Sizzle

by Sarah O'Rourke

  Hanging his head, Devil sighed. “I apologize, Nana. I’m worried.”

  “Don’t worry, he’s been in a mood all afternoon, Nana,” Molly added with a wink at the old woman. “And he’s been the very Devil everyone calls him since that nurse called the office.”

  “Hmmfff,” Kathleen huffed, patting her faded red hair as she glared at her grandson. “Tis no excuse for poor manners, lad. I taught ye better than that. As soon as I’m out of this bed, I’ll be searching for me wooden spoon, I will.”

  Both Devil and Molly shuddered at that threat. They’d both been on the receiving end of that spoon over the years. It could be a cruel, unforgiving instrument in Nana’s hand. She was not a woman that had spared the rod. When she believed it warranted, that spoon connected with your backside. Repeatedly.

  “I’m sorry, Nana. Please, just tell me what happened and what the doctors are saying,” Devil asked again.

  Mollified by his attitude change, Kathleen settled back against her pillows. “I think ye can guess what the sawbones are saying. I’ve got congestive heart failure, lad. Did ye think I’d been given a pass to linger in this world forever?”

  “So it was a heart attack?” Devil asked tightly.

  Touching his stiff back, Molly smoothed her hand up and down the tense muscles.

  “It nary amounted to much of anything, lad. A slight myocardial infarction, I believe they called it. It’s just a portent of things to come, Willy. We both need to be wrappin’ our heads around it.”

  Kathleen spoke so matter-of-factly that Molly shivered beside Devil. “Surely there’s something they can do, Nana. They have some of the finest physicians in the country here. Grant will be here soon; I’m sure he’ll have some recommendations. I’m positive he’ll be able to get you a referral to the best doctor there is.”

  Nodding, Devil agreed. “She’s right. I’ll fly them in if I have to, or we’ll fly you there. Atlanta isn’t the end of the earth. There’s New York and Boston… all kinds of place we haven’t investigated yet.”

  “I’ll not be goin’ anywhere but home to me cottage, lad,” Kathleen objected with a negative shake of her head. “No more doctors and no more of their blasted needles,” she continued, shaking her arm furiously where the IV was lodged in her vein. “I don’t want me last days to be spent tethered to a pole. I wouldn’t be here now if that nosy toad, Mr. Carter from over the hedge, hadn’t called the meat wagon,” she muttered.

  “Thank God for Mr. Carter then,” Molly murmured, rubbing Nana’s leg under the blanket.

  “Nana, it sounds like you’re trying to quit on me,” Devil replied quietly as he met his grandmother’s wise eyes.

  “Oh, Willy, I’ll never quit on ye. The time is coming, though, when our Lord is going to call me home. I intend to answer that summons, lad.”

  Stunned, Devil and Molly stared at Kathleen. “Nana, did those doctors tell you that…”

  Looking at Molly, Nana smiled benignly. “They indicated to me that the time was ‘nigh. I’m eight-two, child. I’ve lived longer than most do. I’m ready.”

  “We’re not,” Devil objected sharply.

  “Death is the consequence of living, lad. It comes for us all. I’ve avoided the Reaper for years, my boy, while I waited on you to make an old lady happy,” Kathleen said softly.

  “What are you talking about, Nana?” Devil questioned softly.

  “I’ve waited and waited for ye to meet a lass and settle down. Perhaps gift me with a great-grandchild or two if I was lucky. If ever I had a dying wish, it be that, but twas not to be,” she mourned quietly, her elderly face unhappy as she stared into her grandson’s eyes.

  Molly could almost see the wheels spinning in Devil’s eyes as he turned to look briefly at her. With a sinking feeling, she knew whatever his thoughts were…they involved her. But, he couldn’t be going to do what she instinctively knew he was going to….

  “Oh, Nana. You’re about to be an extremely happy woman, then. Maybe you’ll even decide to fight a little harder.”

  “Eh?” Kathleen lifted her head to squint up at her boy.

  “We were saving our announcement for a surprise Christmas gift, but I can see you need it now,” Devil said smoothly, sliding his arm around Molly’s narrow waist and drawing her against him.

  “Devil…” Molly’s eyes widened in alarm. She had a sneaking suspicion of what was coming, but he couldn’t! He wouldn’t dare!

