by Lori Leger
“All right, Mr. Harper, I’m Dr. Moore and it’s time to see what we’ve got going on. Do you know why you’re here?”
“Accident. The Hummer ran the light and hit me.”
“Excellent.”
Mike continued to answer questions about who was president, the year, the month, the two women who’d been in the room with him. He heard a click near his head and turned toward the sound.
“Mr. Harper, I just need to check your eyes for pupil dilation.”
A few seconds passed in silence before Mike answered. “I’m ready when you are,” he slurred, still trying to shake off whatever drugs they’d given him. “Think you could remove these bandages firs—” The rest of the sentence froze on his lips, replaced by a horrified urge to scream as the doctor’s hands encountered the fleshy area around his eyes.
He wasn’t wearing bandages.
Angelique paced, trying to brush aside the feeling that something was off. She barely registered Melanie’s cheerful chatter through several phone calls telling everyone that Mike was awake.
Awake, yes. But was he fine?
An agonizing fifteen minutes later, the nurse hurried out, followed by the doctor, looking pensive. Angelique stopped her pacing to face him while he jotted something on a note pad. He finally looked up and smiled at her.
“His memory seems to be fine. He knows both of you and what happened. He’s still in a bit of a fog but that will lessen as the drug continues to fade from his system. No sign of paralysis in either upper or lower torso.”
Angelique crossed her arms tightly as the doctor took a deep breath, seeming to brace himself. Oh, God. Give us all strength.
Mike barely registered the door opening and the following footsteps as he stared out the window. Or rather, at the one fuzzy area of dark gray in the otherwise complete sea of blackness.
“Hey Babe, how’re you feeling? You need more water?”
“Right about now I’m thinking I could use a shot of something a little stronger. Guess I’ll settle for water.” He reached out suddenly and knocked the glass out of Angelique’s hand. He cursed low in his throat at the sound of water splashing and the bounce of plastic cup upon the tile.
“Oops, looks like we need a little synchronization,” Angel said, trying not to sound as disappointed in him as she obviously was. How could she not be? He was blind, and helpless.
“Angel.”
“Don’t you dare apologize, Mike. I should have let you know I was handing it to you.”
“Just, go home.”
“Wh-What?”
“I said go home. I know you’ve been here the entire time and you need to go home and get some rest. Besides, I need to sort this out in my own mind.”
“Sort what out?”
“This blindness thing and what it means for me and for the rest of my life.”
“I don’t know about you, but the doctor just told Mel and I there’s a good chance your loss of sight is temporary.”
“And all that means is that there’s an equally good chance it’s not.”
“Hey Harper!” Melanie’s voice cut in. “Since when did you become such a pessimistic asshole?”
He swung around to face her, for all the good it did him. “Since I woke up from a coma blind as a fucking bat.”
“Oh no, he dropped the F-Bomb. I’m so scared,” Melanie said, her voice oozing with sarcasm.
“Kiss my ass, Finley,” he growled as she burst into laughter.
“Oh please. You know I’m a crack shot, so give me something a little more challenging. Considering that you’re acting like a complete ass, you make a seriously big target.”
“Why don’t you show some respect and get the hell out of he—”
“Enough!”
Mike’s jaw snapped shut at Angel’s tightly spoken command. He waited, jumping slightly when she spoke again, this time directly in front of him.
“We’re not going to play this game Michael Harper. No one who gives a crap about you is going to leave you alone so you can wallow in self-pity.”
“I’m not wallowing, dammit. I’m just trying to adjust to the fact that I could be like this for the rest of my life.”
“And we’re trying to make you understand that it may only be for a few days,” Mel threw in.
Mike exploded off of the bed. “How the hell do you know?” Dizziness had him grabbing for something to hold on to. Angel’s voice came to him like a song, a gentle melody of compassion and reason to soothe his aching heart.
“Michael, I’m here. I’m with you. I will always be here for you. We will get through this and you will be fine.”
