Love Me (Coopers Creek #1)

by Bronwen Evans

  “Why was there a cookbook laying here then?”

  Emily said, “That was just so you had a picture to get an idea from.”

  Tyler’s jaw tightened as he went back to washing dishes.

  Emily went over to him and rubbed his back. “Aw, it’s okay, honey. You went above and beyond the call of duty. You should be proud of yourself.”

  “Yeah, Uncle Ty. Anyone can make a box cake, but we did great. Well, maybe not the first time. We didn’t quit, though,” Hayley said, hugging his leg.

  Tyler laughed and dried his hands before he scooped her up. “That’s right. Even if you don’t do it right the first, or even the second time, you don’t give up. Keep trying until you get it right. Remember that, okay?”

  “Okay.” She hugged Tyler’s neck. “Thanks for helping me even though you’re not my daddy. You’re just as good.”

  A strong wave of love flooded Tyler’s heart and he had to blink away tears. “You’re welcome, honey. Thanks for such a fun day and tomorrow is going to be even better.”

  “I can’t wait!” she said.

  “Me, neither.” Tyler kissed her cheek and put her down. “Go lay on the couch while I clean up. You should rest now, okay?”

  “Okay,” Hayley said and left the kitchen.

  “Did you and Brooke have a good time?”

  Emily grinned and launched into an account of their day.

  As he listened, Tyler couldn’t believe how content he was with his life now. Business was still extremely important to him, but Hayley and Emily were now his top priorities and that suited him just fine. While they did dishes and cleaned up, he thought that life couldn’t get any better.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The bake sale was a huge success and Emily had a blast watching Tyler help with it. Although it was clear that he was completely out of his element while they were setting up, it was endearing to see him and Hayley working together. However, she didn’t like all of the female attention that was directed at Tyler.

  Even though she was jealous, Emily knew that she needn’t be. Tyler had never cheated on her before and she knew that he wouldn’t now. Emily couldn’t fault the women there for being attracted to him, though.

  His coal black hair, silver eyes, and charismatic smile automatically drew women’s attentions. Not to mention his scrumptious body. She caught several women checking out his ass when he’d been bent over doing something. Watching him, Emily was hit by a strong pang of hunger. His gaze found hers and she sent him a small come-hither smile. She enjoyed the way his eyes darkened with desire before a woman distracted him with a question.

  Tyler was a consummate salesman and talked people into buying items that they hadn’t intended to. Hayley beamed the whole time, thrilled that her uncle was so popular and cool, as she’d called him. When her cake was sold, she clapped and bounced up and down, which Tyler made her stop right away. They still had to be careful about overly active movements.

  “We did it, Uncle Ty,” she said, her eyes shining. “They bought it.”

  He ran a hand over her silky hair. “We sure did. I never doubted it.”

  “Because we didn’t give up?”

  “Exactly,” Tyler said. His eyes moved back to Emily. “The best things in life are worth fighting for.”

  Emily’s heart swelled as she nodded. “Yes, they are.”

  Tyler kissed both her and Hayley and then went back to selling baked goods.

  *****

  On an early afternoon a few days before Halloween, Emily received a call from Francine Arner, the nurse at Hayley’s school. Hayley had returned to school part-time the previous week and she was transitioning back into her normal routine well. She’d been a little tired here and there, but otherwise she was doing fine.

  “Hi, Emily,” she said. “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but we had to call an ambulance for Hayley.”

  Shock made Emily a little dizzy and she was glad that she was sitting down. She’d been working at the kitchen table when Francine called. “Oh, my God. What happened?”

  “Well, she became sick in Mr. Schultz’s class. She complained of having a headache at the beginning of class, but said that it went away. A little while later, she started vomiting and then got really dizzy,” Francine replied. “I have her here in my office, of course, and she’s experiencing some confusion. Oh! The ambulance is here. I have to go.”

  “I’ll meet them at the hospital,” Emily said and hung up. She immediately called Tyler.

  “Hey, sexy,” he said when he picked up.

