“Are you sure you’re all right?” she quietly asked while he drew her jacket off her shoulders.
His hands stilled for a second against her arms, the effect sending a tremor along the length of her spine. She heard him take a deep breath, and then he pulled her jacket away, leaving her feeling bereft.
“I think so,” he said as he hung up the garment. His eyes met hers. “In fact, I think I’m finally going to be okay.”
Unsure of what he meant by that, she gave him a smile and followed him through to where Jack and Thomas sat, the TV already turned on and ready while Jack rifled shamelessly through Pierce’s DVD collection.
“It’s not there.” Pierce said, grabbing Jack’s attention. The moment he turned, Pierce picked up a parcel from a side table and tossed it to Jack. “Feel free to unwrap it while I get the popcorn ready. Drinks?”
“Just some water for me,” Thomas said.
Jack gave him an odd look. “I’ll have a beer if you don’t mind.”
“Sure thing.” Pierce turned to Sarah. “How about you?”
She gave a light shrug. “I don’t know. Why don’t I come with you and see what there is?”
Nodding, he went on through to the kitchen with Sarah following close behind. “There’s not much of a choice really.” He opened the fridge. “Orange juice, Soda…milk…”
Straightening, he gave her a mild smile that somehow reached inside her chest and pulled at her heart. “I…err…” She glanced at the fridge.
“I could also open a bottle of wine for you.”
“Oh. Sure. That would be great.” Stepping out of the way so he could pass, she couldn’t help but sigh in response to the spicy cologne that hugged his skin. It wasn’t the first time she’d noticed it, but it was the first time it stirred her senses to this degree.
A little unsettled by it, she studied Pierce as he opened a cupboard and pulled out a couple of wine bottles. “Red or white?” he asked.
“The red,” she said, her gaze straying to his hands as he worked on uncorking the bottle. “I’m sorry for being so distant lately.” She wasn’t sure why, but the need to address the recent distance between them was too strong to be ignored.
His hands stilled for a second, and he glanced toward her, the smile slipping for just a second. But then he resumed his task and gave a slight nod. “You don’t have to explain.”
“I know, but I’d like to.” No matter how difficult it would be with her heart thumping and her stomach fluttering in the most unsettling way. “You see, the thing is…” She took a deep breath and tried to ignore her trembling hands. “I really like you, Pierce but I know you’re still struggling with the loss of your wife and…” Her cheeks heated and she looked away, embarassed and nervous and more unsure of herself than ever before. “I like you so much that being near you without any chance of you feeling the same is too difficult to bear.”
A long pause followed and then she felt his hand on her cheek. His thumb brushed her skin before moving beneath her chin and tilting it up so her eyes met his. The longing she felt in her heart was reflected in his gaze, and Sarah’s breath caught. Slowly, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, hesitated for a second as if considering something, then took a step back.
“Caroline left a letter for me.” He went back to opening the wine, leaving Sarah completely bereft. The cork popped free and he reached for a glass. “I didn’t read it until today.” He pointed to something behind her. “Can you hand me the popcorn, please?”
She did so, her mind more jumbled than it had been a few seconds earlier. Her body still hummed from the intimate touch of his hand. Hoping he’d tell her more, she waited for him to put the popcorn in the microwave before saying, “That’s why you looked so devastated when we arrived.”
Turning, he stood with his back to the counter and met her gaze. “It wasn’t easy to read, which is why I probably looked a bit shattered, but I do think it has given me the ability to move on with my life.” Reaching for her hand, he held it gently in his own. “It might take a few days for me to process Caroline’s message, but if you can be patient with me, Sarah, I’d like to try and be more than just friends with you.” His eyes met hers and the edge of his mouth kicked up, accentuating his handsome features. “You’re not the only one who’s developed feelings.” And then, before Sarah could determine what he was planning to do, he leaned forward and kissed her.