  “What are ye saying, lad?” Kathleen asked, lifting her head from the pillow.

  “I’m talking about Molly and me, Nana. We’ve fallen in love. We’ll be married by Christmas.”

  Chapter Six

  Tightening his hand around Molly’s hip as he told his grandmother what she desperately wanted to hear, Devil turned to offer the woman he held by his side a warning look. If he’d ever wondered what ‘she had blood in her eye’ meant, he now possessed firsthand knowledge.

  His time on Earth might be even more limited than his Nana’s...because Molly was definitely going to try and kill him.

  Nana’s squeal of delight, however, was enough to convince him that the split second decision he’d just made was the right one. The old woman that had dedicated her life to him was thrilled. Her final days would be filled with happiness.

  Well, they would be if he could convince Molly to play along.

  “Oh, lad! Ye two have made me proud! I just knew that once ye spent some time together you’d realize how perfect ye were together! Come here, my bonny lass, and give your Nana a hug! We’re truly to be family now,” she exclaimed, holding out her thin arms to Molly.

  Exchanging a startled look with Devil, Molly forced a smile to her lips as she bent and embraced Devil’s grandmother.

  “How did this happen, girl?” Nana asked as her cheek pressed to Molly’s.

  “I…uhmmm… well, that’s a long story,” Molly replied, fumbling for a believable answer as she turned her head to glare over her shoulder at Devil. “It was… really sudden, Nana.”

  “Posh!” Nana sputtered when Molly straightened again. “Sudden? You two have been circling each other for years. Between you and me, lass, I think the lad thought he was too old for you. But he’s still a strong, strappin’ man at thirty-eight. There’s still plenty of time for him to give you a bairn or two.”

  Devil gripped Molly’s arm when she paled and staggered on her feet. “Now, Nana, she’s only just agreed to make an honest man of me. Let’s not throw too much at her at first. We want her to get used to being my wife before we ask her to become a mother, too. I’m sure once Molly and I settle into married life…”

  “I’m sorry,” a choked voice croaked from the curtained door to Nana’s cubicle, “When Molly and who get married?”

  Turning, Devil’s stomach sank to his knees as his best friend stared him in the eye. How the hell long had Grant been standing there in the doorway? “Grant!” he greeted the other man with a tight, forced smile. “We didn’t see you there. You haven’t heard our news yet either. Come on in.”

  Stepping into the room, Dr. Grant Ramsey made his way to the other side of Nana’s head and bent to drop a kiss against her cheek. “How you doing, Nana? Are they treating you alright here?” he asked in a kind voice.

  “I can’t complain, laddie,” Nana declared with a wink. “Especially not when I just got the most wonderful news,” she added, patting Molly’s hand.

  “So I overheard,” Grant murmured, raising his eyebrows as he offered Devil a look that promised he’d have more to say as soon as they were alone.

  “Isn’t it perfect, Grant! We’ll all truly be family now,” Nana tittered, grabbing Grant’s hand in hers and squeezing. “Why, it’s enough to give an old woman like me a new lease on life! Did you know?”

  “Oh, it is that,” Grant agreed with a weak grin at Nana. “And it’s all breaking news to me, too.”

  “Well,” Nana chided, “Ye two have been keeping all the people that love you in the dark, have ye? Aren’t they th
e sneaky ones, Grant?”

  “They certainly are, Nana,” Grant averred, looking from his guilty looking best friend to his shocked sister and back again. “Don’t worry,” he assured the elderly woman with a wink, “I plan on taking them both to task for it later. I talked to your doctor on the way in, love. They’re going to move you up to the cardiac care unit in just a few minutes. Visiting hours are already over up there, but we can all come back again in the morning.”

  “I have to stay?” Kathleen’s face fell as she asked the question.

  “Just until the cardiologist is sure that your condition has stabilized. It’ll be no more than a day or two and tomorrow, we’ll make sure that you have plenty of company,” Grant explained, dropping his hands into the pockets of his white physician’s coat. “I’ll be around the hospital tonight though. I’ve got a mother ready to deliver twins upstairs any time now. I promise, I’ll sneak in and check on you once I have her and her children settled.”

