He wanted to be her strength, but he wasn’t sure he knew how. Until she told him what she needed from him, he would watch over her. He’d make sure she rested and he’d try to get her to eat. But most importantly, he would just be there for her.
Hours passed and eventually Simon began to stir. It started with the twitch of a hand and a little moan, and then a few minutes later, his eyes fluttered open. Violet gasped and cried what Tiraz assumed were happy tears. His throat felt tight and his own eyes watered a little as he looked at that precious face.
“Where am I?” Simon asked.
“You’re in the hospital, sweetie,” Violet said. “You were really sick.”
“Can I go home now?” Simon asked.
“Not yet.” Violet took Simon’s hand. “But Momma and Daddy are here with
you. Uncle Gryf is in the waiting room.”
Simon’s gaze clashed with Tiraz’s. “Can I have Bear-bear?”
“I’ll go ask Uncle Gryf where Bear-bear is. He might still be at Uncle Gryf’s house, but we’ll get him for you. Okay?”
Simon nodded.
Tiraz squeezed Violet’s shoulder. “I’m going to stop at the nurse’s station and let them know he’s awake and then I’ll ask Gryf about Bear-bear. If we have to go get him, we’ll return as soon as we can.”
Violet looked up at him, panic in her eyes. “You’re leaving us?”
“If you want me to stay, I’m sure Gryf will go get the bear. But I need to go to the waiting room to speak to him. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, looking a little relieved before she turned back toward Simon. Tiraz walked around the other side of the bed and brushed a kiss against Simon’s forehead.
The boy smiled up at him and Tiraz felt his heart turn over. How was it possible to love someone so much, someone who hadn’t been in your life for very long?
Pulling away, he stopped by the nurse’s station and then went in search of Gryf.
His brother looked haggard as he sat in what had to be the most uncomfortable looking chair Tiraz had ever seen, but there was hope in his eyes when he looked up.
“Simon is awake,” Tiraz said.
Gryf bolted to his feet. “Does he feel like having company?”
“Well, I’m sure he would love to see you, but he’s asking for someone else right now.”
Gryf nodded. “Of course.”
“The person he’s asking for is Bear-bear. I don’t suppose he’s in your car?”
“He’s at home. Simon threw up on him and I tossed him in the washing machine.
I never did get a chance to dry him, but I can go home, do that, and then bring him here.”
“Why don’t you do that? By the time you come back, I’m sure Simon will be up to some company. Right now, he’s visiting with Violet, and the doctors will probably want to check him out. With any luck, we’ll have the results from some of his tests back soon. Maybe we’ll know what’s going on by the time you get back.”
“I’ll try to hurry. Tell Simon I’ll bring Bear-bear, but he had to take a bath.”
Tiraz smiled. “I’ll go tell him now. Maybe you should take a nap while the bear dries. You look like you could use a little sleep.”
Gryf nodded, clapped him on the shoulder, and then walked away. Tiraz went
back to Simon’s room and found the doctor speaking with Violet. He didn’t want to interrupt, but listened intently.
“The CT scan we did of his torso came back clean,” the doctor said. “Which is excellent. We were worried about possible tumors in the stomach or gall bladder. The blood tests came back as well.”
The doctor paused and Tiraz felt his stomach tightening in preparation for
whatever he had to say. Judging by Violet’s stricken look, she was expecting the worst as well.
“There are no indications of anything as severe as cancer, but it did come back positive for both bacterial and viral infections. The bacterial infection probably caused his fever and I’m guessing the virus is what caused him to vomit.” The doctor shifted on his feet. “The bad news is that we don’t know why we nearly lost Simon, so we’d like to keep him a few days just to make sure everything is okay. We’re going to treat the bacterial infection, but the viral infection will just have to burn itself out.”
“But he’s going to be okay?” Violet asked. “You can cure him?”
“We can cure the infection,” the doctor said. “But if there’s something we’ve missed that caused his heart to stop earlier, then that’s another story. If he continues to improve over the next two days, then I don’t see why he couldn’t go home at that time.”
It wasn’t quite what Tiraz wanted to hear, and he knew Violet didn’t either, but at least it was promising. With any luck, whatever caused Simon to die for those few short minutes was an anomaly and wouldn’t happen again.
The doctor walked out and Tiraz went to Violet, pulling her into his arms. Simon lay sleeping peacefully in the bed, and he supposed that was for the best. He’d always heard that rest was the best way to heal when you were sick, and it was probably doubly true for small children.
“You should eat.”
She shook her head. “I’ll have something later.”
Tiraz let it rest, but he knew she had to be starving, even if she was too stubborn to admit it. The fear had probably taken her appetite, but it didn’t mean her body didn’t need the nourishment. If she didn’t eat lunch, he’d have to come up with something to convince her to eat at least a sandwich. Maybe Simon could talk her into it.
Chapter Nine
Three days after Simon went to the hospital, the doctor’s released him to go home. The bacterial infection wasn’t completely gone, but Simon no longer had a fever and he would go home on antibiotics. The viral infection had run its course and he was able to eat and drink without throwing up. It still troubled Violet that they didn’t know why his heart had stopped, but it hadn’t happened again, for which she was eternally grateful. Perhaps their prayers had worked.
