by Mary Manners
“Not all the time.” Jake winked, and the room began to spin once again. Delaney wasn’t sure if the tilt was caused by his piercing blue eyes or the knot she felt forming on her forehead where his elbow had connected with her skull. She shook her head to clear it.
“But, this time.” A beam of light caught Delaney’s eye, and she realized the camera was rolling. She retreated another giant step, running a hand through her mussed hair. “Don’t film me, please.”
The camera panned left toward Tate, whose gap-toothed grin was contagious. “Wow, Mama.” He struggled to sit up in the bed. “Oh, this is the best day ever!”
“Hang on, buddy.” Jake rounded Delaney and stepped to the bedside to help her son as the IV line became tangled. “I think you’re caught.”
“It does that a lot.” Tate waited while Jake carefully untangled the line. “That’s better. Hey, did you see my ball?”
“Yes, I did.” Jake reached for the football. “That’s official license, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, Mama got it for me last Christmas.”
“Cool. That’s quite a gift.”
Will you sign it for me?”
“Sure.” Jake pulled a pen from his jeans pocket. “And I’ll take it to be signed by some of the guys on the team, too, if you’d like.”
Jake’s golden eyes grew wide with wonder. “You’d do that for me?”
“Sure.” Jake nodded, grinning. “Why wouldn’t I?” ‚
“Mama says you’re too busy for stuff like that.”
“During the season, maybe. But that’s over, and I’m not too busy for you.”
Delaney watched the interaction, mystified. For a moment, she almost believed Tate was perfectly healthy. His cheeks pinked, and his eyes glowed like a flash of gold. If she didn’t know better…
“Excuse me.” The cameraman stepped around Delaney to draw closer to the bed as Jake finished signing the football. “This is great stuff. I need to get it.”
“Wait.” Delaney rushed forward, blocking Jake as he made the handoff back to Tate. “That ball might not be clean now. Have you washed your hands?”
“The nurse told each of us the procedure, and I took the proper steps. She cleared me.”
“What about the rest of you?” Delaney narrowed her gaze as she crossed her arms tight over her chest. “Step back, please. It’s not good to have so many people in here. It could compromise Tate’s health.”
“We don’t want that.” Jake turned to the crew. “Let’s just have the camera, then. The rest of you wait in the hall.”
“But the lighting—”
“Will be just fine.”
“And the footage—”
“Will either be good, or it won’t.” Jake took a step toward the group, ushering them back. “Either way, it’s not up for debate. Go grab a cup of coffee. I’ll text you when we’re finished.”
Chapter 4
JAKE WAITED WHILE DELANEY SLIPPED the sheet over Tate, carefully tucking it in around his shoulders. With the IV line concealed beneath a thin blanket and the kid sleeping peacefully following the latest hit of meds, he looked almost healthy.
But he wasn’t. He had cancer. The serious kind, according to the Moments for Miracles counselor who’d briefed Jake just before his visit.
Maybe that accounted for the way Delaney paced the room like a protective mama panther. She was petite and couldn’t weigh much more than a baby calf, but she was strong and agile in a manner that was rare. The way she’d slipped between him and Tate at the football handoff would have had any NFL scout worth a hill of beans take notice. Jake sensed she’d protect her son with her life.
She turned to Jake now, her mahogany hair swishing over tense shoulders. She smoothed a palm over her blouse before crossing her arms tight over her chest. Despite the fact that she probably hadn’t enjoyed a decent night’s sleep in days, maybe weeks, she had a certain beauty that drew Jake’s gaze like a magnet. Warm, chocolate eyes, adorned with the same gold flecks as Tate’s, scanned the length of him. The dimples at each corner of her mouth deepened as she spoke.
“I appreciate you coming here today, Jake. Really I do. It meant the world to Tate. I haven’t seen him so excited…well, ever.”
“I’m glad. He’s a special kid.”