  That was all Nana needed to be distracted from her current health situation. “Ohhhh, think of the wee babes we’ll be welcomin’ into the world when these two get settled,” Nana said gleefully with a fond look at Molly and Devil.

  Molly made a faint noise as Nana beamed at her, and Devil quickly coughed. “We’ve still got some time before that happens, Nana.”

  “Lots of time,” Grant agreed fervently.

  “Lots and lots and lots and lots,” Molly said faintly, wavering on her feet again. “Soooo much time.”

  “Well, don’t take too much time, lass. It would be nice if I held those babes before departing this Earth,” Nana replied pointedly. “Now, Willy, I see that Molly isn’t wearing a ring yet. I assume that’s because you want to give her the Delancy diamond, lad.” She beamed as she made the statement.

  “We really hadn’t gotten that far yet, Nana,” Devil murmured with a quick look at the unstable woman beside him. Molly looked like she was going to pop a vein at any moment. “I only just proposed a little while ago,” he added. Hell, he was being completely honest there, he thought with a small amount of satisfaction.

  “I’ll bet he did,” Grant muttered under his breath, coughing into one hand.

  “That may be true, but the lass should be wearin’ the family diamond,” Kathleen insisted. “Your great-grandmother wore it. I wore it. Your departed mum wore it. And so should any wife ye choose.”

  “I’ll get it out of the safe and install it on her finger tonight,” Devil promised quickly as Molly opened her mouth. “You’ll love it, darling,” he said with a practiced smile at Molly.

  “Oh, yes,” Nana agreed. “It’s a lovely ring. A family heirloom.”

  “I heard,” Molly said weakly, barely able to form the words as her mind spun in a million directions. “I’m sure it’s beautiful, Nana.”

  “Good, then it’s all settled,” Nana declared with a satisfied nod. “When you come back tomorrow, I want to see the pretty sparkling on that special finger of Molly’s.”

  “You will, Nana,” Devil soothed the excited old woman. She certainly looked better since he’d announced his upcoming marriage. Instead of the wan woman he’d first seen in the bed, she now had color in her cheeks and a twinkle in her eyes. “But we should go so that you can rest. I’ll be back first thing in the morning to check on you. And you have them call me if you need anything no matter what time it is,” he demanded, looking from his grandmother to Grant.

  “I’ll speak to the desk and let them know, Devil,” Grant offered with a nod.

  Relaxing a little, Devil smiled. “Tonight I just want you to rest and concentrate on getting stronger.”

  “Oh, I will! I have something special to look forward to seeing.” Kathleen smiled. “Before you go, though, I want one more thing. Give an old lady a wee thrill and kiss your intended, lad.”

  “What?” Devil and Molly sputtered in unison.

  “Ach! Don’t pretend you two haven’t stolen a few of those since ye’ve been together. Kiss the lass!” she ordered her grandson, nudging him with her hand.

  “Yeah, Devil, kiss ‘er,” Grant chortled from the other side of the bed, his own eyes gleaming with mirth. “This I’ve got to see!”

  Devil could only hope his Nana thought Molly’s face was reddening with embarrassment rather than the anger he saw swirling in her expressive eyes. The woman was going to do him bodily harm; it was only a matter of time. He only hoped she wouldn’t choose this moment to exact retribution and bite his tongue off. “Well, Nana has decreed it must be so,” he murmured, bending his head to cover her soft, slack lips with his.

  Kissing her chastely against her parted lips, he expelled a breath of relief when he lifted his head. Fortunately, she hadn’t tried to maim his mouth. Bending again when she gripped his tie and pulled his head back to hers, her lips instead found his ear as she whispered, “I just want you to know that in the last ten minutes I’ve come up with fifty ways to kill you and make it look completely accidental.” She covered her hastily made threat well by brushing a cool kiss against his jaw before gently pushing his chest.

  “Oh, now that’s just bonny!” Kathleen enthused, clapping her hands. “Wasn’t that bonny, Grant?” she asked the man beside her, shaking his arm happily.

  “Oh, that was something, Nana,” Grant agreed with a nod. “I’m just not sure what.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sometimes, a girl had two choices in life. They were simple.

  Fight or flight.

