by Ann Mcintosh
“Go on,” Rohan whispered as people started clapping. He took her glass from her hand and gave her a little nudge, when she didn’t immediately move.
Reluctantly, but keeping her head high, Elise made her way to the small raised stage and then up the stairs. Tom was beaming at her and held out his hand to pull her close to the microphone.
“Elise, this was planned before you told me, just this evening, that you’re thinking of returning to our SAR team—”
He had to pause as applause broke out again, and wait until it faded before he could continue.
“That decision on your part is more welcome than you can ever imagine, but it doesn’t detract from the amazing work you’ve done over the last ten years.” He turned to the audience and said, “A couple of days ago, I called on Elise, asking her to go to the site of a barn collapse, because the team couldn’t get there as quickly as she could. Without hesitation, she went, and saved a young man’s life.”
The applause was louder this time, with a few whistles thrown in, and Elise felt heat flow into her cheeks.
“Come on, Tom,” she said pertly, giving him a smile, wanting off the stage. “Cut to the chase. I’m sure all these people are starving.”
That drew laughter, even from Tom, who was shaking his head.
“Okay, then. The doctor has spoken. Elise, on behalf of the SAR team, and all the people you’ve saved over the last ten years, we’d like to present to you this plaque celebrating both your long service to the team, and to our community.”
There were footsteps behind her, and she turned, expecting the committee chairwoman or some other dignitary. Instead...
“Jeevan!”
His smile was wide, but she knew him well enough to see the question in his eyes. But none of that mattered as she threw her arms around him and he hugged her in return. The thunderous applause drowned out her words, but it didn’t matter.
“You’re home!”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ROHAN STOOD ROOTED to the spot, staring at the man who’d walked out from the wings to surprise his mother. He couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face, and his heart was pounding. Thankful for the column beside him, he held on to it, needing something solid to lend support to his suddenly shaky legs.
My son!
As mother and son hugged, warmth flooded Rohan’s chest, and they were all he could see.
There was so much love there he could hardly bear to watch. Elise had tears in her eyes, and Jeevan touched a finger to her cheek, laughing at her shock.
But then they both turned, in unison, and looked at him, and suddenly his joy was curtailed.
Jeevan might still be smiling for the crowd, but his eyes were flinty, interrogative.
He must have been watching from behind the curtains and wondering who it was with his mother. And just like Elise when she first saw him, he hadn’t recognized who it was.
The group walked off the stage, Tom still beaming, and disappeared behind the drapery flanking the opening.
What should he do now?
Go to them? Stay where he was?
The suddenness of Jeevan’s appearance, the public nature of it, had his anxiety rising, and the urge to slip away almost overwhelmed him, but he stood his ground, waiting. The man who retreated from life, from emotions, took a distant second place to the father—and the lover—who would wait a lifetime to be with his family, if necessary.
Elise’s head popped out from behind the curtain, and her gaze found his unerringly. There was no need for her to wave. Rohan was already moving, walking toward one of the most important and pivotal moments in his life.
His stomach was in knots and his mouth was dry, but nothing could stop him going to her, and his son.
“There never was an Australia trip. I planned to surprise you all along, with Tom’s help,” Rohan heard Jeevan say, as he walked up the steps to the stage. “Who’s the guy? You look really into each other. Did he get you to go back to the SAR team?”
Rohan paused behind the curtain, suddenly unsure again and wishing he had the right to the kind of hug Jeevan had given his mother, full of love and joy.
“He’s...” Elise caught sight of Rohan as he stepped fully out into her view, and her voice faltered to a stop.
Jeevan turned.
This close, Rohan could see how much they truly looked alike, and realized they were almost the same height, with his son an inch or so taller.
Rohan’s heart was pounding so hard he felt almost light-headed, but he held his son’s gaze, seeing his brow furrow and his mouth tighten.
“Mom?”
Elise seemed unable to move, to speak, and it was then that Rohan realized she’d been equally nervous about this moment.
“How this all came about is a long story, but I’m your father.”
Jeevan turned to his mother and said again, “Mom?”
She was shaking, but she nodded and tried to smile. “It’s true. He’s alive, and he found us.”
Jeevan faced Rohan again, the bewilderment in his eyes tearing at Rohan’s heart.
“How... I thought... I thought you were dead.”
“I’ll explain it to you,” Elise said, and her words pushed a rush of cold through Rohan’s body.
Not we. But just her.
Yet wasn’t that her prerogative? She’d raised Jeevan by herself, taken care of him and nurtured him into the man standing between them, looking from one to the other.
They had a relationship, while he—he was still the outsider looking in, hoping to be accepted.
“I’ll let you two talk,” he said, fighting to keep the coldness out of his voice, unable to stop his expression from going blank.
Some habits were harder to break than others.
He turned to go back to the ballroom.
“Wait.”