With that red, spiky hair and gap-toothed grin, he’d stolen Jake’s heart from the word go. The very fact was a surprise. Jake had stayed clear of kids—especially sick kids—since Josh’s death. Too many memories and way too much heartache. He’d shut that door tight, and had no desire to unlock it again.
“Sure, Tate is precious to me,” Delaney continued as she kept her hands busy tidying the small table beside the bed. “But his situation is all too ordinary around here. I see kids every day, just waiting for a miracle. Most of the time—more often than not—that miracle doesn’t come.”
“This time’s different, Delaney.”
She gasped slightly, her eyes growing even wider. “You don’t know that for sure, Jake.”
“Does anyone really know anything for sure?”
“I suppose not.” She shrugged. “But I do believe God has a purpose in all of this. I just don’t understand what it is—at least not yet.”
“Maybe you should pray about it.”
“Do you really think I haven’t, Jake?” Her voice held a bite. “What do you think I spend most of my time doing?”
“I’m sorry. That was out of line.”
“It’s okay. You don’t…you couldn’t possibly understand what I’m going through.”
“Maybe not exactly, but I do know the pain of losing someone I love.”
“I’m sorry for that, Jake. Truly I am.” Her voice softened. “But you’ll leave here in just a few minutes and go back to your football-playing life, away from this hospital and the heartache that lives here.”
“That’s not all I am, Delaney—a football player.” He took a step toward her. “I have feelings…and worries…too. Football is just a small part of the real me.”
“The real you?” She paused, sighed. “No offense, Jake, but if you really want to do something to help kids like Tate, join the bone marrow donor registry. You’re a match for someone out there, and they need you.”
“What do I have to do?”
“A simple blood test or a cheek swab. That’s all.” She turned to stroke Tate’s forehead. Her slender fingers were devoid of jewelry, and that made Jake wonder. Where was the kid’s father?
“I used to be the worst sort of needle-phobic, but I’ve gotten over it.” Half-time IV’s to combat muscle cramps in the dead heat of early-season games had quickly cured those fears. “I’ll think about it.”
“You need to do more than just think about it.” Delaney’s gaze speared him, and her words convicted him, as well. “God gives us the gift to help others, but most of us don’t acknowledge—or act on—it.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Yes, that’s true. But it’s not enough. If you have reservations, you could have the camera crew film your blood test. That would certainly serve to bolster your image.”
Was that a bite of sarcasm? Jake shook his head.
“You’re wrong, Delaney. I don’t need a camera crew to do the right thing.”
“Could have fooled me.” Her lips dipped into a frown. “You tried to lead a walking caravan into my son’s hospital room.”
“But, having the news team film and air the segment with Tate will draw awareness to kids like him.”
“I sure hope so.” She lowered her voice. “I read about you in the papers, Jake, and saw you on the news.”
“Don’t believe everything you read—or hear.”
“So it’s not all true?”
“Is anything ever?”
“I don’t know. I’d like to believe you came here today to see Tate for all the right reasons.”
“I did.” Jake knew, in his heart, that even without a signed contract and a news team in tow he’d have made the visit. ‚
How can I make you believe that?”
“I’m not sure.” Delaney slipped into a chair beside the bed, sighing. Jake cringed at the weariness in her shadowed eyes. How long had she managed to hold it all together without a decent night’s sleep? “But, I have to tell you that you, and you alone, Jake, were Tate’s wish.”
Jake leaned against the wall and jammed his hands in his pockets. In just a few hours he’d become used to the smell of sickness once again…like he had when Josh was a patient here. “That’s powerful.”
“Yes, it is.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “He’ll remember this day for the rest of his life.”
The rest of his life…the words lurked like a monster. How long might that be?
“I’m humbled and a bit embarrassed to admit this now.” Delaney’s voice cracked as she continued. “But I had my reservations about requesting a visit from you after all that’s been in the media.”
“I guess, if I was in your shoes, I wouldn’t blame you for being a little leery.”
