Alex’s lip curled up. Swallowing hard he let a tear fall to the side of his bruised face. “I remember now. She was just a kid, barely ten years old.” His voice cracked.
“She was twelve. You did the best that you could, more than any of us did. You can’t let it get to you,” the chief said, walking over to the bed to stand over him. “The most important thing is that you get well. Thank God, Jesus and all the Saints that you’re alive.”
Alex tried to adjust in the bed but realized that he was incapable of moving himself. “What’s wrong with me?” he asked, pushing up on his elbows. His heart began to race.
“Calm down, baby,” Charlie said, rubbing his arm.
“Broken leg, broken arm, shattered knee, internal bleeding that they were able to stop, concussion. You took a beating. But Charlie has been here the entire time and your folks are right outside of the door,” Chief said, slipping on his cap. “I’ll go and let your mom know that you’re awake. I think that she finally went down to get some food from the cafeteria.”
“Thanks, Chief,” Alex said, stretching out his fingers.
“Awh, hell boy. I love you like my own damned son. I’m just glad that you’re recoverable,” he said, raising his furry brow. “Charlie, do you need anything?”
Charlie shook her head and muttered, “No. Thanks, Chief,” before she looked back down at her broken fiancé. “I’m so proud of you.” Leaning closer to him, she kissed his lips. “I’m so very proud of you.”
“For what? She’s dead. Didn’t you just hear him? She’s dead,” Alex repeated, eyes watering again.
“But baby, you did all that you could. You always do.” Charlie’s heart ached for him. Alex had always been so passionate about his job. Plus, she knew about the nightmares and the flashbacks he still had from 9/11, which seemed to make each new occurrence of death that much harder for him to handle.
“I don’t want you to feel sorry for me,” Alex said, fighting back his tears. Wiping his face with the hand that presently had an IV sticking out of it, he straightened up a little more. “The people who should be crying are the family members of that girl, not me.”
“But honey, it’s okay to grieve,” Charlie said, feeling him put his wall back up.
“I’ll be fine,” Alex said, closing off. Reaching over, he touched her hand and nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
Charlie nodded back, hiding her worry behind a soft smile. Hearing the familiar voice of his mother behind him, she wiped her eyes and turned. “Maria,” she said, stepping out of the way. “He’s finally up.”
“Praise Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” Maria said, moving to stand beside Charlie by the bed. “It’s so good to see my baby boy’s bright brown eyes again.”
“Ma, you act like I was unconscious for a year,” Alex said with a chuckle. Although he didn’t feel like perking up, he did so to make her feel better.
Maria couldn’t help but laugh. “But it seemed like a lifetime. Your father and I have been praying the rosary for six hours.”
“What a good Catholic you are,” Alex taunted as she bent to kiss him.
Maria made the sign of the cross over her body. “Aye, some body has been praying for you. This is why you are alive. Intercessory prayer works every time.”
Charlie stepped back from the two to give them room to talk as the rest of his brothers, father, family members and fellow firemen tried to get their chance to get inside the room. “I’m just going to step out for a bit,” Charlie said, walking to the door.
“Well, hun, you don’t have to go,” Maria said waving her back.
“No, there is only like two people allowed at a time. I’ll be here all night, so I’ll give everyone else a chance to get in and see him,” Charlie said softly. She looked over at Alex and smiled again.
“Isn’t she a sweetheart?” Maria said proudly. “My soon-to-be daughter.” Turning back to her son, she reached in her purse and pulled out a Tupperware container. “I snuck in a bowl of black beans and rice for you.”
“Ma, I can’t eat,” Alex said, smelling the delicious aroma as she opened up the lid. He quickly changed his mind. “Well, maybe just a little bit.”
His brother, Jesus, chimed in quickly as he walked in and took off his cap. “Ma, I don’t think he’s supposed to be eating.”
“Why not? He’s not having any more surgeries, and he has to be starving,” she said in a high pitched voice. “He’s going to get skinny if he doesn’t eat.”