  “Tyler, you have to come home. Hayley got really sick at school and she’s not doing well. I’m getting ready to leave for the hospital,” she said. “They’re sending her by ambulance.”

  “Goddamn it!” Tyler said. “Okay. I’ll leave right now. I’ll be there just as soon as I can. Call me when you know something.”

  “Okay. Drive carefully.”

  “I will. Look after our little girl until I get there,” Tyler said.

  Emily saved her work and closed her laptop. She grabbed her purse and keys and ran out to her Subaru Outback. Stones and gravel flew up from the tires as she turned around and floored it, sending the car racing down the drive leading to the road.

  *****

  Coopers Creek hospital instructed Emily to take Hayley to Denver for a through check up. Waiting outside the main lobby of Denver Memorial for Emily to arrive with Hayley from Coopers Creek, Tyler tried to keep his mind busy to ward off the panic that threatened to crush his chest. Dr. Zimmerman had been on duty in the ER. Fortunately, the testing she’d run on Hayley had come back negative for a subdural hematoma, but she’d diagnosed Hayley with post-concussion syndrome.

  Dr. Zimmerman had contacted a Dr. Wright in the pediatric neurology department at Denver Memorial and he’d agreed to see Hayley as soon as she arrived. It had been necessary for Hayley to be brought to Denver because Cooper’s Creek didn’t have a neurology department at all.

  Tyler’s stomach churned as he texted back and forth with Ric and Chase, both of whom were insisting on coming to Denver. He finally succeeded in convincing them to wait until they had more information about Hayley’s condition.

  Then he looked over some emails and tried to read some financial articles. They didn’t hold his attention, though. He’d just opened up a game on his phone when he heard a car pull up. He recognized Emily’s Subaru and hurried towards it.

  Emily got out of the back seat and stepped into his waiting arms. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at him.

  Tyler held her close, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “She’s going to be all right.”

  Emily nodded. “I know. It’s just so scary. She’s having memory problems. Dr. Zimmerman says that amnesia is common with post-concussion syndrome. Hayley got sick a couple of times on the ride here. Brooke drove us.”

  Tyler released Emily and went around to the other side of the car where Hayley sat. Opening the door, he ducked inside, smiled at her, and then greeted Brooke.

  “Thanks for helping us out,” he said.

  Brooke met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “No thanks needed, GQ.”

  Tyler smiled before he returned his attention back to Hayley. Her sickly pallor and sleepy expression deeply concerned him.

  “There’s my Blue Eyes. I’m so sorry you’re feeling sick, but we’re going to get you feeling better, okay?” He started undoing the straps of her booster seat.

  “Okay.” Hayley’s voice was faint and a little hoarse.

  This made his worry change to fear and he moved faster in getting Hayley out of the car. Once he had her unstrapped, he lifted her out, carefully got her settled in his arms, and carried her inside while Emily walked right beside them.

  He’d never been so afraid in all his life. She was so tiny in his arms and he couldn’t bear to lose her…he wouldn’t survive if he lost his Hayley. He felt Emily’s hand squeeze his arm and he drew stren
gth from her. Thank God he had her back in his life. He would have gone crazy without her facing this on his own.

  Brooke would park the car and meet them in the pediatric neurology department. As he carried his lethargic niece, determination rose in Tyler to get Hayley the best medical care possible. He had the money and means to call in world renowned doctors and he would if he felt that more needed to be done to help Hayley. He’d already lost too many people and he’d be damned if he was going to lose her, too.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Emily and Tyler sat with Hayley in an exam room, waiting for her doctor to arrive. About ten minutes after they’d been shown into the room by a nurse, Dr. Wright walked into the room.

  “Hello, Mr. Jeffries,” he said. “I’m Dr. Gregory Wright.”

  “Hello. This is Emily Stanford, Hayley’s aunt.”

  The tall black man with salt-and-pepper hair held out a hand to Tyler and Emily in turn. “Pleased to meet you.” He smiled at Hayley. “And this pretty young lady must be Hayley.”

  She smiled at him when he chucked her under the chin a little.