“I’m sorry, Jake.”
“Don’t be. I’m not angry.” He sat down on the edge of Tate’s bed. “You have a lot on your plate, Delaney, and you only want what’s best for your son.”
“I’m glad I didn’t let my reservations get the best of me because Tate adores you, and I just couldn’t say no to him—not this time.”
“Good.” Jake smoothed his palm across the crisp, white sheet tucked beneath Tae’s chin. “Because, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to visit Tate again.”
“He’s being released tomorrow.” Delaney’s gaze narrowed. Jake’s words were obviously unexpected. “We’re going home.”
“Where’s home?”
“Here…in Miracle Cove. I own a small house just east of the river.”
“Near the duck pond?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m familiar with that area.” He and Josh used sneak off to skip rocks down at the landing. “What time will the doc spring him?”
“I’m not sure.” Delaney clasped her fingers together as she wrung her hands. “Hopefully in the morning. It depends on Tate’s blood work and when my mom can come for us. My car is out of commission—flat tire.”
“What about your husband?”
“It would be difficult, seeing how he lives in Southern California. We were divorced soon after Tate was born.”
“So you’re…”
“A single mom. Is that a crime?”
“No. Of course not.”
“It wasn’t his fault. I shouldn’t have pressured him to get married. Being responsible for a family just wasn’t his thing.”
“Not his thing…?” Jake would like to get a hold of the jerk. What kind of guy wouldn’t want his child—his own flesh and blood?
Wait…he knew the answer to that all too well. Some men just weren’t made for families. Was he one of them? The very thought struck a chord deep within him. At thirty, he still hadn’t felt the tug to become a husband and father—maybe he never would.
“Has he been tested as a donor?”
“Of course. And he’s not a match.”
“And you?”
“No.” She shook her head, pressing a fist to her mouth. “You don’t know how badly—how helpless I feel in all of this. Tate’s my son, and there’s nothing I can do to help him.”
“You’re helping him now, just being here and showing him how much you love him.”
“It’s not enough. My love alone won’t cure him.”
“It’s tough, going through this alone.” Jake shook his head. ‚You shouldn’t be alone, Delaney.”
“It is what it is. And I have my mom to help. She’s been a rock.”
“Even so…” Jake scratched his head as he glanced at Tate, breathing softly in the bed. The kid was a spitfire, even battling such a horrific disease. His spunk had kept Jake in stitches, and the nurses had quickly dubbed the two of them Laurel and Hardy. Jake’s heart gave a little tug. “What’s your cell number, Delaney?”
She paused, obviously startled. “My number…why?”
“I told you. I’d like to visit Tate again.”
“Well…I suppose that’s okay.” Delaney rose from the chair to face him full-on, her voice firm. “But only if you promise to leave the TV crew behind. I won’t let you use my son to boost your ailing career.”
“Agreed.”
The curve of her lips suddenly had Jake longing to kiss them. What was up with that?
“So, no cameras, then?” Delaney’s gaze pierced him.
Jake took a step back to put distance between them. “I promise. Not so much as a cell phone camera.”
“Here’s my number, then.” Delaney scribbled it on a napkin left on Tate’s dinner tray and then handed the napkin to Jake, who carefully folded it and tucked it into his wallet. “I won’t tell Tate you’re coming, in case something gets in the way. I don’t want him to be disappointed.”
“Oh, you can tell him.” Jake nodded, taking the football he’d promised to have signed by his teammates. “I gave him my word, and I won’t break my promise—especially to the kid.”
“You know, he sleeps with that ball every night.”
“Then I guess I’d better hurry and return it.”
Delaney smiled and relaxed her shoulders. “Okay, then. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
Chapter 5
“MAMA, CAN WE LEAVE YET?” Tate swung his legs off the edge of the bed as he hugged his bear. “Please.”
“In a bit, honey. I left Grandma a message, and she’ll be here as soon as she’s finished with her meeting.”