Two voices, calling out at the same time, stopped him in his tracks, and he turned back to see Jeevan coming after him.
Then he was enveloped in a hug so tight he heard his ribs creak, but he didn’t care, as Jeevan’s voice, muffled but audible, said, “Dad. Daddy.”
And when he hugged his son in return, everything felt right in the world.
* * *
Elise wasn’t sure how she made it through the dinner, and the three of them left immediately afterward, needing time for Jeevan to sort through it all.
He peppered them with questions the entire way back to the house, stopping only for the time it took for him to go in and pick up his bags from his friend’s house, where he’d been staying.
They had to go back to the beginning, explaining about the accident, and the way his grandfather had manipulated the story to get Elise out of Rohan’s life.
“Wow,” he remarked. “That was pretty low. Do you know why he did it?”
“I think, because he wanted me to marry a friend’s daughter so the two families would be tied together. My father always was all about business and money, which equal prestige for some people.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I know some of them.”
He was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Did you? Marry the woman your father wanted you to?”
“Yes, but it didn’t work out.”
Another brief silence, and when Elise looked in the rearview mirror, she saw Jeevan shaking his head.
“I’m sorry you went through that, Dad.”
And her heart ached when Rohan lifted his hand to his face, not to touch his scars as he habitually did, but to swipe at his eyes.
“Thank you, son.”
“Holy crap!” Jeevan’s sudden shout almost made Elise drive off the road. “I have my dad back. Well, I have my dad.” He laughed, and the joyful sound had her blinking back tears, too. Thank goodness she was pulling into the driveway. “Hey, Dad, wanna teach me how to throw a baseball?�
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“Sorry, son.” The amusement in Rohan’s voice was apparent. “I grew up in Trinidad, so I could maybe teach you how to play cricket. But baseball? No. And don’t even think about hockey.”
The three of them were laughing as they got out of the car, and Elise had to stop for a moment, too thankful to move.
It would work out. She knew it would. And the relief was almost paralyzing.
“Come on, Mom,” Jeevan said, putting his arm around her shoulder. “I’m sure there must be a butter tart with my name in the house somewhere. Otherwise, it just isn’t Christmas.”
“If your father hasn’t eaten all of them,” she replied, and on hearing her words, they all paused, as though letting them soak in.
Then Rohan said, “Hey, don’t have him hating me already. At least let him get to know me first so his dislike is an honest one, not over baked goods.”
“I’ve never hated you.” Jeevan’s voice had lost all mirth and was serious. Almost grave. “And I never will. So that part of the father-son bonding experience won’t happen.”
“Glad to hear it,” Rohan said. Then, as though unable to help themselves, they hugged again.
Baxter went wild when Jeevan walked in, scaring Phoebe in the process. By the time Rohan and Jeevan had them both settled down, Elise had made hot chocolate, and they went into the living room to drink it.
When Jeevan saw that the tree wasn’t decorated, he insisted they get on it. It couldn’t be bare on Christmas morning.
“You should write a book.” Jeevan considered where on the tree to put the glittery ornament he was holding, then reached up and hung it on the topmost bough, before looking at his father. “It’s like a soap opera, or a Bollywood movie. The hero is dead, and then, when you least expect it, he isn’t.”
When Rohan laughed, Elise felt now familiar warmth fill her chest. She would never tire of hearing that sound.
“When you put it that way, sure. But no one would believe it actually happened. They’d think I made it up.”
Elise nodded her agreement as she hunted for some more ornament wires. Every year she misplaced them and ended up buying more. They should be drowning in them by now. If she didn’t know he was too well trained to do something like that, she’d think Baxter was hiding them somewhere.
“People nowadays wouldn’t understand what it was like when it was all landlines, and local newspapers and TV. You hardly knew what was happening one town over, much less a thousand miles away,” she said. “Now everyone has a cell phone with video capabilities, and are posting selfies all over the internet, and even the smallest countries have their newspapers online. Anyone who didn’t live before the worldwide web would think it was the most ridiculous story they’d ever heard.”
Jeevan obviously was still trying to make sense of it all, and Elise knew it would take some more time. But when she’d seen him spontaneously hug Rohan, she’d known it would be all right in the end.
They still hadn’t broached the subject of his parents being together again, after having reconnected only a couple of days ago. She and Rohan had already agreed that, for at least these first few nights, they’d sleep apart. One shock at a time was enough for their son.
Yet she didn’t really want to wait. Not now, when Rohan and her had admitted to their feelings. She was chomping at the bit to start the rest of their life together, as a couple, as well as a family.
“Gosh, I love Christmas.” The contentment in Jeevan’s voice mirrored the feeling that blossomed in her chest as she watched the two most important people in her life interact so easily. “And this year is the best ever.”
“I can’t wait to hear all about your trip to Indonesia and Borneo.” Rohan handed Elise a plastic bag filled with the wires she’d been hunting for. “Did you get enough data for your doctorate?”