  After Molly Ramsey offered a final half-hearted little wave in the direction of the content-looking older woman resting peacefully in her hospital bed, she spun on her worn heels and made her decision.

  It was time to flee.

  Flight was really her best option. Fighting would probably end with her committing an unfortunate homicide. Maybe two of them, she thought, as her amused brother’s face flashed through her mind. She had serious doubts that the judge would accept the defense platform of “But, your Honor, he had it coming!” for both of them.

  Nope, flight was most assuredly the way to go here.

  “Molly! Wait!” she heard Devil calling from somewhere behind her in the tiled hospital hallway. The sound of his voice only fueled her anger and she picked up the pace. Screw him. She had places to be that weren’t here. If she stayed here she was going to find a way to end his life with all the handy medical equipment.

  Visions of strangling him with a length of IV tubing ran through her mind. No, it would be much more satisfying to impale him on the IV pole, her imagination corrected. The possibilities were limitless. Death by defibrillator, anyone?

  “Damn it, honey, will you just slow down?” Devil shouted from behind her. “Let me explain!”

  “Good luck, joker! You’ve done it now. She ran track in high school, remember!” Dr. Grant Ramsey taunted from beside him, slightly out of breath as he, too, raced to keep up with his sister.

  Molly managed to make it several more feet down the hallway on her shaky legs before she sagged against the wall. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, but she still vaguely heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind her.

  “Mols, you okay?” her brother asked when he reached her side.

  Lifting her head, she glared at her brother. “Seriously?”

  “Okay, stupid question,” he admitted quickly, familiar with that particular look of severity in her eyes. Taking a half step back from her, he held a hand up to Devil as he approached them. “Keep a safe distance, bro,” he warned, turning his wary gaze back to his sister. “I’ve seen this before. She’s about to blow.”

  Narrowing her eyes on Grant, Molly offered him an ugly, twisted smile. “Now, why would you think that?”

  “Wild guess?” Grant replied weakly, shrugging innocently as he pushed his brown wavy hair out of his eyes.

  “I only have one question for you, brother of mine,” Molly stated, taking a step toward her brother and jabbing him in the chest with a pointy nail. “Why did you drag that jackass
into our lives?”

  “Well, technically, I’ve known him longer than you’ve been alive, Peanut,” Grant returned reasonably. “He was already on the scene when you came along.”

  “I despise you,” Molly retorted angrily, her eyes flashing as she shoved her brother back a step. She hated it when her brother used things like logic and reason to win an argument. It really ought to be considered cheating.

  “What did I do?” Grant yelped, shooting a look toward where Devil stood, still and silent.

  “You are the reason that man,” she yelled, gesturing wildly toward Devil, “is in my life!”

  “Okay,” Grant conceded gracefully. “That’s true. But I had nothing to do with what happened back there in Nana’s room.” Looking expectantly between Molly and Devil, he asked uncertainly, “Exactly what did happen back there, guys? Because it sounded a whole lot like there’s a wedding on the horizon. Now, I know I’ve been busy, but I’m pretty sure that I’d have noticed a blooming love affair between my baby sister and my best friend.”

  When his question was met with total silence by the two people standing in the corridor, Grant stiffened. “There’s not anything going on between you, is there?” he asked, directing his question toward Devil as his coffee-colored eyes glinted ominously. “Devil, I swear to God, if you took advantage of my baby sister, a quarter-century of friendship and all the money in the world isn’t gonna save your ass from me!” His lean, handsome face conveyed a threat the other man would understand all too well. You did not screw with Molly Ramsey and live to tell the tale.

  “Christ, Grant! Of course not,” Devil snapped, rolling his eyes as he leaned comfortably against the wall across the hallway.

  Jaw dropping, Molly could only stare at Devil. “Did you just roll your eyes at him? You announce to your grandmother that we’re getting married, but you roll your eyes at Grant’s question – like it’s so beyond the possibility that we’d be involved? You jerk!” she railed, stomping toward him. “I’m a freaking catch, you asshole!” she yelled, slamming her fist into Devil’s unsuspecting stomach. “You’d be lucky to have a woman like me, you bastard!” she continued, drawing back her leg and kicking Devil’s shin as he clutched his gut and doubled over.