“He has a present for me.”
She sighs. “Fine. Do whatever you want. But don’t make any more noise.”
I press the button. “Hey, Bri. I’m sorry I forgot to call you. Honestly. But this will have to wait until tomorrow.”
“But…”
“Good night, Brian!”
I wait. No more buzzing. Thank goodness he got the message.
The phone rings, and I make a leap for the crazy thing before anyone hears it. I knock my toe against the coffee table leg in the darkened living room. Wincing in pain, I snatch up the receiver midway through the second ring. “Brian! Look. You can’t call or come over here this late. It’s just… impolite.”
“Tabitha?”
A voice that definitely isn’t Brian’s.
“Ma? What’s wrong?” Immediately my mind goes to my sister. Miscarriage?
“Honey, it’s your dad. He’s in the hospital ER. They think he might have had a heart attack.”
10
So they wouldn’t let you in to see your dad?” Laini’s voice over the phone is filled with sympathy.
Emergency triple bypass. And it could have been worse. Dad was carrying our old baby crib in from the garage and had a heart attack. I’ve been at the hospital for the past eight hours and haven’t so much as caught a glimpse of him.
“Only Mom for now. They’ll let us in once they’re sure his vitals are stable and he’s fully awake. I just wanted to let you guys know I won’t be home tonight. I’m going to stay with my mom to make sure she gets some rest.”
“Okay.” She pauses a minute. “Dancy says to tell you we need your okay on the final guest list for New Year’s Eve. Do you feel like dealing with it?”
“New Year’s Eve?”
“The party.”
“Oh yeah. Don’t worry about it. Whoever you guys want is fine with me.”
“I thought we’d invite your brother and sister.”
I hesitate. Typically I prefer to keep my family away from my friends unless I need my friends as a buffer—like that dinner fiasco a few months ago. It’s just easier that way. But I think about Shelly and her total lack of a social life these days. I mean, when you devote all your attention for two years to a guy and blow off your friends, guess what? You end up alone. But she can’t help that she’s one of those all-or-nothing types.
Mike has plans with “bite me” girl, I already know that. “I’ll ask Shelly if she wants to come,” I say.
“Call tomorrow and let us know how your dad is, okay?”
“Will do.”
I hang up and walk back to ICU. Shelly is curled up on one of the love seats. I stare a moment at my beautiful little sister. Her long lashes brush her cheeks, her tousled hair giving her a childish appearance that takes me back twenty years to when she followed me around mercilessly. All I wanted to do was get away from this girl. But in this moment, watching her in such a vulnerable state, all I want to do is draw her close and make everything okay.
I sit cautiously across from her so the movement in the room doesn’t disturb her. But my efforts fail. She comes instantly awake and slowly rises to a sitting position. She smiles when she sees me and her cheeks go up. I hadn’t noticed before how round her face is becoming. She’s adorable.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“So tired. They say you’re supposed to start getting some energy in the second trimester. Figures I’d be the one woman in history to break the mold.”
“Just give it some time. You haven’t been in your second trimester long.”
“I guess,” she says, stretching her back and yawning incredibly widely.
“Hey,” I toss out, “we’re throwing a New Year’s Eve party. You want to come?”
Her eyes go wide. “Seriously?”
“Yep. You’re already on the guest list. You can, um, bring a date if you want.”
“Oh, good. I hear Drew left his other girlfriend and is back in town.”
“Hey, no. That’s not what I—” I toss a three-month-old copy of Highlights at her. She catches it easily and laughs. I’m feeling all warm and cozy when the door opens. When I look up, my jaw drops. It’s David Gray.
“H-how did you know I was going to be here?”
“I didn’t.” He gives me a wry smile.
“O-oh.” My face warms.
“My sister’s an ICU nurse. I brought her some lunch. I saw you through the glass—that’s why I opened the door. Everything okay?” He raises his eyebrows, and I can’t help but think how sweet he is to be concerned.