It was brief and friendly and not the least bit romantic, but it still sent frissons darting across her skin and left her feeling slightly breathless. The microwave beeped, drawing Pierce’s attention. Sarah touched her fingertips to her lips while he continued preparing everyone’s snacks as if that hadn’t just happened.
Granting her a quick look, he piled drinks and popcorn onto a tray. “I’ve wanted to do that ever since the first time I saw you. But it didn’t feel right until now.” He paused for a second and studied her. “Let me know if you liked it, and perhaps we can do it again sometime.”
With that statement, Pierce carried the tray to the living room while Sarah stared after him. She would definitely like to kiss him again. If she could only bring herself to ask.
“She was such a great actress,” Jack commented later. He shoved a fistful of popcorn into his mouth. They’d just gotten to the part where Audrey Hepburn, dressed in a black cocktail gown, was suggesting the theft of Chellini’s Venus to Peter O’Toole. “Classy too,” Jack added. “Women nowadays lack that sort of elegance.”
“Thanks,” Sarah muttered and tossed a piece of popcorn at her brother’s head.
Pierce, who was sitting on the adjacent couch, shot her a mischievous grin.
“What?” Jack grumbled. “It’s true.”
“Different times,” Thomas said with a sigh.
He flinched a little, the movement making unease creep its way along Sarah’s spine. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
But his voice sounded strained, and he suddenly gasped as if struggling for air. His right hand clutched at his chest, and he pushed back against the couch, his popcorn spilling onto the floor and scattering across the carpet.
Oh God! “Jack!” The urgency in Sarah’s voice did the trick, drawing both her brother’s and Pierce’s attention. “Something’s wrong. He’s not well.” Panic made her nerves tremble. She knew he was old and that it would eventually come to this, but she wasn’t ready to lose him. Not yet.
Strong hands shoved her aside and then Jack was bowing over Thomas, whose eyes stared up at the ceiling while he fought to catch his breath. “Hurts,” was all he managed to say.
“I think he might be having a heart attack,” Jack said, his voice conveying the same degree of alarm Sarah felt. Her lips were trembling while her eyes burned with emotion. Not that dissolving into tears would help. Jesus! If only she could think of what to do, but it was as if her mind had been seized by panic.
“Here.” Pierce stuck out his hand. A white pill rested on his palm. “Give him this aspirin. It’s chewable.”
Sarah watched with an increasing sense of helplessness pouring through her. In the background, the movie played on, so out of place with the sudden change of mood in the living room. “What next?” she asked once Thomas had taken the aspirin. “Shouldn’t we get him to the hospital?”
“No,” Thomas sputtered between gritted teeth.
Pierce gave him a sympathetic look. “You might not like the idea, but Sarah’s right. We need to make sure you’re okay.”
Thomas stiffened again on a groan and that settled it. “Can you walk?” Jack asked, his own worry clear in the roughness of his tone.
Closing his eyes, Thomas drew a deep breath and gave a quick nod.
“I’ll help you,” Jack told him, his hand already at Thomas’s elbow, hoisting him upward.
“I’ll get the car ready,” Pierce said. He headed toward the front door. “Sarah, maybe you can grab our jackets.”
Two minutes later, they were pulling out
of the driveway and heading for Dawson. “Are you okay back there?” Pierce asked.
“Just get us to the hospital, Pierce,” Jack told him tightly.
Clutching her hands together in her lap, Sarah stared straight ahead through the windshield and did her best to try and remain calm. She wanted to tell Pierce to slow down, but she also knew time was likely of the essence, and the faster they reached their destination, the better.
She took a deep breath. Expelled it. The dark country road wound its way into nothingness, just as it had done that time when…a feint glow of headlights shot through the trees, rounded the bend, and came toward them. Shouting for Pierce to get out of the way, she squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the collision that never came.
“Sarah?” It was Pierce’s voice, slow and controlled. “We’re fine, Sarah. Don’t worry. You can open your eyes.”
