Mendoza's Miracle

by Judy Duarte

  Javier smiled, thinking about the lunch he’d shared with Leah. “I had a surprise visitor yesterday and she brought that to me, along with some carne asada, which beat the heck out of what I’ve been eating.”

  “So Savannah came by to see you,” Rafe said with a grin—no doubt pleased with himself for setting it all up.

  “Yes, she came by. And she gave me those flowers by the window. But Leah’s the one who brought the serape and the food I hadn’t realized I’d been craving.”

  “That was nice of her,” Luis said. “The entire nursing staff has been great, but I gotta admit, Leah’s one of my favorites.”

  She was one of Javier’s, too.

  “When will they transfer you to your new room?” Isabella asked.

  “Probably within the next hour.” Javier studied his sister, with her long brown hair and big brown eyes. She was actually his half sister, a young woman he’d only met seven years ago.

  Javier’s father had married young and divorced shortly thereafter. He’d been very involved in Isabella’s life, but when his ex-wife remarried and relocated to California, she took Isabella with her and disappeared under the radar for more than fifteen years.

  Javier’s dad had been devastated to lose contact with his daughter, and even after he married Elena, Javier’s mom, and started a new family, he’d never forgotten his “little girl.”

  When Javier was born, Luis had been thrilled to have a son. Yet he hadn’t made a secret of the fact that he would never truly be happy until Isabella was found.

  Javier and his brothers knew they were loved, of course. And that they each had a secure position in the family. Still Javier had always gone out of his way to make his father proud and to fill the hole in his heart created by Isabella’s loss.

  Deep inside, Javier had hoped that his achievements would enable his dad to forget Isabella and to get on with his life.

  Of course, Luis had always been incredibly proud of Javier—of all his sons, for that matter. But he’d never forgotten his firstborn or given up hope that they’d be reconciled someday.

  By the time Javier finally understood the depth of his father’s love for all his children, the need to win and come out on top had become so ingrained in his character that Isabella’s memory no longer had anything to do with it.

  When Isabella finally reached adulthood and found Luis, the entire family welcomed her with open arms, including Javier, who actually liked having a big sister, especially one who was as artistic and talented as she was sweet. And he couldn’t imagine what their lives would have been like if she’d never come back home to San Antonio.

  Isabella, who’d married J. R. Fortune a few years back, was a talented Tejana craftswoman, as well as an interior designer. So it wasn’t a surprise that the handwoven blanket had caught her interest.

  “That’s amazing.” Isabella made her way to the chair and lifted the serape, carefully looking it over. “This is one of mine. Where did Leah find it?”

  “I don’t know. My guess is that Marcos gave it to her when she was at Red. She brought that vase and the bougainvillea, too.”

  If anyone thought the nurse had gone above and beyond, they didn’t say it, and Javier was glad. He’d been doing a little too much thinking about what might or might not be going on between the two of them as it was.

  “I’ll have to ask Leah about it when I see her,” Isabella said. “Is she working today?”

  “I think so, but I haven’t seen her yet.”

  Javier and his family made small talk for a while, and he did his best to act interested in everything they had to say, especially about what was going on outside the hospital walls. Since he could finally see some light at the end of the tunnel, he was going to have to play catch-up if he was ever going to recreate—or, more likely, reinvent—his life.

  Just as his family was saying their goodbyes, Leah entered his room.

  She wore a pair of light blue scrubs today, so she was obviously working. And the fact that she’d made the effort to stop by to see him, especially when she didn’t have to, brought a smile to his lips.

  The Mendozas greeted her, then excused themselves and headed for the door.

  When they were gone, Leah said, “You have a nice family. They’re so loving and supportive.”

  Javier merely nodded his agreement.

  “I’ve noticed that you’re not always happy to see them,” Leah added.

  A stab of guilt robbed him of his smile. “It’s not that I’m unhappy when they stop by.”

  “Then what is it? Do you have issues with them?”

  “No, it’s just that… I don’t know. I guess you could say that I feel as though I’ve failed them somehow.”

  “How? I don’t understand.”

  By not being at the top of his game…

  By being flawed and less than perfect…

  By him needing their help instead of it being the other way around…

  Javier had always been the one to step up to the plate, the one who’d had money to loan, advice to give, but he didn’t feel like admitting any of those things. Instead, he said, “I guess it’s their sympathetic expressions that bother me. Sometimes, I wanted to climb the walls—and probably would have, if I could have gotten out of the damn bed.”

  “They love you, Javier. You can’t blame them for being worried about you. First because they thought they would lose you, and now because they sense you’re wrestling with something.”

  She was right on all counts, he supposed. But how did he admit that the struggle was in the realization that he was less than the best—something he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to?