“He won’t die if he misses a meal,” Jesus said, rolling his eyes. “I should eat it for him.”
“Boy, all you do is eat,” Alex’s father, Pedro said, moving closer to his son. He bent to kiss his head. “Good to have you back.” His father gazed into his son’s eyes with bright hope.
“Good to be back, pa,” Alex said with a nod.
Charlie slipped out of the ruckus and slowly made her way down the hallway to grab some coffee and try to wake up. Still in the same clothes and using the hospital bathroom to take quick bird baths, she made the situation work.
Since Alex had been admitted, she had not gone home once, hadn’t gone to the office, hadn’t left his side. The team at Sophie’s Choice had already visited and sent their love and was totally understanding of her absence. And the deal with Dane Withersby was smoothly underway thanks to Frank. However, her life was in complete disarray because even though Alex was finally conscious, she worried for his mental state during his upcoming, uphill recovery.
Aimlessly, she walked in a daze through the winding, sterile halls lined with halogen lights and linoleum floors until she reached the airy cafeteria, where a rush of breakfast goers were moving about the busy place grabbing a bite to eat before they reported to work or after they got off.
Huddles of visitors were gathered a various tables wearing the same tired face that she was wearing. She made eye contact with some of them, speaking through unspoken, paused blinks that verged on mini-naps. The consensus of the room was that someone well-loved was in trouble, and they weren’t leaving until their loved ones got much better. Like Charlie, these people were here for the long haul, doing shifts to fluff pillows, lift heads, wipe mouths, pray and stay.
After grabbing a bagel, some strong Columbian coffee and little cream cheese, she sat down alone in a corner booth and slumped down in the chair. Being off of her feet for a moment felt nice, especially in heels, so she took the opportunity to push her feet out of them and wiggle her defenseless toes.
With her elbow hitched up on the table holding up her chin in her cupped hand, she played with her food and began to nod.
“Didn’t anyone every tell you not to play with your food,” a voice said from above her.
Charlie looked up startled. She knew that voice. Instant adrenaline ran through her body. “What are you doing here?” she asked, hating herself for looking so treacherous.
Sully took a seat across from her, looking like he had just walked off the front cover of a magazine. They were polar opposites at the moment, because she looked like she had just walked off the front of a wanted poster.
“I came to see how you were doing, how Alex was doing and if you all needed anything,” Sully said, wiping the table off with his hand.
It was a habit of his to clean everything. She was certain that he didn’t even realize that he was doing it.
“Are you sure you didn’t come to see if I had changed my mind?” she asked, narrowing her eyes on him as she picked up the coffee and put the cup to her mouth.
“Ouch. That hurt,” Sully said, frowning. “No. Like I said, I came to see how you guys were doing. I sent over flowers. Did you get them?”
“Yes,” Charlie said, letting down her guard. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful.” She wiped her tired eyes and smirked. “Sorry for being bitchy. That was rude of me. I just haven’t really slept or taken a hot bath or anything and I think I’m just stressed out.”
“You have every right to be,” Sully consoled. “This has to be a very d
ifficult time for both of you.” He noted the dark circles under her eyes. “Is there anything that I can do for you, Charlie? Anything to make this a little easier?”
“I wish you could,” she said, sipping the coffee slowly. “But unless you have a magic wand to make Alex better…” her eyes watered. “He’s just been through so much, and now this.” She wiped her tears quickly.
“Keep praying for him,” Sully said, reaching out to touch her hand. “Just keep praying and asking God for what you need. He listens and He delivers.”
Charlie was taken aback by his comment. She had never really heard him mention God before. It was comforting. Those simple words spoke volumes to her heart. Smiling, she clenched his hand tight. “Thank you, Sully. Really.”