When they entered the penthouse, with Tiraz carrying Simon and Simon
carrying Bear-bear, it felt like they’d been gone weeks instead of days. Tiraz had come home each night to shower, change clothes, and bring back something for Violet. She’d refused to eat until she’d known for certain that Simon was on the mend and it had cost her dearly. She’d almost ended up in the hospital as well, after a fainting spell that had apparently scared Tiraz and sent the nurses running to her aid.
Tiraz put Simon on the couch, covered him with a blanket, and put on a movie for him. Violet leaned down and brushed a kiss against her son’s cheek.
“Do you want anything?” she asked.
“I want you and baby to sit with me,” Simon said.
Violet’s eyes widened. “Baby?”
Simon nodded. “I heard Daddy talking to the nurse lady at the hospital. She told him you fainted because of the baby. Why didn’t you tell me, Momma?”
Tears gathered in Violet’s eyes. “I was worried you would be upset.”
Simon clutched her hand and she knelt beside him. “Momma, I’ve always
wanted a brother or sister, and now Daddy and you are giving me one. Why would I be upset?”
Sometimes her son was wise beyond his years, and he was always surprising her.
She blinked back her tears and cleared her throat before sitting down next to him on the couch, her hand still clutched in his small one.
“It’s just been the two of us for a long time. I know you’ve accepted Daddy into our lives, but I was worried that you might not want to share our attention with a brother or sister. Things will be different with a baby in the house. Babies require a lot of attention.”
Simon smiled. “But we’ll be a real family, won’t we? All of my friends at school have a brother or sister, and now I will too.”
It eased her mind, knowing that Simon was happy about the baby. Now that she wasn’t worried her son was going to die at any moment, she c
ould admit that she was getting excited as well. At first, she’d been angry with Tiraz for deceiving her, even though she didn’t think that had been his intent. She couldn’t fault him for wanting to enlarge their family; she just wished he’d asked first.
Kissing Simon’s cheek, she got up and went to find Tiraz. The kitchen was
empty, but as she passed the office she heard papers shuffling. With the toe of her foot, she eased the door open. Tiraz was so focused he didn’t even hear her step into the room. A glance at the papers in his hand, and she realized he was completing the forms to officially adopt Simon and make him his son in every way.
“Simon’s resting,” she said softly and his gaze jerked up to meet hers.
“I was just finishing these and then I’m going to get them to my lawyer. The courier is supposed to arrive at any moment to pick them up. I don’t know how long it will take before Simon is officially mine, but as far as I’m concerned, he already is.”
“What are we going to do about the hospital bill?” she asked.
“I paid a portion of it already, while you were getting Simon ready to come
home, but I can’t lie… we owe a lot. The lady I spoke with said we could make a payment arrangement to get the rest taken care of. She asked about insurance, but I remembered you saying you didn’t have any.” He took her hand. “I have the money to cover it, but to pay it all at once would put a large dent in my checking account. The bill is over one hundred thousand. I want you to let me worry about paying it off and you just focus on Simon, you, and the baby.”
“I applied for government assistance, and insurance was one of the forms I
completed, but I never heard back.”
Tiraz stood and pulled her against him. “Don’t worry about it, Violet. We’ll figure things out. If we have to pay it off a little at a time, then that’s what we’ll do.
Worst case scenario, I ask my family back home for some help. My father is…I suppose you would call him a politician, and I know he has the funds. I’m sure he would be happy to help his new grandson.”
Violet kissed him softly. “Thank you for being there for me. I know you didn’t want to leave every time I sent you home for a while, but I appreciate the alone time with Simon, and everything else you did for me. I’m sorry I refused to eat and scared you when I fainted.”
“The nurse said I needed to keep you fed and calm. She said that if you didn’t take care of yourself, especially this first trimester, there was a chance you could lose the baby.”
Violet cuddled closer to him. “I promise I’ll do better. What about our
wedding?”
“Let’s focus on your health and Simon’s for now. We can get married anytime.”
She smiled up at him. “Does that mean I can have a real wedding when it’s time?
Obviously, before the baby is born, so you can add us to your insurance, but could I maybe have a month to plan things out? Get a dress, find a chapel…that sort of thing.”
“I was rushing you before, wasn’t I?”
“A little,” she admitted. “It’s not that I mind having a rushed wedding, because I’d love to be able to call you my husband, but ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed about walking down the aisle in a white dress and exchanging rings in front of my friends and family.”
Tiraz tucked her hair behind her ear. “Do you think if we invited your parents they would come?”
“I don’t know where they are, other than Florida,” she said softly. “They don’t want me to find them, and they’ll never accept Simon. It would be painful and confusing for him to see them.”
Tiraz smiled a little. “I think it’s important for a boy to know his grandparents, so if your parents aren’t up to the task, I suppose I’ll just have to invite mine.”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. “You think they’d come all this way for our wedding? And they’ll accept Simon? He’s completely human.”