  Competition and winning had always come easily for him, whether it was in academics, sports, business…or even romance. But now he wasn’t anywhere near as confident about anything, and that bothered him more than he cared to admit to anyone—even to Leah.

  “Your family would like to help,” she said. “But they can’t unless you let them.”

  He hated feeling helpless, something he’d felt ever since regaining consciousness. But instead of making that admission, he said, “Some roads are meant to be traveled alone.”

  Leah eased closer to his bed and placed her hand on his arm. “Most of the time, it’s nice to have someone at your side or in your corner.”

  Their gazes met and locked. For a moment, he wondered if she was offering her support even though he was about to leave her care. But before he could make any real assumptions, she withdrew her hand and took a step back, as if she’d realized that she’d overstepped her boundaries.

  And maybe she had. Javier wasn’t up for a relationship until he was back on top, and God only knew when that would be.

  While the patients ate lunch and Leah manned the nurses’ station, the call Javier had been waiting for finally came in. An orderly was on the way to get him and take him to the rehab unit.

  Leah hated to see him go, but it was really for the best. Hopefully, she’d find the old saying to be true—out of sight, out of mind.

  She took some comfort in that thought until another old adage came to mind. What if absence made the heart grow fonder?

  At that possibility, she clucked her tongue, then told herself no. Once Javier was gone, she was determined to put him out of her mind and to focus on her work and the other patients.

  Still, she was glad that she would be the one to give him the news that an orderly was coming to get him, even though it was Karen’s job to do that today. But Karen had taken an early lunch break and Leah was covering for her.

  So she turned to Brenna, the LVN who was working at the desk with her. “I’m going to step away for a minute or two. Will you get the phone if it rings?”

  When Brenna agreed, Leah went to Javi
er’s room, where she found him wearing a grimace as he carefully set aside a pair of crutches he’d been using for balance and then climbed back into bed. Earlier in the week, Dr. Fortune had surgically removed several of the pins that had held his broken bones in place until they healed, leaving some that would remain permanently. So now Javier could stand and bear his full weight, although it was still painful for him to do so.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. “Do you need any help?”

  “No…thanks.” His grimace morphed into a pain-streaked scowl, and his words came out in labored huffs. “I’ve…got it.”

  She hoped so. He’d just started to use those crutches, thanks to the seriousness of his fractures. He’d been through a lot physically, so there were going to be some tough days ahead. She wasn’t sure if he carried any scars beyond what she could see, but she understood why his family had suggested that he get some counseling.

  Since she’d already made a note of it in his chart, she wouldn’t bring it up to him again.

  “Does your family know you’re moving to rehab today?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” He shifted his hips in bed, lifting the sheets and moving his legs to get into a better position. As he did so, he stopped and closed his eyes for a moment, clearly dealing with the effort and pain. “I told them about it yesterday, although I wasn’t sure when the bed would open up.”

  She watched him move again, straightening his legs out a little more.

  “Do you want me to call anyone and let them know which room you’ll be going to?” she asked.

  “No, that’s not necessary. They’re going to check with rehab before their next visit.”

  She waited a beat before adding, “I’m a little envious of you and your family. I know there’s a downside to having so many people in your life, but there must be some wonderful perks, too.”

  “Yeah, there are.” His expression softened, indicating that the pain he’d suffered from his trek to the bathroom had finally eased. “I take it you don’t have many brothers or sisters.”

  “I just have one—a brother. But Justin and I aren’t very close.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know.” She moved toward the serape that was draped over the chair, then began to fold it so he could take it with him. “I suppose it’s because he’s nearly ten years older than I am. He also lives out of state, so we don’t see each other very often.”

  “That’s a pretty big age difference. Is he only a half brother?”

  Leah could understand why he’d think so. Javier wasn’t the first to make that assumption, especially since she and Justin didn’t bear much resemblance to each other.

  “Our parents got married young,” she said. “They loved each other, but they separated and reconciled off and on for years. They finally got it together when he was nine, so they decided to have me.”

  “It sounds as though your childhood was probably a lot happier than your brother’s must have been.”

  “In some ways it was. But when I was four, my mom was diagnosed with cancer.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Leah didn’t usually share that memory unless it was with a patient she wanted to help come to grips with his or her own tragedy, so she wasn’t sure what to say.

  It had been a long time ago, but she still remembered that sad and lonely period in her life, even though she’d tried hard to put it behind her.

  “My mom lived another four years,” she said, “although the last six months were especially rough.”

  “I lost my mother last year, and it was tough on all of us. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you as a child.”

  “It was a sad time, but things happen that are out of our control. And to be honest, it was almost a relief when she passed. She’d suffered a lot, especially at the end.”

  There’d been another good thing to come of it, she supposed. When her mom had been sick and in the hospital—the surgeries, the chemo, the radiation—Leah had grown close to some of the nursing staff, who’d offered a great deal of comfort and support to her mother, as well as to her. As a result, Leah had decided on a medical career while still a little girl. In fact, she’d never considered anything else.