She felt his hand pressing against her own, the warmth and strength of his touch driving away the fear that had crashed through her moments earlier. Relaxing against the seat, she forced herself back to a state of calm, and since words would have been superfluous somehow, she said nothing in response. Instead she turned her hand over and gave his a light squeeze.
It was almost ten by the time they pulled into the hospital parking lot with Thomas complaining loudly. “This is completely unnecessary. A waste of time, if you ask me.” He appeared to be doing a lot better than he had been forty-five minutes earlier. Perhaps thanks to the aspirin for which Sarah was immensely grateful.
“All things taken into account, Grandpa, we have no choice,” Jack told him seriously.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Thomas asked.
“We know you haven’t been feeling well latterly,” Sarah told him while Pierce parked the car. She turned in her seat and faced him. “I know you’ve been trying to hide it, but I think it’s time we had a doctor take a proper look at you. Especially after what happened tonight.”
Flattening his lips, Thomas crossed his arms, glared at her for a couple of seconds and then reluctantly nodded.
“I can’t stand this,” Sarah said while she paced back and forth in the waiting room. They’d spoken to a nurse after arriving, filled out a stack of paperwork, and then handed Thomas over to a doctor’s care. She bit the sharp edge of her thumbnail, her heart thumping every time she heard footsteps approaching. Jack had gone to get coffee from the vending machine downstairs so she turned to Pierce, who was sitting quietly in a chair with the back of his head resting against the wall.
“Do you think he’ll be all right?” she asked.
Rolling his head to one side, he met her gaze with a troubled expression. “I hope so.”
What a reassuring thought.
“He has to be.” Agitated, but tired of standing, she dropped into the chair next to his. “I can’t imagine my life without him in it.”
Pierce sighed. “It’s hard, but it’s also nature’s course, Sarah.” They were quiet for a while, until he suddenly added, “I really hate hospitals.”
It was said so matter of factly and with unarguable finality – as though he were pointing out that the sky was blue or that cars had wheels. And Sarah’s heart wept, for she knew how much truth there was for him in those four simple words.
“I’m so sorry,” she told him. If only there were something more meaningful for her to say. Nothing seemed good enough.
“I doubt I’m the only one who feels that way.”
“You’re not.” And in that moment she wished with all her heart that they could be allowed to just take a breath, to carve a place for themselves in time, a sanctuary where grief would not be able to find them. Because between the two of them—Caroline’s tragic death, Sarah’s miscarriage and breakup with Billy, and now this—it was simply too much. Too many worries and too much pain kept them out of step with each other.
The elevator dinged, and Jack strode out carrying three plastic cups. “It’s not gourmet, but it’ll do.” He handed one to Sarah and one to Pierce before taking a sip of his own. “Any news?”
Sarah shook her head. “Not yet.”
Jack frowned. He glanced toward the double doors through which their grandfather had disappeared. “It’s been almost an hour. Maybe I should ask the nurse at reception.”
“Jack.” Sarah nodded toward the seat to her left. “Why don’t you sit down? Drink your coffee and let’s wait another five minutes.”
He hesitated just long enough to tell her he wasn’t okay with sitting about doing nothing. Neither was she, but they had little choice at the moment.
Another fifteen minutes crawled by before the doctor finally returned. Sarah leapt to her feet alongside Jack and Pierce. “How is he?” she asked, her words rushing from her mouth in a verbal assault.
The doctor looked at them each in turn. “It appears as though Mr. Palmer suffered a minor heart attack this evening.”
“Oh God!” Sarah slapped her hand over her mouth, her lungs squeezing as though struggling for air.
“Given his condition…”
Sarah felt as though her heart was being yanked straight out of her body. She couldn’t speak, so it was Jack who asked, “His condition?”
The doctor frowned. “Forgive me. I thought you knew.” His jaw tightened slightly. “Mr. Palmer’s paperwork from his previous visits do grant permission to discuss his diagnosis with you, so naturally—”
Previous visits? She wasn’t aware of any.