He collapsed onto the bed like a cheap tent in a hurricane. “Okay. Okay. So, maybe I missed some of what the doc said due to the screaming.”
“What screaming?” She brushed his hair back from his forehead.
“The screaming that was going on inside my own head.” He grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth. “I think I need a hug, babe.” He didn’t have to see her to know she was smiling when she answered.
“What’s it worth to you, big boy?”
“Just about anything, but what did you have in mind?” He came the closest he had been to a smile since he’d woken up to a world cloaked in darkness.
She stepped up, wrapping her arms around him as he pulled her close. He lifted his face for a kiss then remembered they may not be alone. “Is Finley still lurking around here?”
“She left after your little temper tantrum a couple of minutes ago.”
“Just as well,” he said, pulling her down for a thorough and much needed kiss before she slipped out of his reach.
“That’s enough, Harper. You hurt more than just your head, you know.”
He tried to flex his right shoulder, winced as pain shot through him. His left wrist was sore as well. “I am sore as all get out, now that you mention it. At least my legs are okay. So tell me,” he said, patting the mattress beside him. “What did the doctor have to say about all this?” He felt the mattress sag as she settled herself next to him, surrounding him with the subtle scent of her perfume.
“Dr. Moore seems confident your sight will return. He’s ordering another MRI to see if anything else shows up, but as the pressure to your optical nerves continues to dissipate your eyesight should begin to return gradually. At this point, they can’t tell to what degree it will return, but they’re putting you on high doses of steroids to speed the healing process.”
“How long does he think it’ll take before we know?” He sensed her choosing her words carefully.
“If it hasn’t begun to come back after two weeks there’s a possibility that it won’t.”
He released his breath in a loud huff. “I can’t accept that.”
Angel spoke in a desperately tight voice. “You’ll accept whatever God has given you, and you will learn to be as grateful as the rest of us are that your life was spared.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Even as he spoke the words she wanted to hear, he held on to the one thought that ran through his mind like a marquee banner. No way…No way in hell would he saddle a woman, any woman, with a blind husband.
CHAPTER 25
“Thanks for the ride, Niki,” Mike told the student nurse returning him to his room.
“No problem, Mr. Mike. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be on duty until six. Heads up. Looks like you have company.”
Mike tilted his head, hearing the clump of boots and the sharp click of a woman’s shoes on the tile. “I’d know the sound of Nash’s size elevens anywhere, but I’m not sure about who’s with him.”
“It’s me, Detective Harper, Sarah Hebert. I’m Liam’s American Express these days. He can’t leave home without me.”
“Hey!” Mike said, generally pleased to hear her voice. “Well, I can’t tell by looking but you sound excellent.”
“I am,” she said. “The LeBlanc’s were a God send, and the twins are crazy about them.”
&nbs
p; “We’re all crazy about them,” Nash added. “How you doing, Injun Joe?”
He shrugged the one shoulder that didn’t hurt like a mofo. “Well enough. Still blind as a mole rat, and I just found out I’ll need shoulder surgery for a seriously torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder, but I’ve been ordered to be thankful for just being alive. So, I’m thankful I’ll be blind and crippled for a while.”
“Fun, fun…”
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Sarah commented. “Your shoulder will heal, and once your eyesight returns, at least you’ll be able to go grocery shopping alone. The difficult part is accepting that sometimes you really do need help.”
Mike nodded, forcing a smile he didn’t feel. “It’s even more difficult when you’re usually the one giving the help.” The uncomfortable silence surrounded them like a vacuum, sucking all the air out of the room.
“Um, mind if I use your restroom?” Sarah asked.
“Go ahead.” Mike waved his hand. “Make yourself at home.” He waited until he’d heard the door close before he spoke again. “So what’s going on with the investigation?”
“They can’t find any sign of her ex, either dead or alive. We have no way of knowing if it’s a setup to throw us off or if it’s legit.”