Isn’t that sweet?
“Huh? Oh, my dad had surgery this morning.”
He sits next to me on the love seat. “Heart surgery?”
I nod.
His chin lifts in a nod. “How is he?”
“They won’t let anyone but my mom into his room until he’s more stable.”
“I see. Well, sometimes that’s the way it is. I’ll pray for him.”
My attention grabs onto the word “pray.”
“Thank you, David. I—” I wave toward Shelly. “We appreciate it.”
“Yes, we do.” Shelly steps forward and extends her pudgy hand. “I’m Shelly, Tabby’s sister.”
His gaze wanders to her slightly protruding stomach and tenderness washes over his expression. “It’s nice to meet you, Shelly.”
“How do you two know each other?” Shelly asks. The girl is as obvious as a pair of candy apple red stilettos.
“David’s twins play Felicia’s kids on the set.”
Her face goes all know-it-all. “I see.” She glances around. “Is your wife with you, David?”
Oh, Lord. I’m going to kill her. But David seems to be taking it all in good-natured stride.
“I’m afraid my wife passed away more than a year ago.”
Shelly’s eyes go wide. Serves her right. “I-I…”
David spares her the embarrassment. “We were separated for several years before her death.”
The question looms in the air, but I know better than to ask, and Shelly seems to have learned her lesson.
He smiles softly, as though anticipating the fact that I’m dying to ask. “She wouldn’t divorce me. I’m not sure if it was my money or my charm. But I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.”
“Oh.”
He glances at his watch, and believe me, I don’t blame him. “It’s about time to pick up the kids from a birthday party, so I’d better go.”
“Nice to meet you, David,” Shelly says, smiling in her award-winning, Julia Roberts kind of way.
He winks at her and grins. “Nice to meet you too.” Then he turns his attention toward me. “Tell your friends thanks for the invitation, and I’ll see you New Year’s Eve.”
“What do you mean you’ll see me New Year’s Eve?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean? They didn’t tell you they’d invited me?”
“I, um, haven’t had time to check the guest list because of,” I wave toward to door, “you know, Christmas and then the surgery and all. It’s been pretty hectic, and I haven’t been home a lot.”
Which of my traitor friends is trying to steal this guy out from under my nose? Hmm? I want to ask him which one invited him, but my pride won’t allow it, besides I see… Brian? Staring through the glass window on the door. Horror of horrors. Why is Brian here?
David turns as the door opens. “Hi, sugar,” Brian says, eyeing David as he enters the waiting area. “Sorry I couldn’t make it this morning.” He kisses me full on the lips. Okay, I’m going to slug this freak. I have to fight not to wipe off his lousy kiss with the back of my hand.
“How did you know I was here, Brian?”
I feel David’s gaze on me, and it’s taking every ounce of willpower not to flat-out say, “This creep is not my boyfriend.” But of course that wouldn’t be nice, and I’m nothing if not nice.
“I talked to your mom earlier.”
Figures.
“Are you
going to introduce us?” Brian asks, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me tight against him. The show of testosterone is truly annoying, and… ouch! Ease up on the grip, buddy.
“Brian, David.” The total lack of enthusiasm in my tone is truly uninspired. “David, Brian.”
They shake hands in that macho squeeze-the-blood-out-of-my-hand kind of way.
“Excuse me,” Shelly says in a way that eases the tension a little. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Poor Shelly. The baby must be sitting right on top of her bladder.
“Oh! Hon,” Brian says.
Hon? Since when? I thought I was “sugar.”
“Yeah?”
“Can you spot me a ten for the cab? I was in such a hurry to get here, I forgot to grab my wallet.”
Okay, this is getting old. Brian must be delusional. Still, I can’t very well shoot him down right here in front of another guy. That would be mean. But just as soon as we’re alone . . .
I head for my purse. “Um, all I have is a twenty.”
He snatches it out of my hand and kisses my cheek. “Thanks, hon. Be right back.”
