by Terri Marie
“Daniel, are you serious?” Katherine was shocked. She totally didn’t expect this kind of offer. “I don’t have money, Daniel. You’ve been very generous but I can’t let you do all of this.”
“You have to go. I already paid for your tuition. You can start in the spring, and if it would make you feel more comfortable, I can get you your own house or apartment. Seriously, you only have to see me one other time once we’re in New York.”
“And why would that be?” Here it comes…
“To sing for me. One song per gift that I wrapped today.” Daniel was very serious.
Katherine looked around and counted. “Wait, I have to sing you thirteen songs?”
“Yes.”
“Just sing, nothing else?”
“Nope, that’s all I want, and I even rented a recording studio in Manhattan. I don’t like odd numbers so if you want to throw in another song, I won’t complain.” Now he was smiling.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything you want to know, I’m an open book with you.”
“If you saw Emily again, would you—“
“No, never. And as a matter of fact…” Daniel pulled out his phone, put it on speaker, and dialed the bar. The person who answered was definitely Emily.
“Emily, I don’t know if you remember me, my name’s Da—John Williams. I danced with you that one day.”
“Yeah, I remember. You were all over me, then dropped me like a hot biscuit!”
“I’m calling to tell you how sorry I am. I was upset and immature and used you to hurt someone that I care very much about. I was a pompous ass, and I’m sorry I was so mean to you.”
“That’s okay, sugar, you going to stop by?” Emily tried to use her most seductive voice.
“Good luck, Emily. I don’t think I’ll be stopping by, and if I do I hope to have Katherine with me.” Daniel hung up the phone.
“Have Katherine with you…”
“Look, I’m not going to lie to you. I would love to be with you some day. Sitting here on this sofa is very hard for me. What I want to do is throw my arms around you but I know you don’t feel that way. Well, now that I’ve completely made you hate me, I’ll leave. I know that this behavior was the last thing you wanted from me.” Daniel got up to go. “Have a nice evening, Katherine. Call me if there’s anything you need.”
“Wait, don’t go.”
“You want me to stay?” Daniel couldn’t believe he heard those words.
Katherine didn’t know what was coming over her. What she did know was that Daniel wouldn’t be able to stay there forever. If he left, she’d probably never see him again. I can’t live the rest of my life, never knowing…
"How long will you be staying in Ann Arbor?"
"Katherine, I'll have to leave soon, I have a business to run. But I'll make sure you're well cared after I go."
"Are you talking about a week? A month?"
"No just a day or two. I came to find you to tell you I was sorry. Clearly we want different things, but I'd rather just be your friend than nothing at all."
Katherine stared at his warm, dark eyes. She saw nothing but concern and compassion. What kind of guy would go through all of this trouble for a woman? Certainly a good one.
“You should stay for a few days. We have a trip to New York to plan. I’ll look up ticket prices and—“
“Pack your bags. We’ll leave this evening.” There was no way Daniel was going to let an opportunity like this leave. He finally was being given the chance to make things right.
“But there might not be—“
Daniel pulled out his phone again. “Carl, have the jet come to Michigan.”
“Daniel, I didn’t know how long you’d be. The jet is still there.”
“See you soon then! Thanks, Carl, I owe you one.”
“I’ll be back in a moment.” Daniel ran to the Jeep and hauled up the new luggage.
He knocked on her door and she immediately opened it. “Start packing, Katherine.” Daniel was elated. Shutting the door behind him, she heard him yell out in happiness.
The jet. Katherine packed as fast as she could, not sure of what her future held. What was becoming very clear was that Daniel Giordano was an amazing man. His scent still lingered in the room. Katherine inhaled deeply.
Chapter 13
Upon arriving at the airport, Katherine’s cell phone rang. It was the bar. Emily is going to scream at me.
“Katherine, it’s Emily.”
“Look, Em—“
“Your uncle has had a heart attack! Can you get here? I don’t know what to do! They put him on a helicopter. I’m so scared!”
“Oh God...” Katherine’s face lost its color.
“Katherine.” Daniel got a sinking feeling in his gut. “Is everything okay?”
“Daniel, I’m sorry but can I borrow a few dollars for a ticket to Tennessee? My uncle has had a heart attack. Please!” Tears were instantly spilling over.
“Come with me.” Daniel grabbed Katherine’s hand and ran with her to the plane. Once onboard, Daniel told the pilot, “Charles, there’s been a change. We have an emergency in Tennessee. Change the flight plan and get us to Nashville as soon as possible.”
