“Some shelving fell on Kyle in the unit we were cleaning out. He has a broken leg, and he’s in surgery right now.” Cass winced at the sound of Erica’s intake of breath. “They needed to get him in right away because a piece of metal went through his thigh. Apparently, it was really close to his femoral artery, and they needed to repair things before it got any worse.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“What’s happening?” a voice asked. A woman’s voice.
Of course Erica was spending the day with her new girlfriend. And why shouldn’t she? Cass leaned forward in her chair and rested her head in her hand as she listened to Erica telling the other woman what Cass had already told her.
“Is he going to be all right, Cass?” Erica asked again after a few seconds of relaying information.
“The doctor says there’s no real reason to think he won’t be just fine.” Cass wanted to ask about the woman she was with, but it wasn’t any of her business.
“How is he in surgery without consent?”
“He told everyone from the medics on scene to the ER doctor to the surgeon who came to look at him that I was his sister. I didn’t deny it, so they had no reason to think he was lying.” Cass took a deep breath and braced for Erica’s response. “I gave them consent to operate. It was a matter of life and death, according to the surgeon. I couldn’t wait for you because I had no idea where you were, or how long it would be before I heard from you. I made an executive decision.”
“Thank you,” Erica said, and she started to cry. Cass wished she was there to comfort her. “Thank you for being there with him. I’ll get there just as soon as I can.”
Cass gave her the information concerning which hospital they were at, where it was, and where the waiting room she was in was located. She assured her she would call her back if he came out of surgery and was in a room before she got there. Cass was about to hang up when Erica spoke again.
“Are you all right, Cass?”
“Sure. I’m fine,” Cass told her. She was, now that Erica finally knew what was happening. She’d been anything but fine before actually speaking with her. They hung up, and Cass experienced the strangest feeling of sadness. No one had ever been concerned about her like that before, but it didn’t really matter, did it? Because being with Erica wasn’t in the cards now that she had a girlfriend. She desperately wished she could go back in time and change how things between them transpired.
*
“Lila, you missed the exit for the mall,” Erica said as she watched it go by. Lila hadn’t even slowed down.
“You really think I’d let you drive after getting such a phone call?” Lila asked, giving her a quick glance.
“But your car is there.”
“I can get it later. There are more important things to worry about right now. I have friends who can get it for me so it won’t get towed. We need to get you to Buffalo so you can be with Kyle.” Lila changed lanes and sped past the line of slow moving vehicles. “Besides, I want to meet this Cassidy Holmes. She sounds like a real keeper.”
“Yeah,” Erica said quietly. She allowed herself a moment to think of the possibilities, but then came back to reality. “Too bad she doesn’t think the same about me.”
“Maybe you need to make her see it.” Lila looked in the rearview mirror before moving back into the right-hand lane. “Have you told her how you feel?”
“I told her I’d be willing to take whatever she could give me.”
“So you haven’t told her you love her?”
“What?” Erica looked at Lila and was about to protest, but realized maybe she was right. Was it possible she loved Cass? Did it really make a difference in the grand scheme of things if Cass wasn’t capable of returning her love? Or, more precisely, willing to? “No. I haven’t.”
“You should. The best things in life are worth fighting for, honey, and I’d say she qualifies for that statement.”
Erica stared out the window as they talked for a few more minutes, trying not to think about what had transpired between her and her parents, while at the same time trying not to think the worst about what Kyle was going through. When her phone rang, it startled her.
“Cass?” she said into the phone after fumbling it and dropping it at her feet.
“He’s out of surgery and doing fine. He’s in recovery now, but should be transferred to a room in just a few minutes,” Cass told her. “I’ll call again when I know the room number. I just wanted to let you know he was okay.”
“Thank you,” she said. The nap had helped, but she still felt exhausted after the events of the day. “You’ll still be with him when I get there, won’t you?”
Cass hesitated, and Erica started to worry she didn’t want to see her.
“Please?” Erica asked. Cass sighed into the phone before agreeing to wait for her. “Thank you again. I’ll be there soon.”
“Yep,” Lila said with a nod as Erica disconnected the call. “She’s definitely a keeper.”
*
“How are you feeling?” Cass asked when Kyle opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her.
“Like I was hit by a truck,” he responded, his voice scratchy. “Where’s Erica?”
“I just talked to her to let her know your room number, and she should be here in a few minutes.” Cass stood and went to the side of his bed.
“What time is it? Why is it taking her so long to get here?”
“She was out of town,” Cass told him. “But she’s on her way.”
“Syracuse?” he asked, surprising Cass.
“Yeah.”
He closed his eyes again and turned away from her. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but when she saw his shoulders shake with an obvious sob, she decided maybe she shouldn’t. She was relieved when she heard the door to the room open, and turned to see Erica walking in. The other woman was right behind her. Cass stepped away from the bed to give them better access.
“Oh, Kyle, are you all right?” Erica asked.
It was obvious to Cass that Erica had been crying. When the other woman turned her head to smile at Cass, Cass decided she had to leave. Without a word, she walked out of the room and down the hallway before ducking into the restroom to try to pull herself together.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Cass, I don’t know how to thank you,” Erica said as she turned. But Cass wasn’t there. She looked at Lila who shrugged.