“That was… He’s not…” I can’t even say it. Because I know it will sound lame.
David’s eyes shine down with kindness that reminds me of Dad. For some unexplained reason, tears well up and my nose starts to burn.
“Hey, are you okay?”
David reaches out and thumbs away a tear from my cheek. Just like Rudolph did for Felicia when she was crying because she wanted so badly to remember the love they once shared. How can the motion be the same, but the emotions welling up inside of me be so different? “What’s wrong?” David asks.
“I just really want to see my dad.”
“Hang on. I’ll be right back.”
“What are you going to do?”
“You’ll see.”
A grin tips his mouth, and he sends me a wink before disappearing through the door. A minute later, he’s back with the pretty redheaded nurse I remember seeing earlier.
“Vanessa, this is—”
“I know, Davy,” the young woman cuts in. She stretches out her hand, and the smile definitely reaches her eyes. “The mother of your children.”
I suck in a cool, quick breath. Is she clairvoyant? Prophetic? Does she know something I don’t know? Has David talked about me? Reality check. Duh, Tabby. She means—Felicia. Just in time, I save myself a year’s worth of embarrassment. Two reality checks actually. The first one is of course the reference to the fictional family of Felicia, Rudy, and their twins. The second one is not quite as easy to forget. David Gray is the real father to those two. Might as well put all these butterflies in the stomach behind me. Because it is not going to happen between David and me. Never, ever.
“That’s me. Mother of twins.” I accept her handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, Vanessa.”
“Same here! All the nurses have been dying to come in and ask if you’re Tabitha Brockman, but we didn’t want to bother you.”
Ah, so David’s sister is a fan. How sweet is that, that he wants to make her happy? Although from my perspective, he could be considered a little insensitive with my dad, you know… still unconscious and all. To be honest, I’m kind of relieved to discover David’s not as perfect as he seems. It makes the fact that he’s off-limits to me much easier to take.
Still, that’s not Vanessa’s fault. “You can call me Tabby.”
Her face lights up like I just told her she’s the next contestant on The Price Is Right.
“Call me Nessie!”
I can’t help but respond to this display of genuine friendliness. “Nice to meet you, Nessie.”
“We’re all so glad Legacy of Life brought Felicia back.”
“So am I.” She has no idea. Believe me.
“Well, come with me, Tabby. I’m going to take you in to see your dad.”
I whip my gaze to David. “Oh!”
He gives me a puzzled look. “You thought I was bringing my sister in here as a fan?”
I realize my mistake as soon as his eyes meet mine. “Nuh, uh.”
“Yes you did.”
“Of course I didn’t think you brought your sister in here for an autograph when you know how worried I am about my dad. That would make you a big jerk.”
His brow goes up. But I change the subject quickly. “So, Nessie. How’s Dad doing?”
Nessie clears her throat. “He’s been awake for a while now. I think maybe your mom could use a little break. And I’m sure you could use the reassurance that he’s doing well.”
“Is that okay? I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
She turns and laughs. “I asked the head nurse if Tabitha Brockman could please go see her dad, and she practically swallowed her dentures. I could tell she wanted to pull rank and come tell you herself, but I mentioned that you’re personal friends with my brother and she backed off.”
“Yes, that’s the way it is,” I say. “Best buds. That’s David and me.”
I glance at David, and I can’t quite decipher his expression. He walks behind me, and I hear him whisper over my shoulder, “I can’t believe you thought I was bringing my sister for an autograph.”
Before I can form a retort, my eyes land on Brian as he turns down another hall that will lead him back to the waiting room we’ve just come from. Okay, I do not need him to see me and bother me again. I stop short to give him a few steps’ leeway. My body jars from behind as David runs into me and grabs me around the waist to steady us both.
I turn my gaze away and resume my trek down the hall after Vanessa before Brian catches sight of me.
“You okay?” David asks.
“Yeah, you didn’t hurt me,” I murmur. “Sorry I stopped in the middle of the hall.”