Charles nodded and got on the radio as the limo driver brought the luggage onboard. Katherine went and sat down. Her legs were getting ready to defy her.
“Katherine, come here.” Daniel wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed.
“I shouldn’t have left him!”
“It’s my fault, Katherine. You left because I drove you away.” One more thing I failed at.
“He’s the only family I have besides Jacob.”
Daniel held her until she felt composed enough to sit up straight. She stared out the window with a blank look on her face and a vacancy in her eyes.
“Where are your parents, Katherine?”
“When I was a child I was sent to visit Uncle Andy. I didn’t know that it wasn’t just a visit. My parents wanted a new life, so they left and stopped all contact. My uncle is my father’s brother, so he adopted me. After the adoption, they even stopped contacting him. Being abandoned wasn’t any fun. I’ve spent my life feeling that I wasn’t good enough, and living with the fear of people leaving me has made life more than difficult.”
“I might not be part of your family, but you’ll always have me. Even if it’s just as a friend.”
You’ll get to know me, then you’ll leave too, thought Katherine.
Before landing in Nashville, he got out his cell phone. “Is your uncle an Andy or an Andrew?”
“His legal name is Andy O’Brian. He doesn’t have a middle name.”
He called the two hospitals and asked if Andy O’Brian was a patient there. Finally he was getting somewhere with the second call; the operator transferred him to the emergency department.
“Hello, do you have an Andy O’Brian there?”
“We really can’t give out any information over the phone. Is this a relative?”
“Yes, and I’m thirty-five thousand feet in the air. I’d really appreciate it if you’d tell me so I know which hospital to go to.”
“He will be here shortly. He’s being airlifted. We’re one of the top trauma centers in the area, so don’t you worry. We’ll take great care of him.”
“Okay, we’ll be there soon.”
Daniel rang the intercom for the flight attendant.
“What could I get for you, Daniel?” Cheryl had worked for his family for the past eight years.
“Cheryl, I need transportation at the airport to get to the hospital. We don’t have time to wait.”
“Let me make a phone call.” Cheryl briskly walked away.
A limo was waiting, and luckily they weren’t too far from the hospital. As soon as they entered, the overhead intercom announced a code blue in the emergency department, and the message was repeated, over and over again.
Katherine panicked. “Oh my God!”
“Katheri
ne, it might not be your uncle. Come with me to the desk.” Katherine felt her legs getting weak, and Daniel put an arm around her.
“Has Andy O’Brian arrived yet? We’re his family.”
“He’s being examined. I’ll need to get some information from you. Just have a seat over there and I’ll get some paperwork.”
Katherine sat in the chair and gave Admissions all the information she could, but they weren’t allowed to see him. An hour later, a physician stepped out to the lobby and escorted them to a private conference room.
“Are you Katherine O’Brian, Andy O’Brian’s niece?”
“Yes, is he okay?”
“He’s conscious, but he’s had a heart attack.”
“Is he going to make it?”
“We won’t know the extent of the damage for a while. But there are some positive findings so far. Do you live close by?”
“No, we live in New York,” offered Daniel.
“There are local motels you can stay at. He’s going to be here for a while.”
“When he’s stable enough to be moved, I want him on a medical flight to New York. Then he can recover at our house.”
Katherine looked at Daniel. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “My uncle doesn’t have insurance, but I’ll find a way to pay for anything he needs.”
“He’s going to need care by specialists.”
“I can get him whatever he needs. I’ll hire a private physician and staff to care for him. I’ll have a room converted.”
“I think we need to take one step at a time.” The doctor felt sorry for this couple. The young man obviously had no medical knowledge, but was so eager to help. Hopefully the cost would deter him from trying to set any plans in motion. “What you’re thinking about doing is going to cost a very large amount of money.
“I can afford it.” Daniel wasn’t about to argue.
“It will cost an enormous amount of dollars for the flight and the rehabilitative care. I don’t think you understand the cost. It’ll be quite a while before we could approve a transfer anyway. This is a very good facility and Mr. O’Brian will be in great hands. Again, please consider the cost.”
“That’s okay,” Daniel thought about his company. “I have billions.”
After many hours had passed, Daniel and Katherine were escorted through a closed door by the nurse.
Katherine was terrified. “I’m so scared!”
“Just hold my hand and we’ll go together, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay, and you don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll get your uncle everything he needs.”