“What diagnosis?” Jack asked.
There were very few times in her life when Sarah had felt as though she needed to know something as quickly as possible while at the same time wishing she didn’t have to hear it at all. Once was when she lay on the hospital bed and a nurse gently took her by the hand and met her gaze. A second was all it had taken – a brief utterance – to make the difference between hoping her child would be all right and knowing there was no hope. Another such moment came now, for she sensed that something terrible was about to be said, and she wished with all her heart that she could prolong that second of hope – of not knowing whatever awful piece of news the doctor was about to impart.
“I’m afraid Mr. Palmer has terminal cancer. With proper care, he ought to have another couple of months. But nothing is certain. I’m so sorry.”
The words hovered around her while the doctor continued to talk about keeping him overnight for observation, follow-up visits, and a series of other medical things Sarah couldn’t quite process right then.
“I need some air,” was all she could say. Not caring that she was walking away from what was probably a very important discussion, she didn’t even bother with the elevator, taking the stairs down instead. Her beloved grandfather, the man who’d helped her when no one else would or could, was dying. Within two months, he would be gone.
She couldn’t stand it. The soul-crushing agony drew tight around her breast as she hurried out into the cool night air. An icy sensation kissed her cheeks, and she realized then that she was crying, the tears freezing against her skin each time she squeezed a breath past the knot in her throat.
“Sarah.” Pierce’s voice swept toward her, and in the next instant, she was in his arms, sobbing against his shoulder while he quietly smoothed his hand along the length of her back. Up and down with gentle strokes that were meant to soothe her.
She clung to him, unable to let him go, her heart a painful collection of shards that tore at her chest. “There’s not enough time.” Her words were but a croak. “Why would he keep this from me? Why wouldn’t he let me know?”
“Because he didn’t want you to worry.” Leaning back, Pierce gave her a tragic smile as he brushed the tears from her cheeks with the back of his hand. “Because he didn’t want the time he had left to be about this.”
She stared at him and saw how everything fit together more clearly. “He wanted us to work with each other, instead. That’s why he’s been so insistent on the ridge, the reason why he’s been pushing to mine it as quickly
as possible.” Resolve settled deep within her bones. “We have to move ahead with it. We have to…we have to try and do this for him before he…” She didn’t want to say it, to verbalize the inevitable. So she took a step back, away from Pierce’s embrace. “I need to talk to him.”
Pierce nodded. “Yes. I believe you do.”
Chapter Sixteen
The doctor showed Sarah to the hospital room where Thomas was resting. She entered slowly, her eyes scanning the space and making note of all the medical equipment: the vital signs monitor and the IV drip with a tube running toward her grandfather’s arm.
“I’m sorry I ruined your evening,” Thomas told her from the bed. His head was slightly turned upon the pillow, just enough so he could watch her approach.
She couldn’t help but wince, and her eyes began to burn once more. Reaching out, she placed her hand over his. It seemed so fragile now. “You didn’t,” she whispered, somehow managing to keep her voice from wobbling as she squeezed his bony fingers. Her heart lurched a little when she felt him squeeze hers back, the strength still there in spite of everything. “This…” She glanced around the room once more before meeting his gaze again. “How could you keep this from me?”
A smile slipped into place upon his thin lips as though he were comforting her when it ought to be the other way around. “You’d have come apart, Sarah. It would have distracted you from your work. From our work.”
“Does it always have to be about that?” She stared into the depths of his eyes – eyes that were partially covered by a pair of sagging eyelids and framed by a series of creases. “If there was ever a reason to put the work last, it should have been the moment the doctors told you…” She swallowed a sob and averted her gaze with a quick shake of her head.
Her grandfather breathed out a lengthy sigh. “I’m at the end of my road. There’s nothing anyone can do about that. We all get here eventually, you know. And I wanted to spend what little time I had left with you doing what we both love. I wanted to take on the ridge and share our inevitable success with you before I go.”
The Love That Saved Him Page 18