  “Were you close to your dad?” Javier asked.

  One might think that would be the case, but that’s not the way it had worked out.

  “My father never was very good at dealing with his emotions—or with anyone else’s. That’s part of the reason he and my mom had those marital troubles in the early years. So he found it easier to go to work than to spend much time at home.”

  “He left you alone?”

  “No, we had a housekeeper. But pouring himself into his business made it easier to deal with his loss and easier not to deal with mine.”

  Silence stretched between them as he pondered either her comment or his response. Then he said, “I’ve escaped into my work in the past. But I don’t have kids.”

  Leah didn’t need him to complete the chain of thought to realize they were on the same page. Being a father required a man to put his children ahead of himself. At least, that’s the way it was supposed to happen.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Leah added. “My dad might not have been home much, but he loved my brother and me. He also provided all the nicer things in life. Justin and I were both able to attend a private college without having to work or get student loans. And I had a closet full of clothes and shelves loaded with toys and books.”

  Still, the “things” her dad had given her hadn’t been able to make up for not having him around. Or for a house that was never really a home.

  Even when Justin came back to Red Rock during his summer vacations, he didn’t spend much time with Leah. He had a lot of friends he wanted to see while he was in town, so she was left on her own more often than not.

  Of course, things really perked up whenever Aunt Connie came to visit. Her mom’s sister came to Red Rock each Christmas and once during the summer. It was only natural that Leah had gravitated to the single woman who’d been a loving mother figure. Had Connie lived in Texas, rather than in Florida, things might have been different. Better.

  Not that her childhood was all that bad.

  Leah glanced at Javier, saw him watching her. A thought-provoking silence stretched between them as the seconds ticked by.

  Goodness. What was she doing? Lollygagging and reminiscing while she was supposed to be working with other patients?

  She glanced at the clock on the wall. How long had she been here? Just a couple of minutes, she supposed, but she couldn’t stay. She had to get out of here before she said something she regretted.

  Or before he did, because the intensity in his gaze was almost…unnerving.

  Just the sight of him lying in bed, watching her like that, like he was going to slide over to make room for her to join him…

  Oh, for the love of Pete. The man was recuperating from near-fatal injuries. He certainly wasn’t having those kinds of thoughts.

  So why in creation was she?

  As she took a step back, preparing to return to work, Javier lobbed an easygoing grin her way. “You’re spoiling me, Florence. I hope the nursing staff in the rehab unit is as good to me as you are.”

  Her heart warmed at the affectionate tease, yet her pulse rate slipped into overdrive, too. This particular patient was going to be her undoing, if she’d let him. But that was her secret.

  So she returned his lighthearted smile, as well as his tease. “You’re in luck. The rehab nurses are incredibly competent. The only one you need to watch out for is Brunhilda. They say she ran a torture chamber in a past life and isn’t fond of men. So I hear tell she can be brutal at times.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Javier zeroe
d in on Leah, saw the glimmer that lit her eyes, revealing a playful side he hadn’t always been privy to.

  He couldn’t help but add, “Then maybe I ought to refuse to go and just stay here, where the nurses are fond of their male patients.”

  Her smile drifted away and she bit down on her bottom lip as if he’d struck a sensitive spot.

  Was she fond of him?

  Before she could respond, an orderly with a wheelchair entered the room, followed by a candy striper pushing a small cart.

  For a moment, Javier wondered if Leah had been relieved by the interruption or sorry for it.

  “Javier Mendoza?” the orderly asked.

  “Yes, you’ve come to the right place,” Leah said. Then she turned to Javier. “It looks like your ride is here. Do you have everything ready to go?”

  “Pretty much.” Javier threw off the covers, then made the effort to swing his legs over the edge of the mattress and sit up in bed.

  He wasn’t sure what was going on with Leah—or if they’d merely shared a few flirtatious but meaningless moments during his stay.

  Either way, he’d always looked forward to her visits, even if it was to give him medication or run some test. And he hoped he’d see her again.

  As he prepared to stand, he wondered what the old Javier would have said to her at a time like this. Without a doubt, that Javier would have jumped on the chance to ask her out, even at the risk of hearing her say no. But the new Javier wasn’t sure which of his limitations were going to improve remarkably with rehab and which he’d be stuck with for life.

  So he’d be damned if he’d pursue anything with her at this point. What man wanted his lover to double as his nurse or caregiver?

  Not many.

  And certainly not him.

  He stole a glance at Leah, watched as she placed the folded serape in a white plastic bag that bore the blue hospital logo. She wore a quiet expression, a pensive one he’d give anything to read.

  Did it bother her to see him leaving? Was she going to miss him?