Her eyes were warm and languid, like a sunset on a black sand beach, and Sully felt the need to hug her and make her feel safe again, but he could not. She belonged to someone else…someone good. Even he had to admit that, but it didn’t stop the rush of emotions that had come over him since he had seen her at the gala. It definitely didn’t stop his dream of having a child with her, but it did stop his actions. She needed him right now to be a neutral zone, not pushing and prodding for his own self-interests.
Charlie slowly pulled her hands back and placed them in her lap. “You know, Alex lost one testicle in the accident.”
Sully bucked his eyes. He wasn’t expecting that as a comeback. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, squinting his eyes. “Is he going to be able to function okay?”
“The doctor seems to think so. We can still have children. But it got me to thinking about something,” she said, looking around to make sure that no one could hear them.
She continued. “When I thought that he couldn’t have children, I just felt like a major part of our lives was snatched away from us. The thought was agonizing. So, it got me to thinking about you and your request.” She leaned closer to him. “I had a glimpse of what it would be like for you to lose your dream, Sully.”
Sully couldn’t respond. If she still turned him down, he would be crushed, but he could not let on too early how prematurely excited he was about the fact that she might be sitting in this noisy cafeteria agreeing to be the mother of his child.
Charlie realized Sully was type lipped for the moment and continued. “So, I’m going to do it. I’m gonna…give you my eggs. We just have to keep this between us, no matter what. If Alex ever found out…” She shook her head forebodingly at him but didn’t finish her statement. He knew what she was saying.
“He won’t. No one will.” He reached over and touched her hand. “Words cannot adequately express…”
“I can’t say that I’m not concerned about a few things: you being a single father, you raising an interracial child, you having to tell her or him about how she or he came about,” she heaved a heavy sigh. “These things really bother me, Sully. But I trust that you will handle this situation with the utmost care. You will in your own way strive for rights for interracial children and adequately support the IVF initiative of Sophie’s Choice.”
“I will do any and everything that you tell me,” Sully said with a blissful smile.
“Good, because if you don’t…” She didn’t quite know what to threaten him with but she tried to give him the sternest eye possible. “I’ll rip your balls off, and not just one…both.”
Sully couldn’t help but laugh. In the back of his mind, while tragic, he would always know that Charlie was only getting half of Alex, even when he gave her his all. Suppressing a naughty grin, he moved on. “So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, do you mind if I have breakfast with you?”
“You promise not to ask me for anything else today,” she asked before he took off his coat.
“Promise, cross my heart and not my fingers,” he said with a smile.
83
The Contingency Plan
Chapter 5
On a crisp, sunny Sunday afternoon with not a cloud in the bluest of skies, the Mendoza/Meadows apartment was packed with well-wishers, bearing gifts and singing praises. To say that it was a joyous occasion was an understatement with firemen from across the city there to receive home a nearly fallen colleague and nearly half the Bronx there to cheer one of their own.
When Alex arrived home from Jacobi hospital, he was absolutely overwhelmed. It had been a long month and half of recovery and rehab for him, but he was back on his feet (with the help of crutches of course) and in good spirits again. He knew that each day moved him closer to returning to the firehouse and closer to doing the job that he had grown to love.
With Charlie at his side, they moved past all the family and friends who lavished them both with hugs and kisses to the dining room table where a huge cake awaited him. “Welcome Home Alex” was painted on the large cake with a little boy wearing a fireman’s hat and Dalmatian pulling at the boy’s diaper.
It was a glorious celebration, one that meant he had survived yet another storm in his life, but he could not have done it without Charlie. Leaning down, he kissed her on her cheek and grabbed her left hand, holding on to the finger that boasted his engagement ring.
“Thanks everyone,” he said as the ruckus calmed down. “I’ll tell you right now that I’m a lucky man. There isn’t a person in this room who hasn’t come to visit or called with an encouraging word, and I want you to know I’ll remember each and every one of you for it. My family and friends have truly been good to me. Ma has broken every rule in the Jacobi Hospital guidebook by smuggling in hundreds of Puerto Rican dishes, my bros brought me all my muscle magazines so I could stay motivated and keep this six pack, and well, Charlie has been there to remind me that there is plenty more in this life to look forward to…like kids and marriage, which as you know will happen for us very soon.”