“She was here a minute ago.”
“You should go find her,” Kyle said, acting as if he didn’t want to see her. Could he be this pissed because she didn’t get there sooner?
“Kyle, are you mad at me?” Erica could tell he’d been crying, even if there weren’t still tears on his cheeks. His eyes had the puffiness of a recent cry.
“Why were you in Syracuse?” he asked. “Were you trying to talk them into taking me back?”
“What? No, Kyle,” she said, reaching out to brush the hair out of his eyes. “I had papers I needed them to sign in order to go forward with the guardianship. I’d hoped they wouldn’t completely cut you out of their lives, but I wouldn’t have let them force you home even if they’d wanted you back.”
He nodded and seemed to be relieved at her words. She squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him. Lila took his hand and tilted her head toward the door, indicating Erica should go and find Cass. She shook her head. Even though she wanted to talk to her, she couldn’t leave Kyle so soon after arriving.
“Go,” Lila said. “I’ll stay here with him.”
“I promise I won’t go anywhere while you’re gone,” Kyle added with a goofy smile.
Erica laughed at them both and turned to head toward the door. She didn’t know how long Cass had been gone, or where she’d headed, but she had to find her. Lila was right. She needed to tell Cass how she felt. She looked both ways down the hall and saw the sign for the ladies’ room. She was sure she looked a mess and decided washing her face might be a good thing before facing Cass. She s
topped dead in her tracks when she saw Cass standing at the sink, staring at her own reflection. Her eyes moved to look at her, and she smiled sadly.
“Hi,” Cass said before turning away from the mirror and facing her.
“Hi.” Erica forced herself to walk toward the sink but stopped a few feet away from Cass. “I can’t thank you enough for being with Kyle today.”
“I thought you’d be mad.” Cass looked relieved and Erica fought the urge to take her in her arms and kiss her.
“Why? It was an accident. You took care of him, and I appreciate it,” Erica said. She wondered why Cass kept looking at the door. “Why did you leave the room?”
“I couldn’t stay there,” Cass said, folding her arms over her chest and looking down at the floor. “Not with her there.”
“Who?” Erica asked, feeling a little surprised. “My aunt Lila?”
“She’s your aunt?” Cass sounded dubious as her head snapped up, and Erica couldn’t help but smile. Was it possible Cass was jealous? “I thought she was your girlfriend.”
“I’m sure she’ll be flattered to hear that, but she’s my father’s sister, and she’s twenty years older than me, Cass.”
“Then she’s not your girlfriend?”
Erica shook her head and closed the distance between them. Cass’s cheeks were flushed and she stood up straight as Erica cupped her cheek, rubbing her thumb slowly along her jaw. Erica felt the arousal start deep in her belly when Cass’s pupils dilated.
“I don’t have a girlfriend.” Erica didn’t resist when Cass placed her hands on her hips and pulled her close. Their kiss was slow, full of promise, and Erica let herself melt into it.
“Oops, sorry,” came a voice from behind them.
Erica pulled away and saw a nurse standing in the doorway, a smile on her lips. Cass looked at them both before pushing her way past the nurse and disappearing down the hall. Erica sighed in frustration.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” the nurse said.
Erica waved off the woman’s apology and went after Cass, who she saw walking into Kyle’s room. At least she wasn’t leaving. She took a moment to catch her breath before following her.
Cass hung around for a little while, but it was getting late and she said she had to go. Erica offered to give her a ride to her truck, but Cass declined, saying she should stay with Kyle.
“Are you sure?” Erica asked, disappointed she hadn’t had more time alone with her. “It’s no problem, really.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Cass promised before walking out the door.
“You didn’t tell her, did you?” Lila asked after she was gone.
“Tell her what?” Kyle asked, causing Erica to jump. She’d thought he was asleep.
“She loves her,” Lila answered.
“It’s about time,” he said. “All it took was me getting impaled by a piece of metal.”
“I’m right here, guys,” Erica told them, but they ignored her.
“I think Cass loves her too,” Kyle said.
“That was pretty apparent by the way she was looking at her.” Lila chuckled.
“I know, right?”
“Okay, enough,” Erica said as she stood from her chair. She sighed, wondering if she could catch up to Cass if she left now, but decided against it. She just hoped Cass intended to keep her word and call her the next day.
*
When Erica emerged from her bedroom the next morning, Lila was eating breakfast. She walked past the table and went right for the coffee pot.
“Good morning,” Lila said, looking up from the newspaper she was reading. “How did you sleep?”
“Not particularly well,” she answered, taking a seat across from her and eying the paper suspiciously. “You didn’t steal the newspaper from the neighbor, did you?”
“They’ll never know it was me,” Lila said with a wink. “Did she call yet?”
“It’s only eight o’clock in the morning,” Erica said. “She probably isn’t even up yet.”
“Maybe you should call her.”
“No. I’ll wait. She said she’d call.”
“I’m just saying. At least if you call her, you won’t have to put up with your stomach being tied up in knots all day.”