“It’s all right. So… your boyfriend… Why are you ducking him?”
Okay, this would be the perfect time to fess up. To get myself off the hook. But I’m conscious of David’s sister within earshot, not to mention the stares and whispers coming from the nurses.
“Here we are,” Nessie announces outside a curtained room. She glances at David. “You can’t go in.”
“I know. I have to get back to the kids anyway.”
I reach out and touch his arm and immediately regret my impulsive action. Why do I always have to be so touchy-feely?
He doesn’t seem to mind, and for an instant I think I see something flash in those movie-star eyes. My stomach trips over itself. “I just want to thank you for this.”
He gives the hint of a smile. “Anytime.”
And somehow, I believe he means exactly what he says.
Tubes and wires poke out of my dad, and I swallow hard to keep from crying out when I walk in. He looks so frail and helpless. Mom gives me a small, tired smile.
“How is he?” I whisper.
“Doing well, according to the doctor.”
Dad’s eyes open. “You don’t have to whisper. I’m awake.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask, taking his hand.
He raises my hand to his lips and presses a dry kiss to my fingers. “Better, now that I see your face.”
“I’ve been praying,” I say because I can’t think of anything else.
“I know. I could feel those prayers.”
Vanessa enters. “We’re going to take him upstairs to a room now.”
“Are you sure he’s well enough to leave ICU?” Mom asks. “He looks pretty weak to me.”
Nessie’s smile is both firm and kind. “Yes, ma’am. The doctor has released him to go upstairs, so we’ll be moving him. He’s stronger than you think. As a matter of fact, he’ll be up walking and taking an assisted shower tomorrow.”
Mom opens her mouth like she’s going to argue again so I pop forward and put my hand on her arm. “We’ll leave and let you get him ready to move. Where should we wait?”
“I think your mother could use something to eat and maybe a cup of coffee,” Nessie suggests.
“By the time you’re done, he should be all settled into his new room.”
How adorable is she?
“I am not leaving my husband’s side,” Mom says. “Now you can just—”
Who knows what she was going to say? Dad breaks in weakly. “Martha, honey. Let the nurses do their job. It would make me feel a lot better knowing you’re getting some strength up. I’ll need you later.”
Mom hesitates and, not for the first time, I marvel at the way Dad handles her so deftly. Sure, Mom’s the dominant one of the two, but when it matters, Dad can hold his own.
“Come on, Ma. Shelly could probably use some food too. She wasn’t feeling that well earlier.”
Mom immediately perks up. “All right. Frank, honey, I need to go tend to our girl. I’ll be up to check on you after I make sure she’s taking care of herself.”
Good ol’ Mom. Give her someone to hover over and she’s happy as a clam.
I kiss my dad on the cheek. “I’ll be around too, Dad. Get some rest.”
“Make sure your mother doesn’t wear herself out. You know how she is.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Brian’s hopeful face greets us as soon as we step out of the room. How did I forget he was here? Shelly’s standing next to him scowling at me like I’ve done something wrong. I mean, so I didn’t wait around for them when I had the chance to see Dad. Big deal. Get over it.
“Well, hello, Brian,” Mom says and my defenses shoot up like a force field around the starship Enterprise. “How nice of you to come support Tabitha during this time.”
“I couldn’t stay away,” he beams, keeping his gaze on my face. “My girl needed me.”
He often can’t stay away. If only he could. And… his girl? Since when? What is this guy’s deal?
“Brian…”
I’m about to tell him to take a hike when Mom places her hand on my arm. I turn to her, and her eyes glow with warning. I know, I know. There’s never any excuse for rudeness. But gee whiz. I’d like to push this guy off a bridge. Of course, knowing him, he’d swim to shore and thank me for the cooling off.
I figure I can put up with him for a little while longer, but as soon as we’re alone, I’m definitely ending it once and for all.
Catch a Rising Star Page 11