“Yes, I’m sure I did. It was amazing there, but rough living most of the time. I can understand why some scientists only want to do field work, but jungle living isn’t for me. At least not all the time.”
As the two men talked more about the trip, Elise allowed herself a little moment of relief. She’d been worried Jeevan might decide that adventures in faraway places suited him perfectly and then end up living in inaccessible locales all the time. Hearing him say it wasn’t for him made her happy, even though she knew he wouldn’t stay in Banff.
For now, she was perfectly content with what she had, and knew she shouldn’t be greedy. No matter where Jeevan settled, they’d still be in touch, and visit regularly. At least, she’d visit him regularly, whether he wanted it or not. When she was ninety and he was sixty-three, he’d still be her baby. And Rohan would still be the love of her life.
Christmas had definitely taken on a new sparkle. Where before she’d associated it with loss, now it had become what it was always meant to be: a season of hope and joy and love.
“Were you the one who encouraged Mom to go back to SAR?” Jeevan asked Rohan. “I’ve been telling her for the past year that she shouldn’t give it up. Do you know she passed the physical at forty-two, and some of the people half her age flunked it?”
Rohan gave her a look that heated her to her toes, and she was glad Jeevan was once more deciding where to hang an ornament, and not focused on them.
“I didn’t know that, but I’m not surprised. And no, I didn’t encourage her, per se, just told her I thought she was amazing at it.”
And that led to them telling their son about the joint rescue they’d effected, and their being on site to help Mrs. Pilar, when she collapsed in Banff, as well as the raven they’d rescued.
“You guys have been busy, eh?”
“You could say that,” she replied.
The tree was almost completely decorated when Jeevan turned to his father and said, “It just struck me—you told Mom you’d be back for Christmas, but it took you twenty-seven years to keep your promise.” Jeevan quirked an eyebrow at his father. “I guess better late than never.”
“I’m a man of my word,” Rohan said with mock gravity. “Just a little tardy sometimes.”
They exchanged almost identical grins, which they turned on Elise, making her heart ache with happiness. Her eyes got damp and she smiled back, shaking her head at their silliness. Mind you, she might as well get used to it. They were more alike than not, and she could almost bet they’d be ganging up on her sometimes. She resolved to stay on her toes, and ready for anything.
“I still think you could have a bestseller on your hands,” Jeevan said, sending his parents another teasing glance. “And if you cap the story off by getting married, then you could tap into the romance market. I hear it’s huge.”
“Jeevan!”
Elise put as much outrage as she could into her voice, but Rohan completely spoiled the effect by muttering, “Hush, son. Don’t spook her. I’m working on it.”
“Definitely the best Christmas ever,” Jeevan said happily.
“The first of many.”
The surety and love in Rohan’s voice was patent, and Elise got up from her chair to lean down and kiss him lightly, no longer concerned with how Jeevan might interpret her actions. He obviously already knew his parents were back in love and had no problem with it.
There would no doubt be more discussions about everything, later. But right now, she had to express all the love in her heart.
Rohan pulled her down into his lap and, under Jeevan’s teasing gaze, wrapped both arms around her waist.
“Yes,” she agreed, snuggling in, at home again in Rohan’s embrace, contentment making her smile. “The first of many merry Christmases. Together.”
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Ann McIntosh
Best Friend to Doctor Right
Awakened by Her Brooding Brazilian
The Nurse’s Christmas Temptation
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nbsp; Surgeon Prince, Cinderella Bride
All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from One Night to Forever Family by Meredith Webber.
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CHAPTER ONE
SAM REILLY KNEW she shouldn’t be walking into a large hospital with a well-travelled and probably germ-laden backpack towering over her, the soft roll of the sleeping bag on the top pushing her head forward so she probably resembled a bedraggled turtle as she made her way towards the reception desk.
She leant against the counter, easing the weight on her back slightly.
‘I know I don’t look much,’ she said to the polite woman on the other side of the desk, ‘but the road out from where I was working was washed away in a typhoon and it’s taken me a month to get here. I need a shower, some scrubs, and if possible a white coat so that I can present myself as a reasonably competent doctor up in the PICU. My name’s Sam Reilly—well, Samantha, really, but people call me Sam.’
‘You’re the new PICU doctor? I was told to expect you but, oh, my dear, you can’t possibly go up there looking like that! Think of the germs you’re probably carrying.’
‘Exactly!’ Sam said. ‘Which is why I need that shower and something clean to wear. Can you help me out?’
The woman eyed her doubtfully.
‘I guess you’d be okay in the ED staffroom. There are always plenty of clean sets of scrubs in there—showers, too, of course. Just continue down this passage and you’ll find it on the left.’ The woman hesitated. ‘It’s often a bit messy,’ she added, as if a scrawny, redheaded backpacker might not have understood messy...