“And until you know for sure, she can’t be left alone.”
“You got it, Chief.”
“Man that sucks for her, having to be stuck with your ugly mug until this is over with.”
“Pfft. With my good looks and charming personality? I don’t hear her complaining.”
“She will now that she’s seen you next to me. There’s nothing like a side by side comparison to realize she got the bum deal.”
Nash burst into laughter. “You must not have looked in a mirror lately, dude. You look like shit!”
Mike twisted his mouth, waiting for it to hit him. He didn’t have to wait long.
“Oh. Oh, damn, Harper. I’m a dumbass.”
“No arguments here.”
“Really man, I’m sorry about that, but you really do look like shit.”
This time Mike burst into laughter. “Nobody’s said a thing to me but you. How bad is it?”
“Well, you remember that old riddle ‘What’s black and white and red all over’?”
“Yep.”
“Well, that’s you if you add a little green, yellow, and purple to it.”
Mike snorted. “Asshole.”
“Same to you, buddy.”
After a few seconds of laughter, Mike sobered. “If it doesn’t come back, I’m screwed, Nash.”
“It’ll come back. You just had to go and one-up me, didn’t ya? Here I thought I had Angel in the bag with the old falling off the horse act. I knocked myself out for a day and everything. Then you go and land yourself in a week long coma. She’ll be putty in your hands after this.”
“I’ve known that girl long enough to know she wouldn’t base her decision solely on something like this,” Mike said. “Besides, if I don’t get my sight back I’m pulling my name out of the hat.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I thought you loved her more than to hurt her like that.”
“I love her enough not to tie her down to a blind man for the rest of her life.” Mike cleared his throat as Sarah re-entered the room. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
“Yes sir, I understand,” Sarah said, shaking her head at Liam. “Please call me if there’s any change in the situation. Thank you.” She laid the phone gently on the table, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. “Still no sign of him, dead or alive.” She clasped the back of her neck to ease the build-up of tension that always occurred at the thought of Troy.
“He’ll turn up, and if he’s alive, I’ll get him for you. If not, so much the better.”
She let her hands drop to the table. “Sooner or later, you’ll need a normal life again, and I’ll have to learn to live without constantly looking over my shoulder, never knowing if he’ll turn up one day. It’s a depressing thought, but I’ll adjust.”
The sound of the doorbell caught her by surprise and within seconds, her hostess entered the room, followed by a bit of eye candy to lift her dour spirits.
“Look who I found.”
Sarah smiled up at the breathtaking good looks of Tanner Collins. “Oh, hello.” The brilliant smile he gave her had her fighting off a sudden urge to blush like a prepubescent girl. “Are you lost?” Maybe he was looking for Red and Tiffany’s house instead.
“I don’t think so.” He held up two gift bags from an exclusive baby shop in the Lake Coburn Mall. “I came to fulfill my tooth-finding obligations. I got twelve month, is that going to fit?”
“It depends what it is.” She gasped when Tanner reached in the bag and pulled out two of the most adorable outfits she’d ever seen. “Oh. My. Gosh!” She grabbed for them to study the exquisite hand stitched detailing on the two suits, made identically except for the color. “This is going to be perfect on them right now. The pink will be perfect on Sammi and that light green looks so good on Danni.” She clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait for them to wake up.” Tanner’s face exhibited genuine disappointment.
“They’re sleeping already?” He looked at his watch, frowning. “Isn’t it kind of early?”
Leah laughed. “Not for the night, silly. It’s their afternoon nap. They should be up soon, though.”
As though planned, first one squeal, then another travelled through the hallway from the nursery.
Tanner’s eyes widened in delight as Leah headed for the babies.
Sarah held up the outfits. “Let’s go see how these look on them.”
He swept out his arm with a flourish. “Ladies first,” he said, following her down the hallway.