  “Will you please put Hayley on the exam table?” he asked Tyler, who still held Hayley.

  Tyler got up and gently laid her on the table while Dr. Wright arranged a pillow under her head.

  “There we go. I’m just going to look you over, Hayley. Is that all right with you?” the doctor asked.

  Hayley looked at Tyler. “It’s okay. He’s here to help you, honey.”

  She looked at Dr. Wright again. “Okay.”

  Tyler sat down again so he was out of the doctor’s way and took Emily’s hand. She was comforted by the familiar contact. The thorough way Dr. Wright examined Hayley and his impeccable bedside manner with her impressed Emily. He made her smile a few times and handled her gently.

  Once he was finished, he let Tyler hold Hayley again.

  The doctor sat down on a chair in front of a computer and pulled up Hayley’s chart. “I’m very impressed with Dr. Zimmerman. Her assessment of Hayley was thorough and spot-on. Sometimes post-concussion syndrome is missed by practitioners.”

  Tyler said, “It’s lucky for us that she was on both times when Hayley was taken to the ER.”

  “I agree. That was a big help. She was able to compare Hayley’s current mental state with the way she presented on her first visit. Details like that can be extremely important.” He typed for a few moments and then turned the computer screen so that they could see it. “This is Emily’s CT results, which are completely normal.”

  Hayley perked up a little. “Is that my brain?”

  Dr. Wright smiled. “It sure is. Pretty cool, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m glad to see that you’re curious, but we’re not going to look at that too long,” he said, turning the screen back around. “I’m going to admit Hayley for some additional tests. No offense to Cooper’s Creek, but our imaging equipment is state of the art and much newer than theirs, from what I understand. I also want our whole team to evaluate her.”

  “Whole team?” Tyler asked.

  Dr. Wright nodded. “Yes. We monitor all aspects of this condition from a neurological, physiological, and psychiatric point of view. Children like Hayley can have complications that aren’t apparent right away and it can take a while for them to resolve.”

  Emily’s shoulders grew even more tense. “What kind of complications?”

  “I think it’s best that we run our tests first and then talk once all of the results come back.” Dr. Wright glanced meaningfully at Hayley.

  Emily understood that he didn’t want to talk in front of Hayley. “Of course.”

  “We’ll get a room ready for Hayley,” he said. “One of the nurses will come to get you.”

  *****

  No matter how tense a situation was, Chase could always be counted on to bring some levity to it, whether he intended to or not. When he entered Hayley’s room, Emily, Tyler, and Brooke took one look at him and started laughing.

  “What the hell are you wearing?” Tyler asked.

  A battered tan cowboy hat sat atop Chase’s head and he wore sunglasses. That wasn’t unusual. However, a man’s lime green insulated ski coat, Bermuda shorts, with a white and purple palm tree design, and expensive black cowboy boots wasn’t an outfit that most people would put together.

  Chase grinned and spread his arms wide. “I’m creating a new fashion trend, baby! It was Creative Day, so we were enjoying some rays and drinking Mai Tais when I got your call earlier. I ran downstairs to my apartment and grabbed the first pair of shoes I saw.” He turned one of his feet back and forth to show the boots off as he took off his sunglasses. “I was already in the shorts and a muscle shirt. I threw my laptop and phone in my briefcase and hightailed it to the airport.”

  Emily laughed as she got up from her chair. “That’s all you brought with you?”

  Chase hugged her and picked her up. “It’s so good to see you, honey.” He kissed her cheek and set her down. “That’s all I need. Except I forgot how cold it would be here now. I bought this coat off a guy at the airport.”

  “You bought some guy’s coat at the airport?” Brooke asked.

  “Yeah. I was freezing my balls off. I’ll go get some clothes at the folk’s tomorrow. I left all of my winter stuff here.” He pointed at the space where the bed should’ve been. “Where’s our girl?”

  “She’s still in radiology. They just took her for some tests a little bit ago,” Emily told him. “She should be back soon.”

  “She’s going to be all right. I feel it in my bones.”

