How are you feeling?” Laura asks.

  “Better now that I’ve slept.”

  “Yeah? Good. Grayson’s going to be over later to check on you. You having any pain?”

  “Just tender. The throbbing is gone.”

  “Good.”

  “Clint said you have to redo your bathroom floor because of me?” I ask, my guilt showing.

  “No.” she snuffles a laugh. “Wendy, bless her, scrubbed it clean. She heard what happened to you, and she was so upset. Once you’re feeling better, you ought to come pay a visit to her.”

  “I will.”

  “Alright.” She goes over to Kurt. “You can handle the food from here, or do you need a hand?”

  Rising, I go to the kitchen.

  Kurt looks at me. “Baby, go sit down. I can do this.”

  “Kurt, if I lie on my back day and night I’ll be as stiff as a board.”

  “She’s right.” Laura agrees. “Okay. I’ll leave you two alone then. I
’ve got a million things to do.”

  “You ever hire someone to help you with said million things?” I shoot back.

  “Interviews start tomorrow.” She smiles back, pleased with herself. “See ya.”

  “Thanks, Laura.” Kurt calls back. Then he addresses me. “Okay, beautiful. What’s your fancy? Laura brought lasagna, salad, soup, rolls, and…cake for dessert.”

  I place my hand on his shoulder. “Kurt.”

  “Yes,”

  “Grab me a fork and a spoon. Forget the plates. I’m starved.”

  He nods once. “That’s my girl.”

  We eat at the table, devouring Laura’s delicious food. “Wow, you weren’t kidding.” Kurt observes, talking with his mouth half full. “You are starved.”

  “I went two days without eating, Kurt. I’ve got a lot to make up for.”

  We clean up, well, I try to help, but he politely orders me to go sit down, and then we watch a movie together. He sits on the couch, while I lay my head in his lap. I’m too sore for cuddling, but this way is comfortable. I fall asleep halfway through the movie, and when I wake up to the credits, Kurt is fast asleep, with his head planted on the back of the couch. His mouth is parted slightly, his one arm is alongside my body, while the other arm is draped over his head. He looks so cute I can’t stand it.

  I turn on my side to try and get up without waking him, but the second that I move, he rouses. “You okay, baby?” he asks sleepily.

  “Yeah, I just…want to go up to bed.”

  “Okay,” he says, and helps me up. We lay in bed together, holding each other, and his eyes are on me. “I love you, darlin’.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He kisses my lips chastely and snuggles in close. It’s the best sleep I’ve had since he left.

  ***

  “Laura?” I call from the front door.

  “In here.” She says in between a phrase. I can hear her training her new bookkeeper.

  “Oh, hi, Sally.” I say to said bookkeeper. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “It’s okay, Lisa. We were just about finished.” Sally is working part-time for Laura, as a retirement job. The arrangement works out perfectly for Laura, since Sally’s only looking for part-time hours for a couple of years. She’s got a lot of experience, so training her is a breeze.