“Hopefully not in that order!” one of his friends, Mason, from the fire department screamed out.
Everyone laughed.
“You got that right,” Alex said, winking at Charlie. “But I guess what I’m saying is that I know that I’m blessed. And I just thank you all for everything. And I can’t wait to get off these crutches and race this beautiful woman down the aisle and make her my wife.”
“Amen, because shacking up is against God’s law,” his mother said with a smirk.
“Leave it to Ma to find a way to lecture us,” his brother, Mario said shaking his head. “She means well, bro.”
“Hey, you gotta love her,” Alex said with a grin.
With such a heartfelt statement, Charlie couldn’t help but kiss him. In front of everyone, the normally stand-offish young executive wrapped her arms around her fiancé and planted a large, passionate kiss on him. “I love you,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“I love you too,” Alex professed. “Always, Charlie.”
“Way to go, Mendoza!” another fireman said, lifting his beer. “To Alex and Charlie!”
The crowd erupted. “To Alex and Charlie!”
Still gazing in his eyes, Charlie finally pulled herself from his embrace and looked around. All eyes were on them and for once, she didn’t mind. It was probably because being alone without Alex had been one of the hardest things that she endured in a very long time. She had missed his company, his companionship, his presence in her life, and those little quirks of his.
She spent most of her time at the hospital with him or at the office working, because being at home felt so wrong, but now that he was here again, she was certain that she would never question whether they were meant to be again.
***
The clinic was cold, outside of everything else that was happening at that very moment, all that Sully could think about was that his friend’s freaking clinic was cold, ice cold, bone-chilling cold. Heaving a heavy breath, he crossed his long graceful legs and looked over at his host, Diane, with a smug smile. She didn’t bother to reciprocate. After working for him for nearly five years at the DLC, she knew his mood swings. He was skittish, nervous and agitating the
shit out of her at the very moment.
She rolled her eyes and yawned.
“Why don’t you just have one of those bottled waters over there on the table? He’ll be here in a moment,” she said, smirking at him.
“I can’t drink anything. I feel like I’m going to puke,” Sully said, uncrossing his leg. “Why do they have it so cold in here?” He looked over at her and realized that she was giving him that look again – the one where she knitted her brows and stared at him like if she looked mean enough he would simultaneously combust.
“It’s not cold,” she said, raising her brow at him. “You need more iron in your diet. That’s all.”
“Maybe you’re right or maybe you’re just…pregnant,” he said, wishing hopefully that the process had worked.
The door opened and his friend emerged. “Hello, folks.” He closed the door behind him, clipboard in-hand, white smock coat covering his green scrubs. Hitting Sully on the back, he took a seat behind his perfectly cleaned desk and pushed his seat up.
“Cut the crap. Are we preggers or not?” Sully asked, pushing up to the end of his seat.
“Isn’t he a gentleman?” Diane joked. “Please, doc, just tell him. He’s been on pins and needles for over a week. He’s driving me insane.”
“You’re pregnant,” Dr. Haggard confirmed with a grin. “Congrats.” It was not the way that he usually broke the news but with Sully, there was no other way. The pomp and circumstance would not happen until the baby was born, but for now, he’d just hold his breath and wait.
“Yes!” Sully said, clapping his hands together.
“Yep. You guys did it,” Dr. Haggard said, adjusting his silver wire rim glasses on his crooked nose.
“No, you did it,” Sully corrected. “And in nine months, I’ll be a father.”
“Well, regular checkups will be needed with your OBGYN back in D.C,” Dr. Haggard began.
Sully cut him off. “I’ve already bought a house in Norfolk. Diane and her husband will be staying there until the baby is born, and then I’ll move in and they’ll move out.”
The Contingency Plan (The Lonely Heart Series) Page 7