“Won’t you ask Jake? He’ll be here quicker than Grandma.”
“Jake?” The sound of his name caused Delaney’s pulse to stutter. She’d felt a connection to him, though she couldn’t explain it. Somehow, he seemed to really understand what she was going through, and his gentleness and concern left her longing for more. “Just because he came to see you yesterday doesn’t mean he’ll come back every day. He’s busy, Tate. Jake’s got football things to take care of.”
And that little mess with the police, too.
Delaney found it hard to believe, after only a few hours with Jake, that he was the kind of guy who would knock the stuffing out of another guy for no reason at all—at least off the football field and unprovoked. What was the rest of the story? What had led him to deck a guy on the street outside that restaurant the night he was arrested, with a crowd of strangers looking on? Maybe, if she got up the nerve—and if Jake ever returned— she’d ask him.
“But I want to go home.” Tate’s voice kicked up a notch.
“I know, honey. I do, too.”
“Why did our car have to break?”
“It just needs a new tire. That’s easy to fix—as soon as I have the time.”
And the money.
Delaney forced the thought away. Tate didn’t need to know the hefty price tag that came along with his treatments and medication. If things didn’t get better soon, though, she’d lose her cozy home and have to move back in with her mom. She loved her mom, and they got along great, but moving back in with her would be a dozen steps in the wrong direction.
“I’m getting hungry.” Tate gnawed his lower lip, and the paleness of his cheeks made the spattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose stand out even more than usual. “My belly’s all rumbly.”
“You are? It is?” That was a good sign. Maybe the anti-nausea drugs were kicking in. Delaney reached for the call button beside the bed. “I’ll ask the nurse to bring you a snack.”
“No more yucky hospital food,” Tate protested. “Please, Mama. I want a cheeseburger and fries.”
“Hey, there.” A tall figure filled the doorway, casting a shadow across the room as he blocked the hallway lights. He carried a paper bag emblazoned with the logo of Tate’s favorite fast-food restaurant. The aroma of beef and cheese filled the room “Guess what I’ve got in this bag?”
De
laney dropped her cell phone in her lap.
“Jake! What are you doing here?”
“Well, that’s a fine welcome.” As he took a step into the room, light from the hallway framed his long, lean legs and broad shoulders.
“Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you.” Delaney was glad for the clothes her mom had brought when she’d stopped by to visit Tate last night. At least the wrinkled blouse had been traded for a hunter-green, cable-knit sweater and a fresh pair of jeans. “I thought you were going to call.”
“He did, Mama.” Tate bounced on the bed while he spoke, his golden eyes shadowed with evidence of the restless night he’d suffered through. “When you went to the vending machine for some pretzels.”
Delaney frowned and waggled a finger at her son. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Jake said he wanted to surprise you.” Tate’s grin was contagious. “I guess he did, huh, Mama?”
“Another surprise.” She rolled her eyes as Jake offered Tate a triumphant fist pump. The two were mischief together, plain and simple. “Well, he’s certainly full of them.”
Jake settled on the edge of the bed beside Tate. “I brought you back your ball. Check it out.”
“You already got it signed?” Tate offered Jake a high-five. “Wow! That was fast. Thanks, Jake.”
“I have a few connections.” Jake handed him the football. “There are still a couple of signatures missing, but we can take care of that next season.”
Next season…Delaney’s belly tumbled at the words. She knew good and well that Tate might not have a next season.
Jake glanced up, and Delaney turned away to hide her tears. Not soon enough, though. Jake reached for her hand and squeezed gently, as if he understood. She drew a tissue from the box on the bedside table and swiped her eyes. Then she sucked in a breath and gave one, quick shake of her head.
“I’m okay,” she mouthed.
Jake nodded slightly and turned to Tate. “I got wind that the doctors are springing you today, buddy.” His fingers remained twined with Delaney’s as he spoke. “Are you ready to go home? You can eat your burger in the car.”