  “I hope your bones are right, Chase,” Emily said, going back to her seat.

  Tyler gave Chase a manly hug. “Thanks for coming, but I told you to stay put.”

  “You know I never listen to you,” Chase retorted, slapping his back. “Nothing was gonna keep me away.” He took off his coat and hung it up before giving Brooke a hug.

  “Looking good, Hoss.” Brooke had a nickname for just about everyone.

  He flexed his impressive biceps. “Thanks. You’re still smokin’ hot, I see. I’m hungry. Are y’all hungry? I’ll order us a couple of pizzas. Ric should be getting here in about an hour and a half. He can nuke his then.”

  Tyler groaned. “Ric’s coming, too?”

  “That’s right. Did you really think we weren’t gonna come?” Chase asked, pulling out his cellphone.

  Emily smiled. “I’m so glad you did and it’ll be great to have Ric here, too.” She nudged Brooke. “Isn’t that right?”

  “Stop that,” Brooke said, laughing.

  “Tell them your nickname for Ric,” Emily said.

  “No.”

  Tyler grinned. “You gave Ric a nickname? How come we haven’t heard before now?”

  “Because it’s stupid,” Brooke said.

  “C’mon. Tell us,” Chase coaxed.

  “No. This isn’t high school and we’re not playing Truth or Dare,” Brooke said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Don’t open your mouth again, Emily.”

  “Sexy Pants. She calls him Sexy Pants,” Emily said and quickly moved over to sit on Tyler’s lap so she was out of Brooke’s reach.

  “Damn you, Emily!” Brooke said while Tyler and Chase laughed.

  Hayley’s return saved her from further teasing. Emily got off Tyler’s lap and they all moved out of the way.

  When she was wheeled in, Chase didn’t say anything right away. He just stood back while the orderly got Hayley situated. Emily watched Hayley look around the room and knew the moment that Hayley spotted him. Her eyes lit up and she broke into a big grin.

  “Uncle Chase!”

  He went to her bed and cautiously hugged her. “There’s the prettiest girl I know.”

  “I don’t feel good,” she said.

  Chase pulled back and met her eyes. “I know, and I’m so sorry.”

  “I mean I’m gonna be sick,” she said.

  Chase whipped off his hat and held it
under Hayley’s chin just as she vomited, but not much came up.

  Brooke pursed her lips. “They’re going to have to put her on IV fluids. She’s going to get dehydrated.” She went into nurse mode and got paper towels from above the sink in the room to clean Hayley up with. “Sorry about your hat, Hoss, but that was quick thinking.”

  Chase moved away and threw his hat in the trash. “No worries. It was time for a new one, anyway. Has she been doing that a lot?”

  “She did in the car on the ride here,” Emily said. “But not since then. I think it’s the motion.”

  Tyler quickly left the room and Emily followed him. He stood holding his stomach while he took a deep breath.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Gag reflex.” He groaned. “I’ll be all right in a minute. They have to get that stopped. They should’ve had her hooked up to an IV by now. You heard Brooke. If they don’t do their jobs, I’ll fucking make them sorry.”

  Emily put a hand on his arm to calm him. “Ty, it’s going to be all right. They’ll do their jobs. She just got back from her tests. Don’t lose it on me, here. Hayley needs us both to be sane, okay?”

  He took another deep breath. “Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just so hard to see her like that. I thought we’d turned the corner, you know? She was just getting back to normal. I don’t know what the hell happened.”

  “Brooke said that there’s no rhyme or reason to these injuries sometimes.” Emily understood that his frustration came out of fear. She was scared, too, but freaking out wouldn’t help. She put her arms around his waist. “I have confidence that Dr. Wright will be able to help her.”

  He sighed and rested his cheek on her head. “You’re right. I checked him out and he’s one of the best peds neurologists around.”

  “See? Hayley is in great hands.”

  The subject of their conversation appeared from around a corner and smiled at them as he drew closer. “Hi, folks. Glad I caught you.”

  Tyler stepped towards him. “Hi, Dr. Wright. I hope you have some good news for us.”