Erica sipped from her coffee and ignored Lila. It wasn’t like the same thought hadn’t crossed her mind when she’d woken up, but she was determined to wait it out. Cass said she’d call, and there was no reason not to believe her.
“I don’t know how to thank you for yesterday, Lila.”
“It was no problem,” she answered. “Any of it. Once you told me you were going to Syracuse to face your parents, there was no way I was going to let you do it alone after the way they treated me. And you were in no shape to drive after hearing what happened to Kyle. I was just glad I was around to help. You know you can call me anytime you need me, right?”
“I do know, and I thank you,” Erica said. It was strange how family dynamics could play out sometimes. After the previous day, she knew in her heart her father would never change his views, and even though they did what she wanted by signing off on their parental rights, it still cut deep. She was just happy to be done with them, and to know Lila always had her back. “How long are you going to stay?”
“I’m leaving today,” Lila answered. “I’ll hitch a ride with you to Buffalo when you go to see Kyle, and take the bus back to Syracuse to retrieve my car.”
“You’re more than welcome to stick around for a few days.”
“I called out sick today, so I have to get back to work tomorrow, and you don’t need an old woman cramping your style if things heat up between you and Cass.”
“Please. Last night she thought you were my girlfriend. Maybe she’s thought so since the night at Applebee’s. I know she was there, and I’m pretty sure she saw us. That must be why she didn’t come over to say hello.” Erica thought for a moment before repeating herself. “She thought you were my girlfriend.”
“Thank her for me, will you?” Lila laughed out loud and shook her head. “I was never quite sure how the plastic surgery came out, but if she thinks I look young enough to hold your attention, I’m convinced it worked like a charm.”
“It did, trust me,” Erica said. “And even if it didn’t, you’re barely over fifty, and I still don’t think you needed any work done anyway.”
“Thank you, but now that she knows who I am, she might just be ready to make her move.”
Erica nodded as she considered the possibility. Even if Cass wasn’t ready to make a move, Erica decided she might just make it instead.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“He’s going to be okay though, right?” Cass’s mother asked as they were almost done eating breakfast.
Everyone had been asleep when Cass finally got home from the hospital the night before, so she’d gone right to her cabin. This morning over breakfast, she relayed the incidents of the previous day to all of them.
“That’s what the doc said,” Cass answered with a shrug. “I’m just glad Erica finally got there. I was so freaking strung out by the time he was done in surgery.”
“And where was she all day?” Barb asked. She leaned over to wipe some baby food off Rance’s face as she spoke.
“Syracuse.”
“Why?” Danny asked.
“She’s from there,” Cass said. “I assume she went to see her parents for some reason.”
“But I thought you said they didn’t want anything to do with her or Kyle,” her mother said. Cass could tell she was itching to give her own personal commentary on what exactly she thought of people who would turn their backs on their kids, no matter what their reasoning, but she opted to keep it to herself. Cass was thankful.
“That’s what she told me, but I’m assuming it had something to do with her becoming Kyle’s legal guardian. Forgive me, but I didn’t think it was the right time to ask her why she went to Syracuse.” Cass sat back in her chair and pushed her plate away from her. B
arb really did make the best pancakes in the world, but Cass had the tendency to gorge herself on them. “I told her I’d call her today, so maybe I’ll ask her about it then.”
“So, the woman there with her was her aunt?” Barb asked, barely managing to keep from laughing, which was obvious by the way she covered her mouth and refused to look at Cass.
“Maybe you would have known that if you’d bothered to talk to her at any point during the past three weeks or so,” Danny added. Cass glared at him before slugging him in the shoulder. “Damn it!”
“Stop it, both of you,” their mother said, raising her voice. “I raised you better.”
Danny stuck his tongue out at Cass, and she responded by kicking his shin under the table. Rather than risk being yelled at again, he got up and refilled his coffee, rubbing his shin with a grimace as he did so.
“But he’s right, dear,” her mother said. “You should have just talked to her.”
“Ha ha, told you so,” Danny said in a singsong voice from across the room.
Cass started to get to her feet, but her mother put a firm hand on her forearm and shook her head. Frustrated, Cass folded her arms over her chest.
“Daniel,” Barb said, and Cass barely stopped the snicker from erupting into a full-blown laugh. Cass only called him by his given name when she was pissed at him, but Barb only did it when she was ready to take his head off, and he knew it. His shoulders sagged as he went to stand next to Barb’s chair. “Take Rance upstairs and change his diaper for me.”
“Yes, dear,” he muttered. They all watched while he unstrapped Rance from his highchair and picked him up, wrinkling his nose in disgust when he realized what was in the diaper. To his credit, he didn’t complain, but simply walked out of the kitchen with Rance in his arms.
“When you call her are you going to tell her you love her?” Barb asked, looking rather smug.
Really? This was why she made Danny leave the room? So she and her mother could grill Cass about her feelings and intentions? She shook her head and opened her mouth to tell Barb she had it wrong, but she didn’t. Cass felt like a freight train hit her at the realization. When exactly had love snuck up and bit her in the ass?
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