Sarah paused just inside the doorway. “Hey, my babies. Did you have a good nap?” She walked up to one crib where a curly topped Danni grinned sleepily at her with upraised arms. “Come here sweet girl.” She lifted the child easily and held her close as she covered her face with soft kisses. She turned toward Sammi, all cuddled up with Leah, and showered her face with kisses, turning the child into a single, stump-toothed, bundle of grins and giggles.
Sarah pivoted, searching for Tanner and froze at the look of unadulterated awe on his face. “Are you okay?”
He stammered his reply. “Yeah, I’m just-I-I’ve never seen babies just waking up before.”
“Really? What do you think?”
“It’s kind of amazing. I didn’t think they could get any cuter than they already were.”
“Wow. That is one great answer.” Leah handed a baby over to him. “Here’s your prize.”
Tanner took hold of Sammi and held her out in front of him, as though he wasn’t quite sure what to do with her. The two stared at one another, both smiling, sizing each other up. Sarah knew the second her daughter’s face turned red what she was trying to accomplish. Before she could open her mouth to warn Tanner, Sammi gave one loud grunt and released a liquified diaper full.
One package disposable diapers: $10.00
Generic baby wipes: $2.00
Boudreaux’s Baby Butt Cream: $3.00
The look on bachelor doctor’s face at his first poop-filled diaper: Priceless.
“Good God!” Tanner’s cry came deep from his diaphragm.
Sarah attempted, but failed, to keep her amusement to a minimum as he held her child out and away from him. The look on his face said that if his arms had been two feet longer, he’d have used every inch.
Leah didn’t even try to hold back her snort of laughter. “Eat, sleep, and poop, in that order, Tanner. We have a rule around here. Whoever’s holding them when they poop gets to change the diaper. Lucky you.”
If Sarah had bet that Tanner’s expression couldn’t possibly have turned anymore horrified than it already was, she would have lost. She handed Danni over to Leah and reached out for Sammi. “Let me have her.”
“But, the rule.”
“I wouldn’t hold you to that. This one could scar you for life.” She smiled as he gratefully handed over her daughter. To his credit, he stayed at her side and watched her change Sammi’s diaper, despite the greenish hue of his face.
She cast another glance in his direction and giggled as she pulled the diaper’s second Velcro tab tight. “You aren’t going to pass out or anything, are you Doctor Collins?.”
He turned his head to take a breath then faced her, frowning slightly. “I’m a brain surgeon, Sarah. I never deal with that particular end of a patient.”
She laughed and raised Sammi’s shirt over her had then kissed her daughter’s belly. “Well, he doesn’t know what he’s missing out on, huh Sweet Pea?” The infant broke into a fit of belly laughs that had all three adults chuckling along with her.
“Let’s see how these girls look in their new threads.” Sarah and Leah proceeded to change the babies into the clothes Tanner bought for them.
Once the babies were all snapped and buttoned, they sat them up in their new duds.
“Look at that.” Tanner beamed, clearly pleased at how they looked in his gift.
“Adorable, and perfect fits. You have wonderful taste, Tanner,” Leah exclaimed.
“I picked up a few other items for them. I hope you don’t mind. The saleswoman at the shop informed me that accessories are a girl’s best friend.” He placed another bag on the bed containing two sets of elastic headbands and tiny pink and light green cowboy boots, every item a perfect match with their new dresses.
“If the boots don’t fit, I can exchange them for you. That saleswoman guessed at the size, according to their ages.”
The accessories drew squeals of delight from both women as they gushed over them.
“They should fit.” Leah compared the boots to the girls’ chubby feet. She pulled them on over their socks.
Sarah contained their abundance of golden curls in the headbands. “Pictures! We’ve got to take pictures of this.”
“This is too adorable.” Leah scooped up Danni to support her in a standing position.
“Look at this. My little cowgirls love their boots.” Sarah picked up Sammi and lifted her to face Tanner. “Girls, say ‘Thank you, Doc Collins.’”