The nurse escorting them stopped before they got near his room. “Your uncle has another set of blood work in three hours. I just wanted you to see that he was alive and getting medical treatment. We’ll know more in the morning, so it would be best if you just go get some rest. The doctor will be in to do his rounds early, and he will be checked on throughout the night. Your uncle will be moved to the cardiac intensive care unit when they get a bed available.”
Katherine walked in, softly kissed her uncle’s cheek, and told him she loved him. She thanked the nurse and walked out the door, trying to stifle a sob. Daniel gave the nurses at the desk his number in case it was written wrong in the chart.
“I should stay. You can go get some rest or fly back to New York, but I can’t leave him.” Katherine broke down in tears, unable to maintain her composure.
Daniel pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear. “It’s better for you to get some rest. We’ll have a long day ahead of us. I promise I’ll get the closest room to the hospital. I don’t want you to feel like you’re alone in this. I’m not going anywhere okay? We’ll sleep for a couple of hours, then we’ll head back up. Come with me, Katherine, the staff will take excellent care of him.”
Following the staff’s recommendations, Daniel escorted Katherine to the motel that was directly across the street.
“This is the room you can stay in. I’ll find one close to yours.”
“No! Please stay with me.” Katherine wrapped both of her hands around his forearm to stop him from walking away.
“Okay,” said Daniel, and he closed the door behind him. He got the extra blanket off the rack and sat down in the chair by the wall in the small room. “We didn’t get the luggage from the limo. I’ll have it brought to the room in the morning or I can call and have some overnight clothes delivered. I’m sorry I screwed that up.”
“No, you didn’t screw anything up, Daniel. Thank you for helping me through this.” Katherine reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
“I’m going to lie down so I can be up soon.” Katherine stretched out on the bed. What if he dies? He looked horrible lying in that bed. The tears leaked from her eyes and Daniel listened to her trying to muffle sobs in the darkness.
Slowly, he took the blanket off of himself and lay down next to her. He pulled her toward him and spooned with this woman he cared so deeply for. His thoughts never even went to lust. He kissed her cheek and rocked her slowly in his arms.
Daniel had gotten so used to waking up at five in the morning that he crawled out of bed an hour before the alarm was to go off. He took his phone to the bathroom and called the hospital.
“The doctor has been in to see him several times. You can go have some breakfast and then come on up and visit with him briefly. He’s in the cardiac intensive care unit now.”
“Okay, thank you so much.” Daniel knelt beside the bed and brushed the curls off of Katherine’s face. She slowly opened her eyes, then sat up quickly.
“Is he alright?!”
“He’s doing okay and we have permission to visit him. I was told that we should have some breakfast, then come up and see him.”
“I’m not very hungry, Daniel.”
“You’re eating.” Daniel winked at her. After getting cleaned up, they went to the restaurant next door and ordered breakfast. Daniel laughed at his past. He wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same clothes two days in a row.
Francesco was worried about his son. He pressed the button and waited for Carl.
“Good morning, Francesco.”
“Have you heard anything more from Daniel? I’m very worried.”
“I believe that he is with Katherine at the hospital. The pilot took them to Tennessee. Seems her uncle had a heart attack, but I haven’t gotten word on his condition.”
“I’m going to call.”
“Francesco, I doubt that Daniel can talk on his phone if he’s with Katherine visiting her uncle. His phone isn’t going to work in there. Perhaps it’s best if you wait for him to phone.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“The horses should be arriving today. Rosie is so happy this morning,” said Carl.
“Yes, she even laughed in her sleep. She was just like a little girl.”
“What?”
“Oh, never mind.”
“You’re blushing, Sir.”
“I suppose I am, Carl, I suppose I am.”
Daniel walked behind Katherine as she stepped onto the intensive care unit.
“We’re here to see Andy O’Brian,” said Daniel.
The doctor approached with his hand outstretched. “I’m Doctor Mathews. I wanted to speak to you before you visit with your uncle.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s had a heart attack. Thankfully it wasn’t real severe, but he’s going to have a long recovery.”
“What happened to him?” Katherine was feeling even more guilt about not being with him.
“Apparently he dropped down to the ground with severe chest pain. He never lost consciousness and, luckily, there isn’t a lot of heart damage. It’s imperative that your uncle changes his lifestyle and diet. That’s all part of the recovery process.”
“So his heart never stopped?” Please tell me no. Katherine continued to beat herself up.
“No, it never stopped, which is a good thing. I understand you want some of his rehabilitation
to take place in New York?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” replied Daniel.
“He can’t travel for a while yet. This is the best place he could be in. When you visit your uncle, try to keep things low key. We don’t want him getting angry or upset.”