Tiraz kissed her then hugged her tightly. “I promise they’re going to love both of you. Now, you go curl up on the couch with Simon and I’ll get these papers taken care of. I want you to relax tonight, so don’t worry about dinner. We’ll let Simon decide what we eat and I’ll order it and either have it delivered or go pick it up.”
“I love you,” she whispered before brushing a kiss against his jaw and then she went back to the living room to snuggle with their son.
Epilogue
One month later
Violet fidgeted with her veil as she stared at her reflection in the oval mirror.
Butterflies were rioting in her stomach and her hands trembled. She looked at the woman standing behind her and tears pricked her eyes. Tiraz’s mother, Mynori, had been wonderful. She’d welcomed Simon with open arms and a grandmotherly smile, and had called Violet her daughter at their first meeting. Even though her own parents couldn’t be present, Violet no longer felt like something was missing from her life.
“Are you nervous?” Mynori asked.
“I’m nervous about tripping over my hem and landing on my face, but I’m not
nervous about marrying Tiraz. I love him, and I want this more than anything.”
“You make a beautiful bride, but you’re missing something.”
Violet scanned her reflection from head to toe. Veil, dress, shoes… Tiraz had taken her engagement ring the week before to have a wedding band made to fit it, but she knew he planned to give it back during the ceremony, when he slid the wedding band on her finger.
“What’s missing?” she asked.
Mynori held up a necklace of amber and turquois colored gems. “This. It
belonged to my mother, who received it on her wedding day as a gift from her parents.
My mother then gave it to me on my wedding day, and now, I’m giving it to you. I know you were worried that we wouldn’t accept you, but the moment I saw you, I knew you were the daughter of my heart. I would be honored if you would accept the necklace and wear it on your special day.”
Tears pricked Violet’s eyes and she nodded while sniffling. “I don’t know what to say, Mynori. Mother.”
Mynori’s eyes teared and she hugged Violet tightly. “You’ve already said what I wanted to hear most.”
With the necklace clasped around her neck, Violet looked in the mirror once
more. She was more than ready for her wedding day. She took a shaky breath and smiled at her almost mother-in-law. Mynori walked with her to the chapel’s front doors, where Sirys, Tiraz’s father, was waiting for her. Since her own father was not present to walk her down the aisle, Sirys had agreed to do it. Actually, it had been his idea, and he’d seemed thrilled about it.
She looped her arm through his and as the chapel doors opened, the wedding
march began. Tiraz stood at the front of the chapel, a huge smile on his face as he watched her walk down the aisle. As she drew nearer to him, her heart began to race as she realized she about to become his wife. All of her dreams were coming true and her emotions nearly overwhelmed her.
Sirys handed her over to Tiraz and they faced the minister.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Tiraz
Alfilan and Violet Wilcox.”
Violet tuned out the minister as she stared up at Tiraz. In his eyes, she saw love, devotion, and a promise that their future would be wonderful and full of possibilities.
The minister cleared his throat and she blushed, realizing she was supposed to say her line.
“I do.”
The minister smiled. “And Tiraz, do you take Violet to be your wife? To have and to hold in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
“I do.” He smiled down at her. “I definitely do.”
The audience laughed and Violet smiled even wider.
“Do you have the rings?” the minister asked.
Simon trotted forward with the rings on a little pillow. After the rings were exchanged, and Violet was able to kiss her husb
and for the first time, their friends and family went wild. It sounded more like a wild party than a wedding as Tiraz led her back up the aisle then scooped her into his arms and carried her to the waiting limo.
Mynori had offered to keep an eye on Simon, which meant they were free to
enjoy their day alone. Their guests would go to a nearby hotel to kick up their heels and party for a while, but Tiraz had insisted no one would notice if they were there or not.
Part of her wanted to cut her wedding cake and dance with her husband, but the thought of having him all to herself was just too good to pass up.
At the penthouse, he carried her over the threshold and kicked the door shut, twisting the locks into place.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Alfilan.”
She giggled. “Did you know that, until today, I didn’t even know your last name, or if you even had one?”
Tiraz laughed with her. “We generally don’t use our last names, except in special ceremonies, like our wedding. But you may use your new last name whenever you please. And if you prefer, I can start using it as well. I want to give you everything you want, Violet. I want to make your dreams come true.”
She tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him, her lips softly pressing to his. “You already have,” she whispered. “You’ve given me a home, a father for my son, a man that I love more than my next breath, a new baby to love and cuddle…and you’ve given me the promise of tomorrow.”
“I love you, Violet.”
“I love you.” She smiled. “Now, whatever shall we do with all this free time we suddenly have?”
Tiraz laughed. “I have an idea or two, sweet wife…and they all start in the
bedroom.”
Violet snuggled into her husband’s embrace as he carried her down the hall and toward their bright, new beginning. When she’d walked into the dating agency over a month ago, she’d hoped to find someone she could tolerate, someone who would be good to Simon and claim him as a son. But with Tiraz, she had found so much more, and she would be thankful every day for the rest of her life. She didn’t just have the things she’d asked for—she had her fairy tale.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Violet And Her Alien Matchmaker Page 11